| Winter SAM outreach events! Check out the events that happened from February to March 2019! Pictured above SAM Conservation Biologist Laura King teaching Marine Institute students and staff about waterfowl |
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From Snowshoeing, to Waterfowl, to
Nest boxes, SAM Communities love Winter!
Winter can be a long season, but here in this province we know how to take advantage of even the coldest weather! Over the past few months SAM Staff piled on the wool layers and partnered with SAM communities on education, conservation, and outreach events. |
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Pictured Left: February 16, 2019 - Corduroy Brook Enhancement Association Family Fun Day! - For the second year in a row SAM Staff were able to participate in the CBEA Family Fun Day held in Grand Falls - Windsor. Many families came over between sliding and skating to learn a bit about ducks, wetlands, and conservation in their communities.
Pictured Right: February 17, 2019 - Wild Game Cookery Fur and Feather - w/Cod Sounds : Ducks 101 - SAM Conservation Biologist, Laura King, was invited by Cod Sounds to their "Fur & Feather Wild Cookery" program. Laura talked to participants about how hunters play an important role in waterfowl conservation and played our Duck ID game. We were able to talk about the Migratory Gamebird Hunting Permit (AKA Duck Stamp), and how that helps to support conservation through Wildlife Habitat Canada! #whcstampmeans |
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Pictured Left: February 15, 2019 - Lewisporte Winter Carnival Snowshoe! - We had a great time in Lewisporte meeting town staff and residents that love the outdoors, nature, and conservation. We loved it so much we snowshoed twice! Thanks to the O2 Athletic club for having us at their snowshoe!
Pictured Right: March 22, 2019 - Marine Institute World Water Day! - We were invited by the Marine Institute (MI) to participate in their World Water Day celebrations! We joined graduates of the MI water quality program as well as Ducks Unlimited Canada, The City of St. Johns, The MUN Botanical Garden, and Northeast Avalon ACAP during this Celebration of everything water! |
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| Pictured above Councillor Mark Stockey & Assistant Principal Max Pike: March 25, 2019 - Smallwood Academy Nest Box Workshop! The Town of Gambo, and Councilor Mark Stockey approached Ducks Unlimited and SAM at the SAM Fall Meeting about having a Nest Box Building workshop at the K - 12 school in Gambo. After a few months of planning, we were able to partner with Ducks Unlimited and get some boxes built by the Grade 4s and 6s. These boxes are going to be placed by the Town of Gambo in the community. |
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| Photo taken by The Western Star ; World Water Day Family Fun participant completing the "SAM Sensory Scavenger Hunt!". |
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| Pictured above (photo from The Western Star): March 30, 2019 - World Water Day Family Fun Day! SAM Conservation Biologist, Liz Belanzaran, partnered with the Upper Humber Rod & Gun Club and the Town of Deer Lakeon this World Water Day Celebration! Families were invited to the rod & gun club to snowshoe, play wetland games, and have a boil up. |
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Every event over the past two months has been a partnered event! We would like to thank the staff and volunteers at these organizations that helped us spread the word about wildlife habitat, conservation, and stewardship!
Do you need help planning a stewardship event in your community? We can help! Contact samstewardship@gmail.com |
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SAM Network News & Updates
- SAM Conservation Fund Scholarship Application 2019 The application form for this years Conservation Fund Scholarship is now available on our website! Deadline is May 1, 2019
- Join us at the Bauline Spring Flea Market/Craft Fair! Check out our Stewardship Table and Celebrate Earth Day on April 14, 2019 at the Bauline Spring fair. 2 Memorial Park Place. Admission is by Donation!
- SAM AGM online registration is OPEN! Check your email for your official invitation and visit samnl.org/business-meetings for more information. We look forward to seeing you in Pouch Cove!
- New Geocache in Pouch Cove Get started on your next treasure hunt in Pouch Cove. Visit geocaching.com to get started!
- Becoming an Outdoors Woman (BOW) The workshop is coming up this spring! For updates follow the Salmonier Nature Park Facebook page!
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| SAM Outreach Coordinator, Diane Pelley, dropping off electronics to be recycled at the Robin Hood Bay Facility on East White Hills Road. |
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Spring Cleaning for SAM Staff:
Global Recycling Day, March 18, 2019
SAM did some spring cleaning and put their recycling knowledge to the test by participating in the Wold Wildlife Fund (WWF) Smart Office Challenge. WWF has partnered up with HP to get old electronics recycled. Many electronic devices contain materials such as lead and mercury that can render them hazardous when disposed of improperly. The majority of used electronics are not being recycled responsibly.
