Quebec Labrador Foundation Inc

QUEBEC-LABRADOR FOUNDATION U.S. (QLF) EXISTS TO PROMOTE GLOBAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, TO SUPPORT THE RURAL COMMUNITIES AND ENVIRONMENT OF EASTERN CANADA AND NEW ENGLAND, AND TO CREATE MODELS FOR STEWARDSHIP OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND CULTURAL HERITAGE THAT CAN BE SHARED WORLDWIDE.

I. CONSERVATION AND STEWARDSHIP IN 2021, QLF'S CONSERVATION AND STEWARDSHIP INITIATIVES CONSIST OF THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS: 1) THE SOUNDS CONSERVANCY MARINE RESEARCH PROGRAM; 2) BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION PROGRAM WITH ITS PROJECTS, AQUATIC SPECIES AT RISK AND MARINE BIRD CONSERVATION; 3) CONSERVATION AND STEWARDSHIP OF PROTECTED AREAS, THE MARITIMES; 4) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE STEWARDSHIP INSTITUTE WITH ITS PROJECTS, CHESAPEAKE BAY GATEWAYS NETWORK AND TRAINING ORDERS, CONSERVATION AND STEWARDSHIP; 5) THE QLF GLOBAL PROGRAM WITH ITS PROJECTS, PRIVATELY PROTECTED AREAS, INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE (IUCN); TRAINING ON PROTECTED AREAS, IUCN WORLD CONSERVATION CONGRESS; PARKS, THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PROTECTED AREAS AND CONSERVATION; POLICY NOTES AND TECHNICAL PAPERS, IUCN WORLD COMMISSION ON PROTECTED AREAS; AND WORLD HERITAGE; AND 6) INTERNATIONAL CONSERVATION EXCHANGE PROGRAMS TO INCLUDE THE EAST ASIA CONSERVATION EXCHANGE PROGRAM WITH CONSERVATION PRACTITIONERS FROM MONGOLIA AND NEW ENGLAND; AND THE MIDDLE EAST CONSERVATION EXCHANGE PROGRAM WITH ORNITHOLOGISTS ALONG THE RIFT VALLEY/RED SEA FLYWAYS IN JORDAN. THE SOUNDS CONSERVANCY MARINE RESEARCH PROGRAM - THE SOUNDS CONSERVANCY IS A MARINE RESEARCH PROGRAM ALONG THE SIX SOUNDS, ESTUARIES, AND COASTAL WATERS OF SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND AND NEW YORK. FROM SOUTH TO NORTH, THE SOUNDS ARE LONG ISLAND, FISHERS ISLAND, BLOCK ISLAND, RHODE ISLAND, MARTHA'S VINEYARD, AND NANTUCKET. THE PROGRAM IS DEDICATED TO CONSERVE, PROTECT, AND STEWARD THE SOUNDS AND ITS COASTAL WATERS, AND TO SUPPORT MARINE RESEARCH, ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION. EACH YEAR, QLF AWARDS SUPPLEMENTAL RESEARCH GRANTS TO GRADUATE STUDENTS, FELLOWS, AND PRACTITIONERS IN MARINE CONSERVATION. AS WELL, EACH YEAR, QLF STAFF UPDATE THE SOUNDS CONSERVANCY'S 200-PAGE ELECTRONIC PUBLICATION, WHICH DOCUMENTS TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF WORK BY THE PROGRAM'S FELLOWS. BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION PROGRAM - QLF'S BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION PROGRAM IS MANAGED BY A SENIOR PROGRAM CONSULTANT IN MASSACHUSETTS WITH QLF STAFF MEMBERS. THE GOALS OF THE PROGRAM ARE TO ENCOURAGE LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO TAKE AN ACTIVE ROLE AS CITIZEN SCIENTISTS, PROMOTE INITIATIVES THAT SECURE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, STEWARD AND CONSERVE ECOSYSTEMS, AND LEAD BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION INITIATIVES AS A STRATEGY TO MITIGATE THE IMPACTS OF A CHANGING CLIMATE. 