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Stewardship of the Limestone Barrens |
Stewardship of the Limestone Barrens habitat is our responsibility as informed individuals and organizations working together. Knowing the uniqueness of the barrens habitat, we are morally responsible to encourage others to protect them as well as protect them ourselves. After all, it is knowledge of the barrens, threats to them and laws protecting them that allows us to keep them safe for those to come. We can not turn our backs to the destruction of Limestone Barrens habitat, knowing what the barrens are, any more than we could turn our backs on the commitance of a crime. It is our ethical responsibility to help others understand so that they too will recognize the value of the habitat in its original condition.
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 | The main challenge to Limestone Barrens habitat is human activity. Humans use the barrens because they are convenient. Barrens habitats are located very close to many communities, sometimes within the boundaries of those communities. This makes it easy for people to access the habitat. Since vegetation is sparse and small, locals often use the Limestone Barrens as a place to engage in activities such as gravel quarrying, recreational vehicle use, and traditional activities such as the drying of fishing nets. The convenience of the barrens for human use has increased degradation of the natural habitat.
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Signs have been posted at certain sites to inform people of the presence of rare plants and to illustrate the negative impact that human activity can sometimes have on the habitat. This is also why parts of the barrens have been partitioned, with the intent of keeping barrens habitat and plants safe from outside interference and protected by law. Such is the case in areas like Port au Choix National Historic Site and Burnt Cape Ecological Reserve. Also, the commitment of groups and individuals to the preservation of the barrens not only protects the barrens, but can also send a message to others that the barrens are unique and worth the time, work and care it takes to preserve them. This was the case on October 9th, 2002 when the students of Straits Elementary School, the town of Flower's Cove, and Ren and Madeline White (local landowners) took part in the signing of agreements ensuring that they would do what it takes to protect the barrens and the plants that live on them. It was highly publicized and sent a positive message to the people of the Flower's Cove area, as well as many others on the Northern Peninsula. It is important that these people know that what they (we) have sometimes as close as their back yards can be as special as rainforests thousands of kilometers away. | 
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 Cooperation has been a part of the Limestone Barrens Habitat Stewardship Program (LBHSP) from the beginning. The "LBHSP" is a cooperative effort by many organizations to increase the knowledge of area residents about the limestone barrens. These organizations include Memorial University; Parks Canada; the Department of Tourism, Recreation and Culture; the Newfoundland Inland Fish and Wildlife Division; and the Department of Parks and Natural Areas. In turn, these organizations work in cooperation with local communities and other local organizations, as well as individuals, to achieve the many goals of the program including education, research and the preservation of the ecosystem.
Also involved in the program have been various Green Teams from accross the Northern Peninsula. They have assisted in many of the tasks which have made the Limestone Barrens Habitat Stewardship Program possible. These include surveys, erection of signage at vulnerable sites, and the education of area residents about the barrens habitat and the rare plants which inhabit it among other things which have made the program possible.
Education is one of the most important responsibilities we have as stewards of the limestone barrens ecosystem. In order to protect this unique natural wonder, we must know and be able to teach others about its characteristics. With an understanding of the barrens, interest in their protection increases. When people learn about what it is that they have been overlooking as they live on, work on or visit the barrens, they become more interested in preserving them.
Field Trip to Port au Choix
With this in mind, we have developed school programs and field trips to teach younger generations the value of natural diversity and adaptation. We have played an active role in the education of not only school-aged residents of the Great Northern Peninsula but adults as well. With the greater understanding and cooperation of local residents as well as outside visitors, support for the protection of rare plant species and vulnerable ecosystems increases.
Stewardship Signing October 9th, 2002
On October 9th, 2002 it was a great pleasure for the Limestone Barrens Habitat Stewardship Program to facilitate the signing of three stewardship agreements with residents of the Flower's Cove area and the students of Straits Elementary. With these agreements comes the responsibility to learn about and protect the Limestone Barrens habitat. It is a great step towards our goals. Approximately three hundred people attended the signing ceremony and it was covered in the Northern Pen as well as on CBC Radio, spreading our message to a much larger audience than ever before, a great step forward in educating the public about our cause.
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