CONNE RIVER, NL – The Mi'kmaq Alsumk Mowimsikik Koqoey Association (MAMKA) is receiving $404,100 from the Coastal Restoration Fund to help protect the marine ecosystem in Conne River.
Coast of Bays-Central-Notre Dame Scott Simms MP made the announcement on Wednesday.
The Miawpukek First Nation will also invest $235,000, bringing the total for the project to $639,100.
The funding will stabilize the area within the Miawpukek Reserve known as the McDonald’s Family and Culture Area, on the banks of the Conne River.
The area has been severely eroded by extreme weather conditions and a lack of total ice cover in winter.
The work will help prevent sediment, tree roots and debris from previous development activities from falling into the water.
The project will benefit Atlantic salmon as the area is a known migration route for the species.
“This important project will not only stabilize and protect an important coastal shoreline adjacent to our salmon river, it will enable Mi'kmaq Alsumk Mowimsikik Koqoey Association and Miawpukek First Nation to develop key capacity in slope stabilization and environmental monitoring," Miawpukek First Nation Chief Mi’sel Joe said in a news release.
The Government of Canada announced the $75 million Coastal Restoration Fund this past May.
“I look forward to seeing how this investment will help improve the long-term health of the Bay D’Espoir Estuary and reduce some of the stressors affecting its marine life and habitats,” Simms said.
“Decades from now, our children and grandchildren will inherit an environment that must include healthy, productive and prosperous oceans and coastal areas.”
