Caleb Nickerson
CLARENDON Sept. 8, 2017
Local nature enthusiasts and stakeholders gathered in Clarendon on Friday night to celebrate the acquisition of 106 hectares of biologically diverse wetlands and forest.
The plot of land sits close to the Ottawa River just outside Portage du Fort and was purchased by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), a non-profit organization that protects swathes of ecologically significant land across Canada. The NCC is funded by private investment and federal funding through the Natural Areas Conservation Program.
The group has been active in the area since 2007 and oversees 1,150 hectares of property in Clarendon alone. Milain Saumur, NCC project coordinator for the Ottawa Valley, said that the evening was a way to celebrate all the work the group has been doing in the region as well as thank local benefactor Barry Stemshorn.
The festivities were held at Stemshorn’s home which neighbours the newly acquired land. Several local dignitaries, including Clarendon Mayor John Armstrong, Portage du Fort Mayor Lynn Cameron and Pontiac MP Will Amos, were in attendance.
“We want to let local people know that they live in a very wealthy, natural area,” Saumur said.
Several at-risk species, such as the Blanding’s turtle or the butternut tree, call the wilderness of Clarendon home and Saumur said that the NCC works with volunteers to keep tabs on the populations of flora and fauna.
Stemshorn has long been a proponent of conservation in the region and has donated several plots of land in Litchfield, totalling 111 hectares, to the NCC. He was also a senior executive at Environment Canada and helped out with the most recent property acquisition.
After a brief presentation and thank you from the local NCC coordinators, Amos spoke about the importance of the work that both Stemshorn and NCC were undertaking.
“For those that don’t know, Barry was a high-ranking official at Environment Canada back in the day,” he began. “I had the good fortune of working in the minister’s office at that time, as a youngster, and got to observe how the pros did it.”
“We trained him up well,” Stemshorn quipped.
“Nature Conservancy’s commitment to conservation in this region is grounded in science,” Amos continued. “There are many species at risk in this region and the landscape merits protection.”
He asserted that a comprehensive approach to conservation in western Quebec would be necessary to maximize the benefits for the region.
“Not just so that we can lock away land and say goodbye to that tax base and say goodbye to development, not at all,” he said. “In order to achieve greater economic benefits, I think that conservation and tourism development and economic development in the right places, have to be married. If conservation comes last in land-use planning, you’re going about it backwards.”
Following the speeches, Stemshorn was presented with a framed photo of the property to honour all his efforts.
