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

SAINT-JEAN-DES-PILES, QC, Oct. 16 /CNW/ - The Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of the Environment, today announced funding from the Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk. In total, $1,913,489 in federal funding will support environmental action focusing on conservation and protection of species at risk and their habitats, helping to preserve Canada's biodiversity.

"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 Mouvement Vert Mauricie, as well as all the other community organization recipients 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."

Most of the projects in Quebec that are funded this year by the Habitat Stewardship Program will have positive sustainable effects for many animal and plant species such as the Wood Turtle, the Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander, the Copper Redhorse, the Golden-winged Warbler and the American Ginseng.

Program recipient Mouvement Vert Mauricie received $49,820 to protect the Wood Turtle in the Shawinigan River watershed. The project seeks to protect habitat and promote the recovery of this threatened species through the signing of voluntary conservation agreements with landowners, the acquisition of parcels of riparian strips, the mitigation of threats such as human activity and predation, and public outreach.

"The Wood Turtle population in the Shawinigan River watershed is still one of the largest populations in Canada. Because of its status as a threatened species, the need to intervene is increasingly urgent," said Hélène Bergeron, President of Mouvement Vert Mauricie.

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.

Other nationwide 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 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, the Steller sea lion, the swift fox, and the 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 the Web site of Environment Canada, at http://www.ec.gc.ca/.

(Également offert en français)

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BACKGROUNDER

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CONTRIBUTIONS UNDER
THE HABITAT STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM FOR SPECIES AT RISK
IN QUEBEC IN 2010-2011

