The Salmonier Nature Reserve, home to a number of rare and at-risk species, is expanding thanks to the efforts of the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

Program Director with the Nature Conservancy in Newfoundland and Labrador, Piers Evans says the area, known as the Avalon forest eco-region, has a number of unique natural features.

He says it features some of the biggest yellow birch trees on the island. It’s also home to a number of federally-protected species including some species of felt lichen, two species of bats, and two species of federally protected song birds and one species of owl. “We’ve got a great area here” says Evans.

The Nature Conservancy recently purchased 233 hectares of intact boreal forest from the Roman Catholic Church, expanding the Salmonier Nature Reserve to 410 hectares.