The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has announced that it has successfully conserved a strategic natural area in the community of Reidville, near the Town of Deer Lake.
The NCC said in a news release today the 26 acres (11 hectares) of forest and wetland support various unusual species, including more than 30 black ash trees, which are rare in Newfoundland and Labrador. The property is at the extreme northeastern edge of the North American range for black ash.
Only two protected areas in Newfoundland, Gros Morne National Park of Canada and Barachois Pond Provincial Park, have black ash.
The NCC, which purchased the land from a private citizen, saw other important reasons to conserve it.
By doing so, the NCC said it is protecting the shoreline of Rocky Brook which supports a variety of wildlife, including waterfowl. The site also features other rare and uncommon species for the region, including balsam poplar trees, beaked hazelnut shrubs and large ostrich ferns (fiddleheads).
“Soil conditions in the area are favourable for black ash growth and by conserving this property, we are helping protect one of the most north-easterly populations of Black Ash on the continent and contain a seed source for the surrounding area,” said Laurel Bernard, director of stewardship for the NCC.
“This landmark project marks another achievement under our government's Natural Areas Conservation Program,” said Environment Canada Minister Peter Kent. “With this investment, we are taking real action to protect and conserve our country’s ecosystems for present and future generations.”
The Nature Conservancy of Canada says major contributors who helped make this conservation project a reality, include the Government of Canada’s Natural Areas Conservation Program and Dr. Allen Stein.
The NCC is a land conservation organization, working to protect important natural areas and the species they sustain.
Since 1962 NCC and its partners have helped to protect more than 2.6 million acres (over 1 million hectares), coast to coast. The NCC has conserved 12,250 acres (4,957 hectares) in Newfoundland and Labrador.
More information can be found on its website at www.NatureConservancy.ca/NL.
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
