July 19, 2010 Telegraph-Journal Conservation group wants to protect Restigouche River Benjamin Shingler From its source in the Appalachian Mountains of northwestern New Brunswick to the Chaleur Bay, long stretches of the Restigouche River remain virtually untouched, and a conservation group wants to keep it that The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society is spearheading a move to preserve the Restigouche River Watershed, which it calls "one of the most spectacular wildernesses in eastern Canada . The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society is spearheading a movement to preserve the river watershed, it calls "one of the most spectacular wildernesses in eastern Canada ." "We still have the ability to protect it," said Roberta Clowater, executive director for the New Brunswick Chapter of CPAWS. The river system is shared between New Brunswick and Quebec , with several of its tributaries flowing south from the Gaspé Peninsula . Because more than three quarters of the Restigouche River watershed is on Crown land, Clowater said both the New Brunswick and Quebec governments have a unique opportunity to preserve it. In New Brunswick , there is currently a 30-metre buffer around river systems that prohibits logging or mining. But Clowater said that restriction is mainly to preserve water quality, and doesn't take into consideration the habitat needs of wildlife such as Canada lynx, American marten, and barred owls. Matt Jones, spokesman for the Department of Natural Resources, said in an email there are "rigorous standards employed to protect all watercourses and wetlands during forest harvesting activities." He said the water quality and aquatic habitat protection standards for Crown land meet, and often exceed, those required by the province's clean water act. "Furthermore, our standards for Crown land require wider buffers to protect water quality where stream banks are steep and to maintain esthetic appeal on many lakes and rivers," he said. Jones said that no one from the department was available Friday to comment on the concerns regarding wildlife raised by Clowater. The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society wants to designate the wildest portions of the watershed, roughly 10 per cent or 100,000 hectares, as a protected natural area. Forest management plans, Clowater said, show that most uncut areas of the Restigouche will be logged within 10 years. The designation would prohibit logging, mining and new roads, while permitting activities such as hunting, fishing and camping. Although forestry is a major economic generator for the region, Clowater argued the move could actually help northern New Brunswick by bringing it recognition as an eco-tourism destination. "We think it could be really valuable from an economic diversification perspective, to be able to say we have areas that we are protecting," she said. It would be a complement to Mount Carleton provincial park, she said, which is south of the river system. André Arpin, a canoe outfitter based on the Kedgwick River , a tributary of the Restigouche, said preserving the watershed would help his company. "Our business is geared toward the environment," he said. "We want it to become a protected area. That would at least save some of the rivers." Many Restigouche communities are supported by canoeing, hunting, trapping and angling, Clowater said. Angling alone is worth at least $20 million and hundreds of jobs to the region, and wild Atlantic salmon must be preserved for that to continue, she said. Clowater said she wants to make conserving the Restigouche an election issue. The New Brunswick chapter of CPAWS is collecting a petition, which so far has more than 3,300 signatures, and plans to present it to Premier Shawn Graham prior to the September election.