eastern region (ontario)
volume 28, number 3, 2007
DUC fits another piece into the conservation puzzle at Long Point
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The Long Point Bay Wetland Complex includes the Long Point Marshes, Big Creek Marsh, Inner Bay and Turkey Point Marsh. This area is considered one of the most important waterfowl staging sites in Ontario, receiving almost 10.6 million waterfowl use days annually. Large numbers of black ducks, mallards, redheads, canvasbacks and scaup use this wetland complex during migration, as do more than 100 other species of birds. Both the southern James Bay and Mississippi Valley populations of Canada geese migrate through this complex, while tundra swans from the Arctic also stop en route to the Atlantic seaboard. Although use of the Long Point Wetland Complex by breeding waterfowl is substantially lower than for migrants, mallard, blue-winged teal, wood duck, northern pintail, American wigeon, northern shoveler, redhead,
green-winged teal and giant Canada geese are common breeders in this area. Smith Marsh is located north of the mouth of the extensive 1,400-hectare Big Creek wetland. The 37.5-hectare (92.7-acre) property consists of 95 per cent provincially significant wetland and five per cent upland habitats. In 2006, DUC was able to secure Smith Marsh with a long-term conservation easement, thus adding a very important piece of habitat to the roster of conserved lands in the ecologically sensitive Long Point area. This conservation easement has helped to secure an additional three per cent of Big Creek Marsh and 0.5 per cent of the Long Point Bay Wetland Complex marshes, which will further increase the overall protected wetland area to almost 88 per cent and 47 per cent respectively. î “
The regulatory costs of conservation
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DUC’s wetland restoration projects are integral and valuable components of healthy watersheds, providing essential habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife and also holding water within these catchment areas. Restoration projects have been a mainstay of DUC’s conservation activity in Ontario since the 1970s but it’s not an easy job. Even if DUC staff can find a suitable property that lends itself to a restoration project and funding is available, there are a myriad of necessary regulatory processes that must be respected. DUC is eager to work with conservation partners and the Ontario government to make one of these regulatory processes a little more conservationfriendly: the Ministry of Environment Permit to Take Water. A wide range of wetland restoration and enhancement initiatives involve water management and even though these projects are restoring water to the landscape rather than consuming it, they still require approval from the Ministry under the Permit to Take Water (PTTW) program. DUC currently holds more than 400 PTTWs. There is a significant cost to obtaining these permits and DUC hopes to work with the government to reduce the impact of these fees on non-profit conservation agencies. Administration fees for small
to larger projects can run anywhere from $750 to $3,000. Permits for existing projects must be renewed every 10 years with similar fees. While DUC understands the need for regulatory processes to ensure effective management of Ontario’s water resources, the overall impact of PTTW fees and permit monitoring requirements is a significant burden for conservation agencies. In some cases, the cost of the PTTW is more than the cost of the wetland project. The cost of these fees takes much needed dollars away from conservation work and from cost-sharing partnerships such as the Eastern Joint Habitat Venture in which the Ontario government is a partner. DUC is in discussions with conservation agencies and the Ontario government to find a solution to this challenge. “DUC believes that conservation projects such as ours, projects that do not consume water, should be considered in a ‘conservation category’ with a reduced fee structure that would not put an undue burden on conservation organizations,” says DUC-Ontario government relations manager Julie Cayley. “Working with the government we hope to find a solution that allows us to continue to facilitate sound conservation practices.”
Which way the wind blows on wind farms
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Wind farms are an increasingly common sight across Ontario and DUC staff receive numerous calls from concerned citizens worried about the effects of the turbines on waterfowl and wondering what DUC’s position is on this form of energy. Although DUC supports the development of renewable energy, DUC recognizes that these sources of power must be developed in an ecologically sustainable manner. From a waterfowl perspective, the science from across the globe indicates that wind power poses insignificant risk with respect to waterfowl strikes (birds flying into the turbines). However, the science is comparatively weak with respect to the indirect impacts on waterfowl, so we have a poor understanding of the potential disturbance risks associated with wind farms.
Sharing resources helps wetland conservation efforts DUC conservation specialists Robert Messier (left) and Jeff Krete (right) present a gift to Allan Dale, chair, Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) to thank the authority for its support over the years. GRCA provides office space and resources to the two DUC staff people whose work covers watersheds from Niagara, Hamilton, Halton, Grand River and right up to Grey County.
DUC has been working with Environment Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service to encourage this regulatory agency to incorporate the necessary monitoring studies into a wind farm proposal at Wolfe Island so waterfowl disturbance impacts can be better understood. Having this information will foster improved future decision-making by the government agencies that oversee these wind farm developments. DUC will continue to work with wind farm proponents as well as the federal and provincial governments to ensure that wind farm energy is ecologically sustainable and safe for wildlife.
eastern region (ontario)
DUC volunteers help with Thames River clean up
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For two years, DUC members Tamara Burton and her husband Paul participated in the Thames River Clean-up by leading a group to clean up a section of the river in Chatham. Then, when they joined Team DU on the Erie St. Clair chapter they invited their new DU friends to join them. Says Tamara, "I must say I have really enjoyed this undertaking and to make it a family event makes it so special in our house. Now that our DU friends have joined, it has really made Paul & I feel all the more driven about what we do." This year, 15 volunteers collected 20 bags of trash and certainly helped to make the river a nicer place for fish, wildlife and the community.
