Early survey abstracts describe Nature’s Monument Sanctuary 1 as being “the fourth tier of lands beyond the river”. We are positioned to the west and nearly atop the gently inclining crest of a great valley. When the ice age glaciers withdrew 13,000 years ago, the land had been contoured by the weight upon it, creating this valley which runs parallel to the Saint John River.
This is a place of solitude and peace, from which our forebears drew life and raised families through good times and the Great Depression. The cultivated spaces were quickly reclaimed by the forest when they grew too old to tend the land. What speaks to them having toiled here are the hundreds of apple trees scattered throughout, and the cairns of stones piled up where they hindered the work. This land has endured a cycle of settlers and farmers, and is now returned to nature as Acadian forest. Wildlife habitat that had existed for thousands of years is renewed, with the birds and animals returned.
People of the Earth
The Last People to Work This Land
Gave Themselves to it and Gratefully
Accepted What it Gave Back
Laid Their Children in it
When They Died too Young
Asking Mother Nature to Mark Their Place
They Planted a Tree
White Walnut
Eco-Burial and Nature’s Monument Sanctuary offer a new vision. Problems are not solved by the processes that created them. Human history has been a perilous journey; emerging danger has always served to bring about new ideas and ways of thinking. The reward for continuing with “more of the same” is recorded in extinction events. Aboriginal societies see more value in co-operation, than in competition. They take only what is needed from Mother Nature, understanding that just being here is a privilege and cause for celebration. Help us become an Instrument of Change in a World Dying for Change.
It is time to ask the really difficult questions? Why is it acceptable that billions of people struggle at the edge of survival? Why are we comfortable in being voiceless? When did we forget that every breath of air and every drop of water has been consumed several times over and that that there are no external refill options. Why is there so little concern for what our grandchildren might eat, drink and breathe in the future? If you love this place, you will embrace the effort needed to fix it. If you care about survival and quality of life for your children and grandchildren, you will reject current marketplace philosophies and find a new path.
Being eco-conscious in death is but one of many small acts of kindness that will make a difference. Be inspired to think “outside the box”. Ask questions; know that we are all one; everything is connected. That which destroys us is made by us. Whether we are here or not, Mother Earth will survive and will regenerate another ecosystem. Embrace the concept of PEOPLE and PLANET FIRST; build a new world based on the great things we’ve accomplished. Be the ray of hope that throws back the darkness.
Our MISSION STATEMENT: Renew Life; Live in Harmony; Share Wealth; Extend Kindness; Leave the World in a Better State Than You Found It.
Early survey abstracts describe Nature's Monument Sanctuary 1 as being "the fourth tier of lands beyond the river". We are positioned to the west and nearly atop the gently inclining crest of a great valley. When the ice age glaciers withdrew 13,000 years ago, the land had been contoured by the weight upon it, creating this valley which runs parallel to the Saint John River.