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October 3, 1997
(Tourism, Culture and Recreation)

Province moving ahead on protected areas agenda

Sandra Kelly, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, today announced the creation of a new ecological reserve for Newfoundland and Labrador.

"It gives me great pleasure to announce here today that the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador will grant provisional ecological reserve status to Burnt Island," Ms. Kelly said. "This progressive move will protect a significant natural area while at the same time strengthen this province's eco-tourism potential."

The small peninsula of Burnt Island is located north of Raleigh, at the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula. The site, considered the most important botanical site in insular Newfoundland, contains 34 rare species of flowers and is the only known location in the world for a certain type of Cinquefoil known as the Potentilla usticapensis.

Rebecca Goodwin, National Projects Director for the Nature Conservancy of Canada, said: "Burnt Island is a site of national significance and the Nature Conservancy of Canada is pleased to work with the province and take definite action to recognize the site and preserve its irreplaceable natural assets. This site will further distinguish Newfoundland and Labrador as a rich and diverse location for rare botanical and geological features. This is a true partnership effort among the Conservancy, the Town of Raleigh, WERAC, and the provincial government."

The Provisional Ecological Reserve designation will ensure that Burnt Island is protected under the Wilderness and Ecological Reserves Act. The "provisional" status will grant the area full protection under the act until government and interested groups complete a full assessment of the site and hold consultations with stakeholders.

"This is the first all-important step in establishing Burnt Island as a provincial Ecological Reserve," Jennifer Caines, Chairperson of the Wilderness and Ecological Reserves Advisory Council (WERAC) said. "WERAC sees this site as a priority area and we are, therefore, fully supportive of this initiative to preserve its natural inherent values."

Cyril Taylor, Mayor of Raleigh said: "The designation of this site is a significant boost to Raleigh's tourism industry, and specifically its eco-tourism product. I am pleased that Burnt Island is receiving the provincial recognition that this special area so rightfully deserves."

Today's announcement was made during the annual Parks Ministers' Meeting which was held in St. John's this year. Provincial ministers from throughout the country and federal representatives from Parks Canada attended the meeting to discuss parks related issues of regional and national significance.

Ms. Kelly said: "The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador remains committed to preserving natural areas and to the development of a natural areas systems plan for the province." Ms. Kelly noted that in 1991 then Premier Wells said: "the government will make every effort to complete a system of protected areas by the year 2000." The minister also noted this commitment was further reaffirmed in 1992 when Newfoundland and Labrador joined with other governments across the country to make a national commitment to protected areas.

In cooperation with the Protected Areas Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, considerable work has been undertaken since that time to identify the possible elements of a natural areas system plan. The minister said that the next step in the process is to release a discussion document for public review. This public review process will allow all land users to make their views known on the direction for further protection of our eco-regions and special natural features.

"After public consideration, the government will complete the systems planning process," Ms. Kelly said. "Our goal is to adopt a systems plan which will make significant strides for protected areas as well as provide a stable business environment for resource industries and other land users."

Contact: Laura Cochrane ,Director of Communications, Tourism, Culture and Recreation, (709) 729-0928

Thea Silver, Projects Consultant, The Nature Conservancy of Canada, (416) 932-3202

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BACKGROUNDER

Province Moving Ahead on Protected Areas Agenda

Newfoundland and Labrador currently has 15 ecological and wilderness reserves, namely: Cape St. Mary's, Witless Bay, Funk Island, Hare Bay Islands, Gannet Islands, Avalon Wilderness, Mistaken Point, Watt's Point Calcareous, Table Point, Hawke Hill, Fortune Head, West Brook, Bay du Nord, Baccalieu Island, and King George IV. The province also has one provisional reserve, Redfir Lake-Kapitagas Channel.

The province's newest provisional ecological reserve Burnt Island, has had its botanical significance cited in a number of natural history journals including Canadian Wildflower, Canadian Museum of Nature, and Sarracenia. The size of the designated area is 3.8 square kilometres. The province is collaborating with The Nature Conservancy of Canada to establish Burnt Island as an Ecological Reserve.

This year, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) added a species known to Burnt Island, Fernald's braya (Braya fernaldii), to its list of threatened plant species in Canada. The site also possesses other significant eco-tourism characteristics. For example, the site boasts: a southern example of an Arctic environment; an interesting fossil location; a number of accessible limestone caves; and a good viewing point for whales and icebergs.

Burnt Island is a prominent limestone peninsula, consisting of an island that emerged from the sea after post-Wisconsin deglaciation and later became connected to the mainland by an isthmus of sand. The island consists largely of limestone, 470 to 480 million years old, that was part of an ancient tropical, shallow water shelf. The limestone was thrust westward over sandstone and shale of the same age. Both the limestone and sandstone/shale are fossilerous and contain about 40 species of trilobites, some of which are previously undocumented species. Other fossils present include conodonts, gastropods, cephalopods and graptolites.

The Parks and Natural Areas Division of the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation is responsible for establishing Ecological and Wilderness Reserves within Newfoundland and Labrador, and has been doing so since the Wilderness and Ecological Reserves Act was put in place in 1980.