flyway-atlantic-2008-29-01 by Ducks Unlimited Canada

Quebec/ eastern region ( Atlantic )

Quebec • New Brunswick • Nova Scotia • Prince Edward Island • Newfoundland and Labrador

volume 29, number 1, 2008

Ducks Unlimited Canada brings new Eider Initiative co-ordinator on board

As the Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) Eider Initiative heads into its fifth and final year, it does so without Dr. Katherine Mehl at the helm. Dr. Mehl has started a position as assistant professor, Department of Biology at the University of North Dakota. The Eider Initiative is a five-year research project designed to gather data on the common eider. Eiders, a coastal sea duck that has been admired by Newfoundlanders and Labradorians for the beauty of its male plumage, has experienced a significant decrease in the number of breeding pairs compared to its historic levels. The information collected from this study will be used by stakeholders to assess the health of the population and to guide future management decisions. Dr. Mehl was instrumental in not only getting the research project off the ground but also ensuring its ongoing success. “The passion and dedication that Katherine had for this project is something we at DUC appreciated,” says Tom Duffy, DUC’s manager of operations for the Atlantic provinces. To continue to oversee the research project, the company has hired a new coordinator for the Eider Initiative, Regina Wells. Originally from Goose Bay, N.L., Regina is a graduate of Carleton University and received a postgraduate certificate

from Niagara College in Ecosystem Restoration. For the past two years she has been co-ordinating various environmental education initiatives in P.E.I. Wells is no stranger to DUC. “I have been fortunate to have worked with this organization in the past,” she says. “First, in 2000 as a co-ordinator of a common goldeneye nest box project in Goose Bay, and later in 2004 as a biological technician for the Eider Initiative in Cartwright, N.L.” After returning from her first field season co-ordinating the project, Wells reflected, “I am grateful to have been chosen for a position where I am able to work in a field that I am passionate about – conservation. Over the summer I had the unique opportunity to obtain traditional knowledge from local people and to work in an area where viewing sea birds, bears, whales, icebergs and caribou is just another day at the office.”

This past season was another successful year of data collection for DUC field crews. They placed over 2,600 metal leg bands on adult and duckling common eiders at the Table Bay field site, located 60 km outside Cartwright in Labrador. While plans are already set in motion for the final year of the Eider Initiative, data collection is set to continue in the spring of 2008. S

Regina Wells, new co-ordinator of DUC's Eider Initiative.

From coveted land to promised land:

The Ruisseau de Feu wildlife management project

Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is very proud to announce that work has begun on the Ruisseau de Feu (Fire Creek) wildlife management project bordering Highway 40 at the eastern end of Montreal Island. This $1.3 million restoration project involves one of the few sites of interest for wildlife located in an urban environment, as it includes one of the last surviving flood plains in the Montreal area. The purpose of the DUC project, undertaken in co-operation with partners from the public and private sectors, is to preserve the existing natural habitats and to allow wildlife to make better use of the environment by offering a quality habitat for fish and waterfowl. Furthermore, this wildlife management site will be a valuable resource for the neighbouring population because of its recreational and educational potential. There are few remaining wetlands in urban centres and those that still exist are fragmented, thus considerably reducing wildlife habitat. The Ruisseau de Feu is a very precious resource and DUC felt it had to take action to preserve it, particularly because of the strong pressure exerted upon the area by residential and commercial development and the proximity of the highway system. DUC’s interest in this territory located on the Prairies River flood plain dates back to the mid-1980s. DUC has taken many steps to protect the habitat in order to ensure its preservation. The fruit of this labor materialized in 2004 when the Romano family decided to make a generous donation of 40 hectares of land to DUC, a gift valued at $935,000. The neighbouring lands were ceded to the City of Terrebonne, also as a donation, thus completing the 100-hectare site which will eventually comprise a conservation area set aside for wildlife and for recreational purposes. For wildlife managers, the stage was set for the ultimate step, the “sod turning” for the wildlife management area.

Primarily used for agriculture, the ruisseau de Feu also contains important spawning sites for yellow perch and is a nesting ground for waterfowl and for wild birds in general. However, agricultural practices and the highway system have greatly altered the quality of the habitat, as waterways have been straightened and marshes drained. Now, after the springtime flood waters quickly recede, this environment almost completely dries up, with the exception of the Ruisseau de Feu, thus limiting the possibility for wildlife to make use of the territory. The Ruisseau de Feu territory has great potential for wildlife use because of the rich habitats of the Prairies, Mille-Îles and de l’Assomption rivers, and because the area borders the St. Lawrence River. Fifteen species of fish can be found in the area, which includes major spawning grounds for northern pike and yellow perch. Approximately 60 bird species have been identified, including 30 breeding species and two species on the list of those likely to be designated endangered or vulnerable: the peregrine falcon and the sharp-tailed sparrow. Waterfowl inventories recorded the presence of Canada geese, northern pintails and mallards. Mammals living on the territory include muskrats, raccoons, beavers and white-tailed deer. Many types of reptiles and amphibians have also been observed. A plant colony likely to be declared endangered or vulnerable was also inventoried on the territory, especially on the banks of the Prairies River. The Ruisseau de Feu management plan is based on a regional analysis of the territory’s occupancy. The analysis shows that the region’s landscape is dominated by residential and commercial subdivisions as well as by intensive farming, to the detriment of wetlands, forests and sustainable agriculture. The conservation of what constitutes the last remaining flood plain of the northern

e a s t e r n r e g i o n ( q u e b e c / at l a n t i c )

suburbs surrounding Montreal will consolidate the historical landscape of the Ruisseau de Feu by creating a marsh and a swamp and by reestablishing the original woodland. The design parameters for the marsh and the swamp of the new wildlife management area will meet the habitat needs of fish, while providing waterfowl with an attractive site during their spring and fall migrations as well as during their breeding period. While slightly more than 20 years have elapsed from the biologists’ first visit to the Ruisseau de Feu area to the sod-turning ceremony marking the beginning of construction for the wildlife management project in the fall of 2007, the wait and the long-standing efforts have been worthwhile. Land which was coveted for its real estate and agricultural value is now land for nature, and the Ruisseau de Feu territory will someday be promoted to the Quebec natural heritage hall of fame. It will undoubtedly be one of the most spectacular restoration projects in Quebec over the next 10 years. In the meantime, the restoration and wildlife management team at DUC Quebec is proud to get down to work and is looking forward to seeing you in Terrebonne in a few months! S

