Press Release/Communiqué
Restigouche River
Estuary Joins International Network of Important Bird
Areas
June 02, 2000
For Immediate Release
Sugarloaf
Provincial Park, NB— The Restigouche River Estuary received international
recognition today as a globally significant Important
Bird Area (IBA), joining BirdLife International's
global network of IBA sites. The site dedication is
part of the New Brunswick Federation of Naturalists'
Annual General Meeting in Sugarloaf Provincial Park.
A guided tour of the Restigouche River Estuary will
follow on Sunday morning.
Each springtime,
from mid April to the end of May, tens of thousands
of Black Scoters can be found in the Restigouche River
Estuary during their spring migration. "This
is one of the world's most significant staging areas
for Black Scoters noted Marc Johnson, Conservation
Campaign Manager for the Canadian Nature Federation,
"We are pleased to be able to recognize the important
work of the Restigouche Naturalists' Club to conserve
this national treasure.
"By
identifying sites of national importance to Canadian
bird populations, the Canadian Nature Federation,
through the Important Bird Areas program, is engaging
communities to protect birds and their habitats for
the new millennium," said the Honourable Herb
Gray, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister responsible
for the Government of Canada's millennium initiative.
"I am delighted that the communities of Restigouche
county are taking part in Natural Legacy 2000, which
receives a contribution of $10 million nationally
through the Government of Canada's Millennium Partnership
Program."
The Important
Bird Areas program is being delivered in Canada by
the Canadian Nature Federation and Bird Studies Canada
and in New Brunswick by the New Brunswick Federation
of Naturalists. As part of the Natural Legacy 2000
initiative, the program has received $1.25 million
from the Canada Millennium Partnership Program (CMPP).
The partnership
program funds up to one third of the eligible costs
of projects that meet its criteria, giving people
in the community and in the private sector the opportunity
to participate in projects by providing at least two
thirds of the financial assistance. CMPP-supported
projects promote our history, our youth, our arts
and culture, our environment and the development of
our communities.
Exciting
scientific research conducted this spring by the Restigouche
Naturalists' Club has revealed valuable information
about the presence of Scoters in the Estuary. "While
we had previously known that the Scoters staged in
the Estuary, we did not know whether or not they were
feeding there. We now know that they do feed in the
Estuary; their primary diet consisting of blue mussels
and clams noted Mike Lushington, President of the
Restigouche Naturalists' Club. "Our study has
also shown that the Estuary's spring Scoter population
numbers approximately 100,000, considerably more than
previous estimates of 11,000. This Black Scoter Monitoring
Project has received funding by the Canadian Nature
Federation's Community Action Fund, a national bird
conservation granting program which has similarly
funded 47 community conservation initiatives across
the country this year.
Sabine
Dietz and Roland Chiasson, Important Bird Areas Community
Conservation Planners for the New Brunswick Federation
of Naturalists, are working with local communities
to develop conservation plans for a number of Important
Bird Areas across the Maritimes, including the Restigouche
River Estuary. Sabine comments that "the Restigouche
Estuary is a spectacular site in early spring when
thousands of migrating scoters can be observed.
The Canadian
Nature Federation, the Bird Studies Canada and the
New Brunswick Federation of Naturalists will continue
to work with the surrounding communities to develop
appropriate action strategies to ensure that bird
populations remain healthy into the next millennium.
For more
information on Natural Legacy 2000 or on the Government
of Canada's Millennium Partnership Program, visit
the Canada and the Millennium Web site at www.millennium.gc.ca
or call 1-800-O-Canada.
For more
information, please contact:
Mike Lushington,
President, Restigouche Naturalists' Club (506) 684-5688
Roland Chiasson and Sabine Dietz, IBA Community Conservation
Planners (506) 779-8304
Marc Johnson, Canadian Nature Federation (613) 562-8208
ext. 227
Marcel Gaumond, Millennium Bureau of Canada (613)
943-3239
