Friends of McNabs Island Society marks 30 years of protecting historic harbour island (25 photos)

A local group is marking 30 years of preserving and protecting McNabs Island.

Formed in 1990, the Friends of McNabs Island Society has worked to improve trails, cleanup beaches, host guided tours, distribute information and add improvements to encourage more people to enjoy the largest island in Halifax Harbour.

“The thing with McNabs is you come over here for a hike and you're just glad to get out of the city for the day, but it doesn't matter where you go on the island, you're going to stumble upon a fort,” said the society's president, Cathy McCarthy. 

“There's five fortifications over here. McNabs was really the place that protected Halifax in the early days.”

The island was a popular recreation spot and thousands used to head over for picnics and socials. There were also two popular fairgrounds on McNabs.

“Everyone who has grown up in the Maritimes knows about the Bill Lynch shows, well Bill Lynch actually got his start in the fairgrounds business right here on McNabs Island,” McCarthy told HalifaxToday.ca.

The Friends of McNabs Island Society had planned to host a large picnic to celebrate its 30th birthday this summer, however the event had to be called off due to COVID-19.

The volunteer, non-profit was able to continue its summer heritage tours, with a few modifications.

“This year we waited until almost the last minute to start registration because we wanted to make sure it was going to be safe and we had the proper approval,” McCarthy said.

Guests were required to wear masks on the boats heading to and from the island and more volunteers were recruited so the tours could be broken down into smaller groups.

And the society is hoping to be able to run its popular fall foliage tours on Sunday, October 18, however it's currently holding off on taking reservations due to the uncertainty with the pandemic.

“There will probably be a couple of nature tours, we'll have an adventure tour, possibly to the far south end of the island so that's quite a bit of hiking … we'll also have heritage tours, which would be history tours,” McCarthy explained.

If they can go ahead, she expects to have to reduce the number of people brought over to the island that day, so tickets will probably sell out fast.

However, Haligonians don't have to wait for a tour to visit. McNabs' beaches are popular in the summer with private boat owners, but there's also a list of commercial water taxis and charter boat operators who drop off and pick up passengers eager to explore on their own.

Before heading out visitors can download a brochure with information and a map of points of interest.

In recent years, the society has added an interpretive kiosk and directional signposts to help with navigation.

Friends of McNabs' latest project is restoring a tea house built in the 1980s. The building will be used as an outdoor education centre for scouts, school trips and nature clubs. The rare indoor space will give groups a spot to gather and learn about the island together.

“We're working with the Nova Scotia Community College. Their faculty of engineering has a lot of expertise in solar design. They're going to be installing solar panels … so the whole place can be run off the grid,” McCarthy explained.

The panels will be covered to protect them from vandals which unfortunately plague the island.

The building's windows have already been installed and a group of volunteers will soon be putting in its doors.

“There's lots of opportunities for people to volunteer if they want to help out. They can just get in touch with us through our website,” McCarthy said.  

“If you're keen on construction, or even if you don't know much about construction or carpentry, there's always somebody needed to carry the supplies.”