New nature reserve near Millertown announced ahead of community consultations

New nature reserve near Millertown announced ahead of community consultations

16 square-kilometre area would protect land near Millertown, Exploits River

A partnership between the Nature Conservancy of Canada, the federal government and a mining company is creating a new 16 square-kilometre nature reserve in central Newfoundland.

The Beothuk Lake Nature Reserve covers land near Millertown, Beothuk Lake, as well as Rushy Pond and a portion of the Exploits River. It aims to protect part of the Exploits River watershed, fish habitats, wetlands, forest and more.

"It's a wonderful opportunity to work with both communities, industries, and to protect obviously a good habitat for us," Marie-Michèle Rousseau-Clair, vice-president of eastern Canada for the Nature Conservancy of Canada, said Thursday.

"It's watersheds, forests, wetlands. It helps protect drinking water, [against] extreme weather events. So we're pretty excited."

The Nature Conservancy of Canada told CBC News the land was purchased for $1.3 million from Domtar, formerly known as Abitibi-Bowater. The federal government is contributing $180,000, while mining company Teck Resources is contributing $2 million.

Teck Resources operated the Duck Pond Mine, a copper and zinc mine 28 kilometres from Millertown, from 2007 until its closure in 2015. While cleanup of the mine site remains ongoing, Rousseau-Clair said Teck has played a key role in making the project a reality.

Part of Exploits River watershed covered under new nature reserve area

"This project here helps support the legacy of the operation early by helping to protect an important watershed, to support salmon habitat and to contribute to lasting conservation outcomes for generations to come," Teck director of environment and climate change Chris Adachi said.

The former mine site is not part of the nature reserve.

Announcement comes before community consultations

Thursday's announcement was made at Bowring Park in St. John's — ahead of a scheduled community consultation session in Millertown on Saturday.

Millertown Mayor Fiona Humber said that while consultation is yet to come, the reserve is a positive development.

"I'm very excited, actually. I'm looking forward to working with NCC and the other Indigenous groups to try and do some more for the area," Humber said.

"[Residents] have had questions, but I've been kind of limited in what we can announce," she added, saying most questions have centred around how Beothuk culture and lands will be protected.

Piers Evans, the nature conservancy's programs director in Newfoundland and Labrador, said NCC will be consulting with Indigenous partners to make sure management decisions work for all parties.

The designation of a nature reserve will change how people can use the land slightly, he said, but it will still allow people to connect with nature.

"We restrict certain activities like camping, wood cutting and harvesting, those kinds of things," he said. "But a lot of recreational activities can still continue to take place on the land. Legal hunting, fishing, trapping. You know, use of ATVs."

Asked what the consultation process would look like, Rousseau-Clair said there isn't a pre-conceived idea for the area.

"The actual protection of a site is step zero. So now [we're] in terms of determining 'what is the vision'. What [is] all the partners and stakeholders' vision for the site, that's the work ahead," she said.

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With files from John Harris and Sanuda Ranawake