By Canadian Press

Leave blueberries for animals, Parks Canada tells pickers on St. John’s landmark

Aug 13, 2021 | 10:28 AM

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — People in Newfoundland and Labrador’s capital are tossing their plastic buckets in exasperation after a request from Parks Canada to stop picking blueberries on Signal Hill.

The federal parks agency said in an emailed statement today the berries are an important food source for animals and insects in the area, adding that an abundant and untouched wild berry crop will only help these creatures survive.

Signal Hill overlooks downtown St. John’s and is home to a popular 1.7-kilometre hiking trail that winds around the back of the national historic site, through wide, rocky areas carpeted in low-lying blueberry bushes.

As the berries get plump each August, bent-over backsides of eager pickers are easy to spot off the trails and among the shrubs, but Parks Canada says pickers could potentially face danger on the site’s steep embankments and uneven ground.

Local grocery stories often sell white plastic buckets of beef floating in salty brine, and the buckets are a favoured container for berry picking due to their size and convenient handles.

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Many St. John’s residents on social media today reacted to the news with shock and confusion, with one person jokingly tweeting, “We ride at dawn.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2021.

The Canadian Press