From left: Tamara Burton, Paul Burton, Martin Caasenbrood (Paul & Tamara's son), Rick Mifflin, Daniel Caasenbrood (Paul & Tamara's son), Ruth Townsend, Rick Wismer, Stan Vincent. In front of sign, Mitchell Burton, and Rebecca Hustwick (Stan's granddaughter). Rebecca is holding a $5.00 bill she found cleaning up the park. Missing from photo, Sarah Caasenbrood (Paul & Tamara's daughter), Don Hickey (photographer), Zak Church and his wife Jennifer Blanchard.
Community turns old sewage lagoon into wildlife oasis
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In a municipality that has lost over 95 per cent of its original wetlands, the West Perth Community Wetlands project is generating quite a bit of excitement around town. When the old lagoon system was replaced with a modern sewage treatment facility, many local residents shared a vision to naturalize the series of ponds that were left behind. Hundreds of community man-hours were devoted to restoring habitat and creating an entrance garden and even a viewing station, but they did not have the ability to install the necessary infrastructure to regulate water levels in each of the cells to ensure healthy wetland habitat. Ducks Unlimited Canada has had its eye on this restoration project for several years and thanks to a grant of $45,000 from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, along with support from the Municipality of West Perth and the Perth Stewardship Network, the necessary restoration work can now be finished. One cell will be drained to provide shorebird habitat and allow marsh vegetation to grow. Vegetation is vital to the ecology of the marsh and the
dewatering exposes the soil to warmth and sunlight. In no time at all, plants will begin to grow. During the dewatering, shorebirds will benefit from the exposed mud flats – their preferred habitat. A new control structure will be installed to transfer water between the cells to emulate the life cycles of a natural marsh. The bottoms of the cells will be contoured to make them more irregular, simulating a more natural habitat, and a berm will be built up on one cell to improve its ability to hold water. “Basically, we’ll take the habitat value of this project from a 2 to a 10,” says Dave McLachlin, head of wetland restoration projects at DUC-Ontario. McLachlin was first out to have a look at the project in 2002 and is pleased to be able to help bring the community’s vision to fruition. The project is scheduled for completion by early fall. The community is greatly anticipating an influx of waterfowl and shorebirds next year. McLachlin estimates that this 65-acre property will nearly double the amount of marsh in Perth County.
DUC staffer’s love of waterfowl nets world championship
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DUC conservation specialist Jeff Krete won his second World Championship at the Ward World Championships in Ocean City, Maryland, this spring. This time, he walked away with the top award for miniature sculptures, where he was up against a number of other past world champions also competing in that category. If that wasn’t exciting enough for Krete, his son Lucas won first prize in the 11 and under category for his first ever decoy: a bufflehead drake. Father and son’s carvings will be on display at the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art in Salisbury, Maryland, for the next year.
That’s two world championships in two years in two different decorative categories for Krete. Still, he aspires to even greater heights. “There is one decorative world category left for me: the World Life-size Decorative category,” says Krete. “I will be looking for the hat trick. No one has ever achieved these back to back and it sure would be nice to pull that off!”
eastern Region (ontario)
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
Lucas Krete’s bufflehead decoy won in the 11 and under category.
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
Krete’s world championship northern pintail miniature.
© Ducks Unlimited Canada, 2007 Printed in Canada on 100% recycled paper including 100% post-consumer fibres
Pair pond study could help determine premium habitats for waterfowl
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Earlier this spring, DUC initiated a study to help evaluate the waterfowl value of pair habitat. Biologists will conduct a series of waterfowl pair surveys in two landscapes where DUC has previously implemented both excavated and impounded small wetland projects. They will also count pairs on secured, unmanaged wetlands that will act as “controls.” The study design will allow a comparison of the waterfowl use of these three types of pair habitats: excavated, impounded and unmanaged. Over the past several years, DUC has engaged in building small wetlands or “pair ponds” to benefit
waterfowl during breeding. The study will help evaluate the effectiveness of this work and identify the optimum habitat for breeding waterfowl. Eight DUC projects were chosen as study sites: four in the Niagara Peninsula and four in the Frontenac Axis (Kingston area). Darrel Dennis, a retired biologist from the CWS, was contracted to conduct a series of three surveys at each of the projects over the course of mid-April to early May. Stay tuned to learn more about the study results.
Ontario Area Contacts Director of Regional Operations Eastern Canada, Jamie Fortune (613) 565-2525 Manager of Provincial Operations for Ontario Ron Maher (613) 389-0418 Conservation Programs Brian Royal
(705) 721-4444
Outreach Programs Lynette Mader
(705) 721-4444
Education Program Coordinator Stephanie Walker (705) 721-4444 Government Relations Julie Cayley
(705) 721-4444
Development Jessica Rawn
(705) 721-4444
Provincial Manager of Event & Volunteer Programs Steve Stinkowji (705) 544-8437 Event & Volunteer Customer Service (613) 389-0418 (866) 389-0418 publication agreement #40064849