mount carleton

A for Adventure conquers Mount Sagamook
Despite the declaration in last Saturday’s Telegraph Journal, there are several folks willing to declare that Mount Carleton is not the toughest trail to climb in Mount Carleton Park. The trail up Mount Sagamook is definitely a much more challenging hiking trail. The trail is steep and rocky for most of the distance, if you hike up the right hand trail to the outcrops that are most often featured in photos of the park.

On Friday, June 5th a group of hikers consisting NB Parks staff, a Friends of Mount Carleton representative and three members of a group named A for Adventure. “A for Adventure is all about inspiring people to get outdoors and experience adventure.” The members of the group endeavour to go on adventures, large and small, and by taking their message to the media, they hope to encourage others to get outside.

In August 2013, Jan LaPierre and Graham Carter had just finished a 200 km plus kayak paddle to Cape Sable Island. “Paddle to Sable” raised funds and awareness to create a camp for kids struggling with mental health issues at Brigadoon Village. “

On the trip home from their epic paddle, Jan began to recite a poem he was thinking up. He asked his friends if they could put together an adventure children’s book. They were all so enthused with the concept, that they stopped the car and went on a hike to discuss the idea. On that hike a book was born.

“A is for adventure, as you will come to see.
Like hiking or biking or climbing a tree,

Or taking a plane to a far away land,

Or a trip to the beach to play in the sand. “

The idea took flight and currently their group includes not only Jan LaPierre and Chris Surrette, but a recent addition is photographer Brad Sayeau. Christopher Hoyt agreed to illustrate their book, “A is for Adventure”, which is due out this month.

Meanwhile the group are taking in as many adventures as they can, in the hopes of encouraging folks young and old to get outside and see and experience the world around them. Many of their adventures are in our parks and last week they came to Mount Carleton Park, where they helped to paddle a large canoe on Little Nictau Lake and climbed Mount Sagamook. They agreed that the challenging climb was well worth the effort, once they took in the panoramic view offered from the iconic rock outcrops at the top of Sagamook. Despite the threat of rain, it held off until the group reached the parking lot at the foot of Mount Sagamook, insuring that all the camera gear was kept safely dry.

When asked for his opinion of Mount Carleton Park, Jan LaPierre summed up his experience there by saying;”Mount Carleton Park is one of those places that can’t be summed up in words. And I’m so grateful for that. It’s a place that needs to be seen, but more importantly, felt. Where, because of its authentic beauty you can” let go.”

Jan feels so passionately about his experiences in the park, that since his trip last Friday he has been talking about the park nonstop, to anyone who will listen. Jan’s only regret is that he had not come to the park sooner, but a return trip to the park is definitely in his near future.
A for Adventure advocates for a fitter population by declaring; “Get outside and do any kind of adventure, large or small. Adventure can be right in your own backyard.”
You may soon log on to their Facebook and website, to access more information and photos taken on their trip to Mount Carleton Park.

John Connell, Bernadette Michaud, Ian Smith and Brigitte Clavette
from NB Parks

Labrador tea

L-R John Connell, Jan LaPierre, Chris Surette, Brad Sayeau,Ian Smith,
Brigitte Clavette, Susan Mulherin

Little Nictau Lake

Paddle

Outlook on Mount Sagamook

Purple trilliums on the trail

Stunted birch near the top of Mount Sagamook

Sumi on the summit

Top of the Mount Sagamook Trail
Cour doit poursuivre des audiences dans l’affaire du parc provincial Mont Carleton cette semaine
POUR DIFFUSION IMMÉDIATE Le 12 juin 2017

Cour doit poursuivre des audiences dans l’affaire du parc provincial Mont Carleton cette semaine

Renseignements obtenus de l’APECA déséquilibre les déclarations du gouvernement

Selon la Cour suprême du Canada, le gouvernement doit agir «avec honneur et intégrité, et éviter la moindre apparence de ‘manœuvres malhonnêtes’» dans ses rapports avec les peuples autochtones.

«Pourtant, ce n’est pas comme ça que le gouvernement du Nouveau-Brunswick agit», affirme le Grand Chef Ron Tremblay, un des auteurs de la demande de révision judiciaire dans l’affaire de la décision prise par le gouvernement du Nouveau-Brunswick d’aménager un centre de services pour motoneiges au parc provincial Mont Carleton.

