C VOLUME 31, NUMBER 2, 2010 Yukon • Northwest Territories • Nunavut • Alberta • Saskatchewan • Manitoba WESTERN REGION ( ) PRAIRIE/ BOREAL Celebrating 25 years in Whitehorse Can you tell the difference between the call of a mallard over the sounds of a Canada goose? During the past few weeks, listeners to the CBC radio station in Whitehorse, Yukon were given the opportunity to guess the call and win prizes. It was all a part of the city’s 25th annual DUC fundraising dinner. “We’re trying to make it special this year as this is the 25th anniversary of the dinner,” says Gwen Moffatt, co-chair of this year’s dinner. “Our dinner will be held on April 25 this year when spring is in the air and people are seeing birds come back north. at timing helps make this event a success.” Moffatt says that the dinner has always been popular in the community. Last year when many charitable organizations struggled in tough economic conditions, their DUC dinner sold out, and they’re increasing the number of tickets available this year. e radio contest was something they tried last year to help promote ticket sales, and is back this year by popular demand. e twist this time is that instead of tickets to the dinner, winners will receive prizes along the lines of those offered at the dinner’s auction. Moffatt’s husband Gordon, is DUC fundraising manager for the area and says that the volunteers who donate their time are what make the event a success every year. “People here realize the difference that DUC makes in their conservation efforts across Canada and they want to support that.” He says that the radio promotion, advertisements in local papers, and encouragement from past attendees help keep the event fully attended each year. is year, they’ll look back at the past 25 years. “is year we’re going to formally recognize some of our long- term sponsors,” says Gordon. “We will be bringing back some of our original members, including our founding member, Dale Eſtoda. We want to celebrate where we’ve been, as well as where we’re going.” S
Celebrating 25 years in WhitehorseCan you tell the difference between the call of a mallard over the sounds of a Canada goose? During the past few weeks, listeners to the CBC radio station in Whitehorse, Yukon were given the opportunity to guess the call and win prizes. It was all a part of the city’s 25th annual DUC fundraising dinner.
“We’re trying to make it special this year as this is the 25th anniversary of the dinner,” says Gwen Moffatt, co-chair of this year’s dinner. “Our dinner will be held on April 25 this year when spring is in the air and people are seeing birds come back north. That timing helps make this event a success.”
Moffatt says that the dinner has always been popular in the community. Last year when many charitable organizations struggled in tough economic conditions, their DUC dinner sold out, and they’re increasing the number of tickets available this year.
The radio contest was something they tried last year to help promote
ticket sales, and is back this year by popular demand. The twist this time is that instead of tickets to the dinner, winners will receive prizes along the lines of those offered at the dinner’s auction.
Moffatt’s husband Gordon, is DUC fundraising manager for the area and says that the volunteers who donate their time are what make the event a success every year.
“People here realize the difference that DUC makes in their conservation efforts across Canada and they want to support that.”
He says that the radio promotion, advertisements in local papers, and encouragement from past attendees help keep the event fully attended each year. This year, they’ll look back at the past 25 years.
“This year we’re going to formally recognize some of our long-term sponsors,” says Gordon. “We will be bringing back some of our original members, including our founding member, Dale Eftoda. We want to celebrate where we’ve been, as well as where we’re going.” S
S
AA piece of land in the town of Canora, Sask., is being converted to a natural oasis thanks in part to the help of Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC). According to the organizers, the goal of the community’s Urban Habitat Project is to offer a natural setting that is both enjoyable and educational.
“The location of the project also integrates itself into the Town of Canora’s walking trail,” says Naomi Paley, one of the driving forces behind the project. “A walking path, footbridge, several plantings of native tree species as well as 12 interpretive stops, each highlighting a different aspect of habitat, wildlife and plant species and their importance to us and our environment, have been added to complete the site.”
Work on the nine-acre project began in 2007. Canora mayor Terry Dennis joined Kathy Thomas, president of the River Ridge branch of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation, in cutting the ribbon to officially open Canora’s Urban Habitat Project. Along with the interpretive trails it includes a natural wetland and upland habitat. The project is a co-operative effort between the Town of Canora, DUC, the River Ridge branch of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation (SWF) and the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration. S
Students from Canora helped create many of the signs for the interpretive trails at the Canora Urban Habitat Project. (Photo courtesy of Canora Courier)
w e s t e r n r e g i o n ( p r a i r i e / b o r e a l )
Official opening
Seeding equipment manufacturer Seed Hawk Inc. recently pledged $25,000 over five years to Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC). The real “conservation connection” lies in the technology Seed Hawk is developing and how producers and the environment can benefit.
