western region ( Prairie/ Boreal ) Yukon • Northwest Territories • Nunavut • Alberta • Saskatchewan • Manitoba
volume 30, number 4, 2009
Alberta man proves one person can make a difference in wetland conservation
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Wetland conservationist Jim Potter was recently presented with the 2009 Alberta Lieutenant-Governor’s Greenwing Conservation Award. The award recognizes the conservation and protection of wetland habitats in Alberta. This marks the first time in the award’s history that the contributions of an individual have been recognized. “You may not think of your own imprint making such a mark in the real world, never mind on the general society as well,” says Potter. “I am glad that the public is becoming more aware that we are losing our natural environment and that each one of us can do something about it.” A lifelong conservation enthusiast, Potter says that while he was growing up in the Pine Lake area in central Alberta, the wildlife was abundant and natural habitat was well distributed throughout the area. However, he was aware of the changes taking place over time – draining of the wetlands, brush removal, loss of native grasslands and the resulting disappearance of wetland species. His conservation efforts began when he started placing nest boxes on his own property to tempt cavity-nesting species back to the wetlands. He took what he learned in those early years, and applied that knowledge to a nest box program he set up while employed by Alberta Fish and Wildlife. Today he works for the Alberta Conservation Association (ACA) on their cavity nesting box program. He works together with DUC and now maintains more than 1,300 nest boxes in the area, which are used as an education tool to inspire interested individuals to set aside habitat for various species. “We’ve come a long way but in the future I would like to see more work involving the counties,” says Potter. “In many cases our hands are tied by outdated rules and regulations. County planners are one of the major players in the parkland landscapes and have the capability to help really make a difference.” More information on the nest box program can be found in the booklet “Nest Box Guide for Waterfowl – Alberta Edition,” available through DUC Alberta. Plans to build a nest box can be found on page 25 of the guide. S
2009 Lieutenant-Governor’s Greenwing Conservation Award winner Jim Potter looks out over a conservation easement on his property near Chapman Lake, Alta.
Counting waterfowl Conservation fund honours respected Alberta businessman from the sky
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Preparations are underway on a new wetland interpretive site at Big Lake, the first effort of the John E. Poole Conservation Fund, named after the late Alberta entrepreneur. DUC’s goal for the fund is to raise $5 million in support of wetland conservation initiatives in the province. John Poole was the co-owner of Poole Construction Ltd. (PCL) and was active in local environmental and conservation issues. A wellrespected employer, he sold the company founded by his father to his employees in 1977. The Edmonton-based businessman was known as a philanthropist who was engaged in the community where he lived and worked. “Following his passing, his family and employees wanted to create a living legacy for what he stood for,” says Rick Shewchuk, development manager with Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC). “DUC was bestowed the honour of being selected as the organization to create the legacy conservation fund in John’s name. The money is being raised by a host of volunteers from both PCL and DUC.” Of the $5 million plan, $1 million will be used for the interpretive site at Big Lake, just north of Edmonton. The remaining $4 million will be part of an endowment fund, generating an annual income to retain and restore wetland habitat in critical areas of Alberta and to provide a wetland educational experience for young and old alike. “The site will involve a series of trails and a boardwalk with interpretive signs within the Lois Hole Provincial Park,” says Shewchuk. “For visitors to the park it will provide a self-guided interpretive experience. These trails will be part of a larger network of trails that are planned for the entire park.” In addition, the site is close to the urban schools around Edmonton and St. Albert and is expected to get plenty of young visitors. The site will be an ideal setting for DUC’s outdoor education program, Project Webfoot, and will complement the Grade 5 science curriculum which focuses on wetland study. Completion of the interpretive site is expected by summer 2010. While the fund was officially launched earlier this summer, plans for the interpretive site project were already well underway. “I’m happy to say that because of the support we’ve received that the first part of this project is moving forward,” says Shewchuk. “We don’t say often enough how important our volunteers are in projects such as this. In this case they have really made it happen.” S
John Poole and Sara Keith, grandchildren of John E. Poole, take part in the ceremony that launched the John E. Poole Conservation Fund, held at PCL Construction headquarters in Edmonton in June 2009.