Proponent	Project Title	Contribution under the Habitat Stewardship Program	Location	Project Description
Appalachian Corridor Appalachien (ACA)	Species at risk habitat conservation and stewardship in the Appalachian Corridor	$153,233	Lac Brome	This project is designed to protect the habitat of species at risk through conservation easements, donations and acquisitions, and the application of nature reserve status in collaboration with landowners, local NGOs, municipalities and a number of other forestry stakeholders. The project is also designed to raise the awareness of landowners and users who can have a direct impact on the preservation of habitat and species.
Nature-Action Québec	Mount Rougemont sustainable development plan - public engagement (year 2 of 2)	$140,000	Rougemont, St-Damase, St-Jean-Baptiste	The Mount Rougemont sustainable development plan is an initiative designed to get landowners involved in a process to develop their land. Various measures are instituted so that landowners can continue to work their land at a profit while taking the long-term protection of at-risk species into consideration.
Attention FragÎles	Mobilizing Magdalen islanders to preserve Piping Plover habitat	$98,100	Magdalen Islands	This year, the Attention FragÎles team is committed to mobilizing target populations to reduce human impact on the survival of the Piping Plover by implementing such actions as a nest protection program, and by recruiting a team of volunteers committed to monitoring the nests.
Éco-Nature	Habitat stewardship program for species at risk in the Rivière des Mille Îles	$94,976	Laval	Éco-Nature's action aims at the recovery of 11 species at risk. We will engage in numerous activities to monitor populations, do public outreach and characterize habitats with the help of various participants.
Mont Saint-Hilaire Nature Conservation Centre	Project to protect habitats of interest, conduct monitoring, and restore species at risk in the Mont Saint-Hilaire Biosphere Reserve (year 2 of 2)	$89,775	Mont St-Hilaire	This project is intended to expand our knowledge of populations of species at risk through demographic monitoring, the restoration of some populations of these species and, lastly, by engaging in stewardship activities with landowners to combat the fragmentation of forest habitat in the area of the Mont Saint-Hilaire Biosphere Reserve.
Nature-Action Québec	Stewardship of the habitat of species at risk in the Haut-St-Laurent plain area	$89,010	Granby, St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Varennes, Verchère, Contrecoeur, municipalities in the Haut-St-Laurent plain area	The project aims to support various species at risk habitat stewardship initiatives in the Haut-St-Laurent plain area, a real bastion of biodiversity that is under substantial pressure. The project will make it possible to acquire knowledge, plan conservation actions, and carry out protection and outreach activities, as well as activities to improve habitat and mitigate human impact for dozens of species at risk.
Fondation du Mont-Saint-Bruno	Protection and improvement of the Mount Saint-Bruno Forest Corridor - consolidation phase (year 2 of 2)	$83,626	St-Bruno-de-Montarville + 16 municipalities	The Mount Saint-Bruno Forest Corridor project is intended to protect and enhance the integrity of woodlands and important natural environments that form ecological links on either side of this Monteregian hill, in order to combat the loss and fragmentation of habitat for a number of species at risk.
Nature-Action Québec	Protection and sustainable development of the Vaudreuil-Soulanges green corridor	$80,135	Notre-Dame-de-l'Ile-Perrot, Rigaud, Ste-Marthe, Très-St-Rédempteur, St-Lazarre, Hudson, Vaudreuil-Dorion, Ste-Justine-de-Newton, Pointe-Fortune, RCM Vaudreuil-Soulanges	The project to protect and sustainably develop the Vaudreuil-Soulanges green corridor is designed to protect and enhance the integrity of woodlands and important natural environments that form the southern crown of Lac des Deux-Montagnes, Pointe-Fortune and Sainte-Justine-de-Newton on Île Perrot, in order to combat the loss and fragmentation of habitat for a number of species at risk, while promoting the sustainable use of resources.
FloraQuébéca	Strategic planning of the conservation of species of flora at risk in Quebec	$75,000	Québec	It is much harder to carry out stewardship programs for endangered flora than for endangered fauna. A training workshop, information kit and Web networking tool designed specifically for endangered flora will be developed and delivered through this project. The details of a funding program will be developed and opportunities for instituting this funding program will be evaluated.
Nature Conservancy of Canada	Conservation of species at risk in the aquatic and island environments of Lake Champlain, Richelieu River and St. Lawrence River	$71,495	Sorel, Venise-en-Québec, Chambly	Activities are intended to conserve habitat that is essential to the Spiny Softshell, Copper Redhorse, Least Bittern, Green Dragon and White Wood Aster in their distribution area, Lake Champlain, the Richelieu River and a section of the St. Lawrence River.
Nature-Action Québec	Protection and sustainable development of Mount Yamaska 2008-2011 (year 3 of 3)	$66,000	Ste-Pie, St-Paul-Abbotsford	The primary objective of the Mount Yamaska protection and sustainable development project is to maintain the integrity of the biodiversity, habitats and forest stands of Mount Yamaska without eliminating the economic activities that are intended to meet human development needs. The project will target more than 20 at risk species of flora and fauna.
Nature Conservancy of Canada	Protecting the priority habitats of the species at risk in Montérégie and Metropolitan Montréal	$63,750	St-Anicet, Ormstown	The project aims at the protection and stewardship of specific priority habitats with concentrations of species that have been designated as threatened or endangered by COSEWIC.
Quebec Ministère du Développement durable, de l'Environnement et des Parcs	National project: ad hoc evaluation of recovery efforts for species at risk: analysis of actions funded by the HSP	$63,700	Québec	Overall, the project's purpose is to determine the biological impact of all HSP-funded projects on the health of at risk plant species. It is also designed to take stock of investments in stewardship projects and to assess their impact on the health of these species' habitats.
Société de conservation des Îles-de-la-Madeleine	Continuation of the plan for the legal conservation of the habitat of species at risk in the Magdalen Islands	$60,166	Havre-Aubert	The project involves creating a conservation area around Baie du Havre-aux-Basques. This sector has exceptional ecological features, with a number of rich, rare and fragile ecosystems and a number of at-risk species of flora and fauna.