DUC is working with agricultural producers and Seed Hawk (headquartered in Langbank, Sask.) to see if new farming technology can help conserve waterfowl habitat. DUC partnered with the North Moose Mountain Creek Agri-Environmental Group Plan (AEGP). The group is studying the benefits of the development of air seeder technology.
“As producers continue to use larger and larger seed drills, overlapping seeding passes in the field becomes expensive and inefficient,”
says Kylie McRae, a conservation specialist with DUC. “Overlapping happens mainly when producers need to turn, either at the end of the field or to go around odd-shaped areas, such as wetlands. These double applications of seed and fertilizer cost producers more, reduce yield, and can also increase the likelihood of nutrient loss into waterways.”
To combat overlapping, many growers feel that they must drain or clear their fields of these “obstacles,” explains McRae. Now, technology developed by Seed Hawk Inc. may reduce the problem and help producers become more efficient while saving wetlands.
Seed Hawk Inc. has developed Section Control Technology (SCT), which works with GPS and Autosteer systems on farm tractors. The equipment allows users to automatically lift sections of the seed drill off the ground and shut down the application of seed and fertilizer on previously seeded ground.
The technology may allow producers to cover more ground without sacrificing efficiency due to overlap and means growers can retain wetlands and natural areas within their fields. Initial reviews of the SCT show producers feel they will recover their investment through the increased efficiencies.
With additional program funding, DUC and the local AEGP hope to establish four field demonstrations of Seed Hawk’s SCT in southeastern Saskatchewan in the summer of 2010. Through these trials, producers can compare conventional seeding practices to the SCT-equipped drill and assess the merit of the technology in their farming operation. To learn more about this program, contact Kylie McRae at [email protected]. S
Seed Hawk technology yields new conservation connection
Seed Hawk’s section control technology allows producers to significantly improve efficiency and profitability while keeping wetlands intact.
G
WWhen Ben Sutherland turned 13 he had one birthday wish: To help protect wildlife habitat.
Instead of requesting traditional gifts, the Saskatoon teen asked his friends to contribute to Ducks Unlimited Canada. Together they raised $200 and helped Ben celebrate in style. S
New teen wise to conservation
Grazing clubs a huge success in ManitobaGood pasture management is essential for cattle producers’ long-term success. In Manitoba and elsewhere, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is working with producers through grazing clubs to ensure that success.
“We never would have dreamed how successful the grazing club initiative would become,” says Ken Gross, head of upland restoration for DUC. “It has grown from one club in Minnedosa in 1999 to over 30 clubs spread across agro-Manitoba in 2009. The largest club in Manitoba has over 300 members and several have more than 100. It is a great formula: local events that provide useful, timely information using a hands-on approach.”
Gross says the grazing clubs are an agricultural extension technique designed to improve both grass and riparian habitat management and to increase profits. The techniques are also having a broad-scale impact on the landscape, which is good for wildlife.
He points out that after all these years there still are new topics that create interest for producers, which is beneficial considering the challenges the cattle industry is facing.
“The goal of the clubs is to distribute useful agronomic information to landowners. DUC’s goal is to be a partner to Manitoba producers and support improved pasture management, which leads to better grass cover and wetlands for waterfowl,” Gross says. “We also encourage producers to seed more forages, and create a much more productive landscape for waterfowl and other wildlife.”
The clubs are informal gatherings of cattle producers to discuss pasture management issues such as stocking rates, grazing rotation, pasture types, watering systems and other useful information. The agenda is driven by the entire group’s needs, designed to help producers hear about, test and become comfortable with new farm management practices and products designed to improve each operation’s bottom line.
DUC also helps the ranchers prepare their grass management plan, which covers carrying capacity, stocking rates and water management. Financial assistance is sometimes offered to provide support for the management needs of individual producers.
Some producers introduced to DUC through Manitoba’s grazing clubs end up signing long-term forage agreements or Conservation Agreements, and restore wetlands on their land with help from the conservation organization.
The Kliever family from Elkhorn is one example. They found out about the benefits of DUC’s programs at a local grazing club event. Now the Klievers have restored 118 wetland basins on their land, making it the biggest wetland restoration project of its kind in Manitoba.
The No. 1 reason the Klievers took on such an extensive project was that they need water to stay on their farm where it will actually do some good. They also don’t have to worry about how their drainage will affect other people.
“Cattle need water and grass and so do ducks,” says Rick Andrews, head of wetland restoration for DUC in Manitoba. “I have always said that and this project is the perfect example of how agriculture and the environment can find a common ground and complement each other.”
Ducks supports the important cattle industry. “We have programs to help cattle producers like the Klievers remain sustainable in the long term. Sustainability and good stewardship is the key to keep rural families on the farm and we are working hard to ensure there is a viable cattle industry in Manitoba,” Andrews says.
