Medway Community Forest Co-op

08/20/2026

Due to some stormy weather we have changed our original event date to Sunday August 30th!

Save the Date! August 30 from 10AM-2PM
Medway Community Forest Co-op is marking the 10th Anniversary of celebrating Acadian-Wabanaki Forests and forest-based traditions through our annual Forest Market: 10th Anniversary Edition!

This is a FREE EVENT and a perfect family activity for a Sunday in Annapolis Royal.
Woodworkers, textile artists, illustrators, basket-makers and craftspeople of all kinds will be vending their forest-based goods. You can also expect live music and some exciting hand-tool demos and live basket-making!

A raffle draw will occur at the end of the Forest Market. Get your tickets and a chance to win! In the basket: Camping Vouchers from the Medway Community Forest Campground, $200 worth of market vendor goods, donations from local Annapolis Royal businesses! Bring cash for ticket purchases.

All proceeds from the raffle will go towards Bear River First Nation's 7 Paddles Program. The 7 Paddles project was started to re-establish traditional Mi’kmaq canoe routes for ecotourism in Nova Scotia. It has become a way for people in Bear River First Nation to strengthen their ties with their land and culture.

📆 Sunday August 30 | 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
📍 Annapolis Royal Market Square (178 St. George Street)
🎟️ Free & open to all
🎂 Free Cake at 12:30PM
🎫 Prize Basket available for Raffle

Browse handmade goods, connect with local organizations, and celebrate the people and stories rooted in our forest landscapes.
Hope to see you there! 🌲

NOTE This event was originally set for Aug 23, but will be postponed until the 30th due to Rain.

08/18/2026

We will be doing some important Hemlock Treatments - please be advised!

⛔UPDATE: River Ridge Common Closure dates have changed.

River Ridge Common will now be closed for pesticide treatment starting Thursday, August 20, and will reopen Saturday, August 22.

During the closure:
• Please do not enter treatment areas during application or within 24 hours after treatment is complete.
• Children and pets should remain outside closed areas until the park has reopened.
• Signs and barriers will be in place; please follow all posted instructions.

This treatment is part of ongoing efforts to protect hemlock trees from hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), an invasive insect that can cause hemlock trees to decline and die. Work will be completed by Medway Community Forest Cooperative on behalf of the District of Lunenburg.

The pesticide products are registered for use by Health Canada and will be applied according to label directions by certified pesticide applicators.

Treatment is weather-dependent, and the schedule may change. Updates will be shared if needed.

🔗 Learn more: engage.modl.ca/hemlock
📧 Questions? Contact Kayla Winsor, Climate Action Coordinator, at [email protected].

District of Lunenburg Recreation, Parks and Tourism

08/17/2026

🌲We are fast approaching our 10th Anniversary Forest Market on August 30 🌲

Find these fabulous forest-inspired artisans vending their wares.

We will be at the Market Square in Annapolis Royal from 10AM-2PM alongside environmental groups, live demonstrators and live music!

Spotlight on these vendors:

Humble Oak Woodcraft 🪵
Nate uses ethically sourced and storm fallen timber to craft spoons and basic household objects. Everything is carved by hand with basic carving tools. He uses carving as a means of gentle, peaceful connection to his environment, to the trees he loves and to others.

Rowan & Ash Studios 🦉
Richard creates hand-turned wooden hollow forms, vessels, and bowls. He is guided by grain and his vessels are created with care. Grown and developed in Nova Scotia.

Adam Mack Wood Art 🍄
Adam McNamara is a wood artist known for his innovative approach to wood carving, drawing inspiration from the natural world and modern design elements.

Sinéad Day MacLeod Silk Art 🍂
Sinéad is a multidisciplinary artist working between New Mexico and Nova Scotia. Her practice spans textile, painting, stone carving, and basketry, unified by a materialist inquiry into land, labour, and the historical weight of women's work.
Using cyanotype, she prints silk with botanicals gathered from the desert and the Atlantic coast, layering the cloth with dyes and pigments she collects and extracts by hand.

