GENERAL INFORMATION

     Name:            Port L'Hebert Pocket Wilderness Trail
     County:          Queens
     Ownership:       Bowater Mersey Paper Co. Ltd.
     Trail Length:    3 km
     Season:          Year Round


EMERGENCY INFORMATION

     Emergency:       911
     

DIRECTIONS

Drive west along highway 103 from Liverpool toward Yarmouth.  
Approximately 40 km from Liverpool, a large road sign indicates the 
parking lot and start of the trail. 


ACTIVITIES

     Walking:             Y        Hiking:         Y
     Mountain Biking:     N        XCountry Ski:   Y
     ATV:                 N        Horse:          N
     Snowmobile:          N        Coastal:        Y
     Loop:                Y        Wheelchair:     N
     Wheelchair Assisted: N  


DESCRIPTION

(Taken from Bowater Mersey's brochure, "Come Discover a Wilderness")
The Port L'Hebert trail was Bowater Mersey's first Pocket Wilderness.  It 
opened in 1979 as a project to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the 
founding of Bowater  Mersey Paper Company Limited by Nova Scotian 
financier, IW Killam.  

Here, the forest is typical of Nova Scotia's South Shore. Much of the 
land has been burned many times, resulting in the regeneration of 
sprout-growth hardwoods such as aspen and birch.  Huge granite boulders 
left by glaciers thousands of years ago and covered with lichens several 
centuries old are scattered throughout the forest. In contrast to the poor 
acid soils of the forest are the rich salt marshes along the shore.  They 
are the nurseries of the sea and have helped make the South Shore fisheries 
so important.

The Port L'Hebert Harbour is named after Louis L'Hebert, Champlain's 
apothecary on his voyage to Nova Scotia in 1604.  It is a well-known 
wintering ground for migrating Canada geese.  There is eel grass, open water, 
and the minimal disturbance the geese need to survive the harsh winter months.  
The Canadian Wildlife Service has designated the upper end of Port L'Hebert, 
including the delicate shoreline along the Pocket Wilderness, as a waterfowl 
sanctuary. 

On the trail are picnic tables, garbage cans, washrooms and a water pump.