VOLUME 28, NUMBER 1, 2007 Yukon • Northwest Territories • Nunavut • Alberta • Saskatchewan • Manitoba WESTERN REGION ( ) PRAIRIE/ BOREAL In an example of bringing wetlands to the forefront in the political arena, Jim Richardson, senior director for DUC in Manitoba, recently responded to the Honourable Gary Doer, Premier of Manitoba, regarding a news release announcing the government’s $4 million commitment to support provincial drainage projects. Richardson’s letter challenged the claim in the news release that drainage infrastructure provides drought resistance and flood con- trol. In addition, he noted that “With the majority of our wetland ecosystems already destroyed or degraded and with water quality and the health of Lake Winnipeg as key pro- vincial priorities, all levels of governments must reconsider public expenditures that support and encourage ongoing wetland loss.” Richardson emphasized that perhaps the $4 million may instead have been put to better use through flood protection and drought resistance initiatives and the pro- vision of biodiversity habitat if partnered with the federal government to provide incentives for land use practices that generate ecological goods and services. According to Bob Grant, DUC’s manager of operations for Manitoba, “While DUC A Although wetlands are among the Earth’s most productive natural ecosystems; they are also one of the most threatened. Up to 70 per cent of our prairie wetlands have disappeared in settled areas of Canada. When wetlands are drained or degraded, there is a financial cost incurred by society to replace their natural ecological services. When society does not understand or appreciate the many environmental values and associated economic benefits of wet- lands, public policy also undervalues the role of wetlands. If this happens, wetland loss will continue. is is where Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) comes in. DUC has consistently advocated the vital role that wetlands play in the health of our watersheds and by informing the public and governments at all levels. We’re helping to make progress. Recent opinion polls have indicated that wetlands, water quality and the health of the environment in general, are high public priorities. However, to date, it would appear that wetlands protection continues to receive little political support. More support required for wetlands protection acknowledges that agricultural production may be enhanced through controlled drainage, some provincial investments have actually facilitated uncontrolled drainage and degradation of wetland ecosystems. Provincial policies and investments that result in wetland loss do not enhance drought resistance and while they may provide some flood control to those lands being drained, the deleterious downstream impacts of excessive drainage are well documented.” DUC has made a number of presentations and submissions to government over the years – many of which have advocated the need for an integrated approach to wetlands protection that would include incentives, public awareness and regulatory instruments. DUC will continue to work co-operatively with industry and all levels of government to achieve our mission but it is increasingly clear that we must be even more vigilant in communicating the need for wetlands protection and restoration. We will continue to use every available opportunity to be more vocal as the leaders of wetlands to stem and reverse the trend of wetland loss for the benefit of all Manitobans.
In an example of bringing wetlands to the forefront in the political arena, Jim Richardson, senior director for DUC in Manitoba, recently responded to the Honourable Gary Doer, Premier of Manitoba, regarding a news release announcing the government’s $4 million commitment to support provincial drainage projects.
Richardson’s letter challenged the claim in the news release that drainage infrastructure provides drought resistance and flood con-trol. In addition, he noted that “With the majority of our wetland ecosystems already destroyed or degraded and with water quality and the health of Lake Winnipeg as key pro-vincial priorities, all levels of governments must reconsider public expenditures that support and encourage ongoing wetland loss.” Richardson emphasized that perhaps the $4 million may instead have been put to better use through flood protection and drought resistance initiatives and the pro-vision of biodiversity habitat if partnered with the federal government to provide incentives for land use practices that generate ecological goods and services.
According to Bob Grant, DUC’s manager of operations for Manitoba, “While DUC
AAlthough wetlands are among the Earth’s most productive natural ecosystems; they are also one of the most threatened. Up to 70 per cent of our prairie wetlands have disappeared in settled areas of Canada. When wetlands are drained or degraded, there is a financial cost incurred by society to replace their natural ecological services. When society does not understand or appreciate the many environmental values and associated economic benefits of wet-lands, public policy also undervalues the role of wetlands. If this happens, wetland loss will continue.
