Premier Signs Municipal Habitat Stewardship Agreement with Bonavista

The Honourable Kathy Dunderdale, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, joined the Town of Bonavista as it showed its commitment to protecting valuable wetland and coastal habitat today by officially signing a new Municipal Habitat Stewardship Agreement with the Provincial Government. The Honourable Tom Hedderson, Minister of Environment and Conservation; Glen Little, MHA for Bonavista South; and, Betty Fitzgerald, Mayor of Bonavista, were also present for today’s event.

“I congratulate the Town of Bonavista on its commitment to the environment and encourage the continued enhancement of these wetlands so they will be a central source of pride for residents now and into the future,” said Premier Dunderdale. “The true strength of a stewardship agreement lies in the empowerment of local residents to conserve and enhance local wildlife habitats and act as responsible stewards of the environment.”

The Municipal Stewardship Program is unique to Newfoundland and Labrador and was developed to encourage municipalities to recognize the value of wildlife habitat found in and near their municipal planning boundaries and accept a stewardship role in maintaining their integrity.

“Today, the Town of Bonavista is demonstrating its commitment to conserve valuable wildlife habitat and now joins the growing community-based wetland conservation movement ongoing in the province,” said Minister Hedderson. “This agreement places the responsibility of sustainable resource management into the hands of the people who know the land best and who have demonstrated a passion for its stewardship.”

The success of the Municipal Stewardship Program has been recognized both locally and internationally and has been heralded as an innovative and successful conservation program.

“I commend the people of Bonavista and the council members for taking such a proactive approach for our wetlands,” said Mr. Little. “The attitudes and actions of those who share these areas with waterfowl and other wildlife play a vitally important role in the sustainability and conservation of these species.”

Mayor Fitzgerald said the town is pleased to be involved in the stewardship program.

“This is a wonderful initiative that highlights our town’s focus on environmental stewardship and the importance we place on increasing environmental sustainability in municipal planning,” said Mayor Fitzgerald. “We now look forward to the next steps of this process, specifically developing a habitat conservation plan to guide management of these areas and building a strong stewardship ethic in the town to ensure long-term protection and enhancement of these habitats.”

Information regarding the Municipal Habitat Stewardship Agreement can be found in the backgrounder below.

- 30 -

Media contacts:

BACKGROUNDER
Municipal Habitat Stewardship Agreement

In 1986, in light of drastic declines 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 levels of the 1970s by actively conserving wetland and upland habitat. In 1994, Mexico also signed on to the NAWMP, making it a truly continental initiative.

To implement and forward the goals of NAWMP, joint ventures were established across North America. The Eastern Habitat Joint Venture (EHJV) was established in 1989. Partners include the six eastern Canadian provinces, Environment Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Wildlife Habitat Canada, and the Nature Conservancy of Canada. The Newfoundland and Labrador node of the EHJV is administered by the Wildlife Division of the Department of Environment and Conservation. Its primary program seeking to conserve wildlife habitat in Newfoundland and Labrador is the Municipal Stewardship Program.

In addition to Bonavista, 29 other municipalities have signed stewardship agreements: Bay Roberts, Burgeo, Carmanville, Cartwright, Channel-Port aux Basques, Come by Chance, Deer Lake, Flatrock, Flower’s Cove, Gambo, Gander, Grand Falls-Windsor, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Hawke’s Bay, Labrador City, Mary’s Harbour, Port aux Choix, Red Bay, Spaniard’s Bay, Springdale, St Anthony, St. John’s, St. Lewis, Steady Brook, Stephenville Crossing, Torbay, Wabush, Whitbourne and Winterland. Corporate agreements have also been signed with the Iron Ore Company of Canada and Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Limited. In addition, several agreements have been signed with private landowners across the province.

2013 07 16                        3:10 p.m.