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With a bird’s-eye view courtesy of a helicopter, Glenn Mack spends days looking down over the wetlands of the western boreal forest. As the waterbird program co-ordinator for Ducks Unlimited Canada’s Western Boreal Program, it is up to Mack to ensure there are accurate counts of ducks and other waterbirds . “In order for us to determine which species we are counting, we travel as low and as slow as we safely can,” he says. “This often means we are flying at treetop level so the job isn’t for someone who is easily affected by motion sickness.” Mack assesses the same areas for several years, conducting two surveys in each area to capture early-nesting species like mallards and buffleheads, and late-nesting species such as scaup and ringnecked ducks. By the second survey in late May or early June, broods start to emerge so he also captures that information. “This year we are surveying near Edson and Grande Prairie, Alberta, and in the Duck Mountains near Swan River, Manitoba,” he says. “We’re trying to determine the abundance and distribution of ducks in these areas, and to see if landscape change is affecting the distribution and species composition.” Mack spends up to seven hours in the sky each day, landing only to refuel and to stretch his back and legs after time in the cramped observation bubble. Armed with computers, a GPS, tape recorders and stopwatches, Mack uses GIS mapping to ensure they are covering the entire area. The real work begins once the helicopter lands. He then takes the recordings and transcribes the data that same day, which can take another three to five hours. Once all data has been transcribed, it is entered into a database. The information is analyzed and a report is produced to highlight the results and recommendations. “You really appreciate your job when you see unusual or rare things that you know not many other people will ever get to experience,” he says. “For example, this year we encountered a pair of rare harlequin ducks, several river otters and a litter of wolves. It’s important for us to know what’s out there and what effect landscape change could have on the distribution of ducks in a given area so we can develop conservation plans that will help maintain healthy duck populations.” S Glenn Mack will spend up to seven hours a day perched in the observation bubble of a helicopter cataloguing ducks and water birds.
western region (prairie/boreal)
McKell Wascana Conservation Park Is Now Open!
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It’s the first of its kind and now a park dedicated to conserving and restoring native prairie and wetland habitat in the City of Regina is officially open. The McKell Wascana Conservation Park is a unique three-way partnership between the City, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and Robert (Bob) McKell, who contributed 96 acres of his land through a Conservation Easement. It is dedicated to the restoration and conservation of prairie wetland habitat and education. “The park also provides an ‘outdoor classroom’ where children and families can learn how wetlands and natural habitats help us by filtering our water, helping reduce the impacts of flooding, and providing homes for wildlife,” says Fred Wagman, a DUC director from Regina. “At Ducks, conserving Canada’s wetlands is what we do, so we couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of a park that is dedicated to conserving and restoring native prairie and wetlands.” The 171-acre park is located along Wascana Creek, between Prince of Wales Drive and the southeast city limits near one of the city’s newest housing subdivisions. The area offers four kilometres of
nature trails with interpretive stations and benches, a dock for getting close to the creek for pond dipping and an amphitheatre. The McKell family had farmed the land since the late 1880s. They wanted to leave the area as a legacy and knew that working with DUC was the best way to achieve their goal. “To this day, that part of our farm has not been touched by a tillage implement,” says Bob McKell. “As a family, we decided that donating a Conservation Easement in perpetuity to DUC was clearly the best way to keep our special place intact for generations to come.” Design and construction on the project began in 2005 when the project was launched by Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh. The park includes an entrance plaza and education amphitheatre, a floating dock and approximately four kilometres of natural trails with interpretive panels and benches. Until now, this space has not been usable by the public. “With this park in place we can provide people with a greater variety of park experiences,” says Regina city councillor Michael Fougere. “We know from surveys that our residents have a desire to get closer to nature through walking trails, nature appreciation and birdwatching.” S
Left Top (L-R): Bayer Sponsor of McKell Wascana Conservation Park sign: Stan Prokopchuk (Bayer), Brent Kennedy (DUC), Jan Ihme (Bayer)
Right Bottom (L-R): Lin Gallagher, Assistant Deputy Minister (Resource Management and Compliance Division), Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment; Councillor Fred Clipsham, City of Regina; Doug McKell, landowner partner; Bob McKell, landowner partner and father to Doug; Fred Wagman, director, DUC.
