Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) has acquired 41 acres of forested wetland, upland, and swamp habitat near Bidgood Park in St. John’s, NL.
The park itself is an outdoor recreational hotspot for walkers, birders, photographers and more. The area is replete with wildlife, including migratory songbirds, waterfowl and moose, among many others, drawn to its diverse combination of woodland, grassland and wetland habitats. It even supports red crossbills, a species of finch listed as endangered under the provincial Species at Risk Act. And the landscape is so special that it’s been identified by the City of St. John’s as an environmentally valuable area.
Like the official park, DUC’s newly conserved area has long been used by locals for hiking, snowshoeing and birdwatching, as well as snowmobiling.
“Thanks to this collaboration, Ducks Unlimited Canada will be adding forty-one acres to the Bidgood Park landscape, enhancing an ecological corridor that serves wildlife and local communities. The expanded space will mean more for the people of St. John’s to enjoy and learn from. This new area will stitch wetlands and woodlands together, building a stronger whole that will help sustain migratory birds and countless other species. This is an example of conservation in action with partners, landowners and community members coming together to secure nature’s benefits for generations to come,” said Pat Kehoe, chief conservation officer, Ducks Unlimited Canada.
“We believe that ensuring the integrity of ecosystems is important for wildlife habitat,” said Danielle Fequet, a Newfoundland and Labrador-based conservation specialist with DUC.
“But it’s also important for maintaining public access to wild spaces for our community and cultural heritage.”
DUC aims to expand and connect conserved land to the park, ensuring that wildlife and people can rely on this natural space for generations. Area landowners interested in contributing to this ecological corridor are encouraged to contact DUC at ducks.ca/contact.
DUC welcomes and supports respectful and sustainable public access to this land for recreational and traditional activities permitted through local regulations. The project is supported by funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Natural Heritage Conservation Program (NHCP); and DUC’s North American partners: Fall Flights, the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The Government of Canada’s Natural Heritage Conservation Program (NHCP) is a unique partnership that supports the creation and recognition of protected and conserved areas through the acquisition of private land and private interest in land. To date, the Government of Canada has invested more than $500m in the programme, which has been matched with more than $1bn in contributions raised by Nature Conservancy of Canada, Ducks Unlimited Canada and the country’s land trust community leading to the protection and conservation of nearly 840,000 hectares of ecologically sensitive lands.
