DUC, Acadia University & Irving Oil Ltd. Celebrate Official Opening Of BEAUBASSIN Research Station

AULAC, NB — Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), along with partners Acadia University and Irving Oil Ltd, officially opened the BEAUBASSIN Research Station today in Aulac, New Brunswick. Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Honourable David Alward, Premier of New Brunswick offered congratulations at the opening. Also in attendance was the Honourable Keith Ashfield, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.

Through this partnership, not only has the original house located on the property been restored to a research facility, but freshwater and salt marshes are in the process of being restored as well. The BEAUBASSIN Research Station is located among the Beausejour Marshes, where research on coastal wetlands will provide conservation agencies a greater understanding of how these wetlands function and how they may offset climate changes by buffering high tides and storm surges. This research could prove to be a major key in aiding coastal communities to adapt to the effects of climate change.

“Ducks Unlimited Canada, along with BEAUBASSIN Research Station partners, is delighted to officially open this first-class meeting place for ecological research,” said Tom Worden, DUC President. “This research station will serve as a facility for conservationists to collaborate on wetland and waterfowl issues that are of the utmost significance, with the goal of developing an internationally recognized centre for coastal and wetland research and historical discovery.”

“We are proud to celebrate the opening of BEAUBASSIN,” said Arthur Irving, Chairman of Irving Oil. “Over fifteen years ago Irving Oil partnered with Ducks Unlimited in the work of creating a research centre and meeting place at BEAUBASSIN. Irving Oil’s long standing commitment to the protection of the environment is further realized in the research focus of BEAUBASSIN. At the crossroads of the three Maritime provinces, students and faculty from Acadia University and other universities are welcomed here to better understand the historical, geographical and environmental significance of the area and the ways it has shaped our past, present and future.”

“Acadia is pleased to partner with Ducks Unlimited Canada and Irving Oil on the important coastal research being conducted at BEAUBASSIN,” said Ray Ivany, President and Vice-Chancellor of Acadia University. “I want to thank both Irving Oil and Ducks Unlimited Canada for making this unparalleled facility available to our faculty and students for important research that is measuring the resilience of the BEAUBASSIN salt marsh ecosystem under changes brought about by humans and the environment.”

Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is the leader in wetland conservation. A registered charity, DUC partners with government, industry, non-profit organizations and landowners to conserve wetlands that are critical to waterfowl, wildlife and the environment. Learn more at ducks.ca.

Acadia University, in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, has long been recognized as one of Canada’s premier post-secondary institutions. With its nationally and internationally recognized undergraduate and graduate research initiatives, small classes and technology-rich teaching and learning environment, Acadia offers students an experience that includes academic achievement combined with personal growth and development. Acadia also offers distance learning, certificate programs, language training and other university extension programs through Open Acadia. For more information about Acadia University, visit our website at www.acadiau.ca.

Irving Oil was founded in 1924 and is a privately owned regional refining and marketing company with a history of long-term partnerships and relationships. Irving Oil operates Canada’s largest refinery, in Saint John NB, which is located 65 miles north of the US border and has reached production rates in excess of 300,000 barrels per day. The refinery exports over 80 per cent of its production to the US and accounts for 75 per cent of Canada’s gasoline exports to the US and 19 per cent of all US gasoline imports. In 2003, Irving Oil became the first oil company to receive a US Environmental Protection Agency Clean Air Excellence Award, for its clean gasoline. For more information about Irving Oil, visit https://www.irvingoil.com/

For more information, please contact:

Krista Elliott
Communications Coordinator – Atlantic region
Ducks Unlimited Canada
Office: (902) 667-8726
Cell: (902) 664-6136
[email protected]