GOVERNMENT OF CANADA INVESTING IN COMMUNITY ACTION TO PRESERVE LOCAL HABITAT
AND SPECIES AT RISK IN NEW BRUNSWICK

MIRAMICHI, N.B., Nov. 4 /CNW/ - Tilly O'Neill-Gordon, Member of Parliament for Miramichi, on behalf of Canada's Environment Minister, Jim Prentice, today announced funding from the Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk. $16,000 in federal funding will support environmental action focusing on conservation and protection of a species at risk and its habitats, helping to preserve Canada's biodiversity.

"As part of the International Year of Biodiversity, Habitat Stewardship Project funding in New Brunswick will protect the Southern Gulf of Saint Lawrence Striped Bass and will work to preserve its habitat for generations to come," said MP O'Neill-Gordon.

"These projects will help to protect Canada's rich biodiversity for generations to come," said Minister Prentice. "The Government of Canada is proud to support the North Shore Micmac District Council through the Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk. Your actions, large or small, will help to protect the abundance and variety of life that is part of our natural heritage."

Through this project, the North Shore Micmac District Council will help to protect and enhance a vital Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence striped bass spawning area, located in the Northwest Miramichi River. This area, which is adjacent to the Eel Ground First Nation community, is the only confirmed spawning area for this type of striped bass. The North Shore Micmac District Council will conduct an awareness and education campaign geared towards local residents. The Council will work to educate the community on the importance of the striped bass, its habitat requirements and its life cycle.

"The North Shore Micmac District Council would like to thank the Habitat Stewardship Program for partnering with our organization during the past two years," said Jim Ward, the Council's Aboriginal aquatic resources and oceans management manager. "The funding provided allowed us to hire two post secondary science students to work under the Miramichi Striped Bass Spawning Habitat Awareness Initiative. They produced an awareness campaign targeted to our eight member First Nation communities. This initiative helped to inform our community members about striped bass and their spawning ground." 

The goal of the Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk is to contribute to the recovery and protection of species listed as endangered, threatened or of special concern under the Species at Risk Act.

Projects that will receive funding this year include stewardship actions to conserve habitat for plant species at risk, negotiations with landowners to develop voluntary Land Care Agreements, targeted educational outreach efforts to reduce the entanglement of species at risk in fishing gear, and the enhancement of water quality and aquatic habitat on private lands to benefit aquatic species at risk. They will be undertaken with many partners such as agricultural producers, private landowners, and commercial fishers.  These projects will benefit many species at risk, including the north Atlantic right whale, steller sea lion, swift fox, and small white leek.

The Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk is administered by Environment Canada and managed cooperatively with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Parks Canada Agency. More information on the Species at Risk Act and the Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk can be found on the Internet at: http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/ or http://www.ec.gc.ca/hsp-pih/default.asp?lang=En&n=59BF488F-1.

For more information and to view a backgrounder on this announcement, please visit Environment Canada's website at http://www.ec.gc.ca/.

(Également offert en français)

                                                   

For further information:

please see the attached backgrounder or contact:

Pascale Boulay Press Secretary Office of the Minister of the Environment 819-997-1441						Media Relations Environment Canada 819-934-8008 1-888-908-8008
Canada's Environment Minister Twitter page: http://twitter.com/jimprentice						Environment Canada's Facebook page: www.facebook.com/environmentcan