Age of Union has a special connection to the protection of our home, Canada. In 2020 we saw the opportunity to engage with Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) on a five year journey to protect the majestic Saint Lawrence River, one of Quebec's most treasured landmarks. Today we launched a French language version of our film “We Are The Saint Lawrence” which educates about the significance and beauty of this incredible waterway.
From its source, the Great Lakes, to the Gulf of St. Lawrence the river knows many different landscapes and ecosystems. Therefore challenges exist to protecting the water and shorelines. Between 2020 and 2025, the objective is to secure and rehabilitate key natural habitats that sustain Canada’s plants and wildlife along the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of its major tributaries.
“It’s an ecosystem where terrestrial and aquatic habitats meet, and provides immense benefits for wildlife and humans alike. By helping to control floods, protect shores from erosion, filter water, stock carbon, and provide habitat for a wide range of species, wetlands are essential to our planet’s health! Because they’re disappearing quickly, the Nature Conservancy of Canada and Age of Union have teamed up to conserve and restore wetlands along the majestic St. Lawrence River.” – Julien Poisson, Program director for southern Quebec, NCC.
Laurence Bouthillette volunteered with NCC and was part of the filmmaking process of “We Are The Saint Lawrence,” she explains:
“My participation as an intern at the Nature Conservancy of Canada on the set of the film allowed me to live a unique and very enriching experience on a personal and professional level. Experience that gave me the opportunity to discover unique territories and natural wetlands of incredible richness given their link with the river, also allowing me to understand their precariousness and the need to preserve them through concrete actions. I had the chance to deepen my knowledge thanks to the biologists working at CNC across Quebec and who accompanied my colleague Julie and myself. Special thanks to Khalil Abas, Julien Poisson, Joël Bonin, Olivier Perrotte Caron and Brian Wilson (CNC), as well as Dax Dasilva, Emma Dora and Nathan O'Brien (Age of Union) for allowing us to take part in this adventure.” – Laurence Bouthillette, bacchelor student of biology at UQAM.
Age of Union believes that concerted actions are the only answer to today’s climate change reality we are facing. We must protect and restore the ecosystems as well as engage the incredible knowledge of those working ‘on the ground’ to protect the environment.
Age of Union is committed to:
- Facilitating land acquisition to secure protected pockets of ecosystems along the St Lawrence River in Quebec Canada
- Contributing to habitat rehabilitation programs
- Engaging with local communities to raise awareness, offering alternatives to farmers and initiating dialogue with First Nation communities to integrate traditional knowledge
The majestic St. Lawrence River is one of our province’s most treasured landmarks. Be sure to check out the film “We Are The Saint Lawrence” in your language of choice (French or English) today to learn more.
Did you know? February 2nd, 2022 is World Wetlands Day, celebrated annually and internationally to highlight the importance of protecting wetlands around the world. Wetlands are crucial to tackle climate change: they store twice as much carbon as all the world’s forests (source: UN) and therefore are among the most important carbon sinks the planet has.
CREDITS
Photos by Jeremie Aubut.