Longtime Manitoba volunteers sell important land to DUC
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Murray Duncan and his wife Judi are passionate conservationists and have been volunteering with Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) for 28 years. Now the longtime members of the Whitewater Lake Committee in southwestern Manitoba are helping to set aside important waterfowl habitat. Duncan’s grandfather homesteaded the land in 1882 and Duncan inherited the property. To mark this multi-generational connection to the land and to nature they are placing Conservation Easements on three quarter sections and are selling a fourth to DUC. The Duncans know the land they are setting aside will be protected waterfowl habitat in perpetuity. “The land all around us is being adulterated and I am seeing less and less habitat all the time for birds and other wildlife,” Duncan says. “I was always going to sell the land to Ducks anyway, but after talking to Mark Francis a while ago I decided it was the right thing to do.” Funding from the Turtle Mountain Conservation District combined with financial assistance from Nature Canada made the purchase possible. The 160 acres of habitat is northwest of Boissevain, along Whitewater Lake. The lake is a Manitoba Heritage Marsh, and is considered a globally significant Important Bird Area (IBA). The area is also outlined in the NAWMP (North American Waterfowl Management Plan) Implementation Plan. “There is a lack of secure nesting habitat for upland-nesting waterfowl and other species in the area and purchase of this parcel guarantees protection of native and naturalized grassland from the
disturbance of annual haying and grazing and eliminates the threat of conversion to cultivated land,” says Mark Francis, head of habitat retention for DUC in Manitoba. Francis points out Whitewater Lake has variable water levels and that keeps the area productive for waterfowl. He says it is important to nesting waterfowl, and especially for staging waterfowl that use the area as a stopover as they migrate to the Canadian Prairies, boreal and Arctic nesting grounds. The land also lies within the area of highest pintail production in southwestern Manitoba. During times of high water, however, the pressure to construct an outlet on Whitewater Lake to control the fluctuating levels is extremely strong. In this instance, threat is not only relevant to this property, but the entire lake itself. Securing as much of its habitat as possible will curb the pressures to drain and ensure the marsh cell can be managed as intended. If they are not secured, risk to habitats like these is considered high, Francis says. Land in the immediate area is very expensive and there is growing pressure to convert grasslands within the Whitewater Lake flood basin to annual cropping to grow cash crops. Most of the potential buyers in the area are cash crop farmers and the recent high grain prices have only increased their interest in marginal lands like these. “This project is the perfect example of people who have tremendous respect for nature and it has been in their beliefs for a very long time that agriculture and nature can coexist,” Francis says. S
Adopt-a-class field trips give Grade 5 students a hands-on lesson in wetland habitat
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One of the best ways to get to know what a wetland looks like is to wade in and get your hands dirty. Two groups of 10- and 11-year-old kids from St. Albert, Alta., had the chance to learn how to observe habitat, and to see the circle of life within a wetland with their own eyes. Through the generosity of donors, each year the St. Albert Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) committee hosts these field trips as part of DUC’s Greenwing program. In advance of the trips, teachers are given a resource kit to introduce wetland management to the students, and each child is given a year-long youth membership to DUC. “These field trips are put up for auction each year at our fundraising dinner,” says Hank Reinbold, treasurer of the St. Albert committee. “This is not a hard sell. Anyone who’s had a child take part in one of these field trips wants to see the trips continue. Field trips such as these are how early relationships with the land are formed.” This year, the trips were held at the Pioneer Gun Club on Big Lake. They were sponsored by Leon Tellier, who has a grandchild in one of the classes and Len Bracko, a councillor for the city of St. Albert. Both are former educators and longtime supporters of DUC. On the trips, the classes are broken up into three groups that rotate throughout the day. The first group is sent with two DUC biologists to “critter dip.” Students wade into the water under the watchful eye of the biologists to identify the different parts of the wetland. The second group builds birdhouses from kits prepared by St. Albert DUC volunteers. The third group sees how retriever dogs are trained.
