SAVE THE DATE!

October 3rd, 2020

The Fall SAM Meeting will be held virtually on the morning of October 3rd, 2020

During this ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the safety, security, and comfort of all our attendees and members is our top priority and we are sensitive to your concerns. Following recent feedback from members/partners, we have decided to hold the meeting virtually. We are disappointed to take this approach but staff/council travel restrictions and reduced budgets are still impacting our ability to get together in person. We look forward to holding our spring AGM in person in 2021!

Attendance is by invitation only - keep an eye on your inbox for information on how to register coming soon!

Atlantic Salmon in Newfoundland and Labrador

Through a generous grant from the Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation, SAM has been able to expand our efforts in 2020 to include the protection and stewardship of salmon habitat found within municipal planning boundaries.

Why salmon?

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) has always had an important place in the lives of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. This "king of the fish" is important culturally, economically, socially, and recreationally for people from all walks of life.

An anadromous species, Atlantic salmon live both in saltwater and freshwater at different points in their life cycle. They are born and reproduce in freshwater (their natal streams) before travelling to the Atlantic Ocean, where they spent one to four years feeding and growing at a much quicker rate than they would be able to in their natal freshwater streams. Now much larger and less susceptible to predators, the adult salmon return to their native stream to spawn.

Did you know?

Unlike their Pacific cousins, Atlantic salmon do not necessarily die after spawning. Instead, some will return to the ocean to feed and grow for another year or two before returning to spawn again.

Atlantic salmon's complicated life cycle relies on the health of their freshwater natal streams. That means that the health and connectivity of these natal streams is critical to the continued survival of the species - and is something that we can all play a part in ensuring.

Salmon travel home to their native stream when ready to spawn - sometimes travelling hundreds of kilometers upstream. These salmon natal streams have been used for hundreds, and sometimes thousands of years. Maintaining the health and connectivity of these streams is vital to the continued survival of the species.

Because of their sensitivity and reliance on these natal streams, Atlantic salmon are an important indicator species for the health and resilience of our waterways. If our rivers are in trouble, so are our salmon!

Healthy riparian habitat, like this river in Main Brook, are vital to helping maintain healthy populations of Atlantic salmon.

What can you do to help protect Atlantic salmon?

There are a lot of things we can do to help protect salmon and salmon habitat. Some good places to start:

Know and respect local fishing regulations
Always obey posted signage
Report suspected poaching or habitat damage
Report any blockages to salmon passage (e.g. blocked culverts)
Protect riparian buffers in your community
Leave nothing but footprints - pack out any trash, litter, or equipment you brought

With special thanks to our funders at the Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation. For more information on their organization and ongoing projects visit their website.

What have we been up to?

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way that we conducted business - but it did not stop us at SAM from working to promote good stewardship and conservation activities in the province!

Outreach with WILD Outside

When COVID-19 struck and quarantine was declared, we had to adjust our plans to deal with the new reality. One way that we did this is through virtual outreach and education events - and that is where the Wild Outside Program came in!

Presented by the Canadian Wildlife Federation, the Wild Outside program is designed to get youth aged 15-18 involved with hands-on conservation projects in their communities.

When quarantine first started, the Newfoundland staff at WILD Outside were quick to act, and organized a series of virtual guest talks. SAM was fortunate to participate in this speaker series not once, but twice! Our SAM conservation biologist spoke with youth across the country about municipal stewardship, the importance of conserving wetlands, and on the importance of salmon conservation.

Visiting the Limestone Barrens in the Northern Peninsula

In early August, SAM made a trip to the Northern Peninsula, where a highlight of the trip was a visit to the limestone barrens with officials from SAM member the Town of Port au Choix and Dulcie House, Limestone Barrens Habitat Stewardship Coordinator.

The limestone barrens are a unique habitat feature in Newfoundland - and indeed, in the world. Though they comprise only a tiny portion of Newfoundland's surface area, they support a very high percentage of its rare plants. Of 298 vascular plants considered rare on the island of Newfoundland, 104 of them occur on the barrens, while 22 of them are only found in the Great Northern Peninsula.

Exploring the limestone barrens habitat in Port-au-Choix with Deputy Mayor Susan White and Town Clerk Lizeta Gould.

What are the limestone barrens? As the name suggests, they occur where limestone (calcium-rich) bedrock has become exposed. Further, true barrens habitat can only occur in harsh conditions - the windiest, coldest, coastal and mountain top areas that are unable to support other habitat types like forest or bogs.

These difficult conditions have resulted in unique, resilient plants, some of which are found nowhere else in the world. Barrens willow, Long's braya, and Fernald's braya are three such species, and their numbers are so low as to be considered endangered (the first two species) and threatened (the third.) These endemic plants are Ours to Protect, and several communities in the Northern Peninsula have taken the initiative to protect some of their most important limestone barrens habitat through Municipal Stewardship Agreements.

Despite the resilience of the plants living in these harsh conditions, limestone barrens habitats are vulnerable to a variety of threats. Climate change, predation, infection, and human disturbance are all threats facing the limestone barrens today. Today, the local practice of woodpiling and drying fishing equipment on the barrens, where done indiscriminately, can also be damaging to these sensitive plants as can the use of ATVs outside approved trails.

Port-au-Choix, Flower's Cove, and Corner Brook have all signed Stewardship Agreements that protect limestone barrens habitat and species. Their continued stewardship efforts over the years have helped to ensure the continued protection of these unique species.

Monitoring Piping Plover in Western Newfoundland

Earlier this summer, we were fortunate to be able to participate in (socially distanced) Piping Plover monitoring along the sandy beaches of the Port-aux-Basques and Codroy Valley areas in partnership with the staff of Intervale Associates.

Above: Socially distance beach monitoring at JT Cheeseman Provincial Park.
Below: Both adult plovers and their eggs are well camouflaged against the sand! Plover eggs are laid in simple "scratches" on the sand, making them hard to spot. ATVs, unleashed dogs, and careless beach users can cause damage to nests.

Piping plover are small shorebirds that nest on sandy beaches in Eastern Canada in the spring and summer months, from mid-April to late August before migrating to their summering grounds off the southern coast of the U.S., the Caribbean, and the Bahamas. They are listed as endangered under both the provincial Endangered Species Act and the federal Species at Risk Act.

Their preferred nesting habitat of sandy beaches means that humans also have to be careful when using these beaches - ATV disturbance and unleashed dogs pose significant threats to the species. Always respect posted signage and be mindful of where you put your feet!

Shorebird monitoring and shoreline clean-up in Anchor Point

In early August we spent some time in Anchor Point with Intervale Associates and summer interns from the Quebec Labrador Foundation (QLF) for some shorebird monitoring and a shoreline clean up. A special thank you goes out to the Town of Anchor Point's summer students who also came ready to work!

SAM Conservation Scholarship 2020 - Final call for applications!

SAM Scholarship 2019 recipient Allison Jeon with SAM Treasurer Cynthia Downey (Stephenville Crossing)

Are you or someone you know enrolled in post-secondary education in a conservation related field this fall? Consider applying for the SAM scholarship, which awards $1000 to a deserving student every year. Applications are due by September 20th - for more information check out the application on our website here.