Estey's Bridge concerned proposed quarry could threaten species

Residents in Estey's Bridge areworried that a proposed quarry could threaten the area's population of wood turtles.

About 20 people gathered in the Estey's Bridge Community Centre to hear from a provincial biologist and a member of the Nature Trust of New Brunswick about what can be done to help protect, the already threatened species.

"We just feel that another quarry, there's already two in this area, that another one will destroy the habitat even more," said Lisa Gorham, who lives in Estey's Bridge.

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Residents say they've found a large population of the turtles in the area, though they wouldn't say how many because they're worried about poachers, who take them for pets.

But provincial biologist, Dr. Maureen Tonner, who presented at the meeting, called the population in the area "very impressive."

Carli LeRoux with the Nature Trust of New Brunswick, couldn't sayhow a new quarry might affect the population's habitat since an Environmental Impact Assessment hasn't been done yet.

According to the Recovery Strategy for the Wood Turtle In Canada, "the wood turtle is virtually always associated with clear freshwater streams and associated flood plains," similar to the environment at Estey's Bridge.

Preserving species

The Nature Trust is working on guidelines for people to follow to help preserve the species.

"When the public reads things like the 'recovery strategy' and 'mitigation,' people don't always form clear contexts in their head and so we're trying to provide the public with guidelines that they would understand," LeRoux said.

The Trust hopes to have those guidelines drafted by the end of the year.

It's a tool residents like Gorham are looking forward to having.

"I want to learn a lot more about them, about their biology and about their habitat and just how I mean, maybe there's things I'm doing on my property that are putting them at risk so I need to learn those things," she said.