Today, Viviane Lapointe, Member of Parliament Sudbury announced $46,713 in funding for the Junction Creek Stewardship Committee. This funding will be used to determine the use and condition of Blanding’s Turtle habitat in the Junction Creek watershed to develop site-specific habitat restoration plans and mitigate threats to the recovery of local populations. The activities will take place in treed rock-barrens, and man-made and natural wetland habitats, including marshes, bogs and fens within Sudbury.

“Protecting nature is an essential part of addressing biodiversity loss and fighting climate change. Conserving and recovering species at risk and their habitats is a vital way to work toward a healthy environment. This funding will have a direct impact on at risk species within the Sudbury community. I want to commend the Junction Creek Stewardship Committee for their exceptional work in preserving our environment,” said Viviane Lapointe, Member of Parliament for Sudbury.

“This funding will be instrumental to the success of the "Filling Knowledge Gaps to Inform the Restoration and Conservation of Blanding's Turtle Habitat in Greater Sudbury" project; providing the equipment, materials and staff required for carrying out field research and delivering outreach programs to meet recovery needs of species at risk turtle populations in the Junction Creek watershed. The project would not have been possible without funding from ECCC and support from project partners,” stated Miranda Virtanen, Executive Director Junction Creek Stewardship Committee.

This project is one of several new and ongoing local conservation projects that received funding under the Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk.

• From its inception in 2000 to 2022, the Habitat Stewardship Program has supported approximately 3,767 projects by providing more than $220 million in funding.

• Habitat Stewardship Program Success Stories
• Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk
• Species at Risk Act
• SARA Public Registry