This is where Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) comes in. DUC has consistently advocated the vital role that wetlands play in the health of our watersheds and by informing the public and governments at all levels. We’re helping to make progress. Recent opinion polls have indicated that wetlands, water quality and the health of the environment in general, are high public priorities. However, to date, it would appear that wetlands protection continues to receive little political support.
More support required for wetlands protectionacknowledges that agricultural production may be enhanced through controlled drainage, some provincial investments have actually facilitated uncontrolled drainage and degradation of wetland ecosystems. Provincial policies and investments that result in wetland loss do not enhance drought resistance and while they may provide some flood control to those lands being drained, the deleterious downstream impacts of excessive drainage are well documented.”
DUC has made a number of presentations and submissions to government over the years – many of which have advocated the need for an integrated approach to wetlands protection that would include incentives, public awareness and regulatory instruments.
DUC will continue to work co-operatively with industry and all levels of government to achieve our mission but it is increasingly clear that we must be even more vigilant in communicating the need for wetlands protection and restoration. We will continue to use every available opportunity to be more vocal as the leaders of wetlands to stem and reverse the trend of wetland loss for the benefit of all Manitobans.
SStudents from Transcona Collegiate Institute (TCI) in Winnipeg want to tell the world about the cutting-edge GPS (Global Positioning System) and GIS (Geographic Information System) technology they used to explore and map their community.
After participating in the Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre’s (OHMIC) Water-shed Legacy Project, Grade 10 students Kyle Hackert, Desiree Smith and Danielle Zerkee presented their project to a group of approx-imately 100 professional GIS users at the ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.) Regional User Conference in Winnipeg in October. They were excited to share with everyone the many benefits of the OHMIC program.
Students map their community for the world to see
HHis Honour the Honourable Dr. Gordon L. Barnhart, Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, presented the province’s 2006 Lieutenant Governor’s Greenwing Conservation Award to Lorne Scott on Oct. 19 for his long-time volunteer service for wetland conservation.
Each year, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) sponsors the award to recognize volunteer contributions towards raising public aware-ness of wetland conservation in Saskatchewan, or for outstanding volunteer service in wetland conservation.
At the award presentation, the Lieutenant Governor said, “Lorne Scott is most deserving of this prestigious honour. He is an out-standing leader, who has made significant personal contributions to wetland conservation, and he has inspired people throughout the province to become engaged in this vital work.”
Lorne Scott’s dedication to wildlife conservation spans five decades. Scott lives and farms near Indian Head, Sask., and he is an active volunteer with groups such as Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation, Wascana Centre Authority, Nature Conservancy of Canada, Nature Saskatchewan, and Ducks Unlimited Canada.
“If there is one name that is synonymous with wildlife conservation in Saskatchewan it is Lorne Scott,” said Peter Carton, president of Ducks Unlimited Canada. “Lorne’s influence has been felt not just in Ducks Unlimited Canada’s conservation efforts, but in the efforts of nearly all of Saskatchewan’s conservation community. Lorne is,
without a doubt, one of our finest ambassadors for wetland and waterfowl conservation across the country.”
Recently, through his involvement with the Friends of Wascana Marsh, Scott supported the community-based McKell wetland project in Regina. This local support group has been successful in opposing a local drainage project that would have accelerated the drainage of several wetlands in the Regina Plains by rechannelling Wascana Creek. He is also a key person on the steering committee for the Wings Over Wascana Outdoor Nature Festival in Regina.
Scott’s talents don’t end with organizing events. He has built and set out over 2,000 bluebird nest boxes, banded over 30,000 birds and has a collection of some 20,000 wildlife and nature photographs.
Lieutenant Governor presents third annual wetland conservation award
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“This project makes information about your community available to more people and saves it for the future,” said Zerkee. “GIS really is an international way to communi-cate, and it makes sure that technology will not be able to take over traditions.”
