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

The Town of Hughes Brook lies within the Corner Brook subregion of the Western NL Forest ecoregion. This region is one of the largest on the Island of Newfoundland and includes much of the Long Range mountains. The Corner Brook subregion has high climatic variation due to the peaks and valleys scattered amongst it. Much of Hughes Brook is within sheltered valleys and, because of this, have long growing seasons with hot summers providing lush and healthy vegetation. Historically this has resulted in land within and near the municipality being used for agriculture, with small-scale farming still taking place. Hughes Brook  is home to diverse wildlife populations, such as waterfowl, seabirds, shorebirds, songbirds, and mammals, as well as some critically vulnerable species. The designated Conservation Area (CA) encompasses some of the town’s most ecologically important wildlife habitats.

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The Hughes Brook CA encompasses the Hughes Brook waterway, its riparian buffers and some nearby associated wetlands, including a small pond off Lindstone Road in the northern part of town. This area was identified because of the area’s documented importance for wildlife - the Hughes Brook waterway is a class 0 scheduled Atlantic salmon river - conserving the riparian buffers surrounding the river will help ensure the health of the brook for Atlantic salmon and other aquatic species. Notably, at risk bird species have been found in the lower portion of the proposed area including Rusty blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) and Olive-sided flycatcher (Contopus cooperi). Both species are considered vulnerable provincially (Endangered Species Act) and are considered species of special concern federally (Species at Risk Act).