17 Jun All for one. One for all! Appalachian Corridor’s affiliates: A unique conservation network in Quebec
Appalachian Corridor is a conservation organization dedicated to creating a vast network of protected areas in perpetuity on its territory of action. Founded in 2002, the organization has contributed to the protection of more than 15,600 hectares of land by working closely with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, its 17 affiliated members, as well as several funders and donors. As the organization turns 20, we take this important milestone as an opportunity to look back at the moments, people, and places that have marked two decades of gains for nature as well as communities.
With this article, we highlight the critical contributions of our affiliate members to the success of the conservation movement throughout our territory.
Our affiliate members are conservation organizations and hiking trail management groups that work, in whole or in part, on Appalachian Corridor’s territory of action while adhering to the organization’s mission.
Their mission includes some of the following core elements:
- Protecting natural environments
- Generating new protected areas in private areas
- Participating in the acquisition of scientific knowledge
- Enhancing natural environments
- Carrying out the stewardship of protected areas (management and monitoring)
- Carrying out awareness and education activities in natural environments
The collaboration with our affiliate members is based on the values of common vision, commitment, trust, sharing of expertise, and effective and caring communication.
“For the past 20 years, we have worked with these local conservation groups and their volunteers to accelerate and amplify conservation gains regionally,” explains Martine Ruel, Stewardship and Partnership Director for Appalachian Corridor.
While Appalachian Corridor provides its members technical and professional assistance, support for accessing funding, training, and outreach and advocacy, affiliate members, in turn, act as local vectors to identify conservation project opportunities as well as nurture and develop relationships with potential land donors. They also support monitoring and management activities in the protected areas of their respective territories.
As researcher Jean-David Gerber (Journal of Landscape and Urban Planning. « The difficulty of integrating land trusts in land use planning », 2011.) pointed out, one of the strengths of this unique collaborative model is its capacity to increase the coordination of conservation efforts at the local level to generate more strategic gains at the regional level. By drawing on central technical resources from Appalachian Corridor, affiliates can remain nimble entities, with lean, primarily volunteer-based structures, that focus on outreach to local stakeholders including landowners and municipalities.
“Affiliate members play a fundamental role at the local level in strengthening voluntary conservation actions on private land,” adds Mrs. Ruel. “The strength of the network of affiliate members, at the local and regional levels, is a guarantee of our common success. This network favours a more efficient, strong and rapid implementation of conservation actions on the territory and it constitutes the distinctive mark of our mode of operation among the conservation groups in Quebec. It is with this same vision that we move forward, together, towards the future. Together, we are a unique provincial model and one of the most active regions in conservation”.
The success of Appalachian Corridor is intimately linked to the success and collective efforts of these organizations dedicated to the protection of our shared wealth: nature.
The Association de conservation de la nature de Stukely-Sud (ACNSS) is a non-profit organization whose primary objective is to preserve the ecological heritage of Stukely-Sud municipality. ACNSS works to protect biodiversity and connectivity, particularly with respect to wetland areas. The method used are numerous, such as: raising awareness and assisting landowners who wish to protect their property, working with elected municipal officials and the local population, aiming for a sustainable development of the community.
ACNSS was founded in 2004 and has been an affiliate member of Appalachian Corridor since 2005.
The effort and tenacity of a few people allowed the creation of three nature reserves on Stukely-Sud territory. To subscribe to the newsletter.
The Alderbrooke Marsh Land Trust (AMLT) is dedicated to the protection of all wetlands in the Sutton and Missisquoi River watersheds, an ecologically valuable territory that is home to, among other species, an exceptional diversity of birds.
The AMLT was founded in 1993 and has been an affiliate member of Appalachian Corridor since 2005.
Conservation Espace Nature Shefford (CENS) aims to ensure the protection of natural environments in Shefford Township. This mission translates into objectives including landscape protection, acquisition of land for protection purposes and the respectful development of pedestrian access to the mountain and parks.
CENS was founded in 2010 and has been an affiliate member of Appalachian Corridor since 2010./ Facebook /
Created in 2006, Conservation des vallons de la Serpentine (CVS), is a conservation organization working to protect in perpetuity natural environments of the valleys of Serpentine Creek, at the foothills of Mont Chagnon and Place, and its surroundings in the municipalities of East Bolton, Eastman and Austin, in the Eastern Townships, as well as to raise public awareness of the ecological value of protected territories. Since its foundation, CVS has accompanied landowners interested in various conservation options.
CVS is an affiliate member of Appalachian Corridor since 2006. /
Fiducie foncière du mont Pinacle (FMMP) is a registered charity dedicated to the conservation of nature in the Mount Pinnacle area of Frelighsburg. The organization works through land acquisition and negotiation of conservation agreements. To this day, 375,4 hectares (928 acres) of land have been protected in perpetuity. Several acquisition projects are also underway. The Trust periodically offers educational activities to school groups and the public.
