Historic N.S. property being transferred to Mi'kmaq in spirit of reconciliation

From the edge of Wentzells Lake, up the western slope of the LaHave River valley in Lunenburg County, N.S., there is a special piece of land.

So special that Jim and Margaret Drescher, even though recently bankrupt, scrounged up the means to buy it in 1990.

Jim said he considered it a singular opportunity, as the Wentzell family, which had been stewards of the land for 150 years, was preparing to sell. Timber brokers were queuing up with an interest in harvesting trees from the dozens of hectares of rich and diverse forest. 

Jim said he feared it would be clear cut, but he and his wife had a different vision.

"We could tell right from the beginning that there was amazing potential here," said Margaret. 

Now, after hosting four generations of the Wentzell family and three generations of Dreschers, the land is being transferred into the hands of the Mi'kmaq.

The Ulnooweg Education Centre will take the reins of Windhorse Farm this week.  The centre is a branch of the Ulnooweg development group, which funds and fosters Mi'kmaw businesses across Atlantic Canada.

Chris Googoo, chief operating officer of Ulnooweg, said the organization plans to invite students from across the province to the property to learn from the land and from Mi'kmaw elders about biodiversity and conservation.

"When I saw this [property] for the first time ... I just had a vision of children running around and just learning from the forest just by being here and just by being present," Googoo said.

The Dreschers had reconciliation with Indigenous people in mind when they first connected with Ulnooweg more than three years ago to start talking about handing over control of Windhorse. 

Both parties describe it as a "transition," involving part sale and part gift. They declined to say how much money is changing hands, but Jim said it's less than the $1.6 million the Dreschers had been seeking in 2016 when they started looking to sell.

"Ownership is really a colonial remnant. And we're giving up that ownership quite happily," Jim said.

The couple will now be mostly observers in the operations of Windhorse, but they won't be far away. They moved into a cottage just up the road three years ago and they said they expect to continue visiting Windhorse and roaming its woods.

"This is home for us and we will continue to be home here," said Jim.