These field trips would not be possible without the participation of DUC volunteers. Reinbold says that some volunteers help precut the birdhouse kits, and that nine other volunteers come out to help on the day of the field trip. “Many urban kids don’t get to spend time in a marsh to see how the life cycle really works,” says Marty van Sloun, fundraising manager with DUC. “When these kids look back to their time in school, we think it’s trips like this that they’ll remember, and we hope it’s the beginning of a lifelong interest in wetland conservation.” S Critter dipping is just one of the many fun activities that local Grade 5 students took part in during the Greenwing Day at the Pioneer Gun Club on Big Lake, north of Edmonton. The day was hosted by the St. Albert DUC committee.
western region (prairie/boreal)
New hunters learning in Manitoba
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To get Manitoba’s youth more involved in the tradition of waterfowling and to teach them how to be ethical, skilled hunters, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) in partnership with the Manitoba Mentored Hunt Program held a three-day youth hunting camp at Oak Hammock Marsh in August. “This camp helps new hunters learn the skills to be successful, ethical waterfowl hunters,” says Chris Benson, DUC waterfowling heritage and Greenwing co-ordinator. “The camp also teaches waterfowl biology, wetland ecosystems and the role of different conservation organizations like Ducks, and the work they do.” The idea for the camps began a decade ago and is now being revitalized. Along with DUC, the program is delivered by the Manitoba Wildlife Federation, Manitoba Conservation, Delta Waterfowl and the Winnipeg Trap and Skeet Club, while Winchester and some key individuals were sponsors. During the camp five young Manitoba hunters slept in canvas tents each night and learned about the important skills associated with being a waterfowler during the day. These new hunters are now equipped with a new understanding and appreciation for waterfowl and conservation, and have a toolbox full of hunting tips and techniques to make them better waterfowlers. Ethics, bird identification, setting decoy spreads, using retrievers, firearms safety, clay shooting, using GPS, and bird calling were among the many hands-on activities. In-class instruction was interspersed with building duck boxes, making duck calls and banding waterfowl out in the marsh. The teens were all given the opportunity to learn from more experienced hunters. One evening making s’mores around the campfire they visited with Dr. Frank Baldwin, who has been a hunter for 65 years. From him they learned about the history of hunting in Manitoba as well as the conservation history of Oak Hammock Marsh and the great Delta Marsh.
“The camp also allowed the group to connect with and make new friends with other like-minded teens,” Benson says, adding they learned the five Fs of hunting: friends, family, forever connected to the resource, food and fun. Johann Sigurdson, 16, from Gimli, says the camp was a good way to broaden his views on hunting and to learn more about waterfowl since he’s only hunted big game before. “This camp will help me a great deal because in the upcoming years when I go waterfowl hunting, it will help me be more successful and better prepared with all the things I have learned,” Sigurdson says, adding that geocaching in the rain was his favourite activity of the week. Thirteen-year-old Jim Andrushuk from Winnipeg also said geocaching was the highlight of the camp for him. He also enjoyed duck calling and making and setting up decoys. “I now know a lot more about different types of birds and how to get them to come to me,” Andrushuk says. S
Phillips going... going... going... strong!
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Chuck Phillips can’t remember the exact year he started volunteering as an auctioneer at Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) fundraisers in Canada’s Far North. He is, however, absolutely certain about how many auctions he’s done – and he has the 41 pins to prove it! A self-taught auctioneer, the 69-year-old Phillips honed his fast-talking skills by listening to professional auctioneers at prairie auctions near his hometown of Delia, Alta. In the late 1960s, he moved to northern B.C., where he worked as a welder. He and his wife also ran a service station and café. When news got out that Phillips knew how to auction, he was asked to help out at community events, like box socials. His growing reputation led to an invitation to use his skills as a volunteer at the first DUC fundraiser held at Dease Lake, B.C. A former bird hunter with a lifelong appreciation for wild spaces and the people who work hard to conserve them, Phillips agreed to participate. Since then, he’s been a regular at auctions in Dease Lake and Atlin, and in Yukon communities like Whitehorse, Haines Junction and Watson Lake. “Securing a good auctioneer is part of what makes DUC events the best show in town,” says Marty van Sloun, DUC fundraising manager for
