Portage Island National Wildlife Area
Portage Island National Wildlife Area (NWA) is located in Miramichi Bay, 38 kilometers northwest of Chatham, Northumberland County in New Brunswick.
Description
Portage Island was designated as a NWA in 1979. The shallow waters around the island and its sheltered bay provide staging and migration habitat for waterfowl. Its sand beaches and flats are also used by migrating shorebirds.
The island's unique character consists entirely of a series of ridges and slacks progressing from newly formed sand dunes, at the southern end of the island, to marram grass vegetated dunes to the North. Older northerly located dunes are heavily vegetated with lichen and shrub forest.
The dune slacks on the east side of the island and the fringe bordering the island's sheltered bay consist of salt marsh. Brackish marshes and swamps also occupy interior slacks. Extensive sand-gravel beaches surround the island.
Portage Island NWA is one of the 51 selected sites to be an Ecological reserve throughout the Province of New Brunswick. This designation fall under the International Biological Program. Furthermore, Portage Island was also identified as a New Brunswick Critical Area in 1988.
Find more information on Portage Island NWA in the summary table below.
Management
Under the Canada Wildlife Act, NWAs are protected and managed in accordance with the Wildlife Area Regulations. The primary purpose of NWAs is to protect and conserve wildlife and wildlife habitat. For this purpose and according to the legislation, all activities in a NWA that could interfere with the conservation of wildlife can be prohibited. Consequently, most NWAs are not accessible to the public and all other activities are prohibited in all NWAs. However, some activities may be authorized through Schedule l.1 of the Wildlife Area Regulations or the issuance of permits as long as they are consistent with the management plan goals for the NWA. For more information, consult the NWA Management and Activities section.
Access to Portage NWA is not restricted. Activities may be permitted in accordance with the conservation objectives of the NWA management plan. Public visitation is although not encouraged owing to the fragile nature of the dune habitat and the presence of an endangered species. Any authorized activities are listed in Schedule l.1 of the Wildlife Area Regulations; signage is also posted at access points.
Authorized activities listed in Schedule l.1 of the Wildlife Area Regulations for Portage Island NWA, include:
- wildlife viewing
- hiking
- non-commercial picking of edible plants and edible mushrooms
- boat launching and boat landing
- sport hunting, including with dogs off-leash when hunting waterfowl or upland game birds, if the hunting is carried out
- in accordance with any applicable federal permit, and any authorization required by the laws of New Brunswick for sport hunting in that province, during the periods authorized by those laws; and
- without the use of toxic shot
- sport fishing, in accordance with any applicable federal permit and any authorization required by the laws of New Brunswick for sport fishing in that province, during the periods authorized by those laws
- trapping in accordance with any applicable federal permit and any authorization required by the laws of New Brunswick for trapping in that province
- activities referred to in items 1 to 4 and 7 from sunset to sunrise, in addition to during the period referred to in subsection 3.1(3)
More information on access and permitting for the Portage Island NWA can be obtained by contacting the Environment and Climate Change Canada regional office.
Map of the area
Long description
This map showing the Portage Island, New Brunswick, including Gammon Bay, Ship Channel and Miramichi Bay. The boundaries of the Portage Island National Wildlife Area (NWA) are indicated. The NWA is located to the south east of Burnt Church and completely covers the Portage Island. The scale on the map is in kilometers. Permanent water is indicated on the map. An inset shows the NWA’s location in Canada.
This map is for illustrative purposes only and should not be used to define legal boundaries.
Summary table
| Category | Information |
|---|---|
| Protected Area designation | NWA |
| Province/Territory | New Brunswick |
| Latitude/Longitude | 47°10' N / 65°02' W |
| Size | 349 ha |
| Reason for creation of the protected area | To protect waterfowl habitat |
| Date created (Gazetted) | 1979 – Legal Description |
| International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Management Category | Strict Nature Reserve – (Ia) |
| Additional designations | None |
| Keystone or flagship species | |
| Listed Species under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) | |
| Main habitat type |
|
| Invasive species | None recorded |
| Main threats and challenges | Habitat loss caused by aggressive coastal erosion along the eastern side of the island |
| Management agency | Environment and Climate Change Canada (Canadian Wildlife Service) |
| Public access and usage | Authorized activities listed in Schedule I.1 of the Wildlife Area Regulations for Portage Island NWA, include:
|
Note: If there is a discrepancy between the information presented on this web page, any notice posted at the NWA site, and the law, the law prevails, as it is the legal instrument authorizing the activity.
Contact us
Environment and Climate Change Canada - Atlantic Region
Canadian Wildlife Service
Protected Areas and Stewardship
17 Waterfowl Lane
Sackville, NB
E4L 4N1
Toll-free: 1-800-668-6767 (in Canada only)
Email: enviroinfo@ec.gc.ca
Related links
- Portage Island NWA management plan
- Portage Island NWA pamphlet
- Portage Island NWA on Google maps (Please note that the Google map is a complementary source of information and does not represent the official map or site name)
Page details
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