Tuesday, 8 July 2025

SAM Newsletter #46: Summer 2025


2025 AGM attendees explore the City of Corner Brook.
SAM has been quite busy these last few months! The 2025 SAM Annual General Meeting (AGM) was hosted by the City of Corner Brook in April, and the inaugural 2025 Newfoundland and Labrador Habitat Conservation Workshop in the City of St. John's was held later in June. As well, throughout the province we continue to support our members in building the stewardship ethic in their communities with various ongoing opportunities:

SAM's 2025 Spring AGM

Thank you to the City of Corner Brook's municipal staff and Town Council for being such welcoming hosts for our 2025 Spring AGM! Your support, organization of, and participation in the event was incredibly appreciated and played a key role in ensuring the success of the event. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the tour of the City - the Dome Greenhouse, Captain James Cook Lookout, the Man in the Mountain and, of course, City Hall, were just some of the highlights! The AGM certainly showcased what the City has to offer. We would also like to extend our thanks to each of the municipal representatives for attending, and participating in the events throughout the weekend. Your participation strengthens SAM as an organization, and continues the connections we all share in conservation.
Thank you, especially, to Christina Pye and Kirstin Mercer with the City of Corner Brook for helping plan such an incredible AGM, as well as Katie Temple with the Western Environment Centre (WECNL) and Kathleen Parewick with Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador (MNL) for your presentations.
Attendees of the 2025 AGM in the City of Corner Brook.
Our bi-annual meetings are a great opportunity for representatives from our member municipalities, invited guests and our partner organizations to share conservation and stewardship success stories and challenges. The AGM is an opportunity for like-minded communities to showcase their involvement and implementation of their habitat conservation agreement and in seeking to become a sustainable community. It is also a chance to become inspired by work being done in other municipalities and bring those ideas back to your community.
Attendees of the 2025 AGM explore the Dome Greenhouse supported by the Western Environment Centre.
Thank you once again to the City of Corner Brook for being such fantastic hosts! Keep an eye out later in the summer for details on our Fall Regional Meetings.

2025 Newfoundland and Labrador Habitat Conservation Workshop

Thank you to those who attended the 2025 NL Habitat Conservation Workshop! It was a great success, bringing together a diverse group of people practicing conservation to engage in rich, multi-perspective discussions. The Habitat Conservation Workshop aspired to be a gathering of those involved in and dedicated to the management and conservation of natural lands and wildlife habitat in the province, and brought together a strong community of practice to: promote knowledge sharing, foster collaboration, and ultimately advance action to stimulate solutions to identified issues. The goal of this workshop was to sustainably manage, in particular, our natural lands, for future generations, with a theme of "Conservation, Connections and Community"  and a focus on provincial wetland management practices and policy. This workshop was open to various levels of government, Indigenous communities, ENGOs, industry representatives, and other habitat conservation practitioners.
Workshop Attendees celebrate the expansion of the City of St. John's Conservation Agreement with a visit to Cape Spear, one of the new Conservation Areas added in 2025.

Visit the link below for a full summary of the Workshop, including a collection of photos!