2021 PROJECTS ARE: AQUATIC SPECIES AT RISK - THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA'S DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES AND OCEANS AWARDED QLF A FOUR-YEAR GRANT SECURED BY A QLF SENIOR CONSULTANT WHO IS RECOGNIZED WORLDWIDE FOR HER PIONEERING WORK IN COMMUNITY-BASED CONSERVATION. THE PROJECT CONTRIBUTES TO THE RECOVERY OF ENDANGERED AND THREATENED MARINE SPECIES BY REDUCING THREATS CAUSED BY FISHERIES SUCH AS ENTANGLEMENT WITH FISHING GEAR, INGESTION OF PLASTICS, AND BY-CATCH MORTALITY. MARINE BIRD CONSERVATION: RENEWING SEABIRD CONSERVATION ON THE QUEBEC NORTH SHORE - 2021 MARKS THE SECOND YEAR OF A TWO-YEAR PROJECT, MARINE BIRD CONSERVATION, WHICH IS MANAGED BY A SENIOR CONSULTANT IN MASSACHUSETTS. QLF LAUNCHED THIS PROJECT IN COMMUNITIES OF THE QUEBEC LOWER NORTH SHORE, WHICH IS HOME TO TEN OF CANADA'S OLDEST MIGRATORY BIRD SANCTUARIES. PROJECT GOALS ARE TO ENGAGE RESIDENTS IN ACTIVITIES THAT PROTECT THE IMPORTANT SEABIRD COLONIES ALONG THE COAST AND RAISE AWARENESS OF THREATS TO NESTING COLONIES OF SEABIRDS AND SEA DUCKS. CONSERVATION AND STEWARDSHIP OF PROPTECTED AREAS, THE MARITIMES - THE GOAL OF THIS PROGRAM IS TO ENSURE THE CONSERVATION AND STEWARDSHIP OF PROTECTED AREAS IN NEW BRUNSWICK. THE PROGRAM, MANAGED BY QLF STAFF AT THE HEADQUARTERS, IS DIRECTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATURE TRUST NEW BRUNSWICK, A CHARITABLE LAND CONSERVATION ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO THE STEWARDSHIP OF 60 NATURE PRESERVES OF ECOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE THROUGHOUT THE PROVINCE, QLF STAFF CONTRIBUTE TO SURVEYS AND LONGITUDINAL STUDIES OF SEABIRDS, SEA DUCKS, AND MIGRATORY BIRDS AS WELL AS FLORA AND FAUNA ACROSS NEW BRUNSWICK'S PROTECTED AREAS. IN 2021, STAFF SET PLANS TO EXPAND THE PROGRAM ACROSS THE MARITIMES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ORGANIZATIONS IN NOVA SCOTIA AND PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND.THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE STEWARDSHIP INSTITUTE - QLF IS THE PRINCIPAL PARTNER IN THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE STEWARDSHIP INSTITUTE, WHICH WAS FOUNDED WITH THE CONVICTION THAT THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE (NPS) HAS A GREAT PUBLIC PURPOSE AND THAT ITS PEOPLE CHARGED WITH THE STEWARDSHIP OF SOME OF AMERICA'S GREATEST TREASURES SHOULD BE SUPPORTED, CHALLENGED, AND PROVIDED OPPORTUNITIES FOR RENEWAL. PROJECTS CONSIST OF THE FOLLOWING: CHESAPEAKE BAY GATEWAYS NETWORK QLF CONCLUDED A PROJECT TO DEVELOP A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE CHESAPEAKE BAY GATEWAYS NETWORK TO RENEW PLANS FOR THE REVITALIZATION OF THE STEWARDSHIP OF THE NETWORK AND ITS PARKS, WILDLIFE REFUGES, MARITIME MUSEUMS, HISTORIC SITES AND WATER TRAILS WITHIN THE 64,000 SQUARE MILES OF ITS WATERSHED. TRAINING ORDERS, CONSERVATION AND STEWARDSHIP QLF DEVELOPED A SERIES OF TRAINING ORDERS IN CONSERVATION AND STEWARDSHIP INITIATIVES FOR THE STEWARDSHIP INSTITUTE. QLF GLOBAL PROGRAM - THE QLF GLOBAL PROGRAM CONSISTS OF SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS THAT PROMOTE INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR LOCAL AND REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES SHARED WORLDWIDE. PROJECTS ARE:PRIVATELY PROTECTED AREAS, INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE QLF'S SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT CHAIRS A SPECIALIST GROUP ON PROTECTED AREAS WITHIN THE INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR THE CONSERVATION OF NATURE (IUCN). ITS RECENT, NOTED PUBLICATION, "GUIDELINES FOR PRIVATELY PROTECTED AREAS," WRITTEN IN COLLABORATION WITH A QLF SENIOR PROGRAM MANAGER, IS CRITICAL TO A GLOBAL EFFORT IN THE CONSERVATION AND STEWARDSHIP OF PROTECTED AREAS. TRAINING ON PROTECTED AREAS, IUCN WORLD CONSERVATION CONGRESS WITH FUNDING FROM THE GERMAN AGENCY FOR NATURE CONSERVATION (BFN). QLF HAS CONDUCTED A SERIES OF PRESENTATIONS ON THE GUIDELINES FOR PRIVATELY PROTECTED AREAS FIRST AT THE LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN PROTECTED AREAS CONGRESS IN LIMA, PERU (OCTOBER 2019) FOLLOWED BY THE IUCN WORLD CONSERVATION CONGRESS (WCC) HELD IN MARSEILLE, FRANCE (SEPTEMBER 2021). PRESENTATION PLANS FOR THE IUCN WCC TOOK PLACE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. PARKS, THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PROTECTED AREAS AND CONSERVATION QLF SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT CO-EDITED A SPECIAL ISSUE OF PARKS, THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PROTECTED AREAS AND CONSERVATION, ON THE IMPACT AND IMPLICATION OF SARS-COV-2 ON CONSERVATION AREAS WORLDWIDE. PARKS WAS PUBLISHED IN MARCH 2021, THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE DECLARATION OF THE PANDEMIC BY THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION. THE PUBLICATION CONSISTS OF PEER REVIEW PAPERS DOCUMENTING THE HISTORY OF EPIDEMICS AND LAND CONSERVATION, THE DRIVERS OF COVID-19 IN WILDLIFE AND HUMAN POPULATIONS, AND THE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC ON CONSERVATION, STEWARDSHIP, AND THE MANAGEMENTS OF PARKS AND RESERVES WORLDWIDE. POLICY NOTES AND TECHICAL PAPERS, IUCN WORLD COMMISSION ON PROTECTED AREAS QLF SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT ADVISED ON A RANGE OF POLICY DOCUMENTS IN COLLABORATION WITH THE IUCN WORLD COMMISSION ON PROTECTED AREAS TO INCLUDE THE "PROTECTED AND CONSERVED AREAS JOINT STATEMENT ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND BIODIVERSITY CRISES AND A PEER REVIEWED PAPER, "PRIVATELY PROTECTED AREAS: MISSING PIECES OF THE GLOBAL CONSERVATION PUZZLE."WORLD HERITAGE QLF SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT CONTINUES TO ASSIST THE INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE IN ITS SUPPORT TO UNESCO IN THE WORLD HERITAGE PROGRAM. INTERNATIONAL CONSERVATION EXCHANGE PROGRAMS - CONSERVATION EXCHANGE PROGRAMS FOSTER AN EXCHANGE OF KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE, AND CONSERVATION INNOVATION WHILE PROMOTING CROSS-BORDER, INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION BETWEEN COMMUNITIES AND REGIONS WORLDWIDE. INTERNATIONAL FELLOWS WHO HAVE PARTICIPATED IN QLF'S CONSERVATION EXCHANGES REPRESENT 75 COUNTRIES. PROGRAMS PLANNED FOR 2021 ARE:EAST ASIA CONSERVATION EXCHANGE PROGRAM WITH CONSERVATION PRACTITIONERS FROM MONGOLIA AND NEW ENGLAND QLF MADE ARRANGEMENTS TO LEAD THE SECOND EAST ASIA CONSERVATION EXCHANGE PROGRAM IN MONGOLIA FOR PRACTITIONERS FROM NEW ENGLAND AND MONGOLIA REPRESENTING THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR. THIS EXCHANGE TO BE HELD IN 2021 HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS ARE LIFTED AND UNTIL IT IS SAFE TO TRAVEL TO THE REGION. MIDDLE EAST CONSERVATION EXCHANGE PROGRAM WITH ORNITHOLOGISTS ON THE RIFT VALLEY/RED SEA FLYWAYS SINCE 1992, QLF HAS DIRECTED EXCHANGE PROGRAMS FOR CONSERVATION LEADERS FROM THE MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AFRICA, AND THE GULF STATES. A FOCUS OF THE PROGRAM IS THE ENVIRONMENT, WHICH SERVES AS A BRIDGE TO MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING AND COLLABORATION ACROSS BORDERS, POLITICAL BOUNDARIES, AND CULTURAL FRAMEWORKS. IN 2021, QLF PLANNED FOR A SECOND CONSERVATION EXCHANGE PROGRAM ON THE GREAT FLYWAYS TO BE HELD ON THE RIFT VALLEY/RED SEA FLYWAYS IN JORDAN. THE PROGRAM IS POSTPONED UNTIL IT IS SAFE TO TRAVEL.

