Latest News  
Influence of environmental factors on eelgrass bed
density and biomass across three bays in Atlantic
Canada
- MSc thesis- Timothy Roberts
Timothy Roberts, MSc student of the Faculty of
Forestry and Environmental Management at the University of New
Brunswick in Fredericton, NB, studied the influence of
environmental factors on eelgrass (Zostera marina L.) bed density
and biomass across three bays in Atlantic Canada.
Eelgrass beds within three Atlantic bays, Tabusintac
(NB), Malpeque (PEI), and Humber Arm (NL) were studied using
Seagrassnet and Community Aquatic Monitoring Program (CAMP) data.
Data included above and below ground biomass, shoot density,
percent cover, and canopy height. Physical features of each bay,
such as temperature, salinity, and sediment type were also
considered to assess of the effect of the environmental conditions
of each bay on eelgrass beds.
This study provides a potentially useful methodology
for analyzing SeagrassNet data, to better understand the impacts
and factors that influence the condition of eelgrass beds that are
being monitored in the area.
Click here to read Timothy Roberts'
thesis.
Mayday,
mayday,
mayday
...
the
conservation
of the St. Lawrence
leaves the
radar
Jerome
Spaggiari, conservation coordinator for
SNAP Québec.
All
scientific studies remind us
that healthy oceans are degraded. The Estuary
and Gulf of St.
Lawrence is no exception, however several
recent government decisions
we had made optimistic
about the possible future
development of a network
of
marine protected areas -
AMP.
Dialogue between
stakeholders in the
framework of the Action Plan Saint-Laurent, occurs by several
mechanisms including the Forum St.
Lawrence. The first Forum
had
identified the conservation of
ecological environment was a priority
and proposed to address this issue at
the second Forum
scheduled on November 6 and
7.
Convinced that
the
Action Plan Saint-Laurent is a
privileged way of achieving
the government's goals of
protecting 10% of
their marine territory by 2020
(and
even 2015 for Quebec), we placed great hope
in this meeting. We thought
it was a unique opportunity
to publicly promote several
interesting projects such as
studying for an MPA
to the Magdalen Islands
or systematic conservation
planning (currently working
in
collaboration with UQAR) whose importance
is capital when
the strategic Environmental
Assessment on the development
of hydrocarbon basins Anticosti, Madeleine and Baie des Chaleurs
(NSS2)
prepares to deliver its conclusions.
What
was
not our disappointment
that the organizers chose
to restrict the discussion to
the
study of four conservation projects,
individual copies, but too localized to help
us build an
integrated (between actors but also
geographically) of habitat diversity ecological importance of
this
unique ecosystem. The
organizers chose to focus
on
the natural terrestrial and coastal
while the St. Lawrence generally
evokes aquatic environments.
And
finally,
while the concerted implementation
of a
network of marine protected areas is
widely recognized as an effective
and priority was
officially no
place was reserved for this
topic
However, participants
took
the liberty of mentioning the marine
dimension of the river, the need to
plan uses spatially across
the territory, the need for
action to implement a network
of marine protected areas or
yet the chronic
underfunding of community organizations
etc.. We hope that the proceedings of
the forum will reflect the richness of
the contributions of the
participants. We also hope that in order
to continue these discussions
and
their solutions, the Consultative
Committee on Marine Protected
Areas under the Action
Plan St. Lawrence
will
soon be effectively created
and set to work.
A few days
later, we fortunately have contributed to
the conference time
just on the health of oceans organized by Quebec Ocean. Besides excellent scientific
conferences and a
stimulating panel discussion entitled
Science, Oceans and society, Quebec Ocean offered
the
public an evening with the rower Mylène
Paquette, comedian-Boucar Diouf oceanographer and
professor of oceanography Fortier. The organization, which
brings together nearly 200
scientists, issued a statement
which recalls the important role
of
marine protected areas in
improving the resilience of our
oceans and the need to work
on a collaborative project
for the estuary and Gulf
of St. Lawrence in
particular in the context of pressing the exploitation of
its natural
resources.
Conservation Council launches membership
blitz!
Welcome to
membership month at CCNB! CCNB is a membership-based organization
that has been at the forefront of environmental action since 1969.
CCNB's campaigns to protect our air, land and water are run by a
small, dedicated staff. As a registered charity, we depend on our
members and people like you to give us the independence we need to
speak out on behalf of the environment.