Summary and Photos

Habitat Conservation:
New Towns and Expansions on Agreements

SAM is excited to announce that we have had two new Members members joining our organization - Congratulations to the Towns of York Harbour and Port Rexton! Along with this incredible news, we are also excited to announce that two of our members have officially expanded their Conservation Agreements - Congratulations to the City of Corner Brook and the City of St. John's!
Town of Port Rexton Skerwink Trail Conservation Area
The Town of Port Rexton is a community steeped in history with a close connection to the land, and is home to the impressive and internationally recognized Skerwink Trail that boasts remarkable views of both coastal and forested habitat. A salmon river also runs through the municipal boundary of Port Rexton, which supports a strong angling and fishing tradition in the community.
Port Rexton has established two Conservation Areas (CA): the Skerwink Trail CA and the Salmon Cove River CA, committing to conserving approximately 200 acres of important wildlife habitat. These areas contain significant habitat for a variety of wildlife, including waterfowl, shorebirds, songbirds, mammals, and salmon. The Skerwink Trail is a recognized birding hotspot with 75+ bird species identified at this location, including species like Black guillemotDouble-crested cormorantNorthern waterthrushWhite-throated sparrow, and Boreal chickadee. The provincially vulnerable Northern goshawk has been observed in the area. The Salmon Cove River CA encapsulates the scheduled salmon river on their eastern municipal boundary, and will help maintain an intact riparian buffer around the river helping to sustain the health of the river.
Town of York Harbour Lagoon Conservation Area (Image Credit: Dennis Blackwood)
The Town of York Harbour is located on the west coast of Newfoundland, located on the southern shore of the Bay of Islands. It is a beautiful coastal community nestled between the municipalities of Lark Harbour and Humber Arm South.
York Harbour has established the Lagoon CA, committing to conserving approximately 45 acres of important wildlife habitat. The Town recognizes that the Lagoon provides habitat for species considered imperiled or vulnerable, including Common eiderAmerican wigeonNorthern pintail, and Great blue heron. The surrounding vegetation provides suitable habitat for songbirds including Song sparrow, shorebirds including Semipalmated sandpiper, and seabirds including Common tern. And, although it is not a part of the designated CA, the marine environment into which the Lagoon empties is known to be valuable eelgrass habitat. Eelgrass is a group of aquatic grass species that provide food and shelter for many animals, including fish and waterfowl. These waters are also considered an Atlantic salmon marine refuge by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), as they provide important resting habitat for them during their migration.
Hughes Brook facing the City of Corner Brook (Image Credit: HS Lindner)
The City of Corner Brook initially signed their agreement in 2018, including just one CA: the Wild Cove CA, which encompassed the Wild Cove Fen - a popular birding site and home to some plants not found anywhere else in the province. This year, their agreement was amended to add one new CA - the Hughes Brook Estuary CA, expand upon the existing Wild Cove CA, and two new Stewardship Areas (SAs) - the Humber River SA and the Corner Brook Stream SA, increasing the amount of conserved wildlife habitat in the City up to 1,118 acres.
Wild Cove, including the unique Wild Cove Fen, has an abundance of vegetation to support large populations of waterfowl. Commonly seen in the area are Greater scaup and a diversity of gull species. The Fen also supports three rare plants: Rattlesnake root and Northern bog aster, which are only known to be found in this one location in the province, as well as Showy ladyslipper.​ The Hughes Brook Estuary is a saltwater estuary/marsh at the outflow of Hughes Brook encompassing some of the most valuable wildlife habitat within the City. The estuary is known breeding habitat for rarer wildlife such as the Rusty blackbird.
