Salmonier Nature Park

About Us

Mission of the Park

Salmonier Nature Park was first established for education, not as a tourist
destination, and environmental education continues to be its primary goal. However, over time the Park's role as a major tourist destination has increased. In recent years, the Park has expanded its role in wildlife rehabilitation and research and in environmental monitoring.

What's It all About

The primary mandate remains environmental education and the main target audience is the Newfoundland and Labrador public, especially family groups and children. Average annual visitation has more than doubled in the last four years, with an average of 40,000 visitors per year, approximately 5,000 of which consist of school groups in the Spring and Fall. The final report of the Newfoundland and Labrador Product Market Match Study indicated that Salmonier Nature Park was second only to the city of St. John's as one of the top five tourist attractions likely to generate overnight in-province travel.

The role of the park is to help visitors gain an understanding and appreciation for wildlife and the natural community it inhabits. This role is based on the premise that it's difficult to appreciate that which you don't know.

In order to help people gain this understanding and appreciation, Salmonier Nature Park provides visitors with a unique opportunity to meet some Newfoundland and Labrador wildlife face to face. But the mission of the Park extends beyond wildlife, as it is traditionally thought of, and includes the plants, insect life and landscapes of our Province.

Salmonier Nature Park would like to break down the tendency, especially in young people, to isolate themselves from nature. So the early approach to development was to maintain the beauty and integrity of the landscape while making it suitable for wildlife displays. Rather than being teachers, park staff see themselves as creators of a learning environment.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Wildlife Rehabilitation Program is also coordinated out of Salmonier Nature Park, which serves a significant role in this Province as the main facility involved in the care, rehabilitation, release or captive placement of injured or orphaned wildlife. Where possible, animals are returned to the wild, or if that is not possible, they are incorporated into the educational program. 

Recently, the park initiated the Newfoundland Marten Captive Breeding Program as part of the Newfoundland Marten Recovery Plan. In 1995, park staff designed and constructed a large state-of-the-art enclosure for the captive breeding of Newfoundland marten. In 1999, the first captive bred litter was born at Salmonier Nature Park. A remote video monitoring system has been put in place to allow animal care staff and visitors to view this unique and endangered species with a minimum of human disturbance to the animals.

Background

Development of Salmonier Nature Park began in 1973 and it opened to the public in 1978. Beginning the park in the early 1970's represented very progressive thinking on the part of the original developers, since there was very little action in the field of environmental education at the time.

The Park is quite different from people's perception of a zoo. The overall design and broad environmental education mandate sets Salmonier Nature Park apart from most similar facilities.

The layout of the Park is based on a nature walk. The animals are in large natural enclosures scattered along the park trail, which allow visitors to see animals that are part of their natural surroundings, not divorced from them, and which also encourage visitors to feel they are part of these surroundings. Salmonier Nature Park takes people into the landscape where the animals are displayed in settings that are as natural as possible.

The emphasis at Salmonier Nature Park is on quality, not quantity. Unless an animal can be displayed well, it is not displayed at all. Most display animals come to the Park injured and unreleasable. Because of the naturalistic displays and the need to balance the needs of the animal and the desire of people to see them, the Park does not guarantee that the animals will be 100% visible. Most visitors see about 80% of the animals.

Upgrading of the nature trails continues and as of 1998, the trail is 100% boardwalk. This will make the park more accessible to families using strollers and people using wheelchairs. 

Aside from the 40 hectares of the park containing the nature trails and animal displays, there is an additional 1415 hectares which is undeveloped. This area, which abuts the Avalon Wilderness Reserve, includes mature boreal forest, barrens, peatlands and the headwaters of Salmonier River. Within the park, 84 species of birds, 15 species of mammals and over 170 species of vascular plants have been recorded. The area affords splendid opportunities for field research in a well protected and managed environment.

Where The Park Fits In

Salmonier Nature Park, its environmental education and wildlife care/research programs are a section of the Inland Fish and Wildlife Division of the Department of Environment and Conservation. Funding is nearly 100% provided by the provincial government. 

Conclusion

The most important message for the Park to communicate to visitors is that people are just one part of an intricate, interdependent natural system. With the incredible power people have to influence natural systems comes great responsibility. The job of Salmonier Nature Park is to help people think in those terms!