Au moment où ce projet a été annoncé, on y mentionnait des dameuses, un sentier désigné menant au sommet du mont Carleton et deux nouveaux ponts pour motoneiges.

«Les deux nouveaux ponts pour motoneiges sont les pièces maîtresses de ce projet; c’est ce qui fait le lien avec le reste du projet», affirme Jean Louis Deveau, l’autre demandeur de révision judiciaire.

Une demande d’Étude d’impact sur l’environnement (ÉIE) pour ce projet a été déposée en septembre 2016. A l’époque le gouvernement a soutenu que les ponts n’étaient pas considérés comme faisant partie du projet.

Cependant, des renseignements obtenus récemment de l’Agence de promotion économique du Canada atlantique (APÉCA) en vertu de la Loi sur le droit à l’information et la protection des renseignements personnels indiquent que la demande de financement faite à l’APÉCA par la partie requérante incluait des fonds pour construire les deux ponts qui sont au centre de la controverse. Et il est de fait que le financement pour les ponts figure dans le contrat conclu entre les requérants et l’APÉCA.

Le Grand Chef Tremblay conclut qu’ «à la lumière de ces nouveaux renseignements, c’est évident que le gouvernement n’agit pas avec honneur et intégrité».

La cour doit poursuivre les audiences dans cette affaire le 13 juin à Woodstock. Une campagne de financement participatif (https://www.gofundme.com/27ru624) a été entreprise en juin 2016 pour aider à payer les frais juridiques.

La Loi sur les parcs (2014) stipule qu’avant que l’on puisse procéder à tout développement dans un parc provincial, celui-ci doit être doté d’un plan de gestion basé sur un plan de zonage. Or pour le parc Mont Carleton, il existe un plan de zonage mais pas de plan de gestion.
Funding appeal by the Plants, Swimmers, Flyers, Crawlers, and Four-legged creatures of Mount Carleton Provincial Park
La version française suit la version anglaise.

Funding appeal by the Plants, Swimmers, Flyers, Crawlers, and Four-legged creatures of Mount Carleton Provincial Park

We are the plants, swimmers, flyers, crawlers, and four-legged creatures of the park, whose ancestors have lived in this part of Wolastokuk (Maliseet homeland) for thousands of years. Our wish for now is to have a New Brunswick court of law designate this part of Wolastokuk—our homeland—as our sanctuary.

Members of our extended families, the Kci-Putuwosultihtit Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet Grand Council), will bring our case before the court later this month. The Wolastoqewiyik (Maliseet people) have been, and always will be, our protectors. The Grand Chief of the Kci-Putuwosultihtit Wolastoqiyik, Ron Tremblay, will be joined by Jean Louis Deveau, a co-founder of the Friends of Mount Carleton and former manager of the park, who will intervene on our behalf. Our lawyer is Gordon Allen from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

The struggle to preserve our home for All Our Relations by challenging in court the decision to turn our home into a snowmobile hub will take thousands of dollars of the plastic money used by two-legged creatures. The economy of the land, air, and water where we live, however, is based not on plastic money, but on sunlight. So, we don’t have plastic money used by two-leggeds and will need the help of friends like you to win this court challenge.

So, this a special appeal to those of you compassionate two-legged creatures, who understand that we are all interconnected in the circle of life and who are sympathetic to preserving our way of life, here and/or elsewhere in Wolastokuk homeland, to donate your kind of money to help pay for our legal fees in court.

Please make your donations, large or small, online via our Go Fund Me page or offline to the Maliseet Grand Council, c/o Alma Brooks, 50 Maliseet Drive, Fredericton, New Brunswick, E3A 2V9.

• • •

Demande de fonds par les plantes, les créatures aquatiques, ailées, rampantes, et les créatures à quatre pattes du Parc provincial Mont-Carleton

Nous sommes les plantes, les créatures aquatiques, ailées, rampantes ainsi que les créatures à quatre pattes vivant dans ce parc et dont les ancêtres ont vécu dans cette partie du territoire Wolastokuk (malécite) pendant des milliers d’années. Ce que nous voulons, aujourd’hui, c’est qu’un tribunal du Nouveau-Brunswick désigne cette partie de Wolastokuk – notre territoire - comme notre sanctuaire.

