December 11, 2019
To Whom It May Concern:
Letter of Support
BAWG Expansion of Coverage Area
The Rural Municipality of Belfast consists of the communities of Melville, Iona, Gairloch, Eldon, Flat River, Belfast, Orwell Cove, Lower Newtown, Mount Buchanan, Mount Vernon, Pinette, South Pinette, Roseberry, Valley, Ocean View, Belle River, Wood Islands, and Point Prim.
As noted above, the community of Lower Newtown is within our district; however, at present, this geographical area falls outside the jurisdiction of the Belfast Area Watershed Group (BAWG).
The Rural Municipality of Belfast has been very supportive of BAWG and the work they are doing in our region, and has provided financial support to fund a student position for the last two summer restoration seasons.
The Newtown River watershed is adjacent to the current boundary of BAWG. Inclusion of the Newtown River watershed would enable BAWG to provide environmental stewardship and encapsulate an area whereby landowners that now support BAWG could take advantage of their restoration services.
There is much community support for the work that BAWG has been performing since 2017; whether directly from the Municipality or from members of the community that serves on the BAWG Board or as volunteers for the various initiatives that BAWG undertakes for the protection of our ecosystem and the services that it provides to our entire region.
With that, we strongly support BAWG in its application for expanding its services further into the Municipality’s coverage area, specifically that of the Orwell and Newtown river watersheds.
Sincerely
Garth Gillis – Mayor
Rural Municipality of Belfast