First year field activities of the Red Indian Lake Marten Stewardship Project conclude

The first season of the Inland Fish and Wildlife Division�s field activities associated with the recently begun Red Indian Lake Marten Stewardship Project have successfully concluded, according to Kevin Aylward, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation and minister responsible for wildlife in the province.

"The objective of this project, which I originally announced in January 2001, is to reduce the accidental snaring/trapping mortality of the endangered Newfoundland pine marten by having trained staff interact with snarers and trappers in this study area. Preliminary results are encouraging. I extend my thanks to all those who participated in the information and education sessions and altered their hunting and trapping techniques in the interest of marten conservation. I would also like to thank Abitibi Consolidated and Environment Canada for their considerable support and involvement in this year�s activities."

Activities conducted in the area included education and awareness seminars for snarers and trappers during the winter snaring and trapping seasons. Detailed information and demonstrations were provided regarding proper equipment use, marten biology and recovery efforts. Modified snare/trapping equipment, maps and education material were also distributed to participants. Data was collected regarding snaring and trapping efforts, and presentations were delivered on the modified snaring and trapping program within towns near the Red Indian Lake area.

John Blake, manager of conservation services with the Inland Fish and Wildlife Division and a member of the planning team for this initiative, considers the work carried out this winter to be somewhat of a unique strategy rarely employed in this province. "When we began this project, we started with the basic premise that in order to reduce accidental mortality of Newfoundland marten, snarers and trappers had to understand, support and conduct their activities in such a way as to minimize the potential for accidentally capturing marten, or in other words become stewards of marten. Resource limitations usually mean that we are limited to very broad based, general education and awareness initiatives to try and accomplish this. While beneficial, such efforts often fall short of affecting any real change in a person�s behavior. With the support of Environment Canada and Abitibi Consolidated, we were able to supplement our normal education efforts with intense on the ground interaction. After spending time with hundreds of people in the area during the past 12 weeks, there is a general sense among staff that the resource users, primarily rabbit snarers, appreciated the friendly, informative and educational approach that staff took and reacted positively to the modified snaring and trapping initiatives."

The project team will use the next few months to analyze the information and data collected during this field season to determine such things as the level of snaring effort per unit area and attitudes of resource users towards various management strategies. Depending upon our ability to secure the needed resources, we hope to continue with this project through the 2001/2002 snaring and trapping season, after which we will be in a better position to make recommendations regarding the use of this strategy in other modified snaring and trapping areas throughout the island.

For more information, contact John Blake, Inland Fish and Wildlife Division, (709) 637-2354.

Media contact: Catherina Kennedy, Communications, (709) 729-0928.

2001 03 12                                                3:20 p.m.