The community mapping program is designed to meet curriculum requirements and give students a meaningful way to learn about the real-world application of GIS and GPS technology, while sharing the story of their local community. Students in the pro-gram are first introduced to the fundamentals of GPS technology, and to the connection between GPS and GIS. A fun geocaching activity – similar to a high-tech scavenger hunt – gets students out in the community
to collect GPS data and other attributes for unique locations in their area.
“I got to revisit places from my childhood, places I forgot about until now,” Zerkee said.
TCI’s Community Mapping Program is part of OHMIC’s larger Watershed Legacy Project. This unique outreach project takes OHMIC interpreters all over Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Northwestern Ontario, and parts of Alberta to deliver wetland and water-shed education programs. All participating students collect data and the information is put into an Internet Map Server (IMS) for display and analysis. The students share the story of their community within a larger watershed context. The map is available at http://arcntsrv.ducks.ca/public/wlp.
Lorne Scott was presented with Saskatchewan’s 2006 Lieutenant Governor’s Greenwing Conservation Award in recognition of his longtime volunteer service as a fundraiser for wetland conservation. Left to right: Her Honour Mrs. Naomi Barnhart, His Honour the Honourable Dr. Gordon L. Barnhart, Lieutenant-Governor of Saskatchewan, Lorne Scott, DUC president Peter Carton.
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TThe Town of Strathmore, Alta. is making an issue of its wetlands – and Canada’s conservation company, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), is hopeful more municipalities will follow suit.
The formulation of a detailed policy to guide land use changes that affect existing wetlands puts the Town of Strathmore into an elite group of Canadian municipalities, led by Calgary, “that are taking deliberate steps to conserve wetland habitat that exists within their boundaries,” says Jerry Brunen, a resident of Strathmore and Alberta education specialist for DUC.
A community of 10,000 people located about an hour’s drive east of Calgary, Strathmore is expected to ratify its new wetland policy in late fall 2006, says Mitch Comb, senior urban planner for the Town of Strathmore.
The policy, developed with extensive input from residents and developers, strengthens Strathmore’s long-term link to water management and healthy wetlands.
By 1906, the CPR was channelling irrigation water through Strathmore to local settlers. Water users took over the irrigation system in 1944 and four years later, DUC built a wetland “around
which the town grew over time. DUC no longer has an active agreement on that wetland, but the Western Irrigation District still provides the water, which feeds several wetland areas within the community,” explains Brunen.
Strathmore’s wetland policy was developed after recent disputes over development plans that would have affected those wetlands, says Comb. It will influence area structure plans and land-use bylaws, including those related to parks and public spaces.
“People realize a formal policy offers some assurance that all developers will be treated the same. It also gives the public some assurance about what can and what cannot happen on these sites,” says Comb.
A robust economy “puts additional development pressure on municipalities like Strathmore,” notes Brunen. Wetland policies, including one approved by the City of Calgary a couple of years ago, “provide a way to balance the discussion. We know 70 per cent of wetlands have already been lost in settled areas of Canada. Since wetland policies establish everything from development setback rules to land use, they can help conserve what’s left.
Town policy values wetland habitat
IIn spring, waterfowl gather in large numbers at open water locations in the southern Yukon. Most are on their way to nesting grounds further north – but a few may have taken a wrong turn.
Take, for example, the Bewick’s swan sighted by Jukka Jantunen at Tagish Narrows in April 2005. Bewick’s swan is the Eurasian version of the tundra swan, a fairly common spring visitor. However, Bewick’s swan is very rare in western North America, generally breeding on the tundra of northern Russia.
“As far as I know, this was the first sighting ever in the Yukon,” says Amy Leach, a biologist with Ducks Unlimited Canada’s Yukon office.