The FFMP was founded in 1991 and has been an affiliate member of Appalachian Corridor since 2005. / Facebook /
Fondation des terres du Lac Brome (FTLB) works to ensure the conservation of natural environments in the Brome Lake watershed by acquiring these environments to enable their conservation. The fondation prioritizes the protection of wetlands and streams that filter and feed Brome Lake.
FTLB was founded in 1987 and has been an affiliate member of Appalachian Corridor since 2005.
A non-profit organization, Memphremagog Conservation Inc. (MCI) works to protect the environmental health and natural beauty of Lake Memphremagog and its watershed. MCI has also developed a “conservation” component aimed primarily at preserving the natural environments and wildlife within the Lake Memphremagog watershed.
MCI was founded in 1967 and is an affiliate member of Appalachian Corridor since 2010. / Facebook /Instagram /
The Massawippi Conservation Trust (MCT), under the auspices of Massawippi Foundation, works to conserve lands adjacent to Lake Massawippi and its tributaries in perpetuity. Established in 2011, this conservation group acquires properties, encourages landowners to dedicate their land to conservation, and supports legal as well as administrative processes for those donating land or conservation easements.
MCT has been an affiliate member of Appalachian Corridor since 2011. / Facebook /
The Mount Echo Conservation Association (MECA) is a non-profit organization whose objective is the conservation of the natural ecological heritage of the Mount Echo sector. Its members, mainly property owners residing in the area, aim to protect the natural environment by obtaining conservation easements negotiated individually with private owners, followed by the implementation of conservation and management plans.
MECA was founded in 2004 and has been an affiliate member of Appalachian Corridor since 2005.
The Memphremagog Wetlands Foundation (MWF) is dedicated to the conservation and protection of natural environments and habitats, particularly the wetlands of Lake Memphremagog watershed and Tomifobia River Valley. Since its creation in 1991, the MWF has protected over 100 hectares of natural environments.
The MWF was founded in 1991 and has been an affiliate member of Appalachian Corridor since 2005.
The Parc d’environnement naturel de Sutton (PENS) was founded in 1979 with the goal of creating a regional park in the Sutton Mountains. The organization also manages over 70 km of hiking trails and offers popular nature education activities. PENS promotes environmental research in its region and works to protect biodiversity as well as the habitats of threatened or vulnerable species.
PENS has been an affiliate member of Appalachian Corridor since 2005. / Facebook /
Renaissance Lac-Brome (RLB), which recently added a conservation component to its actions, is known for its dedication to protection and restoration of Brome Lake and its watershed. RLB, created in February 2001, is supported by over 850 members.
RLB is an affiliate member of Appalachian Corridor since 2015. / Facebook /
The Ruiter Valley Land Trust (RVLT) is the first conservation land trust in Quebec and is dedicated to protecting the natural habitats of the Ruiter Valley and the Potton Township area. Since its inception, it has established a conservation area of over 900 acres, which it aims to expand through land acquisition and the establishment of conservation easements. The RVLT provides free access to visitors to the region on its 20-kilometre trail system in the Ruiter Valley. It also offers many educational activities for its members.
The RVLT was founded in 1987 and became the first affiliate member of Appalachian Corridor by contributing to the founding of the organization in 2002. / Facebook / Instagram /
The Société de conservation du corridor naturel de la rivière au saumon (SCCNRS) covers a territory of 290 km² located north of Parc national du Mont-Orford. Created in 2000, this group aims at the conservation of natural environments of great ecological value, in particular the habitats of species at risk present in the rivière au Saumon watershed. To achieve this objective, SCCNRS favours the voluntary commitment of landowners to preserve habitats of interest which they own.
The SCCNRS has been registered since 2003 and has been an affiliated member of Appalachian Corridor since 2005. / Facebook /
Société de conservation du Mont-Brome (SCMB) mission is to protect natural environments of Mont-Brome massif and its watersheds for the benefit of nature and local communities, to raise public awareness of the aesthetic and ecological preservation of landscapes as well as to promote the conservation and sustainable use of natural environments and landscapes.
SCMB was founded in 2015 and has been a member of Appalachian Corridor since 2015. / Facebook /
Since 1976, Les Sentiers de l’Estrie has been integrating its mission to promote hiking in the broader context of protecting and enhancing nature in the Appalachian Mountains of the Eastern Townships. Its action is twofold: the management of a 175 km hiking trail crisscrossing the Appalachian corridor in collaboration with 120 landowners allowing access to private forests, and the organization of activities promoting ecological awareness and environmental education.
Les Sentiers de l’Estrie was founded in 1976 and has been an affiliate member of Appalachian Corridor since 2005. / Facebook / Instagram /
The Société de protection foncière du lac Montjoie (SPFLM) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to protect the natural environment of the Lake Montjoie watershed in Saint-Denis-de-Brompton, in the Eastern Townships. The organization protects 20 hectares (49 acres) of natural environments, part of which is recognized as a private nature reserve. It also intends to develop conservation education projects on its territory.
The SPFLM was founded in 2002 and has been an affiliate member of Appalachian Corridor since 2006.