The Conservation Council is reigniting a focus on the St. John River after 40 years. Pollution of the river in the 1960s is what sparked the formation of our organization. Huge progress has been made to clean up the river and it is much better off today, however there is still work to do. We started this work in 2011 when we co-hosted an 8-community tour with the Canadian Rivers Institute and WWF-Canada to have conversations about the local issues and priorities for improving this majestic river.
One of the things that we heard loud and clear was a need to engage peoples’ passion for the river. In order to make a healthy St. John River a priority for governments and other decision makers, there must be a demand from the public. To demand a healthy river, people have to value a healthy river and we feel strongly that experiencing the river first hand is the first step in renewing our connection to it which then fosters that sense of stewardship.
So first, we must get people on the water!
To do this, we’ve collected data on river access to the St. John River as a key resource for information on recreational opportunities for beginners through to adventure seekers. Thank you to the St. John River Society, Sentier NB Trails, and Service New Brunswick for sharing information and data for this project.
We are excited that St. John River access has also been incorporated into the new mobile application ExploreEcoNB — a 10-organization collaboration that brings New Brunswick recreational opportunities in trails, parks, preserves, protected areas, and river access, straight to your hands. ExploreEcoNB was launched on July 30, 2014 and is available for iPhone, Android and Google platforms. Download today and start exploring our own backyard this weekend!
This project is made financially possible by the generous support from:
For more information on this project contact Stephanie Merrill, program Director: water[at]conservationcouncil.ca; 506.458.8748. We would like to expand this work to other major rivers of New Brunswick. If you are reading this and have access coordinates, please get in touch.