Madeleine Cadieux, an ex resident of Saint-Paul d’Abbotsford at the foot of mont Yamaska chose to make the arrangements with the government so that a portion of her property could be declared a nature reserve. Although she is no longer the owner of the property, this was a legal agreement between her and le ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs. A surface of 3.8 hectares of forest will be protected where rare species of animals and plants live. Because of this initiative, rare maple trees and rare falcons will survive and multiply in the future.
The benefits from protecting an environment are often underestimated. The presence of a unique environment of a natural reserve does improve people’s quality of life and does improve as well the quality of life of the surrounding community. As well the designation of a “Nature reserve” allows the property owner to be exempted from paying municipal taxes on the reserve part of the property.