Provincial Government, City of Corner Brook Sign Municipal Habitat Stewardship Agreement

  • Fisheries and Land Resources

December 17, 2018

The Honourable Gerry Byrne, Minister of Fisheries and Land Resources, today signed a Municipal Habitat Stewardship Agreement between the Provincial Government and the City of Corner Brook that will help protect the habitat of endangered plants located in the city but found nowhere else in the province.

The Wild Cove fen contains the only known provincial populations of Rattlesnake Root while the Northern Bog Aster is only known to exist in the Wild Cove fen and Balls Pond area. Both plants are listed provincially as “endangered” or facing possible extirpation.

The Municipal Habitat Stewardship Program is unique to Newfoundland and Labrador and encourages municipalities to recognize the value of wildlife habitat found in and near municipal planning boundaries and to take an active role in maintaining their value and integrity.

The City of Corner Brook is the 42nd community in the province to enter into a Municipal Habitat Stewardship Agreement with the Provincial Government. A complete list of communities participating in the program is highlighted in the backgrounder below.

Quotes
“The Municipal Habitat Stewardship program offers municipalities a unique opportunity to work in partnership with the Provincial Government and to demonstrate how sharing ideas and resources can improve the conservation of our natural landscapes and in this case, conserve endangered plants found nowhere else in Newfoundland and Labrador.”
Honourable Gerry Byrne
Minister of Fisheries and Land Resources

“This agreement is a wonderful initiative that highlights our city’s focus on environmental stewardship and the importance we place on increasing environmental sustainability in municipal planning. We are pleased to be involved in this program.”
Mayor Jim Parsons
City of Corner Brook

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Learn more
Municipal Habitat Stewardship

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Media contacts
Linda Skinner
Fisheries and Land Resources
709-637-2284, 632-8167
lindaskinner@gov.nl.ca

Bonita Decaire
City of Corner Brook
709-637-1662
bdecaire@cornerbrook.com

BACKGROUNDER

The Municipal Habitat Stewardship Program

The Eastern Habitat Joint Venture (ehjv.ca) was first established in 1989, and seeks to conserve landscapes in eastern Canada that sustain wildlife populations (often focusing on birds) while providing ecological, social and economic benefits to society.

Implementation partners include the six eastern Canadian provincial wildlife conservation agencies, Environment Canada and Climate Change, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Wildlife Habitat Canada, Bird Studies Canada, and the Nature Conservancy of Canada. The Newfoundland and Labrador node of the EHJV is administered by the Department of Fisheries and Land Resources. Its primary program seeks to conserve wildlife habitat in Newfoundland and Labrador is the Municipal Habitat Stewardship Program.

Forty-two communities have now entered into Municipal Habitat Stewardship Agreements with the Provincial Government seeking to conserve wildlife habitat found within municipal planning boundaries, including: Bauline, Bay Roberts, Burgeo, Bonavista, Carmanville, Cartwright, Centreville-Wareham-Trinity, Channel-Port aux Basques, Come by Chance, Corner Brook, Deer Lake, Frenchman’s Cove, Flatrock, Flower’s Cove, Forteau, Gambo, Gander, Garnish, Grand Falls-Windsor, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Hawke’s Bay, Indian Bay, Labrador City, Lewisporte, Mary’s Harbour, New Wes Valley, Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s, Pouch Cove, Port aux Choix, Red Bay, Spaniard’s Bay, Springdale, St. Anthony, St. John’s, St. Lawrence, St. Lewis, Steady Brook, Stephenville Crossing, Torbay, Wabush, Whitbourne, and Winterland.

Following the signing of a Habitat Stewardship Agreement, these municipalities have opportunity to participate in and contribute to the activities of the Stewardship Association of Municipalities Inc. (samnl.org).

2018 12 17 1:20 pm