Wetlands part of rancher’s environmental sustainability
western Region prairies
Below: Erika and Christoph Weder, on their ranch in northwest Alberta’s Peace region.
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You’ve heard the catch-phrase “Where’s the beef?” If you ask Christoph and Erika Weder, a better question is “Where’s the beef from?” At Spirit View Ranch, the beef comes from a property with more than 100 restored wetlands and over 1,200 acres of grassland and forest protected under conservation easements. It comes from a place where the landowners believe in sustainable land management practices and biodiversity, not hormones and antibiotics. On this ranch in the Peace region in northwest Alberta, the Weders not only share their property with cattle, but also countless species of wildlife and fauna. That wasn’t the case when they took over operations in 2003 and found most of the wetlands were drained. With a philosophy of working with nature, the Weders partnered with Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) to restore the wetlands – a concept not well understood in the Peace area given that wetland drainage and woodlot liquidation there continues at an extraordinary rate.
Conservator | spring 2012
The Weders saw the benefits of conservation and building management practices around existing natural resources. “They’re shallow wetlands, so really good habitat for ducks and geese,” says Christoph Weder. He explains that their wetlands are a hidden insurance policy during dry years. Even though the wetlands are empty of visible water, they potentially grow the best grass on the range, which the Weders can use. The approach is proving valuable. In the last number of years the Peace area has experienced drought conditions. Through wetland restoration and good forage management, the Weders adapt to the conditions and continue ranching successfully. Their efforts have not gone unnoticed. Recently, the Alberta Beef Producers honoured Christoph with their 2012 Environmental Stewardship Award. The Weders are proud of this award because, “it gives us a platform to say some of the things we have been saying for years.”
right: ©DUC/Chuck Deschamps
Municipal leaders call for change “Unbelievable.” That’s how Harvey Malanowich recalls the spring of 2011 when his municipality experienced unprecedented flooding. As the Reeve of the Rural Municipality of Sliding Hills in east-central Saskatchewan (SK), Malanowich adds, “We had 98 roads wash out in our municipality alone.” You can’t control Mother Nature, but one thing that made the spring flood worse was controllable. Draining wetlands makes flooding worse. It reduces or eliminates a watershed’s ability to store water during peak water movement, exacerbating floods like last spring’s. Local leaders are speaking up about wetland drainage and the resulting damages flooding is causing. The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM), representing 296 rural municipalities across the province, recently passed a resolution to lobby the Saskatchewan government to enforce provincial land drainage legislation. “Unlicensed drainage is having a profound effect on downstream landowners and infrastructure throughout Saskatchewan,” says Brent Kennedy, manager of provincial operations for DUC in Saskatchewan. “This resolution recognizes the danger and hardship drainage causes both municipalities and landowners. DUC congratulates SARM on taking this step towards ensuring unlicensed drainage stops.”
Stemming the tide of wetland drainage is challenging in a province with one of the highest wetland loss rates in the country. Twenty-eight acres of wetlands are lost every day in southern Saskatchewan alone and it needs to stop. The cost of doing nothing is too high. Last year’s flood made a huge dent in the province’s pocketbook. In its 2011-2012 mid-year financial report, the province estimated flooding costs to be in excess of $240 million, in large part due to expenses like disaster claims and emergency highway repairs. The recent SARM resolution is crucial in preserving wetlands now and into the future, and reducing the damage that is being caused throughout Saskatchewan. Malanowich agrees it’s a step in the right direction. “If we keep losing wetlands at this rate, we’ll have nothing left,” he says. “Illegal drainage of wetlands needs to stop. I don’t want to see another spring like that again.”
