$730K awarded to protect Canada warbler, other at-risk species in N.B.

New federal money is coming to the province to help protect a number ofvulnerable species.

The funding is coming from the Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk and was announced on Monday.

Five New Brunswick projects will receive up to$730,985.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) will be responsible for a project protecting the habitats of the Canadawarbler, lichens and Van Brunt's Jacob's ladder "a delicate flowering plant that is a metre tall and produces showy purple, bell-like flowers during spring and early summer" according to the NCC website.

The group's project director in New Brunswick, Paula Nol, says in Canada, Jacob's Ladder is foundin New Brunswick and Quebec, with only two known locations in this province.

"In the 1880s or something there was a record of it and then it had never been relocated," said Nol.

"There was a botanist named Hal Hines and he refound one population of it [in the 80s] then a second population was found more recently To this date those two populations, that are both located in Charlotte County, are the only known places where this plant grows in New Brunswick."

She said the Canada warblerhas had declining numbers for a number of years, although the "colourful songbirds"are still widespread around the province. The NCC's project involves engaging with private woodlot owners to encourage them to create good habitats for the species.

Other projects on tap

Four other groups will also be given funding to help save habitats for at-risk species.

Nature NB will focus on protecting monarch butterfly populations in the province.

The Nature Trust of New Brunswick will look to preserve the habitat of two lichens found in the St. Croix River watershed.

The Cap-Pel Region Watershed Group will work on conservinghabitat for bank swallows,and the Madawaska River Development Corporation will conduct surveys ontwo species, little brown bats and bank swallows.

'Double crisis'

Nol says the money couldn't have come at a better time.

She said species throughout Canada are facing a "double crisis" with biodiversity loss combined with the effects of climate change.

She said the Natue Conservancyworks with private landowners to acquire land to habitats and to help owners protect the land themselves.

"There is a lot of land in this province and in this country that is owned by private individuals, and they have a role to play as well," said Nol.

"The work that we're doing is just to help people, to give them the tools and the knowledge they need to do that."