In the past few years, Yukon observers have recorded sightings of another rare swan – the whooper swan. The whooper swan, also Eurasian, is a cousin of the trumpeter swan, but smaller and with a bright yellow beak edged in black.
Before 2006, whoopers had been spotted, one or two at a time, in the southern Yukon during spring migration. Then, last summer, a single whooper swan was observed on Herschel Island off the Yukon’s north coast. Previous North American sightings have been much further west, on Alaskan islands near Siberia.
A few unusual species of goose have also wandered into the Yukon in recent years. The most unusual was another Eurasian
wanderer, a bean goose spotted at the Whitehorse airport in late October 1999.
“This is a very rare species anywhere in North America,” says Cameron Eckert, one of the Yukon Bird Club members who identified it.
An elegant bird with dark brown, scaled feathers on its upper parts and pale grey-brown lower parts, the bean goose normally breeds in northern Eurasia. This was the first and, so far, only record in the Yukon.
Another recent Yukon first was Ross’s goose, spotted at Lake Laberge in May 2006. Ross’s goose breeds in Nunavut and migrates down eastern North America, and it rarely strays outside its range.
Although unusual sightings are a thrill, Eckert warns against reading too much into them.
“I don’t really see a trend in the increased number of unusual or rare water bird sightings,” he says.
Yukon birders have been fortunate with the number of rare bird sightings thus far, and next spring yields the hope for more.
Rare waterfowl visit the Yukon
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Featuring native grasslands and intact wetlands, and located in a priority landscape for staging and breeding waterfowl, the Kinvig Project in central Alberta offered a rare opportunity for DUC and partners to conserve ecologically sensitive land.
WWith the ink barely dry on a major land acquisition that conserves 640 acres of priority wildlife habitat in central Alberta (see Kinvig story, this issue), Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is already looking for ways to leverage some of that land via a 1:1 land-use exchange that gives Canada’s conserva-tion company a bigger return than might appear at first glance.
That’s right. DUC has pioneered a way to make a 1:1 exchange equal a win-win - win, says Morgan Stromsmoe, head of upland restoration for DUC in Alberta.
DUC developed its Land Use Exchange Program (LUEP) in the mid-1990s. The program gives DUC the right to manage, for the benefit of wildlife habitat, specific acres of privately owned land. Most LUEPs run for 20 years, during which the private land is conserved as perennial cover or wetland habitat. Where necessary, a LUEP may let DUC convert privately owned land back to wildlife space.
In return, the landowner accesses the same number of acres on a nearby piece of land owned by DUC. The landowner, typically an agricultural producer, will use the exchanged land for delayed haying, grazing or even cropland.
Farther north in the Holden Drainage District, another LUEP signed this spring gives cattleman David Grinde access to 49 acres of grazing land owned by DUC in return for the chance to restore or main-tain 40 acres of wetland habitat, plus nine adjacent upland acres on Grinde’s land.
“It’s the first LUEP in this district and we’re hopeful there will be more,” says Robbin Hunka, DUC habitat specialist.
In this area, which is characterized by wide-scale drainage carried out decades before, wetland restoration will mitigate downstream flooding. Holding water on the land for longer periods will also restore local wetlands to historic levels.
To Grinde, the exchange equals access to 49 acres of quality grazing land and the chance to watch 49 acres of his own land nurture local wildlife – without costing him a penny.
And that’s important, notes Stromsmoe. “This program provides mutual benefits. But it doesn’t cost landowners money.”
LUEP leverages bucks for ducks
that will have a positive impact by spring,” says Chambers.
Thompson, who visited the property with Chambers, says she “knew right away the conservation value of the property, especially since we could share the purchase cost with a conservation organization that shares our goals.”
After spending some time on the land this summer, Chambers explains, “It is obvious the native grasslands need some rest. Once the grasses have recovered, we’ll find a live-stock producer who agrees to graze a certain number of Kinvig acres in return for putting the same number of acres of his own land under a conservation management program.
