Committed to the conservation, enhancement and stewardship of habitat across Newfoundland and Labrador

The Town of Carmanville is located in the North Shore Forest Ecoregion, which extends from the Bonavista Peninsula to the Great Northern Peninsula. The landscape is largely forested and consists of small, gently rolling hills, with peatlands and sporadic barrens along the exposed coastal areas.

The Town of Carmanville designated 3 Conservation Areas (CAs) within their municipal planning boundaries, totaling 2,492 acres of conserved wildlife habitat. Together these CAs comprise of most of the major wetlands found within the Town of Carmanville. These wetlands are inhabited and utilized by a large number of wildlife, including many species of waterfowl, songbirds and mammals. These CAs are: Carmanville Pond, Middle Arm and Cynthia Pond.

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The Carmanville Pond CA is located south of the community and west of Middle Arm, bordering Route 330, and extending southwest - encompassing Carmanville Pond, its tributaries and portions of upland forest and wetland areas. This area is popular for residents and visitors alike and offers a birds-eye view to many wildlife species in their natural habitat - a variety of wildlife species, including mammals, raptors, songbirds and waterfowl can be found nesting and staging in the area. The Middle Arm CA is located on the western side of Middle Arm, north of Route 330. The area is a shallow, rocky, saltwater bay located east of the residential area of the Town. Saltmarshes are coastal wetlands found in protected bays and estuaries and are often located behind barrier beaches and sand spits. They are one of the most biologically productive habitats on earth and act as nursery areas for many species. Although rare in Newfoundland, several small saltmarshes can be found along the coastline of Middle Arm. This productive aquatic ecosystem supports a rich diversity of marine animal species. The productive coastal uplands around Middle Arm are composed of a mixed conifer/deciduous forest. The Middle Arm ecosystem supports a diverse and abundant population of waterfowl species including American Black Duck (Anas rubripes), Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula), and Northern Pintail (Anas acuta). An abundance of other avian species can be found in Middle Arm including Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca), Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia). The Cynthia Pond CA is located just south of Route 330. The CA encompass the two large domed bogs just east of Cynthia Pond as well. Plant species common to these peatlands include Black Spruce (Picea mariana), Sheep Laurel (Kalmia angustifolia), Bakeapple (Rubus chamaemorus) and Crowberry (Empetrum nigrum). Green Frog (Rana clamitans), Moose (Alces alces) and Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) have all been seen in this area.