Take action for the Restigouche
The Restigouche wilderness is one million hectares of mist covered mountains, sparkling clear rivers and brilliant sugar maple forests in northern New Brunswick and the Gaspé of Quebec. Home to elusive Canada lynx and the revered wild Atlantic salmon, it’s a paradise for hikers, anglers and canoeists.
Restigouche wilderness is at risk. In New Brunswick, logging, mining and road-building are eroding its wild nature and wild rivers. In less than ten years, Restigouche’s wildest areas will be lost forever, if we don’t protect them now. New Brunswick’s government is deciding this year whether Restigouche wilderness areas will be protected, or whether they will remain open for logging and mining.
You Can Help. If you’re concerned about what happens to one of Eastern Canada’s internationally important wild watersheds, please write a letter to Premier Shawn Graham and help protect Restigouche wilderness.
Here are some messages you may want to consider in your letter:
- The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society believes that New Brunswick needs to establish at least 40,000 hectares of permanent protected areas in the Restigouche River Watershed, to safeguard the habitats and wilderness values of its rivers and forests.
- The Restigouche River watershed covers 1 million hectares of internationally important wilderness areas. Because of its high ecological value, this cross-provincial watershed has been identified by the international network Two Countries One Forest as one of the five critically important linkages to protect in the Northern Appalachians/Acadian ecoregion.
- The Restigouche River is important spawning habitat for Atlantic salmon, and provides the necessary space for provincially endangered species Canada lynx and bald eagles.
- The beauty of Restigouche wilderness landscapes and its many salmon rivers support myriad ecotourism activities such as fishing, hunting, canoeing and hiking, and the hundreds of jobs that go with them.
- The Restigouche River watershed in New Brunswick contains the largest unprotected roadless wilderness areas in the province. Approximately 1% of the watershed is currently protected from industrial development, while over 80% of the watershed is public land. Current logging plans show that those remaining roadless areas will have roads built through them and be clearcut within the next five to ten years.
