Labrador City, Wabush and Iron Ore Company of Canada support  wetland stewardship through Municipal Wetland Stewardship Program

The towns of Wabush and Labrador City have signed a Municipal Wetland Stewardship Agreement with the province, representing their commitment to protect waterfowl habitat in the region.

Tom Osborne, Minister of Environment and Conservation, was joined by Labrador City Mayor Graham Letto and Wabush Deputy Mayor Ron Barron for the official signing of the stewardship agreements during a ceremony at the Labrador City town hall on March 7. The Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) was instrumental in promoting the signing of these agreements and has also committed to assisting in the delivery of a wetlands education program.

"I am extremely pleased to have Labrador City and Wabush become the 16th and 17th municipalities in the province to sign Municipal Wetland Stewardship Agreements, which demonstrates their commitment to preserving our wetlands and strong leadership in this area," said Minister Osborne. "The Eastern Habitat Joint Venture (EHJV) will now work with Labrador City and Wabush and its citizens to develop a conservation plan for the community�s wetlands to ensure that waterfowl habitat in the region are protected."

Minister Osborne also commended the Iron Ore Company of Canada for its active role in encouraging the towns� participation in the wetland stewardship program and for their support of wetland education. "I commend IOC for their innovative and progressive tailings stabilization project �From Tailings to Biodiversity,� which is being done in partnership with the Eastern Habitat Joint Venture."

As signing members, Labrador City and Wabush are invited to become members of the Stewardship Association of Municipalities, a group which meets bi-annually to discuss wetland issues. In co-operation with the town, the 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.

"By signing the agreement, and through consultation with the Eastern Habitat Joint Venture group, we want to ensure that future development within our municipal planning boundaries will take into consideration the possible effects on waterfowl habitat,"said Labrador City Mayor Graham Letto. "Such habitats are limited and this stewardship agreement will allow us to make more informed decisions regarding development in order to minimize potentially negative impacts on wetlands and the environment."

"The Town of Wabush takes great pleasure in recognizing our municipal spaces that contain valuable habitat areas, and we extend congratulations to the people involved for their care and dedication to preserving wildlife in our region," said Mayor Jim Farrell.
"IOC's commitment to this agreement for the purpose of enhancing biodiversity is important as it reflects the direction IOC is taking with respect to sustainability of the business," said Terry Bowles, president of IOC. "By working with the community and other stakeholders, IOC can share this knowledge and the importance of wetland development and biodiversity."

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. Fifteen other towns have signed stewardship agreements. They include: Bay Roberts, Carmanville, Channel-Port aux Basques, Come by Chance, Gambo, Gander, Grand Falls-Windsor, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Spaniard�s Bay, Springdale, St. John�s, 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, Environment and Conservation, (709) 729-2575, 685-6612
Graham Letto, Mayor of Labrador City, (709) 944-2621
Jim Farrell, Mayor of Wabush, (709) 282-5696
Terry Bowles, president of IOC, (709) 944-8462

2005 03 08                             12:10 p.m.