An area known as Charlie’s Place, situated in the Gander Lake area in Central Newfoundland, is revealing secrets of ecological and cultural importance.
A team of researchers and land guardians led by members of the Qalipu First Nation and Dr. Yolanda Wiersma, a Department of Biology landscape ecologist who focuses on conservation and biodiversity of lichens at Memorial University, has documented a rare concentration of lichen species and evidence of longstanding Indigenous ties to the land.
In its first major study, the team discovered 175 species of lichens not previously documented in the region, including several new to the province — and even one new to Canada.
The paper, which made the cover of The Bryologist, is one of the journal’s most-read articles.
The group’s newest paper, appearing in Northeastern Naturalist, documents the presence of blue felt lichen, a species at risk across Canada.
“I haven’t seen anything like it before.”
The team counted more than 1,000 individual blue felt lichens (Pectenia plumbea) in Charlie’s Place during fieldwork last year.
The figure represents more than 20 per cent of the known Canadian population.
“These lichens are large and quite charismatic,” Dr. Wiersma explained. “We have documented hundreds on a single tree, especially in stands of aspen. I haven’t seen anything like it before.
“In biology, we refer to charismatic megafauna when describing large, cuddly animals that the general public has affinity for. Lichen folks think of some lichens as more charismatic, or showy and eye-catching, than others,” she added.
1/ Blue felt lichen
A blue felt lichen (Pectenia plumbea) growing on a maple tree (Acer sp.) in Charlie’s Place. Most of the blue felt lichen in Charlie’s Place grows on trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides), but a few have been found on maples.
2/ Lobaria pulmonaria
An example of the lush lung lichen (Lobaria pulmonaria) dripping off a balsam fir branch in Charlie’s Place.
3/ Vulpicida pinastri
This attractive lichen is known as the powdered sunshine lichen (Vulpicida pinastri) likes to live in sunny places and is common on the ends of branches of trees and shrubs.
Community collaboration
The collaboration that led to these discoveries began when Justin Hodge, a land and river guardian for Qalipu First Nation, invited Dr. Wiersma to Charlie’s Place in 2023.
The area, named after Mr. Hodge’s ancestor Charlie Francis, spans approximately 120 square kilometres.
“There’s something about that place,” he said. “The forest is dripping with life, lichens everywhere. We knew it was special.”
Finding the lichen species takes skill and intuition, Mr. Hodge says.
“We’re basically out there looking for a four-leaf clover. But once you find the right tree, the bark, the shape, the moisture, you know there’s more nearby.”
Riley Henniffent, Dr. Wiersma’s graduate student who has been working in Charlie’s Place this summer, says while growing up in Grand Falls-Windsor, he was “astonished” by the unique diversity and the gigantic trees so close to his home.
“It’s like visiting another planet,” he said. “This process has taught me about Newfoundland and Labrador ecosystems, Indigenous culture and history.”
Two-eyed seeing
The team conducting fieldwork in Charlie’s Place uses a “two-eyed seeing” approach, co-developed by Elder Dr. Alberta Marshall, Murdena Marshall and Western scientist Dr. Cheryl Bartlett in 2012.
The approach blends Indigenous knowledge with Western science, weaving Indigenous and mainstream knowledge within science educational curricula and other science arenas when participants include recognized holders of traditional ecological knowledge.
The goal of their research is not only ecological understanding, but to reconnect with traditional stories and uses of the land, says Mr. Hodge.
“For generations, my grandfather and other Mi’kmaw people hunted caribou here. Now we understand the caribou were surviving on these very lichens.”
The area also carries deep historical weight.
It includes sites linked to the Beothuk, Maritime Archaic and Mi’kmaw peoples.
Natasha Jones, a Mi’kmaw graduate student in the Department of Archaeology, co-supervised by Drs. Barry Gaulton and Scott Neilsen, is doing field research in Charlie’s Place to document traditional use and occupancy.
The focus of her graduate research is locating and documenting Mi’kmaw sites in the central region of the island.
“Everything I was told as legend and story growing up is becoming real, in front of my eyes,” said Mr. Hodge.
Recognition and protection
With only 20 per cent of Charlie’s Place surveyed to date, the team believes even more discoveries lie ahead.
Dr. Wiersma installed humidity sensors to better understand why the region fosters such rich biodiversity.
Additional surveys are planned through 2025 with new students and researchers joining the effort.
The long-term goal is to establish Charlie’s Place as an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area.
Dr. Wiersma says it could become a Key Biodiversity Area.
While that won’t offer full protection, she says it’s a step toward national recognition.
“It’s about healing, learning and protecting what’s ours for the next generation.”
The forest has seen human activity in the past, some from logging in the 1950s, but has since rebounded.
The team even found remnants of Mr. Hodge’s grandfather’s logging camp — a full-circle moment linking ecology and heritage.
“You can have traditional and human activities and still have a healthy ecosystem,” Dr. Wiersma said. “That’s the lesson here.”
More than lichen
For the researchers, the work is about more than science.
“Lichen may seem like just moss on trees, but they play vital roles in ecosystems,” said Denika Kelly, manager of environment and natural resources with the Qalipu First Nation. “Everything out there serves a purpose, even if we don’t fully understand it yet.”
For Mr. Hodge, the collaboration is deeply personal.
“To walk in the steps of my ancestors and watch this place reveal its secrets is a privilege. Yolanda and I come from different backgrounds, but we’ve built a bond out here in the woods.”
Dr. Wiersma echoes the sentiment.
She says she’s learned as much from Mr. Hodge and the team as they say they’ve learned from her.
“It’s been a joy,” she said.
The team returned for another fieldwork season this spring.
With a master’s student who joined in May and plans for long-term forest monitoring, Charlie’s Place will be a living laboratory for both biology students and community members.
“It’s more than research,” Mr. Hodge said. “It’s about healing, learning and protecting what’s ours for the next generation.”
