Tantramar
The municipality of Tantramar (formerly the Town of Sackville and the Village of Dorchester and surrounding areas) recently went through an amalgamation with the province of New Brunswick in Canada. Our community grew from 75 to 705 and from a population of 6,100 to 9,100. We now have the vast and extensive Tantramar Marsh within our borders which has countless protected wildlife areas and is home to many local species of animals, insects and plant life. The UNESCO Fundy Biosphere is also within our boundaries as well as the head of the Fundy Bay, home to the highest tides in the world. This presents great growth of our trail systems, eco-tourism, education opportunities and conservation efforts as we grow as a Wetland City.
The particular policies that are in place came about by a direct collaborative effort of the former Town of Sackville with various conservation groups located in the area that a vested interest in the Waterfowl Park and the surrounding Tantramar Marsh and other wetlands (groups such as The Canadian Wildlife Service and Ducks Unlimited Canada). The municipality itself controls the functioning and use of the Ramsar site regarding maintenance, education, and continued conservation efforts.
The Waterfowl Park Advisory Board was created to help the municipality manage and properly use the Ramsar site and the board is strategically comprised of members of key stakeholders in the area including, but not limited to: municipal staff, municipal council, The Canadian Wildlife Service, Ducks Unlimited, Birds Canada, Mount Allison University, the Tantramar Outdoor Club, NatureNB and other conservation and climate oriented NGOs.
Most of the protected wetland areas within our municipal boundaries are controlled and maintained by government and non-government organizations with the exception of the Ramsar site of the Waterfowl Park which is within the purview of the municipality with policies and process in place for its continued use and protection.