“The Land Use Exchange Program lets us build relationships that increase the number of acres conserved for wildlife habitat, but there are mutual benefits, so both parties get what they need.”
In the meantime, nature is already doing a great job at the Kinvig Project. By mid-fall, all of the permanent wetlands were holding water and the temporary basins had a good frost seal, which bodes well for spring con-ditions.
It also bodes well for the future – and for future partnerships. “If we’re serious about conservation, the future is what counts,” says Thompson.
IIt is, by all accounts, a spectacular piece of wildlife habitat. But the newest owners of 640 acres now dubbed the Kinvig Project say the best is yet to come.
“The neighbours aren’t apt to notice any changes in the short term, but this prop-erty’s management is all about the future,” says Darwin Chambers, a conservation program specialist with Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC).
And he should know. Last winter, Chambers brokered the first of two Kinvig land joint venture partnerships between DUC and the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC).
As an organization, NCC takes a scientific approach to the conservation of ecologically significant land. More specifically, “We look for land that has never been cultivated or cleared and this property offered that, which is quite rare,” says Juanna Thompson, land securement representative, Alberta Parkland Region, NCC.
Located in the Pine Lake landscape, the Kinvig Project includes native grasslands and “approximately 160 acres of intact wet-lands. There’s also potential for additional wetland restoration. This fall, we will plug some of the wetlands drained many years ago by previous owners and we expect
Kinvig Project seals habitat’s future
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DDuane Tessier is watching his 750 acres of winter wheat grow this fall with a smile on his face.
Last spring the Gladmar, Sask., area farmer harvested the increasingly popular crop for the first time. That’s all it took to sell him, and he’s making the leap this year to all winter wheat.
“We put in 135 acres, all was No. 1 quality. It weighed in at 65 pounds and was 14.5 per cent protein.”
Tessier isn’t alone in his enthusiasm. Statistics Canada reports that Prairie farmers sowed 1.2 million acres in fall 2006, 50 per cent higher than in fall 2005.
Tessier and other farmers aren't the only ones claiming victory. Mark Akins is a conservation programs specialist with Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) in Saskatchewan. He says the organization has seen the benefits of this crop for more than 15 years.
Fall seeding means duck nests aren’t being disturbed in the spring, and the winter wheat provides protection from predators. “Duck researchers have found there are one to three successful nests in 300-plus acres (of spring wheat). With winter wheat there’s one in every 30 or 40 acres. My primary thought is we are able to improve duck nesting habitat on acres that would otherwise be lost,” says Akins.
With duck populations up dramatically, it only made sense to Akins to get more producers on board. With the help of the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, DUC has done just that. Forty-five
thousand acres and counting has been successfully seeded province-wide under this joint initiative.
When producers sign on to the program they receive $4 in cash on every acre from DUC, as well as interest-free deferrals on input costs from the Pool, which helps keep more money in their pockets.
According to Ryan McCann with the Pool, that creates a chain reaction. “The farmer seeds it and receives the many benefits that winter wheat has to offer, delivers it back to the Pool, and the Canadian Wheat Board manages it.”
A similar program is offered to producers in Manitoba through the Pool’s sister organization AgPro. And the program there is just as successful. McCann says in Manitoba over 9,000 acres of winter wheat has been seeded, exceeding the company’s expectations.
Obvious benefits include the reduced need for herbicides and pesticides, since many of the most harmful insects and weeds don’t appear until mid-June or later. Winter wheat also spreads out the workload through the year. Early spring moisture creates larger yields, resulting in huge benefits for the farmer. And, McCann says, market opportunities in winter wheat are growing for producers.
Tessier sees them too. “It will be a big market down the road if the ethanol sector continues to grow the way it’s going. Expanding hog barns will mean a bigger demand for feed, too.”
Winter wheat delivers the green
RRalph Michelson, a former Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) Kee-Man and active water-fowl conservation supporter, passed away in Lethbridge, Alta., on Aug. 7, 2006.