SAM decided to clean up and host a electronics collection event. We posted the date and time we were going to pick old electronics, and waited for these hard to dispose of items to roll in. Ducks Unlimited Canada and the St. John's Women's Film Festival both participated.
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| Ducks Unlimited Conservation Specialist, Danielle Fequet, standing with our Smart Office Challenge Poster! |
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We discovered when doing this challenge, we all had other items at home and around the office that we wanted to recycle, but we were unsure of how, or where to do it! So we also gathered other hard to recycle items such as household hazardous wastes, scrap metal, CFL light bulbs, batteries (large and small), empty printer cartridges and empty pens.
Our recycling adventure first brought us to The Bee's Knees, an earth friendly store in downtown St. John's. They have a small battery public drop off right in the store! Batteries need to be packaged properly before being dropped in the box, and the staff at the store provided us with bags and assistance in bagging the batteries. |
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| Pictured top: The Bees Knees, an earth friendly store, has a public drop off for small batteries; Pictured left: CFL light bulbs, old latex paint, and car batteries can all be recycled at at the Hazardous Waste facility at the Robin Hood Bay Facility; Pictured right: An office stash of dead Double A, Triple A batteries. |
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| Next, we gathered the rest of our hazardous wastes and visited the Robin Hood Bay Facility. Household hazardous wastes include oil & latex paint, paint thinners & stain, motor oil, batteries, aerosol cans, propane tanks (large & small), use cooking oil, fluorescent lights (compact & tubes), and fire extinguishers. Remember when dealing with hazardous wastes to transport them in the trunk of your car, wear gloves, and make sure all containers are sealed and tanks have the valves closed. |
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Scrap metal is also recyclable, and depending on the types of metal, may be worth money. SAM Staff dropped off some scrap metal to Dominion Recycling in St. John's, but there are many other options.
SAM Staff made one last stop at Staples Business Depot to their recycling center. Staples will take toner cartridges, ink cartridges, cell phones (sometimes for cash!), old pens, and batteries. |
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Do your research and find out your recycling options in your community! Lets keep hazardous wastes out of our landfills and away from wildlife & check out the links below for some recycling options!
Smart Office Challenge - WWF & HP
Curb it St. John's
Product Care Recycling
Terra Cycle
Staples Business Depot
Dominion Recycling - Scrap Metal |
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Congratulations to The City of St. John's on 15 years of Wildlife Stewardship!
In October of 2004 the City of St. John's signed their Municipal Habitat Stewardship Agreement to conserve an interesting wetland within the cities municipal boundaries, Lundrigans Marsh. Located at 335 East White Hills Road, the marsh is bordered on all sides with commercial and industrial development, making it a very urban wetland. Despite being surrounded by development, Lundrigans Marsh is a hotspot for local birders.
In the 1990s the marsh was known as the "Easy-Save" marsh, named for a local grocery store, but the name couldn't be more apt! At this time environmental groups were able to "easily save" the marsh by successfully lobbying the provincial government to divert the Outer Ring Road around the wetland.
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In the 2000's a group of local naturalists approached Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) to purchase the private wetland to prevent development and further degradation of the area. The Lundrigan's Marsh Conservation and Stewardship Committee was then formed. This committee included NCC, The City of St. John's, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), the Provincial Wildlife Division EHJV Program (SAM!!), the Virginia River Conservation Society and the Department of Works and Transportation.
As a result of these strong partnerships supporting wildlife habitat conservation, the City of St. John's was able to sign several agreements that help to protect this important urban wetland, including a Municipal Habitat Stewardship Agreement. The marsh is designated as "Environmentally Valuable Area" by the City of St. John's and a public look out and interpretative panels were installed describing the ecology of the area! |
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| In recent years the Northeast Avalon ACAP along with three ENGOs and three government partners, undertook a new "Friends of the Marsh" program. This program is intended to engage local landowners in stewardship activities, including community clean-ups, planting vegetative buffers, and scientific monitoring. |
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| The next time you are on East White Hills Road, drop in to the viewing platform with your binoculars for some great bird watching! Congratulations to the City of St. John's on 15 years of wildlife habitat conservation and for protecting this important wetland our capital city. |
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