II. CONSERVATION LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS CONSERVATION INTERNSHIPS - THE CONSERVATION INTERNSHIP PROGRAM IS MANAGED BY STAFF FROM THE HEADQUARTERS IN MASSACHUSETTS. AS CONSERVATION LEADERSHIP IS AMONG QLF'S HIGHEST PRIORITIES AND HAS HISTORICALLY BEEN A HALLMARK OF OUR PROGRAMS, QLF INVESTS IN THE NEXT GENERATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERS WHO ARE UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS AND YOUNG PROFESSIONALS. EACH YEAR, QLF SUPPORTS UP TO 24 INTERNS WHO REPRESENT ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS WORLDWIDE AND WHO ARE ASSIGNED TO PROGRAMS IN QLF'S HOME REGION: MARITIMES, NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR, THE QUEBEC NORTH SHORE ALONG THE GULF OF ST. LAWRENCE; AND NEW ENGLAND. INTERNSHIPS PROVIDE HANDS-ON, EXPERIENTIAL TRAINING, AND FIELD WORK IN BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION, MARINE BIRD CONSERVATION, CONSERVATION AND STEWARDSHIP OF MARINE ENVIRONMENTS, PRIVATELY PROTECTED AREAS, AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION. INTERNSHIPS ARE OFTEN DIRECTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MULTIPLE ORGANIZATIONS IN-REGION. INTERNSHIPS BASED AT QLF HEADQUARTERS IN IPSWICH, MASSACHUSETTS, FOCUS ON COMMUNICATIONS, NEW REGIONAL AND GLOBAL INITIATIVES, AND SPECIAL CONSERVATION ASSIGNMENTS. THE CONSERVATION INTERNSHIP PROGRAM IS AN INVESTMENT IN THE NEXT GENERATION'S CONSERVATION LEADERS AND STEWARDS OF OUR ENVIRONMENT. INVESTING IN THE NEXT GENERATION'S CONSERVATION LEADERS - BASED IN MASSACHUSETTS, QLF MANAGES A THREE-YEAR PROGRAM, INVESTING IN THE NEXT GENERATION'S CONSERVATION LEADERS ACROSS THE GREAT NORTHERN PENINSULA OF NEWFOUNDLAND AND SOUTHERN LABRADOR. THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, STAFF PROVIDE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION WORKSHOPS TO MORE THAN 300 YOUTH ACROSS THE GREAT NORTHERN PENINSULA OF NEWFOUNDLAND AND SOUTHERN LABRADOR. THE PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO INSPIRE YOUTH AS THE NEXT GENERATION'S CONSERVATION LEADERS. WORKSHOPS FOCUS ON THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION; SEABIRDS, SEA DUCKS, AND MIGRATORY BIRDS; MARINE MAMMALS AT RISK; REDUCING MARINE DEBRIS AND RESTORING MARINE ECOSYSTEMS; PROTECTION OF WILDLIFE AND THEIR HABITATS. THIS PROGRAM IS MANAGED WITH SEVERAL PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS IN NEWFOUNDLAND AND SOUTHERN LABRADOR.

III. SPECIAL PROJECTS SPECIAL PROJECTS ARE MANAGED BY QLF PRESIDENT AND PRESIDENT EMERITUS AND CONSIST OF: RESEARCH ON NEW CONSERVATION PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES BOTH IN-REGION AND WORLDWIDE; NEW PUBLIC/PRIVATE CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIPS AND CONSULTING ASSIGNMENTS IN-REGION; AND A THREE-YEAR PROGRAM REVIEW. SPECIAL PROJECTS ADVANCE THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION WITH ITS CURRENT FOCUS ON BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION AND NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS IN A CHANGING CLIMATE. IN ADDITION, QLF'S PRESIDENT EMERITUS IS WRITING A SERIES OF ARTICLES AND ESSAYS ON THE HISTORY OF THE ORGANIZATION, PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS, AND MANY OF THE ORGANIZATION'S CONSTITUENTS WHO ARE PROMINENT AND INFLUENTIAL CONSERVATION LEADERS.