Tobeatic Wilderness Area
The Tobeatic Wilderness Area, located in Nova Scotia, Canada, is the largest protected area in the Canadian Maritimes. It is in the south western central part of the province, near Kejimkujik National Park. It was formerly known as the Tobeatic Wildlife Management Area, and the Tobeatic Game Reserve.
Tobeatic means Place of the Alder in the Mi'kmaq language.
It contains large areas of Acadian forest. The geography is varied, consisting of wetlands, woodlands, scrublands and barrens. The landscape was shaped by the last glaciation, which left glacial barrens, erratics, drumlins, eskers, moraines, hummocks, outwash plains and kettle lakes.
The Tobeatic differs from nearby Kejimkujik National Park in that some hunting and public leasing of land is allowed, and that campsites, canoe routes, and portages are not as developed or maintained. However, the Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Labour, Protected Areas Division, is in the process of opening some trails systems and retiring hunting camps. All terrain vehicle use within the reserve has also been disallowed. Along with Kejimkujik, the Tobeatic is part of the UNESCO designated Southwest Nova Biosphere Reserve.
The Tobeatic Wilderness Area is made up of several geological units including the Goldenville Formation, the Halifax Formation, and Middle to Late Devonian biotite monzogranite and leucomonzogranite.
Wildlife in the Tobeatic Game Reserve includes eastern moose and white-tailed deer.
The area is the setting for the book The Tent Dwellers.
The region has many lakes and rivers including the Shelburne, Clyde, and Tusket rivers.
Archaeological research shows that the Mi’kmaq people were present in the Tobeatic at least 4500 years ago.
