flyway-ontario-2008-29-02 by Ducks Unlimited Canada

eastern region (ontario)

VOLUME 29, NUMBER 2, 2008

DUC and Wildlife Habitat Canada conserve wetlands

Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and Wildlife Habitat Canada (WHC) are working together to conserve over 2,400 acres of habitat this year with restoration projects in partnership with 25 private landowners. WHC is a national, non-profit conservation organization established in 1984 by Environment Canada, provincial wildlife agencies and conservation organizations. WHC envisions a future where Canadians share a conservation ethic that inspires the rest of the world through its recognition of the fundamental importance of richly abundant wildlife habitats that support biodiversity. This is especially important in southern Ontario where over 85 per cent of land is privately owned. WHC is committed to working with landowners to conserve wildlife habitat and has been the catalyst for many programs to help landowners implement conservation programs. DUC is pleased to work with Wildlife Habitat Canada to further its mission here in Ontario. Look for the article on Wildlife Habitat Canada and DUC in this issue of Conservator. S

Doing things RIGHT!

DUC constantly assesses its programs for their effectiveness and adjusts them as necessary to ensure, to the absolute best of our ability, that we’re having a positive impact on the landscape. Following are a few examples of research that DUC is undertaking to help ensure the effectiveness of our current programs and to help us (and others) determine what types of conservation efforts we should support.

Breeding pair wetland habitat restoration

DUC Ontario, along with research partners from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Canadian Wildlife Services (CWS), is working on a project to assess the waterfowl value and cost effectiveness of two wetland restoration techniques designed to enhance waterfowl pair habitat. The two-year adaptive management project will compare waterfowl breeding pair densities on excavated ponds, impoundments, and existing natural wetlands. Initial results indicate that impoundments are more productive than excavated ponds and natural wetlands, but variables relating to cost effectiveness have not yet been factored in. The purpose of the study is to help determine optimal restoration techniques.

Evaluation of nest box program

DUC and CWS have partnered to create a database in which to input and analyze historic nest box data. For many years, landowners and nest box maintenance contractors have been filling out forms to report on nest box success and usage by various species of wildlife. All of this information is being analyzed to tell us where nest boxes are working, who’s using them and what the success rate is for waterfowl. Preliminary analysis is interesting and encouraging: 44 per cent of nest boxes are used by waterfowl and the nest success rate is 71 per cent! Other species are using 29 per cent of the nest boxes and this means that in total, 73 per cent of nest boxes are benefiting wildlife.

Southern Ontario Land Resource Information System (SOLRIS)

SOLRIS is a Ministry of Natural Resources project to identify and inventory all existing wetlands in order to provide a baseline wetland inventory. Currently, not all wetlands are mapped. In fact, in most areas where SOLRIS data is available, nearly twice the amount of wetland habitat is revealed when compared with

previously existing data. This is an important discovery because it is difficult to protect wetlands through municipal and provincial planning efforts if we don’t know where they are. Further, we can’t know if we’re gaining or losing them unless we know how many we had to start with – a baseline against which to measure our progress.

Wetland conversion analysis

SOLRIS data will play an important role in this project to analyze the rate of current and historical wetland loss in southern Ontario and develop a picture of the trend over time. The purpose of this work is to determine how wetlands are changing across the landscape. Are we gaining more through conservation and restoration efforts? Are we losing them faster than we’re able to conserve them? Have the wetlands that we have protected changed over time? This information is critical to help us see where we’re gaining or losing wetlands and could help us to know where (or even whether) all of our collective conservation programs and policies are working and adjust our operations accordingly.

Blue-winged teal research project

DUC and the Long Point Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Fund team will initiate a project focused on Ontario’s breeding blue-winged teal population. The project will investigate trends in the status of breeding blue wings and compare these trends to changes in land use and land cover over the same time periods. The blue-winged teal is perhaps one of Ontario’s prettiest ducks (after the wood duck, of course). The research will be an important first step in helping us to determine what to recommend to help conserve this species.

