June and July SAM Community Updates

Summer is a busy season for stewardship and conservation. Here are three activities that kept us out of the office this summer.

Interpretive Hike: Burgeo
On the last weekend of July, Burgeo invited SAM to participate in its Sand and Sea Festival. SAM staff led an interpretive hike through the trails and beaches of Sandbanks Provincial Park. The hike was greatly enhanced by the wealth of local knowledge provided by Burgeo residents. Burgeo has been a member of SAM since 2010, and is looking forward to being more involved in the SAM community moving forward!

Wetland Mapping Fieldwork
SAM is involved in a pilot project to produce an inventory and a map of wetlands in Newfoundland and Labrador. The project is led by C-Core (a non-profit research based organization based at MUN), and the fieldwork element is a collaborative effort between C-Core and the NL EHJV partnership. During July and August, these partners are collecting data on wetland classification in multiple pilot areas, including around Happy Valley - Goose Bay, Deer Lake and the NE Avalon Peninsula, near PC-SP, Torbay, Flatrock, St. John's and Bauline.

Nest Box Workshop:Codroy Valley
On May 30, staff from DUC and NCC partnered up to deliver a nest box workshop for students at Belanger Memorial School in Upper Ferry, in grades K-6. Three boxes were installed, which will provide nesting habitat for ducks that nest in tree cavities, such as mergansers and goldeneyes. The students at the school agreed to be stewards of these three new nest boxes, and to inspect them every year for nesting activity.

SAM Annual General Meeting in the Codroy Valley

SAM held its Annual General Meeting this year in the Codroy Valley on June 17-18. We would like to thank our hosts, the residents of the Codroy Valley for being so welcoming, and Kathleen Blanchard and her staff at Intervale Associates for arranging the logistics of the weekend.

On Friday evening, participants were treated to a delicious buffet supper and had the opportunity to meet several local residents. SAM President Linda Bailet was the MC for the night, and introduced Claudelle Devoe, Chair of the Codroy Valley Area Development Association and Local MHA Scott Reid, who both gave welcoming remarks. Local resident Derek White gave a very informative presentation on the natural, social and geological history of the region, and the event was topped off by some lively traditional music from local musicians.

View of the Grand Codroy Estuary.

At the business meeting on Saturday, delegates from 18 member municipalities reported on their town's latest stewardship and conservation initiatives. It has been another busy year for our members, with many clean-ups, trail developments, community gardens, interpretive centers and more on the go. A major topic of discussion during the meeting was the development of a provincial wetland policy, and the historic and future role of SAM in fulfilling this goal. SAM supports the development of a wetland policy, because it is an important step in safeguarding significant wetland habitat, and could provide a framework for future restoration opportunities.

SAM Members search for the Great Blue Heron.

After the meeting SAM members were treated to a tour of the Grand Codroy Estuary, which is Newfoundland and Labrador's only Ramsar Wetland of International Significance. Participants were able to view the provincially rare Great Blue Heron and the endangered Piping Plover - and even four plover chicks! The field trip was followed by dinner and more live music at the Silver Sands Restaurant and Lounge. Thank you again to our hosts for all of their hard work, and thank you to the delegates who attended!

SAM Members view the endangered Piping Plover on the beach.

Save the date for the next SAM meeting: it will be held in Happy Valley - Goose Bay on September 23-24, 2016. See you there!

Upcoming Stewardship Workshop: Working Together for Birds, Wetlands, and Community in the Codroy Valley

There is a long history of conservation and stewardship in the Codroy Valley. This stewardship workshop will draw on ideas brought forth at two previous workshops, and will continue to plan future actions in the area. Details of the event are included in the poster below.

Upcoming Nest Box Build Event in St. John's

Our partners over at Ducks Unlimited Canada are hosting a Build Your Own Duck Nest Box event in Pippy Park, St. John's on October 3rd. There is plenty of space still available, and a free lunch is provided. Email Danielle to reserve your spot: du_newfoundland@ducks.ca.

Attendees will have the option of signing up to become a nest box steward. Stewards commit to installing a nest box in suitable habitat for nesting ducks, maintaining the box and reporting any bird activity for a five year period. 

High quality nesting sites are important for maintaining waterfowl populations, and nest boxes can create artificial nesting habitat for several species of birds. The data that nest box stewards collect provides valuable insight into breeding bird populations across the province. 

Check out the flyer below for all of the event details.

Birding Workshop in Spaniard's Bay

Last Friday, 20 local residents and visitors from St. John's gathered in the Spaniard's Bay Legion to learn about local environmental issues and bird watching basics. The event was organized by Cathy Kleinwort, the Chair of the Joint Management Committee. The JMC is composed of members from the Town of Bay Roberts and Spaniard's Bay, and oversees the stewardship of the Shearstown Estuary, which forms a boundary between the two communities. 

The Shearstown Estuary

Suzanne Dooley of CPAWS

Birders gathering for a photo

Our guest speaker was Suzanne Dooley from CPAWS. Her talk on the Newfoundland and Labrador Shorebird Survey piqued the interest of several attendees, many of which are already avid observers of shorebirds on the local beaches. 

The bird watching hike was very successful, and we were fortunate to have the company of two experienced birders from Nature NL. The highlights were close-up shots of two bald eagles, a short-billed dowitcher (uncommon for the area) and a great show of an osprey diving for its dinner. You can check out the eBird checklist for the day here. 

A new culvert at work

A key feature of the birding hike was the newly placed culverts under the berm in the estuary. This project, orchestrated by the JMC, allows for greater flow of water and exchange of nutrients between the Bay and the wetland. Water that was stagnant before the culvert placement is now receiving an influx of oxygen. Long-time residents can already see a drastic improvement in water quality.