SAM Newsletter #17 Summer 2018

It is Summer Festival Season for SAM   SAM Communities know how to celebrate summer! From the Garnish Bakeapple Festival, to the Bonavista Church Street Festival, to the Lewisporte Mussel Bed Soiree, everyone takes advantage of the short season to celebrate culture, food, family and friends. More and more municipalities are adding eco-tourism to their long list of summer must-dos.  This summer, SAM Staff were invited by two community summer festivals to deliver environmental stewardship programming. As part of Bonavista's National Wetland Conservation Fund, SAM Staff delivered a wetland program entitled "Bringing Back the Birds: O'Dea's Pond Eco-Walking Tour" during the Bonavista Church Street Festival, which boasts 46 events. Over 30 people were in attendance and participated in wetland games, a guided nature walk, and learned how to become environment stewards in their own community! Pictured above is the Bonavista SAM event poster. Do you need help making an event poster for your next SAM Community Eco-Tourism Event? Contact samstewardship@gmail.com  In August, the Carmanville Recreation Committee organized their summer festival. SAM Staff joined the Carmanville Green team at the Wetland Interpretation Centre, and led a Wetland Fun Day. Participants took a nature walk along the trails and played wetland themed games. SAM Staff also helped create a new nature trail map for visitors and residents! (Pictured below) Pictured above is the new Carmanville Wetland Interpretation Centre Nature Trail Map! Do you need help making a map for your communities nature trails? Contact samstewardship@gmail.com  Adding an envriomental stewardship to your summer/fall/winter/spring community events is easy! If you need inspiration check out these SAM Communities already celebrating nature: Centerville-Wareham-Trinity: Black's Brook Park Fun Day Flatrock: Hike to Beamer with the Flatrock Environmental Committee Portugal Cove - St. Phillip's: Touch Tank Wednesday with the Ocean Science Center at the PCSP Library If you would like to learn more about adding environmental stewardship to your event OR if you need an updated nature trail map get in touch with SAM Staff samstewardship@gmail.com and visit our website at samnl.org/resources SAM Network News & Updates The Fall SAM Meeting to be held in Labrador City September 21- 22!Thank you to the Town of Labrador City for offering to Host the Fall SAM Meeting 2018. ONLINE registration is OPEN!   A BIG SAM welcome to Elisabeth Belanzaran, the newest member of the SAM Staff! Elisabeth (Liz) is finishing her masters at Grenfell and will be working out of Corner Brook as our second Conservation Biologist.   Challenges finding funding for your next stewardship project? Use the SAM funding page as your guide! With over 30 links to funding and grants for municipalities, we are always updating the page with current deadlines and contact information.   Check out the latest installment of the SAM Blog "Conserving Curiosity: Project Webfoot 2018 Wrap-up" by Guest Blogger, DUC Summer Student, Sarah Wilkins Students birdwatching during the Ducks Unlimited Canada Wetland Field Trips this past June, 2018 Perfect weather for Ducks this past June   SAM Is proud of the accomplishments of our partners in the Eastern Habitat Joint Venture. Through their support and leadership, SAM staff have a greater opportunity to reach out and engage its membership towns right across the province. A great example of this partnership is that this past June, over 200 students participated in Wetland Field Trips organized and  delivered byDucks Unlimited Canada. SAM staff assisted in the delivery of the DUC Wetland field trips in three SAM member communities:  Springdale , Lewisporte, and Hawke’s Bay . In addition, Wetland Field Trips were delivered to other SAM communities by partner organizations including: Happy Valley - Goose Bay  (thanks to Healthy Waters Labrador), Grand Falls - Windsor (thanks to Corduroy Brook Enhancement Association) , St. John's  (thanks to the Fluvarium) and Indian Bay  (thanks to the staff at the Indian Bay Ecosystem Corporation). Critter Dipping for "Marsh Monsters"! Pictured left are two Dragonfly nymphs. These nymphs spend over 2 years in the water before they become mature Dragonflys Students learned about the "Marsh Monsters", which are the favorite food of ducks and shorebirds; identified many different bird species in wetlands and boreal forests; and played wetland games including "Migration Headache" and"Boreal Wetland Metaphors". This summer DUC and SAM Staff were joined by a DUC Summer Student, Sarah Wilkins. If you want to learn more about Sarah's experience delivering wetland field trips across the province check out the last SAM blog, "Conserving Curiosity: Project Webfoot Wrap-up 2018". Pictured left is DUC Summer Student Sarah Wilkins giving a Wetland talk

Stewardship Spotlight - Grand Falls-Windsor:20 Years of Stewardship In 1998 The Town of Grand Falls-Windsorsigned a Habitat Stewardship Agreement to protect wetland habitat within municipal boundaries. Since then GFW has taken stewardship seriously! Before joining SAM, in 1994 GFW Residents Mr. Arthur King and Mr. Scott James came together to save a community waterway. Mr. King wanted to create an accessible recreation venue, and Mr. James wanted to save a stand of birches along the Corduroy Brook. Soon after the Corduroy Brook Enhancement Association was born! Since then the association has taken on many partnerships to enhance the waterway.  They have employed countless Conservation CorpsGreen Teams, partnered with Ducks Unlimited on a fishway,  partnered with DFO on a stream enhancementstructures, and with the Johnson Foundation on their "Little Rest" project.  The association also runs summer nature camps, hosts community fund raising events, and rents their centre for private events with profits going back into the association. AND the Town of Grand Falls-Windsor has also provided several SAM executive over the years.  Congratulations Grand Falls-Windsor on 20 Years of Stewardship, lets keep it going for another 20! Back to Stewardship School: Three ways to help migrating birds this fall - Audubon.org 2018 is the Year of the Bird and Audubon has teamed up with National Geographic, Bird Life Internationaland The Cornell Lab of Ornithology to have a year long celebration of everything Bird!  Audobon.org has listed these three ways you can help migrating birds this fall. 1) Make your windows obvious: Glass can reflect trees and sky, confusing migrating birds, causing them to crash into windows. Anywhere from 100 million to 1 billion birds die each year as a result of impact with windows. Prevent this by using decals on your windows. You can event make it a back to school project and make your own decorations 2) Go lights out:  Many birds migrate during the night using the stars and moon to guide them. Household lights can create confusion. Studies have shown that over 1 million birds die each year because of light pollution! Keep your lights off from dusk till dawn to keep migrating birds on the right track!  You can also get involved with the CPAWS Puffin patrol to help migrating puffins. 3)  Become an Advocate!: Be the voice for our feathered friends by going to town meetings, speaking with town councilors, and writing to elected officials. Advocate for bird friendly architecture in your town as well as keeping the lights out in public and town buildings   SAM Summer Wetland Photos: A Stewardship Photo Essay!  SAM Staff have been lucky enough this summer to visit some of your beautiful communities! Wild Rose in Torbay Purple fringed orchid in Winterland Beautiful Benton Marsh in Gander Highway Marsh in Lewisporte Beach sunset in Stephenville Crossing Dragons mouth orchid in Whitborne Pintail Ducks in Bonavista If you have a photo  or a story you would like to submit for the SAM newsletter email samstewardship@gmail.com

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