The donation adds 75 hectares to the Salmonier River Nature Reserve, bringing the total protected space to 485 hectares. A biological survey of the property confirmed populations of boreal felt lichen, blue felt lichen, and frosted glass-whiskers lichen, which all thrive on decaying balsam firs in moist bogs. Preserving this foggy landscape protects the threatened red crossbill, the olive-sided flycatcher, and two endangered bat species. Furthermore, the land acts as a forested protective boundary next to the 107,000-hectare Avalon Wilderness Reserve, which hosts Canada’s most southerly caribou herd.
Key points
Protecting mature and decaying balsam fir trees maintains the cool, moist conditions nece…: Protecting mature and decaying balsam fir trees maintains the cool, moist conditions necessary for rare lichens to survive.
The unique local climate utilizes low-lying bogs and frequent fog to buffer vulnerable pl…: The unique local climate utilizes low-lying bogs and frequent fog to buffer vulnerable plant life against the drying impacts of nearby forest clearing.
Expanding the nature reserve establishes an important protective forested buffer for the…: Expanding the nature reserve establishes an important protective forested buffer for the neighboring Avalon Wilderness Reserve and its southern caribou herd.
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Former Newfoundland and Labrador premier Danny Williams and his family have donated 75 hectares, or about 185 acres, of family land to the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) to protect rare lichen habitat. The land, located north of St. Catharines in Newfoundland and Labrador, has been added to the Salmonier River Nature Reserve, bringing the protected area to 485 hectares, or roughly 1,198 acres. The donation followed an NCC survey that found boreal felt lichen on the Williams family property. The species is listed as being of special concern under Canada’s Species at Risk Act and grows in only a few areas around the world. The newly protected land also contains forests and wetlands supporting other species at risk.
How Danny Williams' family land became important habitat for rare lichens in Newfoundland
The conservation project began after the Nature Conservancy of Canada approached Williams in September 2023 about the possibility of rare lichens growing on his family’s land. NCC subsequently organised a targeted lichen survey, which confirmed the presence of boreal felt lichen, a tree-dwelling species that is listed as…
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