Danger In Newfoundland

Loss of habitat, pollution, and human interference. These are all very real threats to the well-being of plants and animals across the globe. The provincial government has taken steps to protect nine species in our own backyard by adding them to Newfoundland and Labrador's Endangered Species Act. These species include six plants, one lichen, and two birds, several of which appear in only a few known locations on the island.

Male Bobolink, one of two species of birds recently added to the Endangered Species Act

In 2008, the Gmelins Watercrowfoot was reported to have only 250 individuals left in Newfoundland with the most notable population being found in the shallow backwater of Robinson's River on the southwest corner of the island. Also on the list are Griscom's Arnica and Wooly Arnica, two flowering plants of the Sunflower family, the latter of which is found in only two known locations near Port aux Choix.

Birds include the Grey-cheeked Thrush, which has seen a population decline of 11.5 percent since the 1960s, and the colorful Bobolink (pictured above) which normally summers on the South Coast.

These species join others such as the Common Nighthawk, Piping Plover, and American Marten on the endangered species list of Newfoundland.

Endangered

• Gmelin's Water-crowfoot (Ranunculus gmelinii)
• Griscom's Arnica (Arnica griscomii subsp. griscomii)
• Wooly Arnica (Arnica angustifolia subsp. tomentosa)

Threatened

• The Newfoundland Gray-cheeked Thrush (Catharus minimus minimus)
• Sharpleaf Aster (Oclemena acuminata)
• Trandescant's Aster (Symphyotrichum tradescantii)

Vulnerable

• Blue Felt Lichen (Degelia plumbea)
• Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus)
• Water Pygmyweed (Tillaea aquatica)

Species at risk in Newfoundland - Department of Environment and Conservation