Ambioterra	The Channel Darter: a species worth protecting!	$53,967	Havelock, Elgin	This project is designed to protect and rehabilitate the habitat of the Channel Darter in the Rivière des Anglais drainage basin. This year, we will be adding another drainage basin—Trout River—which contains a Channel Darter population, along with Eastern Sand Darters.
Réseau d'observation de mammifères marins (ROMM)	Monitoring of observation-at-sea activities and outreach to boaters for conservation of the Gaspé marine environment and the marine species at risk that use it	$53,583	Gaspé, Percé	The first component of this project is ongoing field monitoring of the behaviour of players in the marine mammal observation-at-sea industry in the Gaspé Peninsula. It will allow us to assess the impact of our stewardship activities with them. The second component involves approaching a number of boaters who use marinas in the sector to make them aware of how to act to protect the marine environment and the species at risk that live there.
Mouvement Vert Mauricie (MVM)	Consolidation of stewardship efforts for protection of the Wood Turtle in the Shawinigan River drainage basin	$49,820	St-Mathieu-du-Parc	The stewardship program to protect the Wood Turtle in the Shawinigan River drainage basin involves protecting and promoting the recovery of populations of this threatened species through various methods, including the signing of voluntary conservation agreements, procedures to acquire parcels of shoreline, the mitigation of threats and, lastly, the education of target audiences such as private landowners, children and the public.
Centre d'information sur l'environnement de Longueuil	Implementation of conservation plans for the Western Chorus Frog in Montérégie	$47,709	St-Louis-de-Gonzague, St-Stanislas-de-Kostka, St-Étienne-de-Beauharnois, Boucherville, Varennes, Ste-Julie, St-Bruno-de-Montarville, Brossard, La Prairie, Carignan, etc.	The project will, among other things, make it possible to monitor known Western Chorus Frog habitat, continue outreach with the public and with private landowners on the issues surrounding this species in Montérégie, and to take the necessary steps to incorporate the conservation plan recommendations into the development plans of the municipalities targeted by these conservation plans.
Regroupement QuébecOiseaux	Evaluation of the impact of the HSP on bird conservation	$45,089	Québec	In 2009, the Regroupement QuébecOiseaux put forward a project intended to assess the impact of the HSP on the protection of all at risk bird species and their habitats in Quebec. The project involves two phases. The second phase (2010-2011) involves applying the evaluation method by analyzing the outcomes of projects dealing with several bird species that are at risk.
Group for research and education on marine mammals (GREMM)	Profile of whales and Whales on-line for a responsible practice of observation-at-sea activities	$44,950	Tadoussac	Whales online is a weekly bulletin, and a reference and news site dedicated to conserving the whales of the St. Lawrence: 1700 bilingual pages, 2000 Web visits a day, 5000 subscribers to the weekly bulletin. It encourages responsible development of observation-at-sea activities.
Centre d'interprétation du milieu écologique du Haut-Richelieu	Protection of Grand Bois and Mount Saint-Grégoire	$40,041	Mont St-Grégoire	Grand Bois and Mount Saint-Grégoire are among the priority conservation targets in the Richelieu plain, as they are home to over 20 species at risk. The project's goal is to increase the area of protected habitat in these two sites by signing conservation agreements and through acquisitions. The project also involves landowner outreach activities and educational activities for various audiences.
Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA)	Sub-basins upstream from  Des Huronsjj: mobilization of the agricultural community to improve the habitat of the Copper Redhorse	$39,070	Ste-Madeleine, Ste-Marie-Madeleine, St-Charles-sur-Richelieu, Mont St-Hilaire	This project involves water management by drainage basin in agricultural areas. It focuses on outreach, mobilization and characterization of the area. At the end of the project, each participant will have a landowner notebook, with the goal of getting at least 75% of producers involved.
Comité de concertation et de valorisation du bassin de la rivière Richelieu (COVABAR)	Outreach officer service to conserve the habitat of the Copper Redhorse,  River Redhorse and Channel Darter in the Pierre-Étienne-Fortin Wildlife Preserve	$36,960	Richelieu	The outreach officer service project takes place in the Pierre-Etienne Fortin (PEF) Wildlife Preserve. It is designed to preserve the integrity of the largest and least degraded of the only two known spawning grounds and habitat of the Copper Redhorse. The presence of four outreach officers patrolling the sector during the summer of 2010 will help ensure compliance with regulations for the wildlife preserve and sport fishing, outreach with users, and the conduct of a survey on fishing.
Société de conservation et d'aménagement du bassin de la rivière Châteauguay (SCABRIC)	Tools for habitat protection in the Rivière aux Outardes Est basin	$34,664	Ormstown	For volunteer participants, the organization puts together customized landowner notebooks containing strategic information and suggestions to encourage entrepreneurs to take voluntary action to protect and improve wildlife habitat, soil and water quality, thereby benefiting the entire community. In 2010-2011, SCABRIC will produce 10 new notebooks for area users.
Fondation québécoise pour la protection du patrimoine naturel	Project to protect riverbanks and threatened flora in Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures	$34,561	St-Augustin-de-Desmaures	This project is intended to secure the flats and riverside woodlands in Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures to ensure the survival of species at risk and their habitats. Planned activities are outreach with the St-Augustin community, primarily people living along the flats or using them, to make them aware of the presence and fragility of shoreline species and habitats.
Corporation de l'aménagement de la rivière l'Assomption (CARA)	Implementation of conservation plans for plants at risk in the Rivière L'Assomption drainage basin	$27,010	RCM L'Assomption, RCM D'Autray, RCM Montclam, RCM Joliette	This project is designed to ensure the protection and conservation of three priority populations of plants at risk and their exceptional habitats. At the same time, activities targeting the private landowners and RCMs concerned will be continued and/or initiated to pave the way for regulations and to sign conservation agreements for the plants at risk in the Rivière L'Assomption drainage basin.
