Happy Valley-Goose Bay signs Municipal Wetland Stewardship Agreement

Tom Osborne, Minister of Environment and Conservation, today joined Leo Abbass, Mayor of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, and John Hickey, MHA for Lake Melville District, to officially sign a Municipal Wetland Stewardship Agreement with the province, representing the first stewardship agreement for Labrador and a commitment to protect waterfowl habitat in the region. The agreement with Happy Valley-Goose Bay was signed during a ceremony at the town hall.

"As the minister responsible for wildlife ecosystem management in the province, it is a pleasure to have Happy Valley-Goose Bay become the 14^th municipality to sign a Municipal Wetland Stewardship Agreement with the province," said Minister Osborne. "The wetland stewardship program highlights the value of wetlands and encourages public participation in the protection of this valuable resource. The Eastern Habitat Joint Venture will now work with Happy Valley-Goose Bay and its citizens to develop a conservation plan for the community�s wetlands to ensure that waterfowl habitat in the region is protected."

"I am particularly pleased with this important announcement," said Mr. Hickey. "I want to commend Mayor Abbass and the Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay for their participation and involvement in this Municipal Wetland Stewardship Agreement."

As a signing member, the Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay is invited to become a member of the Stewardship Association of Municipalities, a group which meets bi-annually to discuss wetland issues. In co-operation with the town, the Eastern Habitat Joint Venture (EHJV) will develop a conservation plan for their wetlands. Other towns that have signed the agreement have taken advantage of this commitment to lever funding to develop eco-museums, wetland interpretation centres and interpretive trails.

"The Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay is very pleased and proud to be entering into this municipal wetlands agreement," said Mayor Abbass. "We realize wetlands play a vital and major role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem. They improve water quality, provide essential wildlife habitat, act as natural flood control, and prevent shoreline erosion. Wetlands feed and shelter countless species, support a diverse plant community, form the basis of the food web and simultaneously produce a number of benefits - from clean water and nutrient cycling to flood control and recreation. Wetlands also generate billions of dollars a year in Canada in terms of eco-tourism, recreation, hunting and fishing."

The Municipal Wetland Stewardship Program focuses on increasing local awareness of the importance of the wetlands located within the jurisdiction of municipalities. Municipalities with significant wetlands are encouraged to sign stewardship agreements with the province thus pledging to protect their wetlands from adverse development. Thirteen other towns have signed stewardship agreements; Bay Roberts, Carmanville, Channel-Port aux Basques, Come by Chance, Gambo, Gander, Grand Falls-Windsor, Spaniard�s Bay, Springdale, Stephenville Crossing, Torbay, Whitbourne and Winterland.

In 1986, in light of a drastic decline in North American waterfowl populations and in an effort to effectively reverse the trend, the governments of Canada and the United States signed the North American Waterfowl Management Plan with a goal to return waterfowl populations to 1970s levels by actively conserving wetland and upland habitat. In response, the EHJV was established in 1989. Founding partners included the six eastern provinces, Environment Canada�s Canadian Wildlife Service, Ducks Unlimited Canada, and Wildlife Habitat Canada. The Newfoundland and Labrador program of the EHJV is administered through the Inland Fish and Wildlife Division of the Department of Environment and Conservation.

For more information on the Eastern Habitat Joint Venture, contact: Gerry Yetman, Program Manager, (709) 637-2013

Media contact: Sonia Glover, Communications, (709) 729-2575

2004 06 22                                       12:15 p.m.