Environment and Conservation
March 14, 2007

Gander Expands Commitment to Conservation of Wetlands

The Town of Gander extended its commitment to protecting waterfowl habitat today by officially signing a new Municipal Wetland Stewardship Agreement with the Department of Environment and Conservation.

"In 1993, the Town of Gander made a commitment to a new and innovative program unique to this province, and 14 years later the success of that program is evident as the town renews and expands its contract to conserve and protect wetlands," said the Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Environment and Conservation. "At that time, Gander was the second town in the province to sign a municipal wetland stewardship agreement."

The program was developed to encourage municipalities to recognize the value of their wetlands and to accept a stewardship role in maintaining their integrity. The success of this program has been recognized internationally and was the subject of a paper titled Ducks, Bogs and Guns published in the spring 2006 edition of the academic journal Ethics & the Environment.

Minister Jackman was joined by Gander Mayor Claude Elliott, and Garry Brown, town clerk, at the signing of the new stewardship agreement. "The Town of Gander is very pleased to expand our current stewardship zone to include a buffer zone around Whitman's Pond and Long Pond," said Mayor Elliott. "This will ensure the protection and conservation for critical wildlife and waterfowl in this area."

The minister congratulated the Town of Gander and encouraged more municipalities to participate. "I encourage municipalities with significant wetlands to sign stewardship agreements with the province and pledge to protect the wetlands from adverse development. I thank Mayor Elliott and his town for continuing to protect this valuable resource."

The Municipal Wetland Stewardship Program focuses on increasing local awareness of the importance of the wetlands located within the jurisdiction of municipalities. In addition to Gander, 16 other municipalities have signed stewardship agreements including: Bay Roberts, Carmanville, Channel-Port aux Basques, Come by Chance, Gambo, Grand Falls-Windsor, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador City, Spaniard's Bay, Springdale, St. John�s, Stephenville Crossing, Torbay, Wabush, Whitbourne and Winterland.

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Media contact:
Diane Hart
Director of Communications
Department of Environment and Conservation
709-729-2575, 685-4401
dianehart@gov.nl.ca

Backgrounder

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 (NAWMP) with a goal to return waterfowl populations to 1970s levels by actively conserving wetland and upland habitat. In 1994, Mexico signed on to that agreement making it a truly continental initiative. To implement NAWMP, joint ventures were established throughout North America. The Eastern Habitat Joint Venture (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 division of the EHJV is administered through the Wildlife Division of the Department of Environment and Conservation.

As a signing member, the Town of Gander is included in the Stewardship Association of Municipalities (SAM), a group which meets bi-annually to discuss wetland issues. SAM was recognized at the National Stewardship and Conservation Conference held in Corner Brook last summer and co-hosted by the Department of Environment and Conservation. Minister Jackman presented SAM with the EHJV Partner Award. The award is the NAWMP�s highest joint venture level award. It is presented to individuals or organizations whose contributions have significantly advanced the goals and objectives of the joint venture. It was accepted by Wilson Hoffe, vice president of SAM and Gander town councillor.

2007 03 14                                                     10:00 a.m.

 


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