Des membres de nos familles élargies, le Kci-Putuwosultihtit Wolastoqiyik (Grand Conseil malécite), soumettront notre cause au tribunal plus tard ce mois-ci. De tout temps, les Wolastoqewiyik (le peuple malécite) ont été nos protecteurs et ils le seront toujours. Le grand chef du Kci-Putuwosultihtit Wolastoqiyik, Ron Tremblay, accompagné de Jean Louis Deveau, un co-fondateur des Amis du mont Carleton et ancien directeur du parc, interviendra en notre nom. Notre avocat est Gordon Allen de Dartmouth en Nouvelle-Écosse.

Notre lutte pour préserver notre territoire pour toutes nos relations en contestant en cour la décision de transformer nos terres en un centre d’entretien centralisé pour motoneiges va coûter des milliers de dollars de la monnaie qu’utilisent les humains. L’économie de la terre, de l’air et de l’eau où nous habitons ne reposant pas sur le système monétaire des humains mais plutôt sur la lumière du soleil, nous ne disposons pas d’argent.

C’est pourquoi nous avons besoin de l’aide d’amis comme vous pour gagner cette bataille juridique. Nous vous lançons donc un appel à vous, créatures à deux pattes compatissantes, qui comprenez que nous sommes tous étroitement reliés dans le cercle de la vie et qui êtes favorables à la préservation de notre mode de vie ici ou ailleurs sur le territoire Wolastokuk, pour que vous nous aidiez, par vos dons, à défrayer nos frais juridiques.

Vos dons, peu importe le montant, peuvent être faits en ligne sur notre page Go Fund Me ou envoyés par la poste à Grand Conseil Malécite, a/s Alma Brooks, 50, promenade Maliseet, Fredericton, Nouveau-Brunswick, E3A 2V9.
Le Grand conseil malécite obtient un ajournement
POUR DIFFUSION IMMÉDIATE Le 15 juin 2017

Le Grand conseil malécite obtient un ajournement

Le Grand conseil malécite a obtenu un ajournement des audiences, cette semaine, en cour, dans sa tentative d’empêcher le gouvernement du Nouveau-Brunswick d’implanter un centre de services pour motoneiges au parc provincial Mont-Carleton, un lieu sacré pour les Malécites.

«La première chose que notre avocat, Gordon Allen, a faite, ça été de demander un ajournement des audiences prévues pour l’avant-midi pour nous allouer plus de temps pour une audition complète du cas. On avait aussi besoin d’un ajournement pour apporter des modifications à notre demande initiale», a dit le Grand Chef Ron Tremblay, qui se trouvait au palais de justice de Woodstock mardi de cette semaine.

«Ces modifications vont expliquer comment le centre proposé pour l’entretien de motoneiges va affecter le lien spirituel que notre peuple a avec cet endroit et le rapport avec les promesses qui nous ont été faites dans le Traité de 1725-26», précise Tremblay.

L’avocat de la province s’est opposé à l’ajournement demandé, mais le juge Richard Petrie a accepté la demande après avoir entendu les arguments de Me Allen. Il a aussi fixé des échéances pour certaines tâches dont les deux parties doivent s’acquitter pour s’assurer que l’audience se déroule plus rondement et efficacement.

Dans les 60 prochains jours, les parties devront mettre la touche finale aux modifications et régler certains problèmes quant à la preuve qui sera présentée en cour. Aussi, une conférence préparatoire à l’audience aura lieu pour fixer une nouvelle date pour l’audition complète et tous les points importants qui s’y rattachent.

Une campagne de sociofinancement pour appuyer la révision judiciaire a permis, jusqu’à maintenant, d’amasser plus de 20 000 $ provenant de 145 donateurs.
Maliseet Grand Council wins an adjournment
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 15, 2017

Maliseet Grand Council wins an adjournment

The Maliseet Grand Council obtained an adjournment (postponement of proceedings) in Court earlier this week in its efforts to stop the Province from developing a snowmobile grooming hub at Mount Carleton Provincial Park, an area sacred to the Maliseet.

“The first matter presented by our lawyer Gordon Allen was to adjourn the proceedings scheduled for the morning to give us for more time for a full hearing of the matter. We also needed an adjournment to amend our original application,” said Grand Chief Ron Tremblay, who was at the Woodstock courthouse on Tuesday.

