Québec City, February 24, 2004 – The Minister of the Environment, Thomas J. Mulcair, is pleased to announce a financial aid of $40 948 to the organization Conservation de la Nature - Québec for the protection of a natural tract of land in the Sutton Mountains area. The grant is part of an initiative to preserve a major portion of the Sutton Mountains massif, which is one of the last untouched regions of southern Québec.

“Saving natural species represents another positive aspect in the preservation of the green corridor connecting the Sutton Mountains to the Green Mountains of Vermont. The protection of this green corridor is vital to species such as the black bear and the bobcat; this grant reiterates the government’s will to preserve Québec’s ecological heritage by developing a network of protected areas”, emphasized Minister Mulcair.

The financial contribution granted by the ministère de l’Environnement has allowed the conservation organization to bind one of the two properties in question, the Ghikas property in the municipality of Sutton, with a conservation servitude, and to acquire the Watt property in the municipality of Bolton-Ouest. The government’s funding will be used to pay for 50% of the costs associated with the acquisition and establishment of the conservation servitude on these sites, which together account for 15.65 hectares of natural space, therefore helping to ensure biodiversity and boost the surface area of protected lands in the province.

“I thank the promoters and partners of this ambitious project that is aimed at the preservation of the Sutton Mountains. This is a fine example of cooperation between the private and public sector, helping to not only preserve biodiversity in Québec but also the magnificent landscapes that constitute its wealth”, indicated the MNA of Brome-Missisquoi, Pierre Paradis.

These initiatives of conservation in the Sutton Mountains are part of a financial partnership agreement of $10 million, signed on January 24, 2002, between Conservation de la Nature - Québec and the Québec government under its provincial program to develop a private network of protected areas.

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