all forms of development, including mining, clearcut logging and road-building. Less than a half of 1% of this internationally recognized wilderness is protected.When I started working on a conservation project in the Restigouche 10 years ago, I knew very little about the history of the area, or the hundred-year-old economy related to the salmon angling lodges. Who knew there are hundreds of jobs and over fifteen million dollars generated by providing quality experiences for the folks from away who visit Restigouche each year! (well, lots of people in Restigouche knew, but I didn't!!)
Restigouche has now become a home away from home for me. I’m so impressed by my friends who work on the river – telling our stories, guiding people on their trip of a lifetime, welcoming back those who make an annual pilgrimage to this Restigouche paradise (for angling, canoeing, hiking the International Appalachian trail...).Every time I experience the Restigouche flowing gently over its deep, dark pools around Kedgwick River, or catch that glimpse of the misty mountain vista around the Upsalquitch Valley, I feel the privilege of my job. I get to help people protect the natural areas they love, and in the process learn to love another corner of our beloved province.
If you want to support the "Keep Restigouche Wild" campaign and have the wildest parts of Restigouche kept free of development, please visit http://www.wildrestigouche.ca/. We’re trying to get 3000 supporters to tell the New Brunswick government how important it is to protect Restigouche wilderness.(top and middle photos: Roberta Clowater; bottom photo: Steve Reid)
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