The Nature Trust of New Brunswick Inc. describe themselves as a charitable corporation dedicated to protecting natural areas in New Brunswick with special scientific, educational, or aesthetic value. This group was founded in 1987 by Harold R. Hinds, the curator of the Connell Memorial Herbarium at the University of New Brunswick, and many other NB citizens. The group's first major collaborative activity was researching and publishing a paper titled "Critical Natural Areas of New Brunswick". Over the course of researching for this endeavor, it became clear that these natural sites the group mentions in their paper were in need of protection. In September 1987 the group was officially incorporated as the Nature Trust of New Brunswick Inc.
Their first success was the acquisition and conservation of the Shea Lake property, now the Shea Lake Nature Preserve, in 1988. Other conservation projects undertaken by this nature trust in subsequent years include the Long Island Conservation Project, the Caughey-Taylor Nature Preserve, and the Appalachian Hardwood Forest Project, to name just a few. The nature trust's publication "Refuge" was first published in January 1991 with support from the Themadel Foundation of St. Andrews. This publication provides updates on the projects and successes of the nature trust.