23 Nov A SECOND DONATION OF A CONSERVATION EASEMENT OF 3.9 HECTARES BY BROMONT RESIDENT RENÉ CLOUTIER

A SECOND DONATION OF A CONSERVATION EASEMENT OF 3.9 HECTARES BY BROMONT RESIDENT RENÉ CLOUTIER

 Bromont, November 23, 2022 – The Société de conservation du Mont Brome (SCMB) and Appalachian Corridor are pleased to announce that Mr. René Cloutier has donated a second ecological gift by means of a 3.86 hectare conservation easement. A resident of Bromont, Mr. Cloutier has made the protection of natural environments a true hobbyhorse in recent years.

He is thus becoming part of the select club of landowners with two conservation projects under their belt. Indeed, Mr. Cloutier is doing it again after concluding a first 5.54 hectare conservation easement project with Appalachian Corridor in 2018. “My motivations behind these two conservation projects are to give back to nature and show people that they can make a difference”, explains Mr. Cloutier. “In my opinion, donating land is one of the greatest gifts we can give to humanity! I am very happy to leave this legacy. I sincerely hope that this gift will inspire others to do the same and the awareness of nature’s fundamental place in our lives will be carried on!”

A PROJECT RICH IN ECOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS AT NO COST TO THE DONOR

This conservation easement is central to the priorities of the two partnering conservation organizations. According to Camil Poulin, president of the SCMB, “This is another important milestone in ensuring the conservation and ecological connectivity of natural environments in Bromont, as well as maintaining biodiversity and protecting plant and wildlife species”. He also points out that this donation will allow the protection of a forested wetland at the head of Wright Creek, an important tributary of Bromont Lake, which contributes to the protection of the water quality of the watershed.

In addition to providing a rich diversity of flora, the new protected area is a prime habitat for species at risk, including the hoary bat, little brown bat, eastern pipistrelle and monarch butterfly.

Appalachian Corridor and its affiliated members are making every effort to ensure that no expenses are required from landowners to support the conservation process, while desired expectations are still achieved.

Appalachian Corridor and the SCMB would like to thank the following funders for their essential contributions to this project: the City of Bromont, Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Nature Fund’s Community Designated Priority Sites for Species at Risk initiative, the Nature Conservancy of Canada, through its Partenariat pour les milieux naturels, for which the Government of Quebec has granted financial assistance of more than $53 million, and finally, Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program.

For the Mayor of Bromont, Louis Villeneuve, visionaries like Mr. Cloutier have left a priceless legacy for future generations. “The City of Bromont salutes this great Bromontois who supports the cause of conservation and sustainable development so dear to the citizens of Bromont,” said Mr. Villeneuve.

“Appalachian Corridor salutes this important contribution to conservation by René Cloutier, as well as the avant-gardism of the City of Bromont in terms of conservation and protection of natural environments,” said Mélanie Lelièvre, Executive Director of Appalachian Corridor. “It is extraordinary to think of Mr. Cloutier’s conservation journey. The collaboration goes back to the beginnings of the mobilization for the protection of Val 8, in 2013, with the creation of the group Protégeons Bromont. He became a committed citizen and mobilized in action, to be today an ambassador of conservation. Mr. Cloutier is proof of the incredible potential for community mobilization and that every citizen can concretely make a difference in conservation.”

MINISTER QUOTE

“Through initiatives such as the Canada Nature Fund’s Community-Nominated Priority Places for Species at Risk and the Ecological Gifts Program, we can halt and reverse biodiversity loss and contribute to the recovery of species at risk across the country. I thank René Cloutier for his generosity and commitment to future generations. Protecting nature concerns us all and we are proud to support this conservation project. Together, we are taking action to achieve our goal of conserving one quarter of lands and oceans in Canada by 2025 and 30 percent by 2030.”

– The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change