New members, members
renewing their membership and donors will be entered into a weekly
draw to win a prize of fair trade and local products.
To become a
member or donor:
1. Fill out this
online
form.
2. Call 506 458-8747 or 1-866-367-7070 or email for a membership
form.
Membership fees are:
$15 (Student/Senior/Low Income); $30 (Individual); $40 (Family);
$55 (Association).
You can also donate to CCNB's sister organization, the Conservation
Council of New Brunswick, which is a registered charity that issues
tax receipts. CanadaHelps and Visa have a special
holiday offer where they will provide $10 to the charity for
each new monthly donation on CanadaHelps.
Each week during our
Membership Month, we will feature a different area of priority and
action for CCNB to update you on our work. In our first week of
membership month, we will feature our Forest Conservation
program.
CCNB works to promote
environmental management community of the Acadian
forest.
Collaboration with First
Nations
New Brunswick was a place of old forests,
mighty rivers and the indigenous Wabanaki Confederacy before
colonization. Today, New Brunswick no longer has any large intact
naturally undisturbed forests outside our parks, and we continue to
douse our lands with chemicals to stop the natural regrowth of
trees to grow tree farms.
Forest Conservation Program staff have
participated with both the New Brunswick Assembly of First Nation
Chiefs in New Brunswick and the traditional Wabanaki Confederacy in
gatherings to share our concerns and perspectives. We were invited
by St. Mary’s First Nation in an advisory capacity to attend
a briefing they provided government officials on forest
conservation issues. The relationship between First Nations and the
provincial and federal governments is guided by Peace and
Friendship Treaties, as land was never ceded to the Crown.
Lifting the Veil on the State of the Forest
CCNB researched, mapped and published satellite imagery of the
state of our forest cover, revealing the extent of clearcutting and
lack of large intact tracts of forest. We also acquired and
distributed mapping of the extent of herbicide usage on New
Brunswick’s public lands.
Working with Forest Communities
Residents of the rural municipality of Upper Miramichi have made a
living in the woods for over two centuries but few do so today with
the closure of mills and the loss of markets for private woodlot
owners to cheaper wood allocated to industry from our public
forest. Today, Upper Miramichi residents aspire to be home to New
Brunswick’s first community forest. CCNB has been working
with the community to help make this dream a reality. We mapped the
public forest within the municipal boundaries allowing residents to
identify opportunities found in their forest such as fiddlehead,
mushroom and maple syrup production, and eco-tourism. A priority
was placed on public engagement with a presentation by Jennifer
Gunter of the B.C. Community Forestry Association, film screenings,
the distribution of an informative pamphlet and survey to all 980
households of Upper Miramichi, the production of videos, our 7
Wonders of Upper Miramichi Community Challenge and the summer
Forest Festival. Next step: planning a vision for a community
forest in Upper Miramichi.
For more information, visit:
Upper
Miramichi Community Forest Partnership
CCNB's Campaign to Save
the Acadian Forest
For further
information, please contact us at:
CCNB Action
180 St. John St.,
Fredericton, NB
E3B 4A9
Tel: 506 458-8747
Fax: 506 458-1047
Email:
Thank you for your support!
Motheroak
Permaculture’s
Designing for Resilience workshop with Alex
Denicola
is scheduled
for Saturday and Sunday Nov. 24-25
I realize there might be conflicts, but
this is my first choice. On the other hand, if enough people want
it the following weekend, Dec. 1-2, we can do that instead.
Given the time of year and space
considerations, the weekend is limited to 10 people, so please sign
up soon. If you'd prefer to arrive on Friday evening, that's ok too
(bring your own breakfast please). If arrival is between say,
7-9:30 p.m. We are also encouraging folks to bring along a rough
sketch of your home or land area. A relatively accurate scale is
helpful, along with outbuildings, garden areas, livestock pens,
contours/watersheds etc. for Sunday's design activities.
Cost for the weekend is $95, or $80 meals
included if you attended our tour workshop in July.
Call Alex at 792-7041 for more
info. I could give one person a modest discount for helping out
with kitchen etc. Let me know, thanks.