Michelson was a well-known and respected individual throughout southern Alberta, both personally and professionally. Born and raised on the family farm at Stirling, Alta., he joined the Lethbridge City Police Force in 1948, serving as Chief of Police from 1971 until his retirement in 1984. Lauded as a “pioneer of modern policing,” Michelson was still fondly referred to as the “the Chief” by many in his police brotherhood.
A strong supporter of DUC’s Lethbridge volunteer chapter, Michelson annually donated a bronze animal sculpture for the dinner auction, with his 2006 donation raising the most dollars of his many con-tributions. In retrospect, the pleasure Ralph expressed at the dinner that spring evening was an appropriate finale for his many years of auction donations.
Over the years numerous DUC employees came to know Michelson as a good friend.
Ralph and his brother
Glen could be relied upon to assist with project tours or to report on waterfowl and wetland conditions as they regularly explored southern Alberta’s landscapes. An avid pro-moter of DUC’s conservation programs, Ralph both directly and indirectly influ-enced the successful completion of several wetland projects in southern Alberta.
In 1997 the Michelson family and in particular Ralph and Glen were recognized for their efforts towards the successful com-pletion of the Stirling Lake complex. This multi-species, multi-benefit and multi-partner project located approximately 16 kilometres southeast of Lethbridge consists of 210 hectares of managed wetlands, 29 hectares of managed shore-bird wetland habitat and 340 hectares of managed upland nest cover. Appropriately dedicated in 1997 as Michelson’s Marsh, and located near Ralph’s family farm, this project is a fitting and permanent tribute to a fine gentleman, avid sportsman and outstanding conservationist.
EEast-central Saskatchewan is becoming a mecca for cattle producers. Earlier this year, a series of seminars about the benefits of the area was held in several communities across the country. According to Trevor Plews, head of upland restoration for Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) in Saskatchewan, the response has been exceptional.
Nestled in the rolling hills of the Upper Assiniboine, the area boasts reasonably priced land and provides tremendous opportunities for ranchers looking to expand their opera-tions. Plews says the region is proving to be particularly attractive to cattle producers from central Alberta, and even from overseas locations such as the United Kingdom.
He says the benefits of living in the region are also being seen by the locals. Recently a group of ranchers, grain producers and area business people formed the Sunrise Cattle Corporation to tap into the opportunities. This organization grew out of a promotional effort called The Last Cattle Frontier.
The group of 11 producers and inves-tors pooled their resources to establish a community cattle herd. The venture is a way for producers to diversify their operations and become involved with the livestock industry. The business plan originally called for six quarters (960 acres) of land to be used. The group is now expanding the operation to 26 quarters of land (4,160 acres) including 16 quarters (2,560 acres) in partnership with the Keeseekoose First Nations.
This year, a portion of the land is being converted to perennial cover for haying or grazing. In addition, some of the previously drained wetlands will be restored to their original state. These critically important wetlands will provide habitat for wildlife and especially valuable nesting cover for waterfowl in the area.
The Last Cattle Frontier – Sunrise Cattle Corporation
The Flyway newsletter is published by Ducks Unlimited CanadaOak Hammock Marsh Conservation CentreP.O. Box 1160, Stonewall, ManitobaR0C 2Z0 tel (204)467-3000 fax (204)467-9028toll-free 1(800)665-DUCK
Please direct your inquiries to the following:Eastern Region Atlantic: Kelly MacDonald Quebec: Bernard Filion Ontario: Lynette MaderWestern Region Prairie-Western Boreal: Marci Dube British Columbia: Ellen Baragon
Flyway production staffDirector of Communications and Marketing:Madeleine ArbezEditor: Duncan MorrisonAssistant: June FinnsonArt Director: Tye GreggGraphic Designers: Lindsay Pikta-Marie, Aquila Samson, Jeope Wolfe