“The amendments will define how the proposed snowmobile grooming hub would affect the spiritual connection our People have with this place and how that relates to the Promises that were made to us in the Treaty of 1725/26,” adds Tremblay.

The Province’s counsel opposed the proposed adjournment, but after hearing Allen, Judge Richard Petrie considered the submissions and agreed to the request. He also issued timelines for both parties to complete certain tasks so that the matter may proceed before the Court in a more efficient fashion.

Within the next 60 days, the parties will finalize amendments and deal with issues regarding evidence before the Court. A pre-hearing conference will also be scheduled to set a new date for the full hearing and all the important issues it raises.

A gofundme campaign has so far raised over $20,000 from 145 people in support of this judicial review.

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Mount Carleton court case to resume this week
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 12, 2017

Mount Carleton court case to resume this week

Right to information request from ACOA discredits government statements

In dealing with Aboriginal Peoples, the government must act with “honour and integrity, avoiding even the appearance of sharp dealing,” says the Supreme Court of Canada.

But, that is not how the New Brunswick government is acting, says Grand Chief Ron Tremblay, one of the applicants seeking a judicial review of a decision made by the New Brunswick government to develop a snowmobile grooming hub at Mount Carleton Provincial Park.

“We’re being told one thing, only to find out through Right to
Information that the opposite is true. The government
is clearly not acting with honour and integrity.”

- Wolastoq Grand Chief Tremblay

When first announced, the project consisted of groomers, a designated trail up the side of Mount Carleton, and two new snowmobile bridges.

“The two new snowmobile bridges are the most essential elements of this project as they tie everything else together,” says Jean Louis Deveau, the other applicant in the judicial review.

The project was registered for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in September 2016. At the time government argued the bridges weren’t being considered part of the project.

Yet information recently obtained from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency through the Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act indicates that the proposal submitted by the applicants for funding from to ACOA included a request for money to build the two bridges at the centre of this controversy. And in the contract made between the applicants and ACOA, bridge funding is included.

“We’re being told one thing, only to find out through Right to Information that the opposite is true. The government is clearly not acting with honour and integrity,” says Grand Chief Tremblay.

The court is scheduled to continue hearing this matter on June 13^th in Woodstock. A crowdfunding campaign (https://www.gofundme.com/27ru624) was started in June 2016 to help pay legal fees.

The Parks Act (2014) stipulates a management plan based on a zoning system must be completed prior to any development in Provincial Parks. Mt. Carleton has been zoned but doesn’t have a management plan.
Opponents push alternative to Mount Carleton gas bar and snowmobile trail on mountain

Opponents push alternative to Mt. Carleton gas bar and snowmobile trail on mountain

Fredericton -A perfectly good alternative to developments being proposed for within Mt. Carleton Park exists outside the wilderness park, say people dead-set against an enlarged snowmobile circuit and gas bar being promoted by the Province.

Jean Louis Deveau is spokesman for a group of citizens concerned about the expanding presence of snow machines in the Park and their impact on wildlife. The group is advancing alternative locations to keep the park free of new infrastructure and what they view as incompatible use by motorized vehicles in New Brunswick’s only designated wilderness park.

Governor's Lodge at Popple Depot, located east of the park, is one such alternative and is at the centre of a proposed snowmobile ‘hub.’ “From my understanding, Governor’s Lodge has the space for sled gatherings and it also sells gas,” Deveau, a former manager at Mt. Carleton said Tuesday.

“Why build new infrastructure to enable sleds to gas up in a wilderness park when there are already private establishments in the area offering the services they want?” Deveau asks. Taxpayers would pay for the gas dispensary being proposed for the park, whereas the gas dispensary at Popple Depot was paid for by the private sector.

“By putting a new gas bar in the park, the Province may well disadvantage or even handicap Governor’s Lodge and other privately owned gas distributors in the area. Won’t that defeat the Province’s goals of trying to create new jobs with this project?” Deveau said.

Park advocates including Deveau have launched a legal challenge to force the government to abandon the scheme to infringe on the Park, and to follow its own legislation. A crowdfunding campaign on gofundme.com was launched in June to help cover legal fees. The court is scheduled to hear the case on September 2nd in Woodstock.