DUC is also searching for more funding partners. For more information on the grazing clubs, contact Ken Gross in Brandon at 1-866-251-DUCK or email at [email protected]. S
SDucks Unlimited Canada delivers wetland education to the classroomSaskatchewan students are learning about wetlands and the animals that live there thanks to a partnership between Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and SaskPower.
This year, SaskPower, a provincial Crown corporation, contributed $50,000 toward the Project Webfoot wetland education program delivered by DUC. The education program teaches students in Saskatchewan about the value of conserving the province’s natural wetland habitats. SaskPower’s sponsorship provides in-class learning materials as well as wetland field trips for many communities throughout Saskatchewan.
“SaskPower is proud to support this program,” says Gary Wilkinson, vice-president, Planning, Environment and Regulatory Affairs, SaskPower. “With the number of wetlands decreasing in Saskatchewan, we need to teach youth about the environment and the important role wetlands play in Saskatchewan’s unique environment.”
Grade 4 and 5 students at Ashley Park School in Swift Current are just some of the children who recently took part in the program. The participants take part in a number of hands-on activities and interactive lessons that help develop an appreciation for wetlands and the natural world.
“Wetlands are one of the most productive ecosystems on earth,” says Barbara Hanbidge, an education specialist with DUC. “Thanks to SaskPower’s generous financial support, thousands of students and their teachers have learned about an ecosystem that is just as vital and diverse as the rainforest, and is just outside their back door.”
DUC’s Project Webfoot meets curriculum requirements in the life sciences for elementary, middle school and high school students. Cross-curricular activities have included biodiversity studies, habitat improvements, nest boxes, animal studies, art, music and writing programs.
SaskPower is DUC’s first Diamond Legacy Sponsor and has been supporting conservation partnership projects including habitat conservation, education and research since 1997. S
w e s t e r n r e g i o n ( p r a i r i e / b o r e a l )
DRestoring wetlands in SaskatchewanDucks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is working with the Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure in Saskatchewan to restore and recover wetland habitat lost during the construction of the Lewvan Interchange in Regina.
The Lewvan Interchange is along the Trans-Canada Highway in the city’s southwest. As a result of new commercial and residential development in the Harbour Landing area of Regina, traffic has increased. According to the Province, major improvements are needed to ensure traffic can flow safely.
Brent Kennedy, Saskatchewan manager of provincial operations for DUC, estimates about 25 acres of wetlands and habitat is at risk from the highway construction. The mitigation arrangement restores at least three wetlands for every one that is affected by the roadwork: the same ratio for wetland and habitat recovery that other provinces are using. The provincial government will fund the work and DUC will be responsible for making the habitat restorations.
“This agreement is a step in the right direction and an important opportunity to work with the Saskatchewan government to protect and restore our wetlands. I believe this program proves that environmental conservation and economic growth can work hand in hand,” says Kennedy. “We also commend the ministry for its leadership in recognizing the benefits and ecological services that wetlands provide to Saskatchewan.”
“The Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure is proud to have worked so closely with DUC on this important transportation project,” says Highways and Infrastructure Minister Jim Reiter. “Environmental stewardship is important to the Government of Saskatchewan and we, as the Province’s transportation infrastructure experts, will work with our environmental colleagues to ensure wetland consideration is a part of our major capital project planning process.”
“We’ll be receiving more than $75,000 from the ministry to do this work. Our staff anticipates using the money to restore approximately 75 acres of wetlands in southern Saskatchewan,” says Kennedy. “DUC welcomes the opportunity to work further with the Saskatchewan government on minimizing the loss of provincial wetlands and on further protecting and restoring valuable waterfowl habitat.” S
DOil and water in mix for landowner Conservation AgreementsDucks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and Tundra Oil and Gas Partnership are working with landowners interested in protecting habitat while ensuring they can still access their mineral rights through the use of Conservation Agreements.
Conservation Agreements are legal agreements registered on the land title that perpetually protect habitat found on the property. In most cases, Conservation Agreements prohibit breaking native uplands and draining wetlands, but allow grazing and haying. It does not exclude oil and mineral exploration and extraction.
According to DUC, these activities can coexist with the environment if they are conducted in a way that considers the environmental impacts in its planning and implementation. To prove the point, DUC is partnering with Richardson International Limited and Tundra Oil and Gas Partnership in the new Healthy Prairie Landscapes Initiative.
The initiative promotes a variety of Beneficial Management Practices at independent Sustainable Land Use Centres to show how profitable business ventures like commercial agriculture and resource extraction can work with conservation groups to maintain healthy habitats for wildlife and people.
