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42 Conservator | summer 2012 If you have a wetland on your property, you know it’s an amazing and complex system. Now thanks to Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), you have a brand new tool to help you better under- stand and manage that wetland. DUC in Atlantic Canada is now offering The Wetland Care Guide, which is available free to Atlantic Canada landowners with DUC- managed wetlands on their property. The Wetland Care Guide is an essential edu- cational tool for any landowner restoring a wetland on their property or looking for best management practices to enhance an existing wetland. Topics discussed in the 52-page guide include the different types of wet- lands, the value of wetlands, the process of wet- land restoration, wetland management, ecology and more. DUC’s Atlantic Wetland Care program works in partnership with over 1,800 landowners across Atantic Canada to conserve wildlife habitat. This program provides landowners with resources to further understand the true value of wetlands and how to manage them successfully. DUC is committed to supporting and encouraging landowners in understanding their wetland so that they, and the waterfowl and wildlife who live in it, can enjoy it for many years. Call 1-866-903-8257 to get yours! Atlantic Wetland Care Guide now available! The thought of a fish climbing a ladder seems like some- thing you’d only see in a Dr. Seuss book. And yet fish all over Canada climb ladders every single year! A fish ladder, also known as a fish-way, is a structure on or around dams or other water control structures, which allows for natural migration. It allows fish to pass around the barriers by swimming and leaping up a series of relatively low steps (hence the term ladder) into the water on the other side. Over the past 45 years, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) has invested over $10 million in the construction and operation of 160 fish-ways in Atlantic Canada – more than any other agency, government or corporation in the Atlantic region. DUC started incorporating fish-ways into water control structures as part of their wetland conservation program. The majority of DUC fish-ways were built between 1975 and 1990. DUC is now working with government and university partners to put together a proactive strategy to improve the overall effectiveness of these existing structures, and also meet new Department of Fisheries and Oceans requirements. As in many things, it turns out that the perfect design may have been created by Mother Nature. DUC is looking into newer, more innovative designs that use “nature-like fish-ways” based on simulating natural stream characteristics and using natural materials. These designs appear to be more successful in allowing a greater variety of species to pass through them and have lower long term maintenance costs. Nature-like fish-ways are designed to simulate natural stream characteristics by using natural materials, rocks, large boulders and stepped pools. Many have been constructed in Europe, but it is a relatively new concept in North America. DUC looks forward to working with its partners to assess the science behind nature-like fish-ways and determine their suitability for Atlantic Canadian fish species and other aquatic organisms. Helping fish get back to nature EASTERN REGION ATLANTIC FREE!