Fish passage in restored coastal wetlands

Environment Canada and the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority have started a project to help Ducks Unlimited Canada monitor and assess the effectiveness of fish passage structures as a restoration tool for coastal wetlands. These structures are installed in wetlands where water control structures are required to more effectively manage water levels to ensure the health of the wetland. The fish passage structure allows native fish species to pass from the lake to the wetland or vice versa. DUC will use the information from this project to ensure that the structures are working or improve them if needed to manage restored wetlands for waterfowl and fish.

ea s tern re g ion ( ontario )

Impacts of wind turbines on waterfowl

“Greener” energy sources are vital to our overall sustainability and are an important part of the provincial government’s mandate to reduce our reliance on fuel sources that have a negative impact on our environment. Accordingly, wind turbines are popping up all across the landscape and are proving to be a potential economic boon to landowners and entrepreneurs alike. While it seems clear that harnessing the wind is a more environment-friendly way to generate energy than most current methods, we do not yet know the impact on wildlife – specifically birds. It will be important to know if waterfowl and other migratory bird populations will be negatively affected by collisions, or by being diverted from their natural habitats. DUC is in the process of developing a partnership with Environment Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources to monitor the indirect impact of a wind farm development on breeding and staging waterfowl. The key to sustainability is to understand, to the best of our ability, what impact that the decisions we make today will have on the landscape many years from now, and then act in a way that will ensure a healthy environment for future generations of people and wildlife. S

Aerial shot of the Dunville Wetland complex

Wetland protected at Dunnville

2007 marked the completion of another important conservation effort just outside the town of Dunnville along the lower reaches of the Grand River. Back in 1994, a conservation collaborative that involved DUC, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR), the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) and the Nature Conservancy of Canada pooled resources and purchased a 385-hectare tract of land below the Dunnville dam, which included a significant portion of the Dunnville Marsh complex. This property is now managed by the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA), which has since undertaken various habitat restoration projects on the former agricultural lands. Wanting to enlarge the protected habitat base of this core waterfowl area, which supports approximately 86,500 waterfowl use days annually during the spring and fall migration periods, DUC entered into discussions with an adjacent landowner and in June 2007, successfully acquired an abutting 59-ha property in partnership with the OMNR, CWS and GRCA. Six months later, another adjoining 17-ha property was purchased, thereby securing this 460-ha block of waterfowl and wildlife habitat along the north side of the Grand River for future generations. S

DUC meets with Minister Cansfield

Ontario DUC staff met with Ontario Minister of Natural Resources (OMNR) Donna Cansfield and her staff in late December. Minister Cansfield was appointed shortly after the fall provincial election and brings significant political experience to the role of leading the management of Ontario’s natural resources. As a longtime partner with the government in protecting and restoring wetland habitat, DUC was pleased to hear of continued commitments to promote conservation in southern Ontario, DUC’s top priority waterfowl area. DUC works closely with OMNR to secure critically important habitat through land acquisitions, conservation easements and donations. DUC’s wide range of habitat protection, restoration and management programs, delivered through active partnerships with government agencies and non-government organizations, are a key to sustaining both waterfowl populations and biodiversity values. S

Celebrate 70 Years of Conservation Excellence at the

DUC ONTARIO CONVENTION May 2-4, 2008 Nottawasaga Inn & Resort (Alliston, Ontario)

brate ComethceAlenniversary 0 DUC’s 7convention and at the ave a blast! h

Hosted by: Grey Cup Champion Jude St. John Saturday Night’s Festivities hosted by: NHL star Dennis Hull

Event Prizes!

g – interactive shootin

Casino Night

Early Bird Prize!

DU TV on the big screen

Duck & Goose Calling Contests Dog Demonstrations

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 Western Region Prairie-Western Boreal: Marci Dube Pacific: Wendy Fister 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 © Ducks Unlimited Canada, 2008 Printed in Canada on 100% recycled paper including 100% post-consumer fibres

The Duck Blind

Fly Tying

eastern Region (ontario)

ll Rock & Ro Theme Night

For further information: Visit www.ducks.ca and click on “Ontario” under “DUC in Your Province”, contact Rhonda Simpson at 1-866-389-0418 or e-mail r_simpson@ducks.ca To book your accommodation, call the Nottawasaga Inn & Resort at 1 (800) 669-5501

Ontario Area Contacts Director of Regional Operations Eastern Canada, Jamie Fortune (613) 565-2525 Manager of Provincial Operations for Ontario Vacant (613) 389-0418 Conservation Programs

(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 Melanie Wojick

(705) 721-4444

Provincial Manager of Event & Volunteer Programs Steve Stinkowji (705) 544-8437