Stay tuned for more vendor updates...

08/06/2026

🚲SAVE THE DATE! 🌲
Mark your calendars because you're not going to want to miss this one!

Medway Community Forest is partnering with Cycling Nova Scotia for another edition of the Hemlock Hustle 2026!

Join us for a beautiful autumn gravel ride through the forests of Annapolis County. This ride will accommodate all levels - the goal is to have fun exploring some of the Medway License area while connecting with fellow cyclists!

Check out these pictures from our 2025 group ride which wrapped up with a pig roast and music! How can you go wrong?

Registration links coming soon - just pencil us in for now 🚲

07/24/2026

🌲 We are hiring: Ecological Forestry Coordinator 🌲

The Medway Community Forest Co-operative is looking for a full-time Ecological Forestry Coordinator. This is a dynamic role with diverse responsibilities. The role ranges from supporting community engagement, to developing new opportunities for ecotourism and recreation, to supporting forestry operations planning and coordinating research on our Crown land license area. The position is best suited to an individual whose interests lie in the intersection between forestry and traditional conservation approaches.

The coordinator works closely with the Executive Director and Operations Manager to support stewardship initiatives within the license area. The role involves collaborating with partner organizations in the conservation and forestry sectors on relevant projects within the local community and beyond.

📍 Location: Caledonia, NS
📅 Term: August 31, 2026 - December 17, 2027 with a possibility of extension

We’re looking for someone organized, adaptable, and comfortable balancing field work, research, and building relationships with our partners and community through public engagement.

MCFC is Eastern Canada’s first community forest and manages 15,000 hectares of Crown land using ecological and community-based forestry practices.

To apply or learn more, please visit http://www.medwaycommunityforest.com/jobs or head over to the link in our bio.

07/13/2026

Medway staff had the opportunity to do some field work deep in the Medway Community Forest. We found this site as part of an effort to find and conserve the best examples of old forest across the license area.

This site was a drumlin along a lake shore, dominated by hemlock with red spruce, white pine, sugar maple, red maple, red oak, white and yellow birch. We found rare plants, rare birds, mast trees (nut producers, in this case red oak), and nest cavities. We found sections of dense canopy, open canopy gaps, thickets of seedlings and saplings. The site was highly diverse, which meant more unique habitats for a wide range of wildlife, plants and lichens.

It's always a pleasure to get better acquainted with some of the more unique and biodiverse sections of the land that we steward, reminding us of the beauty of mature forest ecosystems and what we strive to foster in our license area.

07/10/2026

Join us for a day of bug-hunting and fun at the Four-Mile Stillwater Trail with Entomologist Cody Chapman!

Cody Chapman is a Biologist, Naturalist, and lover of wild things and wild places in the Maritimes - we are excited to have him guide us through all of the wonderful insects that we can spot on this excursion.

Families and all ages are welcome.

⏰July 25 11:AM-1:00PM
📍Four-Mile Stillwater Trail (44.49979957592609, -65.24683641849906)
🎟 Free for all - please register!

We would love to know how many people to expect! Please click the link in our bio to register for this event.

07/06/2026

Are you a carver, a carpenter, or a craftsperson working with wood? Maybe you are an illustrator, a printmaker, or a textile artist inspired by the Wabanaki forests? Do you work with an organization that is passionate about woodland health and protection?

We’re looking for makers, artists, and organizations to join us for a special 10th Anniversary edition of our annual Forest Market in Annapolis Royal!

Details:
📅 Sunday, Aug 23 | 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
📍 Annapolis Royal Market Square
✨ Free to participate

This is a great chance to be part of a community-focused market rooted in a shared connection to the woods, alongside other local creators and conservation groups.

Interested in joining us? Send us an email or get in touch to express your interest. And share the word!