The Parks Act (2014) stipulates a management plan based on a zoning system must be completed prior to any development in Provincial Parks. Mt. Carleton has been zoned but doesn’t have a management plan.
Plants and Animals Take New Brunswick Government To Court

Plants and Animals Take New Brunswick Government To Court

Fredericton - When push comes to shove, as it has in the case of pending developments in New Brunswick’s only wilderness park, it’s always good to have allies with deep pockets.

Such allies are being courted by concerned citizens who are taking the Province of New Brunswick to court over its management of Mount Carleton Wilderness Park near Nictau, N.B.

The proposal entails extending a network of snowmobile trails to the summit, park electrification and a gas bar, things the group opposing the project believes will damage the natural area and its wildlife.

“We’ve turned to Go Fund Me, a crowd-source fundraising website, to gather the $15,000 needed to stop this development in court,” said Jean Louis Deveau, former park manager at Mount Carleton.

“The plants and animals cannot speak for themselves,” Deveau said. “With everything around the Park being clear cut, we cannot stand by and let this sanctuary be destroyed. We've raised over $13,000 in the past week so this clearly resonates with people.”

Grand Chief Ron Tremblay of the Traditional Maliseet Government has reached out to media outlets to cover this story. In an interview on CBC radio this week he argued strenuously that snowmobiles should not be allowed to expand their range in the park.

“The commodification of this wild place through snowmobile tourism is not only incompatible with our values, tradition, and culture but will inevitably lead to conflicts between those who, like the Gallant Government, see the park as a place of business and those who, like us, see it as sacred,” said Tremblay.

A provincial court justice will hear arguments at the end of June in Moncton. Donors are urged to go to GoFundMe.com and search for ‘Plants & Animals Take on NB Gov’t’ to contribute towards the group's court expenses.

Plants & Animals take on N.B. Gov't
Public consultation on snowmobile development at Mount Carleton
Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society - New Brunswick Chapter (CPAWS NB) is encouraging New Brunswickers to get involved in a public consultation on the provincial government’s proposed construction of snowmobile trails and hub in Mount Carleton Provincial Park. The provincial Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture has released an environmental assessment report on the proposal, and has invited members of the public to submit comments before November 21.

“CPAWS NB is very concerned about the impact of this project on the wilderness and wildlife of our iconic and wildest provincial park,” says Roberta Clowater, CPAWS NB Executive Director. “Unfortunately, the environmental assessment report does not do a good job of identifying the potential environmental impacts of such a trail. We encourage all New Brunswickers to share their views on this proposed project with our provincial government.”

CPAWS New Brunswick has reviewed the Environmental Assessment report, and developed a summary of comments that it hopes will contribute to the public discussion around this proposed development at Mount Carleton Provincial Park.

Our review found that:
• The provincial government has apparently not done surveys to determine if there are habitats for species at risk, such as bald eagles, Canada lynx, or Gaspé shrews along the proposed development route, especially the new snowmobile trail up the side of Mount Carleton.
• The report dismisses the potential impacts of snowmobile noise and compaction of snow on wildlife, ignoring a significant body of research that indicates snowmobiling can negatively impact moose, bald eagles, hibernating bears and small mammals over the long term.
• The report also ignores evidence that snowmobiles and groomers can reduce winter survival for small mammals by compacting snow or collapsing the tunnels they use to search for food, which could affect food sources for owls, hawks, Canada lynx, foxes, and American marten – resulting in impacts up the food chain.

“Mount Carleton Provincial Park is one of our most treasured landscapes and the provincial government is supposed to protect it as a beautiful wild place for all New Brunswickers to enjoy, now and in the future. The significant gaps in the assessment report reinforce CPAWS NB’s belief that the proposed new snowmobile trail up the side of Mount Carleton should not move forward. It is difficult to see how the Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture can undertake this part of the project in a way that avoids or mitigates the potential impacts on wildlife and trail erosion. We hope the environmental assessment process gives serious consideration to all of the missing information related to this project, especially given the public expectation for higher scrutiny of development proposals in a provincial park,” Clowater noted.

The public can submit comments on or before November 21 to: lynn.white@gnb.ca or mailed to Lynn White, Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture, P.O. Box 6000, Fredericton, NB E3B 5H1.