Marten Education and Stewardship Program for hunters and trappers expands

Julie Bettney, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, announced today the Newfoundland Marten Education and Stewardship Program will be expanded to the province�s four modified harvest areas. The expanded program will start when the hare snaring season opens October 12, 2002.

In its efforts to conserve endangered Newfoundland marten populations, the department has implemented land-use restrictions ranging from establishing ecological/wilderness reserves to creating modified snaring and trapping areas. Modified snaring refers to the use of an alternate snare device to capture hares - a five-coil, spring-type device that allows martens to escape. Modified trapping techniques exclude land-based foothold and body-gripping traps. Modified snaring and trapping zones were created as an alternative to closing the areas entirely.

The department initiated a project during the previous two snaring and trapping seasons to test if education and stewardship could have an effect on whether hunters and trappers accepted and complied with the modified techniques. The project was delivered in the Red Indian Lake area of central Newfoundland.

"We learned from the Red Indian Lake project that snarers and trappers were more likely to alter their activities once they were made aware of the impacts on local marten populations," said Minister Bettney. "They would either adopt the modified snare/trap as an alternative harvesting technique, or would simply choose to take their traditional activities to a location outside the modified harvest area, both of which favoured marten conservation."

Through the program, contact will be made with snarers and trappers to demonstrate the proper field use of the modified harvest equipment; provide background on the origins of the devices; explain aspects of marten biology and past research; distribute free modified harvest equipment and educational material (videos, pamphlets, maps etc.); and record opinions of information associated with the initiative.

The Marten Education and Stewardship Program will be delivered in the province�s modified harvest areas with funding support from Environment Canada under the Species at Risk�s Habitat Stewardship Program. The modified areas are Red Indian Lake, Terra Nova, Charlottetown Enclave and northwest shore of Grand Lake, as described in the 2002-2003 Hunting and Trapping Guide.

"Government, industry, hunters and trappers and other members of the general public have a responsibility to ensure this endangered animal is sustained in a natural environment," said Minister Bettney. "With the help of Environment Canada and other partners including the Department of Forest Resources and Agrifoods, delivery of this education program will help us reach this objective."

For more information, contact: John Blake (709) 637-2354 or johnblake@mail.gov.nf.ca

Media contact: Vanessa Colman-Sadd, Communications, (709) 729-0857.

2002 09 23                                      12:15 p.m.