Fondation québécoise pour la protection du patrimoine naturel	Exporting a stewardship process to priority sites for flora at risk in the freshwater estuary	$26,130	St-Augustin-de-Desmaures, L'Ange-Gardien, Château-Richer, Deschambault, Grondines, Boischâtel, Neuville	The foundation initially wants to verify whether it is possible to export the Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures stewardship program and then adapt implementation and outreach tools to make them accessible for freshwater estuary stakeholders (NGOs, shoreline residents' committees, municipalities, users and stakeholders). The goal of this process is to train local players in order to promote partnerships.
Group for research and education on marine mammals (GREMM)	Coordination of the Réseau québécois d'urgences pour mammifères marins	$25,418	Montréal to Blanc-Sablon	The Réseau québécois d'urgences pour mammifères marins is mandated to organize, coordinate and implement measures to reduce accidental deaths of marine mammals, rescue animals in trouble, and learn from dead animals in the waters of the St. Lawrence River around Québec. GREMM coordinates the network, which is composed of 16 organizations.
Ducks Unlimited Canada	Protection of the Côte-de-Beaupré swamps and flats	$24,570	Château-Richer	Wetlands bordering the St. Lawrence freshwater estuary at Côte-de-Beaupré have, in the last few decades, undergone some changes as a result of the expansion of Blvd. Sainte-Anne, and disruptions due to residential and commercial development. In executing this project, Ducks Unlimited is focusing on a communication, outreach and acquisition strategy to protect this remarkable area, which harbours a number of species at risk.
Corporation de l'aménagement de la rivière l'Assomption (CARA)	Long-term protection of the habitat of the Channel Darter, Eastern Sand Darter and Bridle Shiner in the southern drainage basin of the Rivière L'Assomption	$24,441	Joliette, St-Paul, Crabtree, St-Roch-de-l'Achigan, L'Épiphanie	The project is designed to provide for the long-term protection and conservation of two threatened fish species: the Channel Darter (Percina copelandi) and Eastern Sand Darter (Ammocrypta pellucida), one fish species of special concern, the Bridle Shiner (Notropis bifrenatus), and their habitats.
Organisme de bassin versant de la baie Missisquoi	Voluntary conservation of Wood Turtle habitat along the Rivière aux Brochets- Stanbridge Est- St-Ignace-de-Stanbridge sector	$18,860	Bedford	The project is designed to get landowners along the Rivière aux Brochets to commit to conserving the natural environment. They will get information on the measures to take and legal tools for ensuring long-term protection of their property's biodiversity. The project will primarily target the Wood Turtle, a species that is designated as threatened in Canada and vulnerable in Quebec; due to its biology, it is an ideal candidate for promoting the adoption of measures to conserve aquatic, shoreline and land habitats, which will benefit many other animal and plant species.
Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune	Conservation of a Quebec population of Aurora Trout	$18,600	Ste-Anne-du-Lac	COSEWIC lists the Aurora Trout as an endangered species. A first mention was reported for Quebec in Lake Bidière and Lac de la Hase, thanks to the fishing activities of Club Nokolac in these sectors, which are part of the Mitchininamecus ZEC, north of Montréal. The aim of the project to conserve a Quebec Aurora Trout population (Lake Bidière) is to arrive at a strategy to protect this unique Quebec species.
Dendroica Environnement et Faune	Project involving the voluntary conservation of Peregrine Falcon nesting sites in urban periphery zones in the Lanaudière region.	$12,002	Lanaudière	This project is aimed at protecting and conserving critical habitat for Peregrine Falcons in six sectors of the Lanaudière region. Various measures are being implemented, including the installation of nesting boxes and the monitoring of known sites to determine the breeding status of the species.
Société d'aménagement de la rivière Madawaska et du lac Témiscouata	Protection of the Wood Turtle in Témiscouata	$10,170	Ville-Dégelis	The first phase is approaching the landowners concerned and negotiating with them, and carrying out the related agreement procedures. The second phase will be the direct purchase of the target area and the implementation of all conservation measures required to maximize habitat protection. Moreover, outreach efforts with the local community will highlight the species' fragility and the harm done through illegal capture and captivity.
Société des amis du Biôdome de Montréal	Conservation and restoration of ginseng in Quebec: long-term conservation of priority targets	$10,000	Priority sectors in the Greater Montreal Region	The project is intended to ensure, with the collaboration of a number of conservation organizations, the maintenance, monitoring and surveillance of the ginseng populations in the target sectors. Training activities related to the project will also be offered.
Dendroica Environnement et Faune	Voluntary conservation of the nesting habitat of the Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora crysoptera) in the Outaouais	$3,370	Kazabazua, Breckenridge, Lac-des-Loups	The Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora crysoptera) is a species threatened in Canada and Quebec due, among other things, to the disappearance of its habitat. The project aims for collaboration with landowners on protecting nesting sites on their lands in the southern Outaouais region.
Ducks Unlimited Canada	Action plan for conservation of the habitat of waterfowl and threatened species in the ombrotrophic bog of Isle-aux-Grues	$3,538	St-Antoine-de-l'Isle-aux-Grues	The project is intended to harmonize human activity in the ombrotrophic bog of Isle-aux-Grues to ensure the protection and recovery of the habitats of the species at risk found there. The project will also encourage active participation by the local community, including landowners, in carrying out various initiatives designed to protect and conserve the habitat of species at risk.
Total for Quebec                                       $1,913,489

For more information on the Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk, please visit the Environment Canada website at http://www.ec.gc.ca/hsp-pih.

For further information:

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: http://www.facebook.com/environmentcan