“The placement of a Conservation Agreement on a land title is not expected to deter us from oil and gas exploration or extraction on those lands under the agreement,” says Dan MacLean, president, Tundra Oil and Gas Partnership. “We currently have a good working relationship with DUC and feel that we can work together to effectively extract natural resources with minimal impact to the habitat on the land defined by a Conservation Agreement. Tundra Oil and Gas is committed to applying sound environmental practices in all our areas of activity.”
MacLean explains that Tundra is committed to working with the landowner, government regulators and DUC where there is an existing Conservation Agreement to rehabilitate the affected lands.
When oil and gas development does overlap on lands with Conservation Agreements, Tundra compensates the landowner for use of the entire surface lease. Once exploration and extraction of the resource is complete, Tundra is responsible for the restoration and reclamation of the affected lands as defined in the Manitoba Oil and Gas Act. To celebrate the partnership, DUC and Tundra will host a dedication ceremony at the end of May at a property under a Conservation Agreement in southwestern Manitoba.
If you have any questions about Conservation Agreements and oil and gas extraction please contact Ducks Unlimited Canada at 204-729-3500. S
EEarlier this fall, friends and supporters gathered at a conservation project in southern Saskatchewan to honour the international volunteer work of an outstanding “Friends of the Ducks,” Dr. L.J. Mayeux of Marksville, Louisiana.
Widely known across Ducks Unlimited as “Dr. Duck,” Dr. L.J. Mayeux is indeed a consummate example of the passion and commitment of the Ducks Unlimited volunteer. Dr. Mayeux has held virtually every volunteer position in Ducks Unlimited, starting as a Marksville, Louisiana, committee member in 1980. Dr. Mayeux’s love of waterfowl and waterfowl hunting and his passion for DU’s habitat mission led him to accept many volunteer positions at all levels of the organization including President of Ducks Unlimited, Inc. in 2000-2002.
Thanks to the generosity of many people across the U.S. and Canada, more than $300,000 was raised to conserve waterfowl habitat, in tribute to Dr. Mayeux and his wife Roseada Mayeux’s legacy, Ducks Unlimited Canada recently set aside an uplands habitat project in Saskatchewan to honour his lifelong commitment to conserving waterfowl habitat. S
"Dr. Duck" recognized
AA Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) project that has stood for more than 60 years received a needed facelift recently.
The Davidson project is a 22-acre wetland on Broughton’s Creek in the Rural Municipality of Blanshard in southwestern Manitoba. It was originally developed in 1949 with the construction of an earthen dam and wooden weir across the creek. The original structure was replaced by a concrete weir and over the years there have been several upgrades to the facility. In 1995, grouting was done underneath the structure to reduce seepage and heaving and in 2001 the dike slopes were reshaped.
“The project is important to DUC for a number of reasons as it provides secure brood-rearing habitat in a high-density wetland region,” says Cal Cuthbert, conservation programs specialist out of Brandon. “The project is situated within a major water system entering the Little Saskatchewan River and ultimately the Assiniboine River systems, so reducing downstream flows will provide some measure of flood protection for downstream municipal infrastructure.”
The concrete structure had deteriorated and DUC replaced the concrete weir with an 11-metre wide steel sheet piling weir and spillway. This installation will address the seepage and heaving problems that have troubled the project over the years.
Construction was completed in the summer of 2009 and cost $30,000. Future contributions to this project will be used to underwrite the costs of this repair and to ensure future maintenance of this project and others like it in Manitoba.
Cuthbert explains that Broughton’s Creek discharges directly into Lake Wahtopanah, the drinking water source for the town of Rivers. Like all wetlands, the Davidson Project plays an important role in surface and groundwater storage and carbon sequestration, and helps filter excess nutrients and sediments from the annual run-off that eventually ends in Lake Wahtopanah. Located on land owned by Frank Corbey, the project also provides stock water to neighbouring cattle operations. S
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: Marci Dube Quebec: Bernard Filion Ontario: Lynette MaderWestern Region Prairie-Western Boreal: Marci Dube British Columbia: Wendy Thatcher
Flyway production staffDirector of Communications and Marketing:Madeleine ArbezEditor: Duncan MorrisonAssistant: Deb MenardArt Director: Tye GreggGraphic Designers: Christa Edwards,Lindsay Pikta-Marie, Aquila Samson, Jeope Wolfe
Western Boreal ProgramEric Butterworth (780) 489-8110
publication agreement #40064849
western region ( )prairie/boreal
Davidson Project gets upgrade
Landowner Frank Corbey and his family stand on the new steel weir on their property’s DUC project. l-r Corbey; Donelda Eastcott and Andy Corbey; Chris Waddell and Jodi Fercho; Cole, Brady and Jamie Waddell.
