flyway-atlantic-2010-31-4

volume 31, number 4, 2010

eastern region ( )Quebec • New Brunswick • Nova Scotia

• Prince Edward Island • Newfoundland and Labrador

quebec/atlantic

AAfter many years of hard work, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and the Town of Kentville, N.S., have held the grand opening of Miner’s Marsh.

Representatives from the Town of Kentville, DUC and a large number of supporters and community members were present at Miner’s Marsh on Aug. 12, 2010, for the official opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony.

This project, funded by numerous community supporters, has resulted in a 1.5-kilometre walking trail, a new bridge, a viewing platform and interpretive signage. The trail, which can also be accessed by cyclists and has portions that are wheelchair-accessible, will bring visitors around Miner’s Marsh. There, they will have the opportunity to see such wildlife as black ducks, wood ducks, bald eagles, muskrats, dragonflies and a broad variety of other waterfowl and wildlife.

“This project has really shown what Kentville is made of,” says Mayor David Corkum. “Our community members, organizations

and businesses put a lot of hard work, support and encouragement into Miner’s Marsh. It is now a beautiful area for the entire community to cherish and enjoy, and I look forward to seeing people take advantage of it to bike, jog, bird-watch or just go for a walk with their friends or families.”

“Miner’s Marsh is the best of both worlds,” says Deanne Meadus, DUC's Atlantic manager of conservation programs. “It not only provides excellent habitat for waterfowl and other wildlife, but it also provides a fantastic recreational area for the people of and visitors to Kentville. It is a great example of how wetlands benefit waterfowl and people as well.” S

Opening of Kentville’s Miner’s Marsh a Success

David Griffen (Michelin), Deanne Meadus (Ducks Unlimited Canada), Jim Morton (MLA – Kings North), David Corkum (Kentville major), Gren Jones (DUC board director), Hugh Fairn (DUC board director emeritus)

CCoastal wetlands have just received a helping hand. The LES (Living Environmental Studies) Foundation donated $20,000 toward the conservation of coastal wetland in New Brunswick. These funds will go towards the expansion of the Caughey Taylor Nature Preserve.

The Caughey Taylor Nature Preserve, near Bocabec, N.B., encompasses the famous Sam Orr’s Pond, created from glacial movements 30,000 years ago. Today, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) in partnership with the New Brunswick Nature Trust has an opportunity to add Taggarts Marsh, an additional 100 acres of coastal wetland habitat, to the Caughey Taylor Nature Preserve.

The addition of Taggarts Marsh is part of a larger initiative to double the size of the Caughey Taylor Nature Preserve from 300 to 600 acres. This is part of a larger project, led by the New Brunswick Nature Trust, called the Campaign for Coastal Lands. The conservation of this area will benefit a large variety of wildlife and waterfowl. Coastal wetland is also of great benefit to humankind, as it helps to protect developed areas from rising sea levels and storm surges.

The LES Foundation was set up as a family dedication to the memory of Jack Miro Katnick and his daughter Leslie Anne. Both father and daughter loved the honesty of nature, its harmony and its

awesome beauty. The Foundation’s mission is to address the serious situation and pressing issues of the health of our environment. Its founder, Lois Anderson Katnick, adds, “On behalf of the LES Foundation, I am very pleased with this donation toward conservation of coastal habitats in New Brunswick, which I consider to be extremely important.” S

LES Foundation helps conserve coastal habitat

IIn past years, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) has developed an approach that incorporates deepwater and wetland conservation and management into forest management plans. This approach was first tested in low-density deepwater and wetland areas (four to five per cent), such as on the Laurentian Massif and in Charlevoix. A very different area, the 80-km² territory of the Forêt d’enseignement et de recherche du lac Duparquet (FERLD), in Abitibi, is part of a high-density deepwater and wetland forest.

DUC and the Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT) have joined their expertise on the FERLD with the goal of integrating water systems (deepwater, wetland and riparian forests) into the new management model the FERLD ecosystem offers. Their objective was to increase the forestry industry’s consideration of these areas and add them to high conservation value forests via the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification process.

This project will: (1) classify and map all the deepwater, wetland and riparian forests using ecoforestry maps and recent aerial photos; (2) identify the ecological and socio-economic issues stemming from the management of these areas; and (3) submit a conservation plan for the existing FERLD conservation zone and the possibility of increasing this zone into consideration. The project report is available on the DUC website. Interpretation panels about the wetlands have been placed along an educational

trail in the FERLD. We hope that these efforts, made possible by funding from the Conférence régionale des élus de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue, will lead to similar projects in the region’s other forested areas. S

The wetlands of Duparquet Lake forest

Wetlands in the area of the Magusi River, Forêt d’enseignement et de recherche du lac Duparquet, Abitibi.

DThree DUC projects benefit from Quebec reservesDucks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is pleased to unveil three new natural reserves established on private land that have been recognized by the Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs. This recognition provides landowners the opportunity to convert part or all of their land to a natural reserve.

The three sites acquired by DUC will now benefit from legal protection thanks to this new natural reserve status. Here are brief descriptions of these sites.

The Réserve de la plaine CheckleyLocated in Sept-Îles in the Côte-Nord region, the Réserve de la plaine Checkley covers more than 50 hectares. It is part of the great Checkley plain peat bog, one of the few unexploited peatlands in this area.

The Checkley plain consists of a peat bog, many ponds and a spruce forest. The characteristic peatland is host of two unusual species of sphagnum vegetation (Sphagnum tenellum and Sphagnum pulchrum). The plain is heavily used by a diverse range of waterfowl, which can be observed during migration and nesting: Canada goose, ring-necked duck, northern pintail, northern shoveller, green-winged teal, mallard, American black duck and common goldeneye.