“John was such a special man. I admired him for taking interest in so many aspects of life, and for his ability to apply his personal values and passion to help influence and improve things. He was so passionate about preserving and protecting our natural environment, which makes the creation of this legacy fund honouring his thoughtful philanthropy and advocacy so appropriate.”
western Region prairies
New interpretive wetland open for business The boardwalks are complete. The signs are in place. The John E. Poole Wetland is now open to the public. The John E. Poole Conservation Fund was established in 2009. This fund’s first commitment was creating this commemorative interpretive site north of Edmonton. John E. Poole was a former co-owner of PCL in Edmonton, and the John E. Poole Conservation Fund is an ongoing tribute to honour his love
for the outdoors, youth education, passion for conservation and philanthropic nature that inspired him to give so generously to others in his community. This interpretive area is located on a small wetland adjacent to Big Lake and within Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park. Big Lake is a globally significant Important Bird Area, because of its abundant and diverse bird population especially waterfowl and shorebirds.
– Ross Grieve, Chairnan, PCL Construction Holdings Ltd.
The John E. Poole Wetland brings visitors of all ages closer to wetlands. Equipped with dipping platforms and educational signage, the site is also a new field trip destination for the award-winning Ducks Unlimited Canada education program Project Webfoot.
Conservator | spring 2012
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International students tour Manitoba wetlands Seventeen agroecology students from around the world studied a watershed first-hand as part of a tour of wetland restoration sites and farms that employ best water management practices. Organized by Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), in association with the University of Manitoba, the tour included the Lizard Lake wetland project and Richardson International’s Kelburn Farm. Lizard Lake is located about 10 kilometres northeast of Manitou, Man. The lake occupies a natural basin, which fills in spring or during high rainfall periods. Attempts to drain the area have failed and there is ongoing conflict between those trying to farm the land and those trying to maintain the wetland as valuable habitat for waterfowl and wildlife. Although the project worked successfully for almost 30 years, problems are arising because of additional wetlands being drained upstream of the lake. This drainage significantly increases water flows. Lizard Lake is an example is the wider problem of wetland drainage altering natural water cycles and contributing to extreme problems with water management. The students from Canada, Holland, France, Austria and Sweden also visited the Sustainable Land Use Centre at Richardson International’s Kelburn Farm south of Winnipeg. Kelburn is one of three Sustainable Land Use Centres across the Prairies. A partnership between Richardson International and DUC, the sites provide outdoor learning opportunities and are extension-education centres for farmers and other local groups. DUC outfitted the sites to demonstrate the practical application of beneficial management practices, which producers can use to avoid environmental problems and enhance habitat and resources on their land. Projects like the Sustainable Land Use Centre at Kelburn Farm and the Lizard Lake wetland project help educate about the importance of protecting the health of our watersheds.
Above: Attendees gather at the Sustainability at Sunrise breakfast. Right: Don McCabe, president of the Soil Conservation Council addresses the group.
Sustainability at Sunrise Agricultural lands produce more than food. If properly managed, they provide us with a host of benefits such as clean water, capturing and storing carbon, and providing habitat for wildlife. The Soil Conservation Council of Canada, Nutrients for Life Canada and Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) share an interest in developing and adopting best practices that ensure a safe and nutritious food supply and a healthy environment. That’s why for the past three years they have jointly hosted the Sustainability at Sunrise breakfast during CropLife Canada’s Grow Canada Conference. With this year’s sponsored breakfast in Winnipeg, the hope was to build new partnerships with the approximately 200 industry, government and academic conference attendees who got up early to hear why sustainability in agriculture is important. During the breakfast, Soil Conservation Council of Canada president Don McCabe announced they will host the 6th World Congress on Conservation Agriculture in Winnipeg in 2014 with Conservation Agriculture Systems Alliance. The Congress will welcome world industry, academic and producer leaders in conservation agriculture. It will provide Canadians with a chance to show the world our progress in conservation agriculture and learn from the experiences of other countries. “We want to broaden the congress audience to include producers,” says McCabe. “Farmers have led the conversion from conventional (farming) to no-till in Canada, and we want to provide opportunities for them to tell their story and also be stimulated by new ideas from around the world.”
Conservator | spring 2012
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