Candidate Protected Natural Area of Theobald Lake and Irish River!
Input needed!
This 494-hectare area encompasses old growth Acadian forest, and features red spruce, yellow birch, sugar maple, balsam fir, eastern hemlock, and beech, all of which are considered to be characteristic of the pre-settlement forest matrix.
White tail deer, moose, black bears, red foxes, northern flying squirrels, fishers and martins call this area home. Red trillium can be found within the proposed PNA, as well as yellow-bellied sapsuckers, black-throated green warblers, pine warblers, blackburnian warblers, white-breasted nuthatches, eastern wood-pewee, bald eagles, and least flycatchers. At the lower end of the Irish River, there is habitat for nesting peregrine falcons, red-shouldered hawks, short-eared owl, and Bicknell’s thrush. Blue herons are a common sight around Theobald Lake, as are wood turtles, red-spotted newts, and yellow-spotted salamanders.
The wetland areas within the proposed PNA allow for high diversity of vascular and non-vascular plants, including endangered lady slipper species. The Irish River provides habitat and spawning area for the endangered Atlantic Salmon and American Eel.
Follow the link below to fill out a brief survey on why you think the Theobald area deserves to be protected! Look for Site ID 1748!
