Wolastoq / Saint John River Priority Place
Wolastoq is the traditional and unceded territory of the Wolastoqiyik, Wəlastəkewiyik / Maliseet whose ancestors along with the Mi’Kmaq / Mi’kmaw and Passamaquoddy / Peskotomuhkati Tribes / Nations signed Peace and Friendship Treaties with the British Crown in the 1700s. It includes the beautiful and bountiful Wəlastəkw | Saint-Jean | Saint John River and its surrounding watershed.
The Wolastoqiyik/ Wəlastəkokewiyik are the Indigenous people of the Wolastoq/ Wəlastəkw watershed and adjacent areas.
Their traditional territory encompasses lands as well as marine and fresh waters from the Bay of Fundy in the south to the St. Lawrence River in the north. This large territory includes parts of the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Québec as well as northeastern Maine in the United States.
Read more about the history of the Wolastoqiyik/ Wəlastəkokewiyik
Named “Wolastoq,” or “the good and bountiful” river by Wolastoqiyik people, the Saint John River’s connection with this First Nation dates back 10,000 years. This historic waterway was an important transportation route for a long time for the Wolastoqiyik people, then later for the European explorers and then as a highway for commercial goods and services throughout the history of New France and Upper and Lower Canada.
The Wolastoq / Saint John River contains productive riparian areas, freshwater wetlands, and intact forests. This area is among the most diverse in Atlantic Canada.
This Priority Place is in the traditional unceded territory of the Wolastoqiyik “People of the beautiful and bountiful river”. There are 6 Wolastoqiyey communities here.
The Wolastoq / Saint John River hosts the highest densities of Species at Risk in New Brunswick, including some of the province’s rarest species. There are 37 terrestrial species at risk in the Wolastoq / Saint John River. There are 84 priority bird species from the Bird Conservation Region Strategies (BCR 14) in this Priority Place.
Working together to conserve Species at Risk in the Wolastoq / Saint John River Priority Place