some 30 DUC events held in the Edmonton region. “At our events, the auctioneer is like the headliner. These guys tend to be local and committees like it when they publicly thank individuals and companies for their support. When they call people by name, and add local colour, it makes the bidding very entertaining.” That’s definitely the case with Phillips, says Gwen Moffatt, chair of this year’s DUC fundraising dinner and auction in Whitehorse. “Chuck really gets the crowd going. He’s a fantastic auctioneer and he makes the event a whole lot of fun,” she says “He loves Ducks Unlimited Canada and that really comes through at the auctions.” The ever-modest Phillips, who runs a small private campground with the help of his wife in the summer months and spends his winters in warmer climes, says he’ll keep helping at DUC events as long as he’s invited. “DUC does a lot of good work to protect wetlands,” he says. “These events are a lot of fun for me, too and I am pleased to be able to help.” S
DUC and Cornerstone AEGP team up to benefit southeast Saskatchewan
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Henry Ford once said, “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” In southeast Saskatchewan, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is working with the Cornerstone Agri-Environmental Group Plan Inc. (Cornerstone AEGP) to protect and conserve local natural resources. And working together has definitely achieved success. To date, more than $1 million has been delivered to the region to improve wintering sites and riparian areas. “Ducks Unlimited is a proud partner with the Cornerstone group,” says Brent Kennedy, DUC’s manager of provincial operations in Saskatchewan. “The success of the AEGP was built upon the initiative of local producers who recognized that making changes to protect and conserve their natural resources inherently improves the sustainability of their operations. These producers know that good business and good stewardship go hand in hand.” Through the AEGP, producers have been able to access additional dollars to make changes in their watershed. Since the group planning began in January 2007, 59 producers have been certified for a total of 218 projects amounting to $1,000,835. “The AEGP has allowed us to develop partnerships and share our workload, and it essentially makes our money go farther,” says Jack Wilson, chair of the Cornerstone AEGP. “Our partnerships have been vital in sourcing funding for cost-shared programs.” The producers involved in the program decided as a group to focus on surface water protection as a priority. Then individual producers developed detailed farm action plans to outline how they could address issues of watershed health. Using satellite imagery and mapping software, producers worked with an AEGP adviser to discuss potential opportunities to improve their operation. Once the producer determined what projects they would like to undertake, the producer and group plan adviser completed a producer profile and mapped out the projects. Rangeland management is one of the areas where DUC has played a role in the group project. Vicki East, an agrologist and conservation specialist with DUC, works with producers in the area. “We help producers establish remote watering systems to keep livestock from drinking directly out of the water source. We also have experience with seeding perennial forage, cross-fencing and winter grazing systems, all of which improve riparian areas,” says East. “Protecting surface water and wetland areas go a long way to address water quality issues and they also happen to benefit waterfowl habitat. Working together just makes good sense.” Another key focus is education and awareness. Ensuring that everyone is aware of their impact on surface water quality and on the watershed as a whole is a fundamental goal. One of these projects involved establishing a grazing club in the area. The club has received funding from the Cornerstone AEGP as well as knowledge and expertise from partners including DUC. “It’s just one example of the benefits of working together,” says Wilson. “With other partners involved, you get better ideas, better programs and better events. Without partners like Ducks Unlimited, we wouldn’t have the manpower to make these events happen.” S
Producers learn about range assessment, native species, grazing and water systems on a pasture tour near Forget in 2008. The Cornerstone AEGP organized the tour with help from Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority.
western region ( Prairie/ Boreal )
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 British Columbia: Wendy Thatcher
Flyway production staff Director of Communications and Marketing: Madeleine Arbez Editor: Duncan Morrison Assistant: Deb Menard Art Director: Tye Gregg Graphic Designers: Lindsay Pikta-Marie, Aquila Samson, Jeope Wolfe
© Ducks Unlimited Canada, 2009 Printed in Canada on 100% recycled paper including 100% post-consumer fibres
Area Contacts Marketing/Communications Anh Hoang, Western Boreal/Alberta (780) 489-8110 Karli Reimer, Manitoba (204) 467-3279 Lori Gasper, Saskatchewan (306) 665-7356 Manager of Operations, Manitoba Bob Grant, Brandon (204) 729-3500 Manager of Operations, Saskatchewan Brent Kennedy, Regina (306) 569-0424 Manager of Operations, Alberta Pat Kehoe, Edmonton
(780) 489-2002
Education Rosemarie Ferjuc, Calgary Barb Hanbidge, Saskatoon Bob Laidler, Oak Hammock
(403) 476-1877 (306) 665-7356 (204) 467-3000
Western Boreal Program Eric Butterworth
(780) 489-8110
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