New DUC Board member The Atlantic region of Ducks Unlimited (DUC) Canada welcomes a new director to the board. Doug MacDonald, former owner and operator of Neil’s Ambulance Service in Charlottetown, is DUC’s newest board member. MacDonald, who has served on many boards including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Foundation, and has sat as chair of the Queen’s Health Region, Emergency Medical Services and the People’s Cemetery board, now adds Canada’s

most trusted conservation company to that list. “I have always been involved in organizations that help the community to be a better place. DUC has always had a strong presence on P.E.I. It’s a recognizable organization that is committed to habitat and water conservation. When I was approached to sit on the board it seemed like a natural choice.” MacDonald will use his experience through business and volunteer work to facilitate DUC’s work on P.E.I.

Second Lieutenant Governor’s award for NL

The Honourable Edward Roberts, ONL, QC, Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador, presented the province’s second annual Lieutenant-Governor’s Greenwing Conservation Award to Terrence Downey and Neil Dollard. The men from Stephenville Crossing were presented with the award at Government House for their contributions to wetland conservation and education. “The work that we honour today with the Greenwing Award has improved our environment, and thus given us a better quality of life and a better sense of our place in the natural world,” His Honour said. Nominated by Chief Hayward Young Jr. of the Indian Head First Nation, Downey and Dollard have been conserving wetlands and educating the public for many years. In addition to being members of the Newfoundland and Labrador Piping Plover Recovery Team, the men helped convert an open cesspool into a productive habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife. Their conservation goals did not stop at the small pond, but also included the whole estuary that empties into Bay St. George. They also continue to educate youth groups and the general public on wetlands. Their work even put their community on the map for birdwatching when, in 2005, they discovered a western reef heron, a native of Africa. It was the first recorded sighting in Canada and only the second in North America. They passed this on to the world via the Internet and within days the community became a hotbed for birdwatchers. S

From left: Terry Downey, Neil Dollard, 2007 Lieutenant-Governor Award winners with Deanne Meadus, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) manager of conservation programs for the Atlantic provinces.

Longtime Ducks supporter joins Atlantic DUC staff

A longtime Ducks supporter has joined the Atlantic staff as the fundraising manager for Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Jamie Young from Truro, N.S., grew up as a member of the Greenwing program. “I have been around the Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) dinners since I was a little boy; my father was the chair of the Truro Committee and my mother was also a volunteer for several years,” Young says. Young will work out of his home office in Truro and can be seen at any of a number of DUC events in communities across Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. “I have a passion for the outdoors. I am always spending my free time hunting, fishing or hiking. I was working in the accounting field for the past 10 years, but I have always wanted a career related to conservation and the outdoors.” In Young’s role as the fundraising manager for Nova Scotia and P.E.I. he will be responsible for the co-ordination of nearly 300 volunteers who work on the behalf of DUC

to raise funds for the conservation program in Atlantic Canada. He can be reached by e-mail at j_young@ ducks.ca or by telephone at his office at 902-897-0491. S

quebec/ eastern Region ( atlantic )

The Flyway newsletter is published by Ducks Unlimited Canada Oak Hammock Marsh Conservation Centre P.O. Box 1160, Stonewall, Manitoba R0C 2Z0 tel (204)467-3000 fax (204)467-9028 toll-free 1(800)665-DUCK Please direct your inquiries to the following: Eastern Region Atlantic: Kelly MacDonald Quebec: Bernard Filion Ontario: Lynette Mader Marci Dube Western Region

Flyway production staff Director of Communications and Marketing: Madeleine Arbez Editor: Duncan Morrison Assistant: June Finnson Art Director: Tye Gregg Graphic Designers: Lindsay Pikta-Marie, Aquila Samson, Jeope Wolfe

Know your ducks!

Tom Duffy, Ducks Unlimited Canada’s manager of operations for the Atlantic provinces, teaches young people about waterfowl identification at the P.E.I. Department of Environment, Energy and Forestry’s eighth annual Youth Waterfowl Hunting Workshop. Over 100 youth took part in the workshop at the Charlottetown Trap and Skeet Club on Sept. 8. The full-day workshop included both classroom and hands-on instruction. Topics covered included waterfowl identification, blinds and decoys, duck and goose calling, hunter safety, bow hunting and outdoor survival skills. There was also an optional skeet shoot that the youth could participate in.

Area Contacts Manager of Provincial Operations, Atlantic Tom Duffy (866) 903-8257 ext.234 Manager of Provincial Operations, Québec Bernard Filion (800) 565-1650 ext.15 Fundraising Manager, Québec Jocelyn Landry (877) 551-5757 Fundraising Manager, New Brunswick Barry Burke (888) 920-3330 Fundraising Manager, Nova Scotia James Young (888) 557-5554 Newfoundland and Labrador Kelly Sandoval (877) 243-8257 Fundraising Québec (West) Pascal Desmedt

(877) 547-9494

Greenwing Liaisons Kim Votour

(888) 920-3330 ext. 3

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