Education and Public Engagement in Salmon Conservation and Habitat Restoration

Description: Using informational and skill-building workshops, presentations, demonstrations, and a newsletter, Intervale will increase public knowledge and awareness of the importance of conservation of wild Atlantic salmon and salmon habitat in NL. Intervale will offer workshops that teach best practices for reducing harm to salmon and river habitat, train volunteers in stream bank revegetation, and motivate community groups to improve and maintain water quality in salmon rivers of NL. Specifically, Intervale will deliver 12 presentations to communities, schools, and youth groups; present 4 fly-tying and best practices workshops in the Codroy Valley, Bay St. George, Main Brook on the Northern Peninsula, and St. John’s; create and distribute 2 issues of Living Rivers newsletter; post 8 promotional messages on Facebook; install 4 trailhead guest book boxes at popular fishing areas; and distribute 2,500 refrigerator magnets designed to reduce poaching. To increase participation in trailhead box comments, Intervale will add welcoming signs to the trailhead boxes and post a challenge for visitors to submit photos of their comments. In collaboration with Flat Bay First Nation Band, Intervale will coordinate a special 3-day salmon education workshop in Bay St. George for Indigenous and non-indigenous youth, age 10-17, and will host a salmon education booth at the 2-day Bay St. George Powwow in July. In addition, Intervale will engage volunteers in stream embankment revegetation at two salmon rivers. Specifically, in collaboration with the Codroy Valley Area Development Association, Intervale will organize salmon habitat workshops on the Little Codroy River including the results from an initial assessment. Intervale will also coordinate a stream embankment revegetation event for volunteers on a section of Trout Brook (a tributary of Harry’s River) near Stephenville. Plans for the revegetation work stem from results of preliminary habitat assessments performed by Intervale in 2022-2023 and approved additional funding that will be made available in 2024 from the DFO Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Fund and ECCC EcoAction funding programs, respectfully. As part of the DFO funding, Intervale hopes to receive advisory support for bank stabilization and revegetation of the Little Codroy River from Inter-Fluve, a company with experience in river restoration in NL, and from extension agents and other professionals.