The Humber River is a major waterway in Western Newfoundland, originating in the Long-Range Mountains and emptying out into the Bay of Islands. It is one of the best scheduled salmon rivers in the world. The Corner Brook Stream System winds its way throughout the city and into the Bay of Islands. Numerous organizations, businesses, and community interest groups have invested time, effort, and resources into the development of these beloved community lands and a network of trails has been established along much of its extent. These continued efforts have led the site to becoming a rich brooding site for American black duck, and a consistent breeding site for Red-winged blackbird.
Parks Canada Cape Spear Lighthouse National Historic Site in the City of St. John's
The City of St. John's initially signed their agreement in 2004, including just one CA: Lundrigan's Marsh - the largest cattail marsh in eastern Newfoundland This year, the agreement was amended to add 2 new CAs: the Southside Hills CA and the Cape Spear Wetlands CA, increasing the amount of conserved wildlife habitat in the City up to 1,456 acres.
The Southside Hills CA, spanning from Fort Amherst Road to Blackhead Road, protects the wetland habitat located there, and provides a buffer to this portion of the East Coast Trail. The Cape Spear CA covers the predominantly bog wetlands south of Parks Canada Cape Spear Lighthouse National Historic Site and encompasses a portion of the East Coast Trail. All wetland types are found within the conservation area: bog, fen, swamp, marsh, and open water. As a result, a myriad of flora and fauna species can be found within the CA's boundaries, and reflect on the biodiversity of the habitat. Ericaceous shrubs like Labrador tea, Leatherleaf, and Sweet gale are common, while herbaceous plants include Blue flag iris, Ostrich fern, and Pitcher plants. An extremely high abundance of birding biodiversity can be found here, including waterfowl, songbirds, shorebirds and seabirds, with breeding and nesting evidence present. This area provides habitat for critically imperiled, imperiled, or vulnerable species, including Red knotKing eiderHarlequin duckSurf scoterBlack scoterSoraBlack bellied ploverAmerican golden-ploverSemipalmated ploverRusty blackbirdShort-eared owlNorthern goshawk and others. Additionally, sightings of Atlantic puffinMurresRazorbills, and Snowy owls have been noted in the area.
Board of Directors
SAM's Board of Directors is composed of 4 volunteer Directors who are elected from our SAM Member Communities (one of whom is elected as Chair of the Board) to manage the administrative and financial affairs of the corporation. These directors commit to two years of dedication, including attending SAM's AGM and Fall Regional Meetings (travel included), and approximately two conference calls per year.
At the 2025 AGM in the City of Corner Brook, two vacant Board of Director positions were filled. Congratulations and a tremendous thank you to Hayward Morgan (Town of Carmanville - newly elected) and Darren Sheppard (Town of Indian Bay - re-elected)!
Hayward Morgan, Town of Carmanville
Hayward Morgan was born in the Town of Gander, and had the privilege of growing up in CarmanvilleDeer Lake, and a variety of other places across the island as his father worked in the forest industry. As a child he filled his time during the summer working at his father's saw mill - this is where he was introduced to logging and forestry. This opened up his interest for careers working with machinery and heavy equipment such as construction, oil exploration and 25 years in Canada's mining industry bringing him to 5 different provinces and the Northwest Territories. In 2019, Hayward joined the Habitat Committee in the Town of Carmanville, and in 2021 became a member of the Town Council. For him, life has come full circle and he gets to share the "before and after" to the next generation.
Darren Sheppard conducting Leach's Storm-Petrel (LESP) Research Begins in Cape Freels
Darren Sheppard is the Executive Director of the community-based, environmental non-profit, Indian Bay Ecosystem Corporation (IBEC), which encompasses the communities in the Indian Bay Watershed (Indian BayNew-Wes-Valley and Cape Freels, and Centreville-Wareham-Trinity). Darren was originally elected to the Board in 2021 as Secretary at the Fall Meeting in the Town of Deer Lake.

