Who We Are

Friends of Cape St. Mary’s is a non-profit organization formed in 1997 to work in partnership with the Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve to support the promotion, interpretation and research of the region. FCSM help to sustain the region as a distinctive visitor destination, while enhancing and protecting the destination’s resources for the present and future needs of both visitors and the community that hosts them.

When the organization was formed, the Ecological Reserve was administered by the former Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation. In 2014, administration of the Reserve became the responsibility of the Natural Areas Program of the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture. As a result, the focus of the overseeing department has changed from promotion to conservation. To ignite new energy into FCSM and drive planned marketing efforts for growing awareness and visitor traffic to the Cape, a new board of directors was formed in 2019. To renew the organization, and to create a solid foundation in order to shield against future lulls in governance and operations, the board is in the process of developing plans to attract newfound awareness and visitors to the region.

Seasonal staff operate The Rookery – a nature store located in the Interpretation Centre . FCSM work with reserve staff on community outreach, educational activities, and social and cultural events. The budget for the organization is comprised of revenues from The Rookery and from donations received from visitors to the Reserve.