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

The Town of York Harbour lies within the Serpentine Range Subregion of the Western NL Forest Ecoregion. This subregion is more mountainous than other subregions and is comprised largely of serpentine rock upland from the coast. Within the town itself, aside from rocky talus covering barren slopes, much of the habitat is Black spruce coastal forest.

The York Harbour Lagoon Conservation Area (approximately 14.5 hectares) is found right along the shoreline and rocky beach of the Bay of Islands, except for a small tributary that flows under Main Street into the lagoon from the southwest boundary of the Town. The area provides habitat for species considered either imperiled or vulnerable, including Common eider (Somateria mollissima), American wigeon (Mareca americana), Northern pintail (Anas acuta), and Great blue heron (Ardea herodias). The surrounding vegetation provides suitable habitat for songbirds including Song sparrow (Melospiza melodia), shorebirds including Semipalmated sandpiper (Calidris pusilla), and seabirds including Common tern (Sterna hirundo). As well, although it is not a part of the designated Conservation Area, the marine environment into which the lagoon empties is known to be valuable eelgrass habitat. Eelgrass is a group of aquatic grass species that provide food and shelter for many animals, including fish and waterfowl. These waters are also considered an Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) marine refuge by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), as they provide important resting habitat for them during their migration.