Limestone Barrens on the Great Northern Peninsula, Newfoundland, Canada

Background

The Limestone Barrens of the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland is an ecosystem at risk. Geographically they are restricted to a narrow strip of land along the extreme western coast of the Peninsula extending roughly 300 km from Port au Choix National Historic Site in the south to Burnt Cape Ecological Reserve at the northern tip of the Peninsula.

Species at Risk
Barrens willow Salix jejuna Endangered Long's braya Braya longii Endangered	Biologically the barrens are a "hotspot" of vascular plant diversity- of the approximately 300 vascular plants on the island of Newfoundland, about 100 of them occur on the Limestone Barrens. Of these species - about 30 are found ONLY on the Limestone Barrens. Included are Long's braya and Barrens willow which are listed as 'endangered', Fernald's braya is 'threatened', and Fernald's Milk-vetch is 'vulnerable'. Both braya species are endemics ranked G1, as they are found only here in this habitat. There are four Long's braya sites, all within five kilometers of each other, while Fernald's braya is present on fourteen sites, spanning the S-N axis of the barrens.	Fernald's braya Braya fernaldii Threatened Fernald's Milk-vetch Astragalus robbinsii var. fernaldii Vulnerable

Habitat loss

Habitat loss resulting from extensive limestone quarrying and development is the main cause of decline in both species, and continued degradation of limestone barrens endangers the future of not only the braya, but also the entire suite of arctic-alpine species specific to this habitat. Janes (1999) using a temporal sequence of aerial photographs (1945-1995) established that a large proportion of the limestone barren habitat has been lost to activities associated with gravel extraction. This has occurred within the past 25 years, and coincides with the paving of the Northern Peninsula highway. Currently human use of the barrens is extensive. Resource extraction, uncontrolled development and use of ATVs were identified by the braya Recovery Team as practices that endanger not only critical braya habitat, but also the entire barrens. The team, consisting of a number of botanists under the direction of Dr. Luise Hermanutz of Memorial University has been conducting research on plants located on the limestone barrens for a number of years.

The Limestone Barrens Habitat Stewardship Program

Stone stripes and trailing juniper near Port aux Choix. Photo by Dulcie House.

The Limestone Barrens Habitat Stewardship Project was created to protect the limestone barrens habitat and several plants species that have been identified by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada to be at risk.

In April 2001, a committee with representatives from various federal and provincial departments was formed and submitted a proposal to Environment Canada's Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk. The committee consisted of representatives of Memorial University; Parks Canada; and the Department of Tourism, Recreation and Culture.

Goals

The program's goal is to encourage land and resource use practices which maintain habitat that is critical to the survival and recovery of endangered or threatened species that have been identified in recovery planning. Funding from the "Species at Risk" program and the various partners involved meant that the Limestone Barrens Habitat Stewardship Project could now follow up on some of the recommendations of the braya Recovery Team and begin stewardship initiatives.

Education

Education is the key to long-term preservation, as the braya Recovery Team identified lack of knowledge of the ecology of the Limestone Barrens and its rare flora in the target area. In interviews conducted by a Green Team in the Flower's Cove area in July 2000, and those done by program interpreters in communities adjacent to the barrens in 2001, local residents expressed a genuine interest in learning more about the rare plants. Residents were surprised to learn that there were plants in their back yard that could not be found anywhere else on Earth! At the same time, they did not draw any connection between their land use practices and the risk to the flora. In order to protect this habitat for future generations, residents will need to become engaged in a combination of stewardship agreements and education, as well as braya site restoration.

Programming Approaches

The programming approaches carried out by the Program Coordinator, interpreters and Green Team include a number of stewardship/interpretation tools such as:
Kitchen table discussions/interviews;
Slide presentations to town councils and various community groups;
Curriculum-based education programs for schools that focus specifically on the limestone barrens;
Field trips for local students to the limestone barrens;
Clean-up campaigns in spring/summer led by the local interpreters;
Art contests for local students to design a poster for protection of the limestone barrens which then could be copied and distributed to public places within the community. One might be chosen as the basis for a "Protect our Barrens" type sign (instead of the heavy handed "Keep Off" sign).

Other actions could include development of "learning travel" programs, such as Photography and Wildflowers in partnership with Parks Canada. Some longer-range ideas include development of a Poster series aimed at rare plants, a lesson plan for teachers to use during National Wildlife Week or Environment Week, and development of several eco-stops at various locations on the limestone barrens on the Northern Peninsula.

Media Exposure

Since the Limestone Barrens Habitat Stewardship Program began in 2001 it has received a lot of local media attention. Several articles have been published in the Northern Pen, The Western Star, the Telegram and CBC Radio has conducted several interviews on stories relating to the protection of the Limestone Barrens and the rare plants that live there.