September Newsletter 2016

It’s now autumn and the recipient groups we’ve helped undertake conservation projects have either completed their 2016 field season, or are nearing completion. So far, it’s been a good year for wild Atlantic salmon conservation activity. From the interim reports we have received it’s clear that the work that had been planned for the year has been successful. 

During August and September Darla, Krystal and I have been following up with many recipients with site visits. These visits are a necessary part of the due diligence we observe in managing the Foundation’s business. As I have observed many times over, meeting our recipients is a very rewarding element of our work. Plus, we get to actually see the outstanding work being carried out in the great outdoors of Atlantic Canada and Quebec. While we don’t meet all of our 80 or so recipients, we do undertake a solid representative sampling and, over time, get to meet everyone. 

Jean Boudreault is our featured volunteer for September. Jean has been a member of our Quebec Advisory Committee sine 2014. He comes to the table with over 30 years of experience as a committed conservationist, along with his current role as President of the Quebec Federation for Atlantic Salmon (FQSA). Great advisors, like Jean, are crucial to helping the ASCF make excellent conservation project investments. Thank you, Jean! 

Our September project profile is that carried out by the Friends of the Kouchibouguacis on the Gulf of St. Lawrence side of New Brunswick. This group is doing great work in studying the life cycle of Atlantic salmon in the Kouchibouguacis River watershed with a $25,000 grant from the Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation in 2016. Gulf rivers are subject to varying degrees of adverse impacts from forestry, agriculture and other human interventions, so we look forward to learning and sharing the results of this major project. 

Enjoy the autumn!  

Stephen Chase 

Executive Director