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Message from over 10,000 people to Premier Alward:Protect New Brunswick’s Restigouche Wilderness!
(Fredericton) – On February 16, CPAWS New Brunswick Chapter Executive Director, Roberta Clowater,
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Montrez votre appui pour les parcs provinciaux du Nouveau-Brunswick
Pour la première fois depuis des décennies, la province demande votre opinion à propos de la Loi sur les parcs du Nouveau-Brunswick, la loi qui décide ce qui va se passer dans nos parcs provinciaux.
En dépit des paysages éblouissants, de l’observation de la faune et des belles plages, la présente Loi sur les parcs ne fait même pas allusion à la nature, ni à la conservation !Nos demandes pour une révision ont réussi et il est important que le gouvernement entende de gens comme vous qui sont préoccupés par nos parcs provinciaux.
Veuillez prendre un moment dès maintenant pour écrire une lettre pour les informer de ce que vous croyez être important d’inclure dans notre Loi sur les parcs. Les commentaires doivent être soumis avant le 13 septembre.
Envoyer une lettre maintenant!
Il nous faut une loi stricte qui va protéger les régions sauvages du Parc provincial du Mont Carleton, les plages de New River Beach, ainsi que tous nos autres trésors de parcs provinciaux. Grâce à votre aide, nous pouvons assurer un meilleur avenir pour nos parcs provinciaux.
En solidarité pour la conservation,
Roberta Clowater
Directrice Générale, SNAP Nouveau-Brunswick
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Parks groups concerned about potential harm to Mount Carleton by proposed snowmobile trail
NEWS RELEASE
September 10, 2015
Parks groups concerned about potential harm to Mount Carleton by proposed snowmobile trail
Fredericton – A plan to widen a walking trail up the Maritimes’ highest peak and open it for snowmobile use within New Brunswick’s only designated Wilderness Park has the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, New Brunswick Chapter (CPAWS NB) and the Friends of Mount Carleton Provincial Park deeply concerned.
“We’ve recently learned about this trail proposal for Mount Carleton, which is part of a plan for increasing snowmobile trails in northern New Brunswick. The government appears to be ready to agree to this proposal without an environmental analysis or any public consultation. It would see a walking trail up Mount Carleton cleared to double its width to 12 feet wide, and the canopy over it removed to a height of 12 feet,” says Roberta Clowater, Executive Director of CPAWS NB.
“This type of development will fragment the habitat of wildlife species including moose, flying squirrels, and American marten. Sustained motorized access on this trail is also likely to compact the soil, causing fast rain runoff and erosion. Grooming the trail will encourage increased motorized vehicle access that could lead to them continuing up to the fragile mountain top. This is completely inappropriate within a designated wilderness park,” adds Clowater.
“For over eight years, the Friends of Mount Carleton Provincial Park Inc. has worked diligently to promote, preserve and protect the Park’s natural wilderness setting and its ecosystems. We have worked to develop, what we thought, was a good working relationship with the Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture. The snowmobile hub infrastructure announcement came without any forewarning or consultation with our group,” says Susan Mulherin, President of Friends of Mount Carleton Provincial Park Inc.
“The Friends are committed to working cooperatively with the Department, while also ensuring that stewardship of the Park is maintained, and the protection of the environment, animal habitat and heritage is reflected in all policies and programs. We are concerned that in this case, that is not happening. Surely a compromise can be found that respects our protected areas and meets snowmobilers interests,” adds Mulherin.
No Public Discussion Whether Snowmobile Trail is Compatible with Wildest Parts of Wilderness Park
Mount Carleton park is New Brunswick’s only “Wilderness Provincial Park”, having been classified as such in revisions to the Parks Act in 2014. Those same revisions mandated the Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture to develop Resource Management Plans for the provincial parks, outlining the recreational uses that would be compatible with conservation of the park natural areas.
“We are very concerned that the Department would consider making an irreversible decision such as this before the Resource Management Plan and the associated zoning are discussed publicly and approved. The Department is poised to, by default, decide that motorized vehicles are allowed in conservation zones in a wilderness park, setting a precedent from which it will be hard to back away.
“Allowing motorized recreation in one of the wildest parts of a wilderness park is inconsistent with how wilderness zones are generally managed in this level of park across Canada and the US. If the trail that goes up Mount Carleton is groomed for use by snowmobiles, it will prevent its use by people who want a wilderness experience of snowshoeing or cross-country skiing in that part of the park,” says Clowater.
“It’s important to tourists who are attracted to wilderness that the marketing of Mount Carleton Provincial Park as a wilderness destination be backed up with management that is consistent with a wilderness experience,” adds Clowater.
“This is one of the first tests of the revised Parks Act, which our organization has been applauding as a good step forward for the modernization of New Brunswick’s approach to parks management. If this trail is approved with no public engagement process or environmental analysis, in our view the government will have failed this first test of our new legislation,”adds Clowater.
CPAWS is recommending that the provincial government take the time to assess the potential impacts of this proposal, undertake public and stakeholder consultations, and then determine whether Mount Carleton is an appropriate location for such a development.
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For more information, contact: Roberta Clowater, rclowater@cpaws.org; phone: 506-452-9902
Founded in 1963, CPAWS is Canada’s only nationwide charity dedicated solely to protecting our public land and water, and ensuring our parks are managed to protect the nature within.Learn more at www.cpawsnb.org. -
Protéger davantage la nature au Nouveau-Brunswick!
Depuis 2019, le Nouveau-Brunswick a entrepris la plus forte augmentation de protection des terres de toute
son histoire, promettant de désigner 10 % des terres publiques en tant qu’aires protégées.Ce mois-ci, le gouvernement du Nouveau-Brunswick a annoncé la désignation de près de 100 000 hectares
de nouvelles aires protégées. Voilà une autre étape vers l’atteinte de son objectif de 10 %. La SNAP NB
continue d’encourager le gouvernement à tenir sa promesse et à donner la priorité à la protection de la nature,
ainsi qu’à son engagement de collaborer avec les nations autochtones afin de tracer la voie des futures
mesures de conservation.Cliquez ici pour envoyer une lettre au gouvernement afin de le remercier d’avoir pris cette mesure et de
l’encourager à poursuivre sur sa lancée! -
Show support for New Brunswick Provincial Parks
For the first time in decades, the province is asking for your input on the New Brunswick Parks Act, the law that decides what happens in our provincial parks.
Despite all of our parks’ stunning scenery, wildlife watching and beautiful beaches, the current Parks Act doesn’t even refer to nature or conservation! CPAWS' calls for a review of the Act have been successful, so now it's important that the government hears from people like you who care about our provincial parks.
Please take a moment right now to write a letter to let them know what you think is important to include in our Parks Act. Comments are due on September 13th.
We need a strong law that will forever protect the wilds of Mount Carleton Provincial Park, the seashore of New River Beach and all our other provincial park treasures. With your help, we can secure a better future for our provincial parks.
Yours in conservation,
Roberta Clowater
Executive Director, CPAWS-NBPhoto: Mount Carleton Provincial Park - LeeAnn Haggerty
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Take Action for More Nature Protection in NB!
Since 2019, New Brunswick has begun the largest increase in land protection in the province’s
history, promising to protect 10% of New Brunswick’s public land.This month the government of New Brunswick announced almost 100,000 ha of new protected
areas. This is another step towards reaching their 10% goal. CPAWS NB is continuing to
encourage the government to fulfill their promise and prioritize both nature protection, and a
commitment to collaboration with Indigenous Nations to set out a path for future conservation
action.Click here to send a letter to thank the government for taking this step and encourage them to
keep the momentum going!
