below: ©DUC/Claude Ponthieux
right: ©DUC/Tye Gregg
New law in favour of Quebec wetlands Remember April 24, 2015. It is an important date marking the end of the three-year countdown to the adoption of a law regulating the conservation and sustainable management of wetlands and water resources in Quebec. This was one of the most debated subjects in Quebec politics over the past year. Following the Quebec Supreme Court’s ruling that a ministerial directive requesting compensation for projects that affect wetlands was illegal, the Quebec National Assembly adopted a corrective law that authorizes Quebec’s Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment, Fauna and Parks to require compensation for specific projects and sets out the nature of the required compensation. The new act also states the Government of Quebec is required to adopt a complete legal and regulatory framework on the conservation and sustainable management of wetlands and water resources within three years. In response, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) will redouble its efforts to provide key stakeholders with the best available information on the importance of wetland conservation, and how it is in the best interest of our communities. DUC has developed clear conservation strategies to guide this effort, which stress the need for clear goals that prevent further wetland loss. To view these recommendations visit ducks.ca/ your-province/quebec/programs-projects
Project Webfoot lengthens stride Last spring, Janet Doucet saw a bus filled with students from a local school on a Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) Project Webfoot field trip. It drove past the Daly Point Nature Reserve, just outside of Bathurst, N.B., where Doucet works as the park’s coordinator. Doucet wondered why the class, part of the DUC wetland education program for kids in Grades 4 to 6, were headed to a smaller DUC project down the road. At 44 hectares, Daly Point, which juts out into the Chaleur Bay, has a 30-year DUC stewardship agreement, and is owned by the City of Bathurst. With saltwater and freshwater marshes, Acadian forest and collection of diverse wildlife, it’s a perfect venue for wetland education. Starting this May through June, the eastern Region park will be running Project Webfoot at l a n t i c programming, and hosting about 200 students and teachers. “We’re building capacity through our partners,” says Jodie Hambrook, DUC head of outreach for Atlantic Canada, “and giving students the opportunity to visit a local facility that’s part of their community.” The Daly Point Nature Reserve is now one of 13 field trip partners across Atlantic Canada. DUC will also partner for the first time with the Petitcodiac Watershed Alliance this spring to deliver Project Webfoot programming in Greater Moncton, N.B.
Starting this May through June, the park will be running Project Webfoot programming, and hosting about 200 students and teachers.
Conservator | spring 2013
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Newfoundland and Labrador works to clarify policy
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Conservator | spring 2013
“It’s a national DUC priority to have wetland policy in all provinces.” – Danielle Fequet, conservation programs specialist, Ducks Unlimited Canada
eastern Region at l a n t i c
According to DUC Newfoundland and Labrador conservation program specialist Danielle Fequet, creating better policy is important because “NL has rich and abundant natural resources that are increasingly in demand.” A more comprehensive policy will help everyone involved in planning and development better protect the region’s wetlands, while still encouraging economic growth. “And it’s a national DUC priority to have wetland policy in all provinces,” says Fequet, “so it’s something we’re focusing on.” Government and industry partners at the event included representatives from The City of St. John’s, Stantec engineering, architecture and environmental design firm, the Nature Conservancy of Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador Minister of Environment and Conservation Tom Hedderson, who opened the workshop with an address.
right: ©DUC/Michel Blachas and Carole Piché
In the small community of Melbourne, N.S., a cherished local wetland has a new lease on life. After years of hard work, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and the community celebrated the rebuilding of Melbourne Marsh. In November, representatives from the Municipality of Argyle, the Town of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, DUC and a large number of supporters and community members attended the official re-opening of Melbourne Marsh, located just outside of Yarmouth. “Melbourne Marsh is such an important part of our community,” says Mary Roberts, a local resident. “We all really enjoy seeing how much it gets used by ducks and local wildlife – it really enhances the community and we’re happy it’s going to be around for a long time to come.” In 2010, it was determined the water control structure and culvert under the adjacent road at the marsh needed replacing. With support from Environment Canada, the Province of Nova Scotia, LaFarge Canada Inc and community members, DUC completed the maintenance work. “The support we receive from the local community is wonderful,” says Gren Jones, DUC senior director for the provinces of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. “Community members, government partners and businesses put a lot of hard work, support and encouragement into Melbourne. It is a beautiful area for the entire community to cherish and enjoy.”
Above: Melbourne, N.S., resident Mary Roberts and DUC director Gren Jones celebrate the re-opening of Melbourne Marsh.
left: ©DUC/Tye Gregg
New lease on life for Melbourne Marsh
Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) hosted a workshop in October in St. John’s, N.L., to kick start the creation of a new Newfoundland and Labrador Wetland Policy. The province’s current wetland policy, which falls under Newfoundland and Labrador’s Water Resources Act, is focused more on protecting water quality than wetland habitat, and it isn’t easy to decipher. Because of this, many participants said they want easy-to-understand regulations to guide developers working near wetlands. “A set of practical guidelines could create policy awareness and a more sustainable approach,” says Adam Campbell, DUC head of conservation delivery in Atlantic Canada.