Le Nichoir and the Fondation Hydro-Québec pour l'environnement inaugurate new interpretation panels installed at the Clarke Sydenham Nature Reserve

HUDSON, QC, July 18, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - Le Nichoir has installed six new interpretation panels along the trails of the Clarke Sydenham Nature Reserve as part of a project to raise awareness of the reserve's avian habitats. This project was supported in part by the Fondation Hydro-Québec pour l'environnement, which donated $16,000 to produce the panels and upgrade Le Nichoir's on-site education program for youth.

Owned by the Nature Conservancy of Canada, the 19-hectare reserve features several different habitats, ranging from mature forests to fields and temporary ponds, and hosts an impressive variety of fauna and flora. Visitors will learn about the bird species they can observe in the area and the actions they can take to support environmental conservation.

A positive result of this project is that the panels will encourage the general public to walk the trails and find out how they can help conserve and protect the environment. They will also be used as part of Le Nichoir's education program, which will soon be offered on site. The panels will be a great asset for youth groups coming to the centre to learn about nature and the local birds.  The panels and the reserve will be used to encourage children to get outside, connect with nature and work to protect it. An up-to-date, detailed map of the trail system within the reserve has also been developed with the invaluable assistance of students from the Department of Natural Resource Sciences of McGill University.

''This project is a great example of different groups of individuals working together to develop something for everyone to learn from and enjoy. Le Nichoir is very fortunate to receive grants from the Fondation Hydro-Québec pour l'environnement and the Fondation de la faune du Québec to support the development, installation and production of the panels. The Nature Conservancy of Canada as well as the Town of Hudson also played integral roles in this project,'' says Susan Wylie, director of Le Nichoir. For Martine Hamel, project coordinator at the Fondation Hydro-Québec pour l'environnement "This project fits very well in the Fondation's mission since the interpretive panels are a good way to establish interactions between the natural environment and the visitors to arouse interest to participate to the protection of natural areas."

The unveiling took place in the presence of Ed Prévost, the Mayor of Hudson, Jamie Nicholls, MP for Vaudreuil-Soulanges, and Lucie Charlebois, Minister for Rehabilitation, Youth Protection and Public Health as well as representatives from the other parties involved in the project.

About Le Nichoir: 
Situated at the entrance to the Clarke Sydenham Nature Reserve in Hudson, QC, Le Nichoir's mission is to conserve wild birds as part of our natural heritage. Le Nichoir delivers its mission through professional and compassionate care of injured and orphaned wild birds and the development and delivery of public environmental education programs.  Le Nichoir admits over 1500 birds annually, representing over 100 species from over 150 towns in Québec, and is recognized as the largest centre of its kind in Canada for songbirds. The Centre offers public education through multiple channels: 1) Visits and tours of the Centre, 2) Manning kiosks at various community events, 3) Phone calls and e-mails 4) Formal environmental educational programs for children including Bird Adaptations: Custom-made for Habitat and Avian Detectives.

The Fondation Hydro-Québec pour l'environnement supports organizations taking practical steps to protect, restore and enhance natural areas and educate communities about local environmental issues. Between 2001 and 2014, the Foundation granted $12.2 million to 222 projects, carried out in all of Québec's administrative regions, with a total value of about $39.1 million.

SOURCE Fondation Hydro-Québec pour l'environnement

Le Nichoir, Susan Wylie, Phone. : [phone], Email : [email protected], Web site : http://lenichoir.org/; Fondation Hydro-Québec pour l'environnement, Phone. : [phone], Email : [email protected], Web site : www.hydroquebec.com/fondation-environnement/en