As part of its special talk series, the
Pays de Cocagne Sustainable Development Group is happy to invite
you to the following presentation:
Concerns relating to a fair food system: focus on local
production
With guest speaker Sister Cormier, of
Notre-Dame-du-Sacré-Coeur congregation
Join us on Tuesday evening November 20,
2012 at 7:00 p.m., in the
Salle de
conférence de l'école communautaire entrepreneuriale
Blanche-Bourgeois de Cocagne (local 204). School entrance from
Route 535, Cocagne, NB.
If school is closed that day, the talk will be
canceled.
The presentation will be in French.
Everyone is welcome. Please share this
invitation. Thank you
Info : 506-576-8247 or
Jocelyne Gauvin,
Coordinatrice/coordinator Groupe de développement durable du
Pays de Cocagne Sustainable Development Group Inc.
C.P. 1035, Cocagne NB
E4R 1N6
506-576-8247
The Power of Collaboration: Reaching our
Goals
New Brunswick Children’s Environmental Health Collaborative
Workshop
November 22nd,
2012 - 9am - 4:30pm
New Maryland Centre, 754 New Maryland Highway, New
Maryland
Join the NB Children’s Environmental Health Collaborative as
we learn, network and explore solutions to the complex issue of
children’s environmental health. We are tackling this and
achieving successes that cannot be achieved by one agency alone,
through the mobilization of the resources of many
sectors.
“Shared responsibility and shared results through
collaborative relationships”
Speakers
-
Hon. Hugh Flemming, Minister of Health (invited)
-
Dr. Eilish Cleary, Recommendations Concerning Shale
Gas
-
Spray Their Smarts Away: Pesticide Exposure in Children - Links to
IQ and Hyperactivity, Maryse Bouchard, Université de
Montréal
-
Troubling Science; High Stakes Risks : Early Environmental
Exposures and Chronic Disease - Obesity and Diabetes, Kathleen
Cooper, Canadian Environmental Law Association
Panel Discussion: A Child's Right to Health and a Healthy
Environment
-
Christian Whalen, Office of the Child and Youth
Advocate
-
Robert Peterson, Ecojustice (by Skype)
-
Moderator: Bonnie Hamilton-Bogart, Results Planning
Ltd.
Highlights
-
Web of Action: Evaluation Results “Significant steps
toward solving challenging and complex issues in children’s
environmental health”
-
The Power of Teamwork - The Children’s Environmental Health
Collaborative Teams have been reaching new heights. This workshop
will strengthen these successes by providing an opportunity to work
together face-to-face and welcome newcomers to join in on the
ongoing effort.
Book Launch:
Zones côtières et changement climatique : le
défi de la gestion intégrée
15/11/2025
As part of the Coastal Communities Challenges Community-University
Research Alliance (CCC-CURA) project the book Zones
côtières et changement climatique: le défi de
la gestion intégrée will be launched Friday, November 18, 2025 at 9 am in
room B-30 015,in the Rémi Rossignol building of the
Université de Moncton, in Moncton, New Brunswick. Teachers
of three campuses of the Université de Moncton participate
in this event.
 The approach to integrated coastal zone management has
emerged in opposition to the single-sector approach to resource
management in order to overcome the many stresses placed on
ecosystems by human activities. More than 700 projects in
integrated coastal management have been held to date in different
countries. Despite this, the degradation of coastal environments
has not been curbed. It continues even at an alarming rate. It is
therefore urgent to find management approaches that offer viable
solutions.
This launch is co-chaired by Lisa Roy, Dean of the Faculty of Arts
and Social Sciences and Céline Surette, Director of the
Master of Environmental Studies.
Participants will be able to purchase the book on site or at
the Acadian Bookstore at a cost of $ 28.
For more information contact Professor Omer Chouinard,
(omer.chouinard(@)umoncton.ca), (506) 858-4761
You can also visit the publishing house to purchase the book.
More information on the CCC-CURA and the Coalition-SGSL's role can
be found on this website.
Radio show on coastal
zone management
07/10/2025
In the Acadian Peninsula in New Brunswick, a radio show "Welcome to
the coastal zone" began on September 13, 2026 in order to educate
and inform the public of environmental and social issues,
particularly in coastal areas, according to the concept of
sustainable development. If you are in Northern New Brunswick we
invite you to tune in to 97.1 FM, every Tuesday morning at 8:30am.