The Réserve naturelle des îles-de-la-DartmouthThe Réserve naturelle des îles-de-la-Dartmouth, located to the west of Gaspé Bay, is among the largest wetlands on the Gaspé Peninsula. This sector is made up of estuary islands and an emerging wetland that is gradually turning into a brackish wetland system downriver and into a shrub- and tree-filled swamp system upriver. The islands are part of a protected wildlife habitat (the Aire de concentration d’oiseaux aquatiques du marais de l’embouchure de la rivière Dartmouth).

Many bird species likely to be put on the Quebec list of threatened or at-risk species frequent this wetland during migration, particularly the harlequin duck, Nelson’s sharp-tailed sparrow, Barrow’s goldeneye, short-eared owl and yellow rail.

The Réserve naturelle du Sault-à-la-PuceThe Réserve naturelle du Sault-à-la-Puce is located in Château-Richer in the Quebec City area. The two properties that make up the reserve were given to DUC in 2004, and are part of the Côte-de-Beaupré sandbanks, on the north shore of the Saint-Lawrence Riverine Estuary. This territory is made up of intertidal ecosystems, mainly comprised of marshes, wet meadows and swamplands. It is one of the largest wetlands in the greater Quebec City area.

The Côte-de-Beaupré sandbanks shelter a wide biodiversity, including 97 flower and 138 animal species. Many rare plants can be found here, including the wild yellow lily, a species on the Quebec at-risk species list, and two at-risk fish species – the American shad and the American spelt – that use these wetlands as nursery areas. Nine flower species likely to be put on the threatened or at-risk lists and six animal species with the same designations can also be found here: the American eel, the lake sturgeon and the sturgeon, and three amphibians – the milk snake, the pickerel frog and the northern dusky salamander – occupy this habitat, as does the wood turtle.

The Côte-de-Beaupré sandbanks are exceptional in their diversity, productivity and rarity. For several decades, this territory has faced heavy urban pressure leading to the loss, deterioration or fragmentation of these habitats. This territory’s remaining wetlands contribute a rich flora and fauna to our collective natural heritage. Birds use them as a staging, feeding and reproduction area, waterfowl, shorebirds (sandpipers, plovers, spotted sandpipers) and colony-nesting birds being among the most numerous groups.

Let us briefly mention that one of the very first private natural reserves in Quebec, the Réserve naturelle du Marais-Trépanier, in the Outaouais, is owned by DUC.

DUC is most pleased by the addition of these three new reserves to the list of protected areas. To learn more about the natural reserves, visit www.mddep.gouv.qc.ca/biodiversite/prive/depliant.htm. S

e a s t e r n r e g i o n ( q u e b e c / a t l a n t i c )

DDucks Unlimited Canada (DUC) has over 1.100 wetland projects within Atlantic Canada that have been conserved or restored over the last 40 years. While some of these wetlands are on land DUC has acquired, the majority have been restored on private lands. These wetlands were secured only through the commitment and dedication of landowners who saw the value in wetland conservation and the habitat that it provides.

DUC and landowners have a long history of working together. While DUC manages these wetlands through conservation agreements, landowners make a commitment to keep the wetland intact on their property, so that it continues to provide healthy habitat for waterfowl and wildlife. As our numbers of landowners increase and projects get older, our outreach capabilities have diminished. Now, more than ever, we must showcase the importance landowners have in DUC’s conservation planning and ensure that our relationship with them is just as healthy as the wetlands we manage.

DUC Atlantic Canada’s new Atlantic Wetland Care initiative will work towards engaging landowners and keeping them better informed and aware of how their wetland project is part of a network of conservation efforts within their community and across their province. By providing resources and support to our landowners, by connecting them with other landowners across Atlantic Canada, and by developing tools for landowners to provide feedback on their projects, we hope that these individuals will find increased value in their association with DUC and in continuing their conservation agreements with us well into the future.

Our conservation planning relies on maintaining relationships that we develop with private property owners as we place new projects on the ground. It also relies on our ability to re-engage landowners with existing projects. During the summer months, several focus group meetings were held, providing excellent and comprehensive feedback and giving us insight as to where we should direct our priorities. Atlantic Wetland Care will see the creation of several new initiatives that will work to address the needs and values of landowners, giving them an increased awareness that they truly are a part of the DUC team.

So, if you have a DUC project on your property, stay tuned – you will be hearing from us again soon! S

eastern region ( )

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: Krista Elliott Quebec: Bernard Filion Ontario: Joanne BarbazzaWestern Region Prairie-Western Boreal: Marci Dube British Columbia: Wendy Thatcher

Flyway production staffDirector of Marketing: Madeleine ArbezEditor: Duncan MorrisonAssistant: Deb MenardManager Creative Services: Lindsay Pikta-MarieGraphic Designers: Christa Edwards, Aquila Samson, Jeope Wolfe

© Ducks Unlimited Canada, 2010 Printed in Canada on 100% recycled paper including 100% post-consumer fibres

quebec/atlanticDUC's proud history of working

with landowners

area contactsManager of Provincial Operations, AtlanticTom Duffy (866) 903-8257 ext.234

Manager of Provincial Operations, QuébecBernard Filion (800) 565-1650 ext.15

Fundraising Manager, QuébecJocelyn Landry (877) 551-5757

Fundraising Manager, New Brunswick Duska Frink (888) 920-3330

Fundraising Manager, Nova ScotiaJames Young (888) 557-5554

Fundraising

Québec (West)Bernard Filion (800) 565-1650 ext.15

publication agreement #40064849

Francis Verstraten and Deanne Meadus at Verstraten's pond.