Quebec/ eastern region ( Atlantic )
Quebec • New Brunswick • Nova Scotia • Prince Edward Island • Newfoundland and Labrador
volume 31, number 2, 2010
Plants studied for waterfowl management
P
Plant inventories were conducted last summer in 29 marshes managed by Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) in the south of Quebec, as part of a research project by Geneviève Courchesne, a Master’s student in plant biology at Université Laval, under the direction of Monique Poulin of the Peat Ecology Research Group and Marcel Darveau, head of the Boreal Research and Conservation section at DUC Quebec. The project’s goal is to gain a better understanding of plant dynamics to ensure better management of waterfowl marsh habitats in southern Quebec. An important phase of this project is the collection of marsh data. Twenty-nine Quebec marshes, from one to 32 ha and totalling over 300 ha, were inventoried between June and September 2009. An impressive number of 178 vascular plant species were identified at 291 sampling areas. Some areas contained up to 21 plant species. Some were typical marsh plants, such as cattails, broad-fruited bur-reed, ranula and potamogeton. Other species are usually associated with farmland and have infiltrated marshes: Canada goldenrod, bluegrass, buttercup and tufted vetch. Geneviève Courchesne is now analyzing the statistics to determine the main plant communities in these marshes and then determine the local factors and landscape factors that govern the plant communities. The project, scheduled to end in August 2011, will help review and enhance DUC’s wetland monitoring and maintenance programs. S
The Côte-de-Beaupré Wetland Centre of Excellence
F
For almost four years, every fall and spring, students from Mont-Sainte-Anne High School have explored the marshes of the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area on the banks of the St. Lawrence River, 50 kilometres east of Quebec City. They participate in many interesting hands-on activities organized by the Wetland Centre of Excellence (WCE) that has formed at their school. This project began in 2006 when a teacher from Mont-Sainte-Anne High School joined forces with staff from the Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area and Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), along with members of the Association des amis du cap Tourmente. From that association a partnership grew, along with a plan to engage young people in the study and conservation of local wetlands. DUC with the support of Green Street (Ma rue Verte) and other local sponsors has developed 10 Wetland Centres of Excellence with high schools across Canada. Mont-Sainte-Anne High School was the first and to date only French-language WCE. The project has grown every year, and now all Grade 7 and 8 students take part in field activities related to wetlands. Programs include discovery and hands-on experiences, and meetings with scientists, all centered on developing an understanding and interest in conserving the environment. The early success of the program and the excellent partnership that developed led to the official project launch in spring 2009 under the name Centre d’excellence des milieux humides Côte-de-Beaupré (Côte-de-Beaupré Wetlands Centre of Excellence). The WCE even has its own logo! This project is now well established and the members of the steering committee team are eagerly planning their future. The WCE’s mission is to educate and raise awareness among students, teachers and the general public by using a scientific approach based on field experience that will empower them to take
actions to preserve and conserve wetlands, for both current and future generations. The nine-member team (managers, teachers, naturalists, biologists and volunteers) has three subcommittees including program development, communications and funding. Currently, the Côte-de-Beaupré WCE has two educational programs. In the À la découverte des milieux humides (Discovering Wetlands) program, Grade 7 students each fall undertake studies about the organisms living in marsh habitats. Then, in the spring they take part in a marsh water quality analysis activity. In the second program, Passons à l’action pour les milieux humides (Let’s do something for the wetlands), Grade 8 students build nest boxes (for wood ducks and other species) and join in a geocaching treasure hunt on a wetlands theme. Highly interactive and innovative, the Côte-de-Beaupré WCE is currently developing its future website, along with lesson plans featuring wetlands for a variety of subjects (French, English, mathematics, science). Teachers will be able to access these resources on the WCE website. To date, the Côte-de-Beaupré WCE project has helped raise awareness about wetlands for 1,000 students and teachers, who will be better equipped to deal with the environmental issues that threaten their community. This project could never have reached this scale without the financial support of its many partners. The team extends its thanks to the Caisses populaires Desjardins de la Côte-de-Beaupré et de L'Île-d’Orléans, the Fondation des Premières Seigneuries, Forces Avenir, Ma rue Verte, Shell, the Telus community investment program and the Côte-de-Beaupré local development centre. Their support has helped to empower young people to discover the importance of taking action for nature. S
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 )
Restoring salt marshes
I
In Atlantic Canada, 65 per cent of salt marshes (85 per cent in the Upper Bay of Fundy region) have been altered or destroyed. As these coastal salt marshes are lost, so are their significant benefits including mitigating the effects of floods, moderating climate change through carbon sequestration and providing habitat for waterfowl, fish and other wildlife. Recently, there has been increasing interest by government agencies, conservation organizations and the public to promote the restoration of salt marsh systems. However, the ecology of salt marshes and the best method to restore them is poorly understood, particularly at the head of the Bay of Fundy. As salt marsh restoration activities increase throughout the Maritimes, a better understanding of physical and biological processes and anticipated outcomes is becoming even more important to ensure that appropriate restoration techniques are implemented that provide strong return on investment. Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), along with numerous partners, is involved in a three-year project to help restore salt marsh habitat on the Beausejour Marshlands at Aulac, N.B. Forty acres of salt marsh habitat will be restored as the habitat now lies in front of a new coastal dike that was built and moved inland. The area is protected from tidal influence on the Bay of Fundy by older, smaller and eroding dikes constructed in the early 1960s.
