The Nashwaak Watershed

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Province Provides Only Partial Protection To River

July 20, 2022

July 19, 2022 Daily Gleaner article by John Chilibeck

A newly conserved area along the Nashwaak River in central New Brunswick has one large gaping hole, says the group that helped nominate the area as part of the provincial government’s goal to double its permanently protected land and waterways.
Ian Lodge, a board director of the Nashwaak Watershed Association, had recommended the province conserve several tracts of old growth forest near the proposed Sisson Mine site. Instead, the province announced last week it would protect Crown Land from industrial development and forestry south of the proposed mine site, along about 50 kilometres of the Nashwaak, a tributary of the St. John, or Wolastoq, River.
“I didn’t expect all the area that I nominated to be selected for conservation” Lodge said in an interview Monday. “It was kind of a shoot-high-and-expect-low exercise. But I’m pretty happy that 3,000 hectares in the Upper Nashwaak have been selected, which is a large area. It covers the river from Nashwaak Lake to the Stanley area. That’s awesome. And I hope they’ll expand it.”
When the province launched its New Brunswick Nature Legacy Information Hub in November 2020, people were invited to nominate specific areas and share their reasons why they should be preserved. Mike Holland, the minister responsible for natural resources, set a goal of increasing permanently protected areas from 4.6 per cent to 10 per cent of New Brunswick’s land and freshwater.
Lodge, who also worked for the Nature Trust of New Brunswick at the time, know that Crown land along the Nashwaak was a prime candidate. Using geographic information system mapping, he put together a list of the most important old forest, riparian and wetland habitat that’s home to several species at risk.
He eventually submitted a list of 2,000 hectares he thought would be best to conserve. The province, however, included fewer than 500 of these hectares, picking different parcels along the river’s banks.
The rural area an hour’s drive north of Fredericton has rolling hills, steep banks and a shallow, rocky-bottom river where endangered Atlantic Salmon spawn. The trees nestled on the hill include sugar maples, hemlock, black spruce and red spruce, idea of rare species such as the Canada Warbler, Olive-Sided Flycatcher and Canada Lynx. “It’s beautiful in there” Lodge said. “Very few people, very few camps, and a lot of forestry.”
A spokesperson for the provincial government pointed out it had only announced the first 100,000 hectares associated with The Nature Legacy initiative. By March 31, 2023 about another 300,000 hectares of conserved areas will be selected for final protection.

The Upper Nashwaak River Valley (from Nashwaak Lake to the Stanly area) is one of the featured conserved areas of the NB Nature Legacy. In addition to the Nashwaak River, the Headwaters of the Penniac Stream are also featured. The NWAI is deeply committed to increasing protected and conserved Crown land in the watershed. On July 14th, the province announced that the first 84 Nature Legacy protected areas were established. The first 84 areas will protect about 90,000 hectares and more than 10,000 hectares will soon be added for a total of more than 100,000 and will provide important habitat to conserve the province’s biodiversity.

The Nashwaak River is one of the featured areas of the NB Nature Legacy

Filed Under: News & Events Tagged With: conservation, nashwaak watershed, new brunswick, News, sisson mine, wildlife

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@ASDWLimelight @ASDWLimelight @MusicAsdw Check it out

- 102 days ago

Mr. Woodcock's talented gr 12 FHS music class joined us at Marysville Flats this week! We talked climate change and floodplain restoration. We're excited to hear what they create from their Nashwaak River trip. Kudos to the NB Dept of Ed for supporting this awesome experience! https://t.co/6nGyCy7XBP

- 103 days ago

Thanks for supporting this outdoor learning opportunity. Come visit anytime. It was a pleasure to spend time talking about water, climate change and floodplain restoration. @ASD_West @ASDWLimelight @FHSkats @CityFredGov @CityFredRec #eaunbwater #mynashwaak https://t.co/ALhfzSS123

- 105 days ago

Thanks @mla_mike for leading crown land conservation! https://t.co/ObSdrLvBcq

- 107 days ago

@Andrew__Holland @mla_mike @Gov_NB @NCC_CNC Excellent work!

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Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.

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Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.

22 hours ago

Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.
A big thanks to everyone involved! On Tuesday a grateful Leo Hayes Envirothon Club received a Scott's Nursery gift card for their new pollinator garden project. The funds were raised at the recent Pollinator Gardening Workshop we hosted in partnership with Scott's and Nature NB. The group is so pleased with the donation and enthusiastically shared with us their many plans for a thriving native pollinator garden at the school. The space will benefit students and wildlife alike, incorporating native edibles and beautiful flowering plants to support local pollinators. These students are intelligent, considerate and inspiring and we can't wait to help out with the garden when they begin breaking ground. We foresee many fun collaborations in our future, stay tuned ! ##pollinatorgarden #youngleaders #community #MyNashwaak ... See MoreSee Less

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Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.

4 days ago

Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.
Want to learn how to manage your forest to benefit wildlife and species at risk? Join NWAI and instructors Gareth Davies and Julie Henderson (Maritime College of Forest Technology) to find out about best management practices for supporting wildlife habitat in actively managed forests. See eventbrite for details and to register: www.eventbrite.ca/e/managing-forests-for-wildlife-tickets-596772682157 The cost for this workshop is $20.00, which comes with a membership to the Nashwaak Watershed Association (members can attend for $10.00). Questions? Please contact Kate Turner - (506) 609-7000, forest@nashwaakwatershed.ca#forestcapitalofcanada #eauNBwater #forestmanagement #MyNashwaak ... See MoreSee Less

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Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.

7 days ago

Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.
Over the past few weeks, the NWAI has been gathering ice monitoring data for GNB’s River Watch Program. Since the first week of March, we have been monitoring conditions on the Nashwaak River twice weekly at 9 sites. This week, conditions varied along the river, with downstream sites remaining almost completely frozen over, while sites further upstream were around 90% open. Pictured above are our Stanley, Taymouth and Barker’s Point sites. As river ice continues to break-up, keep your eye on the helpful resources provided by GNB’s River Watch program and NB Emergency Measures Organization (NBEMO). #rivericemonitoring #riverwatch #nbflood ... See MoreSee Less

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Contact Us

Mail:
Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc.
P.O. Box 314, Station “A”
Fredericton, NB
E3B 4Y2

Office:
181 Westmorland Street
Fredericton, NB
E3B 3L6
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Phone: 506 447-9699
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