Irishtown Nature Park
This park is unique in that it offers a wide variety of habitats to explore from Acadian forests to wetlands, aquatic/terrestrial environments and much more. This picturesque nature park consists of 2,200 acres of forest and 250 acres of water.
The Irishtown Nature Park features a wonderful setting for outdoor environmental experiences with many kilometers of forested trails. Several trail systems provide an opportunity for hands on personal experiences with nature. The blue trail (1.1 km) starts at the Tankville School (a historic museum displaying an original one room 
school house in the top section of the building and the basement serves as a community center for meetings and various outdoor activities) and ends at a new parking lot on the northwesterly boundary of the park. There is a loop trail used by school groups that is 680m long that leaves and returns to the parking lot. This trail is a natural trail with a chipped surface due to wet areas. It is used by walkers, hikers and snowshoers in winter.
This school was fully restored by the Elmwood North Community Association and many volunteers from the community. The Tankville School is also used for outdoor education programs with school District # 2 run by the City of Moncton.
Seasonal programs are designed through the Parks & Leisure Services specifically to grade level and are meant to compliment what is learned inside the classroom and reinforced in the real world – outdoors.
The park history (city's first water supply in the 1800’s) is valuable information that is portrayed to visitors entering the park through interpretive signage at the spillway.
Trails
The red trail (4.7 km) starts at the main parking lot on Elmwood drive and circles inside park boundaries. This trail is surfaced which makes it accessable for all to walk, groomed in the winter as well for walking. This multiuse trail is used by walkers, runners, wheel chairs, bikers and hikers.
The yellow trail (5.8 km) also begins in the main parking lot see park entrance signage. This trail is a more natural trail made for the adventurer that runs along the lake some sections where it is wet have been chipped for easier access. This trail is used by hikers, walkers and snowshoers in the winter.
The blue trail (1.1 km) is a nature trail that begins in a maturing hemlock forest and runs through various other forest stands that are typically found in the Acadian Forest. This trail is used for outdoor science-based education/interpretation as there is so much to explore on this trail.
Bird watching
The park boasts a spectacular system of trails that make an excellent venue for one of the city's favorite pastimes: bird watching. A feeding station along the way attracts birds of all species, and allows amateur ornithologists an opportunity rarely seen in these parts. St. Michaels Scout Troop maintains bird feeders throughout the winter months in cooperation with the City of Moncton. What a wonderful opportunity to see colorful woodland birds set against the backdrop of this majestic nature park! Chickadees are most common, but one can observe nuthatches, yellow finches, purple finches, hairy and downey woodpeckers and doves.
There are a variety of feeders to observe: peanut butter feeders, suet feeders, Black Oiled sunflower seed silos, Niger seed silos, and platform feeders.
Download and print the Field Checklist for Birds and see what species you can find!
Outdoor Educational Programs
The City of Moncton is continuing with a science-based learning program that is strongly linked to the school district’s science curriculum, under the leadership of a forest management program coordinator.
This program brings the classroom outdoors where students can gain the greatest benefits from learning in the natural environment. This interpretive program and related outdoor field activities enhance the building of a strong base for future outdoor educational learning.
We recognize the need for education and involving students, visitors and the general public to ensure the long-term sustainability of our park systems.
The Tankville School is used in a unique way to promote the history of the area, giving the students a feeling of what it would have been like learning in a one-room school house in the 1800s.
This outdoor education program introduces the students to the forest and its ecosystems, animal and plant habitats, living and non-living things, changing climate and changing forests, species at risk, wildlife management strategies, forest, plant, trees and edible plants, flora and fauna identification, tracks and signs, environmental ethics and much more all tailored to whatever the students are learning in their individual classrooms.
The intensity of the program varies depending on age and grade levels. Programs vary with the seasons and a class set of snowshoes is available upon request when booking winter programs.
Guided Interpretive
Programs are based on science curriculum outcomes from School District 2. All classes involve hands-on learning in nature’s classroom, with over 2,000 acres to explore. On-site programs are delivered free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis. 
Professional Development Workshops
If teachers are interested in learning about biodiversity and the different ecosystems in the park, environmental science projects, wildlife habitats and more, we can develop specific outcomes to compliment your teaching needs.
Winter Programs
“Seasons in the Park Series – All on Snowshoes”
Acadian Forests, Living Things/Habitats, NB Fur Bearers Program, Species at Risk, and Animal Tracks and Signs are all themes provided this winter.
***For more information on educational programs offered at Irishtown Nature Park or to book a class, contact Heather Fraser at 506-383-6700 or e-mail us.
Blue-Green Algae
In response to the blue-green algae bloom in the Irishtown Nature Park reservoir in 2007 and 2008, the City of Moncton has taken a scientific and educational approach to solving the problem by partnering with Dr. Alyre Chiasson of the Biology Department of the Université de Moncton and the Petitcodiac Watershed Alliance.
Research Study at the Irishtown Nature Park Reservoir Summer 2009