The project includes a strong commitment to long-term monitoring and research to assess project outcomes. DUC and its partners will be testing several approaches including the controlled, systematic breaching of the original outer dike, which will allow for tidal exchange that will restore the salt marsh. The objective of the project is to plan, monitor and evaluate the salt marsh restoration to develop a “best practice” guide for future dike realignments in the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Partners in this project are New Brunswick Department of Transportation, New Brunswick Department of Agriculture, Government of Canada – Small Craft Harbours Division and Ducks Unlimited Canada. S
State Funding Program shows the strength of partnership
S
Since the mid-1960s, many U.S. states have had duck stamp programs that provide funding for waterfowl conservation. The recognition of the need to invest resources in Canada, where waterfowl are largely produced, resulted in the development of the State Funding Program. The program is a partnership between Ducks Unlimited (DU) in Canada and the U.S., many states, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and Canadian waterfowl conservation partners. Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) works closely with all partners under this program to develop innovative and targeted wetland conservation programs that benefit waterfowl. The strength of this program is its ability to leverage the state contributions with funding from other partners. The State Funding Program has grown over the years with state contribution to the Canadian DU program fluctuating between US$2.3 and US$3 million per year. In Atlantic Canada, support for DUC’s conservation program comes from Delaware, Massachusetts and North Carolina. These states are supporting delivery of the overall conservation programs in the Maritime provinces including wetlands restoration, retention and management. DUC is fortunate in having developed strong support from these states that has resulted in five- and 10-year funding agreements. They contribute US$132,000 annually to key high-priority conservation actions in Atlantic Canada. In Quebec, support comes from the states of Georgia, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont and West Virginia. States typically invest in large high-priority conservation projects in Quebec.
An example of a small wetland restored in the Nova Scotia agricultural landscape that benefit waterfowl. The project was supported by the State of Delaware, which recently signed a 10-year funding agreement to continue these types of wetland restoration. For example, Georgia, New York, New Jersey and Vermont have been funding the South River Restoration Project focused on securing and restoring key wetlands along the rivière du Sud. Since 2003 this project has secured 940 acres with an overall investment of US$1.6 million. West Virginia is currently supporting securement of critical estuarine wetlands at the Battures de Beaupré and Pennsylvania is supporting the restoration of the 2,400-acre Baie Lavallière project. The State Funding Program is a model of successful international waterfowl management. Where else have you heard of co-operation among states, federal governments, private conservation organizations from both Canada and the U.S., provinces and other partners? It rarely happens but when it does, as in this program, everyone wins – especially the ducks. S
Ed and Nancy Christie named top citizens in New Brunswick village
T
Two longtime Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) volunteers are now the Citizens of the Year in Harvey, N.B. Ed and Nancy Christie have a long history of volunteering in their community and according to people in their home town, they are very deserving of the accolades. “The big thing with Ed and Nancy is they jump in with both feet when it comes to volunteering their time,” says Stuart Blair, a longtime friend and chairman of DUC’s provincial council in New Brunswick. “They are very enthusiastic and dedicated. When they get involved with any project in the community they just make things happen. They are always coming up with new ideas to raise the bar.” He points out the Christies have been involved with Ducks Unlimited Canada for 20 years. Ed is the donations chair for the local fundraising dinner while Nancy is the chair of the ticket committee for the annual event. Their community involvement does not stop there, and the couple has a long volunteer resumé including decades spent coaching baseball, producing television programs for the local cable channel, raising money for the local recreation centre, tutoring children, sitting on the library board and teaching hunter safety classes. The Christies say helping out is something that comes naturally for people in the small town of Harvey, about 35 minutes outside of Fredericton. “Harvey certainly is a giving community and we raise about $40,000 each year for Ducks Unlimited,” says Nancy Christie, pointing out the Harvey event is among the top fundraising dinners. “Our dinners are very, very successful. We are a small community and to be in the top three, that is a real feather in our community’s cap.” The community leaders kept the Christies in the dark about their nomination and subsequent win. They resorted to using a bit of trickery to convince the dedicated couple to volunteer their talents at the community’s New Year’s Levee – the party to honour the Citizens of the Year. Nancy says she was asked to unveil a plaque while Ed was asked to videotape the event. “Every time we saw the mayor, he kept saying ‘Are you coming to the Levee?’ and we didn’t even clue in to it. We were totally surprised when they announced our name,” she says with a chuckle. “It’s the first time they have ever done this award in the village of Harvey so it is quite a big honour to us to be named.” Ducks Unlimited Canada congratulates Ed and Nancy Christie for their hard work, dedication and commitment to the community of Harvey. 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: Krista Elliott Quebec: Bernard Filion Ontario: Joanne Barbazza Western Region Prairie-Western Boreal: Marci Dube British Columbia: Wendy Thatcher Flyway production staff Director of Marketing: Madeleine Arbez Editor: Duncan Morrison Assistant: Deb Menard Art Director: Tye Gregg Graphic Designers: Christa Edwards, Lindsay Pikta-Marie, Aquila Samson, Jeope Wolfe © Ducks Unlimited Canada, 2010 Printed in Canada on 100% recycled paper including 100% post-consumer fibres
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 Duska Frink (888) 920-3330 Fundraising Manager, Nova Scotia James Young (888) 557-5554 Newfoundland and Labrador Kelly Sandoval (877) 243-8257 Fundraising
Citizens of the Year, Ed and Nancy Christie.
Québec (West) Bernard Filion
(800) 565-1650 ext.15
Greenwing Liaison Kim Votour
(888) 920-3330 ext. 3
publication agreement #40064849