Last week, the Conservation Council’s Fundy Baykeeper was featured in articles by CBC and CTV on the Musquash Estuary’s 10-year anniversary celebration honoring the day the ecosystem became the first federal marine protected area in New Brunswick.
“Really it’s the only fully intact, fully functioning estuary salt marsh system in the Bay of Fundy,” said Abbott.
“Musquash really serves as a great example of conservation groups, fisheries groups, governments [and] local communities coming together. We often have the same interests at heart, which is a really well-functioning ecosystem.”
In 1997, the Conservation Council of New Brunswick (CCNB) joined with two US-Gulf of Maine partners to conduct habitat assessments of 12 Canadian Gulf estuaries and revealed that all Bay of Fundy estuaries had been significantly altered – all except one.
The Musquash Estuary, located 20 kilometres west of Saint John, stood out as being largely intact and relatively pristine. Hoping to prevent future damage, the next year CCNB launched a campaign to have the Musquash Estuary permanently protected from development or alteration.
In 2006 the Musquash Estuary Marine Protected Area was formally designated.
For the 10th Anniversary of the protection of the Musquash Estuary, the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, alongside partners Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) held a celebration encouraging the public to explore and enjoy the Musquash Estuary Marine Protected Area.
Festivities began Friday night with an opening ceremony at the Musquash Fire Hall and a sunset hike, followed by a day kayaking, hiking and an afternoon barbecue.
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Learn more on the Musquash Marine Protected Area and how it came to be, here.
Read about the Department of Fisheries and Oceans plan to Increase protected Marine and Coastal areas, here.
Learn all about Estuaries as natural buffers against climate change, here.
Learn about the Conservation Council’s Climate Action Plan and what you can do to help protect New Brunswick’s natural heritage and adapt for Climate Change.
Media Contact:
Mike Girard, Director of Communications
Office:1(506)999-6431
Email: mike.girard@conservationcouncil.ca