Above: Gilles Dupont displaying his many awards at the 2011 Quebec Wildfowl Carving Contest.
DUC volunteer a world champion eastern Region o n ta r i o
Ontario students share wetland experiences In November, approximately 35 Wetland Centre of Excellence (WCE) students and their teachers from across Ontario came together at the Lake St. George Field Centre in Richmond Hill to share their experiences, inspire one another and network at a three-day workshop. DUC’s WCE program facilitates student action projects around wetlands, allows more in-depth study of local wetlands and encourages students to share their wetland knowledge by mentoring elementary students. During the workshop, students shared programs and activities they already completed and those they hope to undertake soon. With the enthusiasm these students and teachers showed in sharing their experiences, the future of Ontario’s WCEs is in good hands.
Caught on tape! See and hear first hand what WCE students and teachers say about their workshop experience at conservator.ca
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Conservator | spring 2013
Above: Students building wood duck nest boxes at a WCE workshop, that were later donated to the Toronto Region Conservation Authority.
“Meeting so many other students interested in environmental sustainability was extremely encouraging! It was also fascinating to see each school presenting such a variety of wetland projects.” – Andrea Curran, WCE student Timiskaming District Secondary School
“I’m a duck hunter and have always loved birds. When I retired, I told myself I was going to give back to nature and what I harvest from it,” says Gilles Dupont, a Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) volunteer from the community of St. Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. And that’s exactly what he’s been doing for the last decade. Dupont helps to eastern Region quebec coordinate ticket sales for DUC fundraising dinners in St. Jeansur-Richelieu. He also donates one of his wood carvings to every auction, with the profits going towards conservation efforts. This is a big deal because Dupont is quite the accomplished carver. In fact, he’s a world champion. Dupont started woodworking classes about 20 years ago and they’ve paid off. He has won several first-place ribbons in competitions held in Montreal and Ottawa, as well as at the Ward World Championship in Ocean City, Maryland. He is also the winner of the Expert Best of Show award for the second time at the 2011 Quebec Wildfowl Carving Contest in Montreal and was promoted to the rank of Master Carver. “It’s a passion for me,” says Dupont. “I put on wood what I see in nature.”
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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