ACNSS: Looking back — reaching forward
At the annual general meeting last Saturday, President of ACNSS (Association de conservation de la nature de Stukely-sud) Gary Richards reported that in its 13th year of operation the non-profit organization is in good financial and economic health, “thanks to our members, our partners, and our modest style of management.”
The organization is part of a multisectoral committee including Réseau de milieux naturels protégés (RMN), Appalachien Corridor Appalachian (ACA), Nature Conservancy Quebec, members of other conservation associations in the region, legal and municipal tax specialists, organizations such as Fédération des Municipalités du Québec (FMQ) and Union des municipalités du Québec (UMQ), Municipal Regional Councils (MRC), and Ministère de développement durable, environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques. (MDDELCC).
The aim is to find alternatives to municipal and school taxes and to promote ecological services offered by conservation lands. With the objectives of conserving land with ecological value such as wetlands, streams, large forest fragments as well as habitat protection for flora and fauna, along with the implementation of the strategy of “natural corridors,” Richards expressed delight in what they have managed to do within the constraints of a shoestring budget while landing a surplus of a little over $1,900. He gave a warm thanks in particular to Randy Berwick, Robert Boisvert, and Ivan Picken for their help with the annual garage sale.
The organization maintains that harmonization of conservation is the best practice with spatial planning in order to better reconcile the notion of sustainable development with environmental protection and ecosystem services for the future
This past year the group has had many meetings with citizens and related groups such as Appalachian Corridor (ACA) who serve as consultants in their quest to advance steps with the municipality for the formation of a municipal nature reserve. The meetings with ACA have served to plan projects, identify common challenges and find strategies to protect the vulnerable areas of the municipality. The organization has also collaborated with Renaissance Lac Brome to improve water quality in streams flowing from Stukely South to Brome Lake.
In terms of raising awareness to citizens the organization created a Facebook page that is administrated by Mélanie Roy and Ngaio Richards. As well, chronicles have been published in “La Diligence,” which is circulated six times a year.
Keynote speakers Cynthia Patry from Appalachian Corridor and Pierre Beaudoin spoke in concert about the importance of the wetlands in general that form the watersheds of larger bodies of water. Of specific interest is the work that Renaissance Lac Brome undertakes to ensure optimum water quality of Brome Lake while Patry highlighted the value in economic terms of the services that the wetlands give to our environment.
According to Beaudoin, there 469 ponds within the watershed of Brome Lake, 21 per cent of them being located in South Stukely with median of 929 square metres. Of the 97 ponds that have been evaluated, only 13 of them appear to be natural. The rest are man-made. Only 45 per cent are considered as having proper vegetation to keep them healthy. He says that a lot of work has to be done to make these little waterways healthy. Beaudoin also reported that most of the artificial ponds have not been authorized nor conform to environmental regulations. Many have not been dug deep enough. In particular it is very important that there be shoreline restoration. Plants along the waters’ edges serve to keep the temperature cooler during the summer hence preventing the emergence of blue-green algae
Patry explained that ACA’S mission is to protect the natural environments of the Appalachian region of southern Québec and to date has succeeded in guarding 12,700 hectares. Explaining that ecological services refers to the benefits obtained by humans from nature, she spoke of man’s dependence on the land and comparison of cost to fix it when it has been damaged — a better understanding that modification of natural environments and not preserving nature generates costs. Calculating the market price lost from potential produce along with replacement cost, Patry spoke about the value of the wetlands. By understanding the monetary value of the work the wetlands do, it is easier for people to realize how important it is to protect them. In terms of climate control, purification of water, habitat for biodiversity, and extreme events prevention, they see that the services would cost $14,030 per hectare annually. When there are 1,200 hectares of wetland in South Stukely there is a value of a staggering $ 16.8 million per year in ecological services