SAM Environmental Stewardship Award
Student Scholarship Winners

One pillar of the SAM Environmental Stewardship Award is the Student Scholarship - used to recognize students who have gone above and beyond in their community to support wildlife habitat stewardship, demonstrating an active commitment to conservation in Newfoundland and Labrador through their studies or in their free time.

First awarded in 2015, this award is a $1000 scholarship awarded to a student either from or studying in Newfoundland and Labrador whose interests, activities and post-secondary goals are focused on the conservation of habitat in this province.

This year there was such an exceptional pool of applicants that SAM has decided to award not one, but TWO scholarships this year! SAM would like to congratulate Samiran Chauhan from the City of St. John's, and Logan Slaney from the Town of Torbay!
Winners of the 2025 SAM Student Scholarship
Left: Samiran Chauhan from the City of St. John's
Right: Logan Slaney from the Town of Torbay
Samiran Chauhan is a Grade 12 student at Gonzaga High School with plans to pursue engineering. As president of Gonzaga’s revitalized Environmental Club, she led a range of creative initiatives, including repurposing waste into basketball hoops to promote recycling, organizing cleanups, and coordinating climate-focused presentations. Outside of school, she volunteers at her local retirement home and Hindu temple, where she shares and promotes environmental awareness. Her efforts reflect a strong commitment to climate action and sustainability in both school and the broader community. Inspired by these experiences, she aims to develop innovative technologies that address global environmental challenges and protect ecosystems through a career at the intersection of engineering and conservation.
Gonzaga High School's Environmental Club
Logan Slaney is a grade 12 student at Holy Trinity High School in the Town of Torbay. He is a dedicated environmental advocate with a strong passion for science and conservation. Throughout high school, he took part in his school's environmental club, participated in local clean-ups, and shared sustainability projects at science fairs to inspire change in his province. During his summers, he worked on the Town of Torbay Conservation Corps NL Green Team. In the Fall he will be going to Memorial University to begin his Bachelor of Science in Biology, and he plans to focus his studies on biology and conservation. Logan's long term goal is to have his own youth-based climate action group here in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Photos of Logan's Conservation Efforts
Click Here to Learn More, see Past Award Recipients, or to Make a Nomination/Apply
What Have We Been Up To?
Outreach Coordinator Karleena Squires at the World Oceans Day Event in the City of St. John's.
Outreach Coordinator Karleena presented to students at Mary Queen of Peace Elementary in the City of St. John's on NL Species at Risk for World Biodiversity Day, and ran a booth at the World Oceans Day celebration on June 7th at the Marine Institute in the City of St. John's, which saw over 2,000 members of the public learn about conserving Ocean Habitat. And, on the other side of the province, Conservation Biologist Natalie traveled to the Northern Peninsula where she presented to the students of French Shore Academy at their 2nd Annual Caribou and Friends Festival and leading a walk with the Parks Canada Caribou Kids Klub.
SAM's Conservation Biologist Natalie Parsons (center) with Jess Turner of Intervale Associates (left), and Sarah Maher of the Wilder Institute (right) at the 2nd Annual Caribou and Friends Festival.
Conservation Biologist Willem has been continuing to facilitate the installation of additional CoastReach Stands across the province - including recently installing one in the Town of Bauline.
SAM's Chair of the Board of Directors Heidi Kolodniski and Conservation Biologist Willem Peters installing a CoastReach stand in the Town of Bauline.
SAM staff attended and supported Natural Asset training from the Natural Assets Initiative, in partnership with Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador (MNL), as part of the new Climate Ready NL Project.
SAM's Executive Director Zach Burrows addresses the crowd at the City of St. John's Expansion Celebration at Cape Spear during the Habitat Conservation Workshop.
In addition to core programming and support for our members, there are several upcoming projects we will be engaged in:
We would like to acknowledge and thank the organizations that provide support to SAM in order for us to carry out our mission. Thank you to Environment and Climate Change CanadaWildlife Habitat Canada, the partners of the North American Waterfowl Conservation Act (US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Canadian Wildlife Service), our partners in the Eastern Habitat Joint Venture (EHJV), the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture - Wildlife Division, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, for your contributions.
Popsicle Pete and the Hope for
Piping Plover in Cape Freels
Written by IBEC's Jessica Vincent
IBEC is excited to share the story of the Piping plovers in Cape Freels!
It all began with the arrival of a lone male - affectionately named Popsicle Pete. He was observed traveling between beaches in the area, likely in search of a mate. As the first Piping plover recorded in Cape Freels in over 11 years, they weren’t sure if he would stay, and there was little hope he would find a companion.
Piping plover on Cape Freels (Image Credit: Jessica Vincent)
To everyone's delight, just a week later, he was spotted with a second Plover! Since then, the two have been inseparable and are often seen together on various beaches throughout Cape Freels. They’ve named his companion Penelope Peach. Giving the birds names helps foster a stronger connection with the local community—encouraging people to take greater care around them and reduce the likelihood of disturbance.