If you are outside the region, you can visit the Internet http://www.ckro.ca/
and listen to the live show online. This is an initiative of Elise
Mayrand, professor and researcher in biology and integrated
management of coastal areas at the University of Moncton, Shippagan
Campus (UMCS), and Anne Doiron, undergraduate student in the
Integrated Management of the Coastal Zone bachelor program at UMCS.
A total of 14 shows will be aired before Christmas, and programming
will continue after the holidays. Mrs. Mayrand is a partner of the
Community-University Research Alliance - Challenges of Coastal
Communities (CURA-CCC). Mrs. Mayrand gave us an explanation of how this initiative
started.
Here is the schedule and topics for future reviews:
Research to
Support Development of Regional Monitoring Frameworks to Support
Cumulative Effects Assessment Northumberland Strait-Environmental
Monitoring Partnership (NorStrait-EMP)
08/08/2026
The Coalition-SGSL is proud to be a
partner in the NorStrait-EMP. We are happy to announce that
the Canadian Water Network is requesting research proposals, to be
funded for a maximum of three years (2012-2015), that will develop
and produce as their project output a recommended sampling strategy
to improve cumulative effects assessment in the estuaries of
Northumberland Strait region within one or more of the following
three categories:
The impact of nutrients, sediments and contaminants from
land-based activities on :
1. Fish and fisheries in the estuaries and bays of
Northumberland Strait region
2. Invertebrates, and fisheries and aquaculture in the
estuaries and bays of Northumberland Strait region
3. Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), with a specific focus
on eelgrass (Zostera marina) and sea lettuce (Ulva lactuca), in the
estuaries and bays of Northumberland Strait region.
The deadline for submission is September
15, 2011.
For more information
please visit:http://www.cwn-rce.ca/news-and-events/cwrc-rfp-norst-emp/
Community Monitoring the
focus of the Coalition-SGSL’s AGM
06/05/2026
The Southern Gulf of St.Lawrence Coalition on
Sustainability’s Annual General Meeting of the
Membership will include a focus on presenting and discussing
community monitoring programs in the region. The event is hosted by
the Gulf Aquarium and Marine Station Cooperative in
beautiful Chéticamp, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia on June 11 and
12 2010. It will bring together members from across the region to
share the experiences of the past year and light the way forward
for the coming year.
On the agenda is a look at results from seven years of community
aquatic monitoring as well as a panel presentation on coastal
erosion monitoring. Participants that currently are members of
volunteer groups will also have extra time to discuss where to
focus their collaborative efforts in the present and future, and
how to include climate change adaptation as a mainstay of their
group effort. Those not already in groups will have the opportunity
to join or discuss potential themes for new groups.
Everyone is invited to attend!. For
registration, accommodation and program information visit the
AGM section
of the Coalition-SGSL’s website or email
The Coalition-SGSL’s new
office!
22/04/2026
On April 20, 2010, the Coalition-SGSL moved to its
new premises in the pavilion Irène Léger of the
Université de Moncton, Campus de Shippagan. We are happy to
begin a new relationship with the Shippagan Campus.
Pictures of our new head office!
Our new address is:
Southern Gulf of St.Lawrence Coalition on Sustainability
047B PIL, Université de Moncton, Campus de Shippagan
218, boul. J.-D.-Gauthier
Shippagan, N.-B. E8S 1P6
The Coalition-SGSL involved in five year
coastal communities and research
alliance.
07/04/2026
Moncton, April 7 2010 — The Social Sciences and
Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) has discerned a one million
dollar grant to Mr. Steve Plante, professor of regional
development at the Université du Québec à
Rimouski, and partners. This grant was obtained through an
application to the Communities — Universities Research
Alliance (CURA) to address major Canadian environmental issues
grant of SSHRC. This CURA - Challenges of coastal communities of
the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence at a time of climate
change will “permit us to undertake a dynamic research
program over the course of five years that will consider the
realities of partners and researchers involved in this
adventure” sais Mr. Plante. The direction of this project is
assumed by Professor Steve Plante of l’UQAR and Ms.
Chantal Gagnon of the Southern Gulf of St.Lawrence Coalition
on Sustainability. Ms. Gagnon sees this CURA as « an
excellent opportunity for recognition of the expertise present in
organisations concerned about water management and coastal risks
through the development of tools that will accompany communities
needing to adapt”. This dual leadership assumed by a
university member and a community member ensures a greater
territorial anchoring of the work to be
undertaken.
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