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

The Stewardship Zone area is approximately 5,535 acres and contains most of the major wetlands, dunes, beaches and salt water marshes within the Town's municipal planning boundaries. The area is located west of Grand Bay and extends out to Yankee Point and incorporates islands such as Duck Island and Durands Island. The Stewardship Zone then extends north up to Jerret Point and inland as far as the Trans Canada Highway, excluding the J.T. Cheeseman Provincial Park. These areas are inhabited and utilized by a large number of birds, including waterfowl, shore birds, song birds, raptors, as well as other wildlife and fish including the vulnerable Banded Killifish (Fundulus diaphanous). The Stewardship Zone contains formally designated critical habitat beaches that are used by breeding Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus), a threatened species, each year.

Within the larger Stewardship Zone, the agreement designates 727 acres of wetland and coastal habitat of significance to waterfowl as Conservation Areas (CAs): Shorts Pond, Big Barachois and Rocky Barachois. These ponds and marshes and their surrounding vegetated buffers provide prime habitat for nesting and brood rearing of juvenile waterfowl.

The Shorts Pond CA is located along the Newfoundland T'Railway approximately 1.5 km southeast of J.T. Cheeseman Provincial Park. The area provides an important stopover, feeding, nesting, and brood raising site for a number of waterfowl and shorebirds (both locally nesting and migrants). Some species seen frequenting this area include Northern Pintail (Anas acuta), American Black Duck (Anas rubripes), American Wigeon (Mareca americana), Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias), Green-wing Teal (Anas carolinensis), Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius), and Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus). The Big Barachois CA is located 2 km southeast of J.T. Cheeseman Provincial Park. The barachois, containing both fresh and salt water, rises and falls with the tides and contains a very rich food supply. Due to the topography, as well as the mixing of fresh and salt water, this location is a significant area for waterfowl, shorebirds, and seabirds. It is being utilized as a nesting and brood raising location for local waterfowl as well as migrant birds. Species frequenting this area include a rising number of Common Merganser (Mergus merganser), Ring-necked Duck (Aythya collaris), Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum), Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca), Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola), and a number of other waterfowl and shorebirds. The Rocky Barachois CA is located southeast of the Big Barachois CA. This barachois, commonly known as Bottle’s Barachois for the beach of the same name to the west, has unique habitat and its location makes it a very important area for waterfowl. The area connects a chain of wetlands which run from Rocky Barachois to Grand Bay West. This area is a great area for staging and feeding waterfowl as well as a large number of shorebirds, including the endangered Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus). Large numbers of Common Merganser (Mergus merganser)  and Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) make use of this area.