While IBEC haven’t yet confirmed a nest, the pair continues to be regularly observed in the Cape Freels area, and they remain hopeful that nesting activity may soon follow. Based on their monitoring efforts in Deadman’s Bay and the Lumsden area, this pair remains the only Piping plovers recorded in the Bonavista North region this season.
Popsicle Pete and Penelope Peach - Pair of Piping plovers on Cape Freels (Image Credit: Jessica Vincent)
This remarkable sighting was an unexpected but a welcomed surprise and serves as a hopeful indicator that IBEC's conservation efforts in Cape Freels through the Community Nominated Priority Places (CNPP) Project are making a difference. Although this is currently the final year of projected funding for the CNPPIBEC remains hopeful that the outreach and stewardship they’ve fostered will have lasting impacts.
Whether or not the CNPP continues, IBEC is committed to supporting the protection of species like the Piping plover and their fragile habitats—and to encouraging both communities and visitors to keep playing a positive role in environmental stewardship across the region.
Cape Freels
In 2023, the Town of New-Wes-Valley expanded upon their existing Habitat Conservation Agreement to add the vulnerable Cape Freels Conservation Area, encompassing significant hyper-oceanic barren habitat for nesting shorebirds, seabirds, waterfowl, and some critically listed species.
Species Spotlight
Species of importance found within SAM’s Conservation Areas
The Rusty blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) is a medium-sized blackbird with a slender bill and medium-length tail. They are closely related to grackles, but the Rusty blackbird is thinner-billed and shorter-tailed than Common grackle. This bird prefers wet forested areas, breeding in the boreal forest across northern Canada, and migrating southeast to the United States to over-winter. They have black plumage with faint green and purple shine, and the female is greyer-brown. Breeding males are dark glossy black. "Rusty" refers to the brownish plumage they sport during winter. Adults have a pointed bill and a pale yellow eye.
Rusty blackbird (Euphagus carolinus)
Rusty blackbirds are often gather in small flocks in winter, sometimes mixing with Common gracklesRed-winged blackbirds and European starlings. They feed on the ground by walking and flipping over leaves and debris. When feeding on the ground, they tend to hold their long tail up - which can help pick them out in a flock of Red-winged blackbirds. Flocks often perch at the tops of trees. Rusty blackbirds frequently give a distinctive bubbly call, kurlulr-teEE, often ending on a high-pitched rising note.
Male Breeding Rusty blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) (Image Credit: Daniel Jauvin)
Look for Rusty blackbirds in wet areas, including flooded woods, swamps, marshes and the edges of ponds. These moist habitats are their favorite foraging areas in winter and during migration. During the breeding season, they favor bogs, beaver ponds and wet woods in boreal forest. Hughes Brook, Newfoundland is a shared ecologically and culturally significant waterway that flows through and forms the boundaries between the municipalities of Irishtown-Summerside, Hughes Brook, and Corner Brook. A freshwater waterway that runs to a saltwater marsh estuary before ultimately emptying into the Bay of Islands, Hughes Brook encompasses some very ecologically valuable habitat - most importantly, it is known breeding habitat Rusty blackbirds. Breeding evidence has been found on the Northern Peninsula, in the St. George’s Bay area, in central, and in Terra Nova National Park (Newfoundland Breeding Bird Atlas).
Female Rusty blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) (Image Credit: John Sutton)
Rusty blackbirds have declined significantly in recent decades. The reasons are unclear, but loss of habitat is likely a major contributor to the decline. The habitat loss is likely due to multiple factors, including development for oil, gas, and mining industries, hydroelectric projects, and the clearing of forests for forestry. Citizen Science projects such as the North American Breeding Bird Survey and Christmas Bird Count have determined that rusty blackbirds have dropped 85%–98% in the past 40 years. Sighting submission services such as eBird are encouraging birders to keep track of rusty blackbirds. The Rusty blackbird is a Species of Special Concern in Canada, listed under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA), and is listed as Imperiled/Vulnerable under the Newfoundland and Labrador Endangered Species Act. This bird is endemic to North America and an important indicator of wetland health.
Rusty blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) in flight (Image Credit: Stephen John Davies)
This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and stewardship in the Eastern Habitat Joint Venture. The Rusty blackbird has been sighted across the province, both on the island and in Labrador, but their northern distribution in Labrador is likely limited by the extent of forested habitat.. Reports of sightings in Labrador include Labrador City and Happy Valley-Goose Bay, and across the island in the municipalities of BonavistaCorner BrookIrishtown-SummersideSt. John'sFrenchman's CovePort Rexton, and St. George's.
Social Media
Did you know? You can follow SAM on Social Media!
Check us out on Facebook and Instagram @SAM_Stewardship
 
    

2025 Stewardship Anniversaries

We would like to recognize some significant
Municipal Habitat Stewardship Agreement signing anniversaries.
Congratulations and we look forward to many more years of
conservation and stewardship!


30 years since signed (1995)
Carmanville
Come By Chance
Stephenville Crossing

20 years since signed (2005)
Labrador City
Wabush

15 years since signed (2010)
Burgeo
Cartwright (Table Bay)

10 years since signed (2015)
Bauline
Portugal Cove-St. Philips
Do you have a conservation story you would like to see featured in a future newsletter? Send an email with the details to
samengagement995@gmail.com!
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Stewardship Association of Municipalities
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