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volume 30, numBer 3, 2009

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Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and the British Columbia Cattlemen’s Association (BCCA) have signed a five-year memorandum of understanding fostering the growth and viability of B.C.’s beef cattle industry.

“Ranchers have been partnering with Ducks Unlimited for many years on wetland projects that mutually benefit both the ranch and the environment,” says Roland Baumann, BCCA president and rancher from Vanderhoof.

“We understand that the longevity of B.C.’s beef industry is critical to helping achieve our goal of no net loss of wetland habitat,” says Les Bogdan, DUC’s manager of provincial operations in B.C. “Some of the most productive waterfowl habitat is found on farms, ranches and grassland located throughout the Cariboo-Chilcotin and Okanagan regions.”

Working co-operatively, the partners will share information to guide wetland habitat projects, agricultural stewardship and education activities. Managing water resources for restoration, conservation, range management and other agricultural activities benefit existing wildlife habitat and contribute to the viability of agriculture operations.

The agreement also sets out a number of other areas to support habitat restoration and forest ecosystem planning. For example, DUC and BCCA will identify and collaborate on priority wetland management for the protection and improvement of these habitats consistent with management plans and goals of the range tenure holder and the Ministry of Forests and Range. S

Partnership contributes to B.C.'s cattle industry sustainability

FAProtecting wildlife habitat in Cariboo country

Mother’s love of nature conserves P.E.I. wetlandA piece of land on Prince Edward Island has been conserved by Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), thanks to a lady with a love of nature and her children who wanted to honour her memory.

The 56-acre piece of property in Poplar Grove, P.E.I., had been left to the six children of Jessie Doris Cox, a longtime resident of Vancouver Island, who bought the property on a visit to the island, her son Weston Cox says.

“She was a woman of land; she was a farm girl from Saskatchewan who was enamoured with the natural world and her children inherited that from her,” he says. “It was a wild, raw piece of land. I can see why Mother fell in love with it.”

The property is 16 acres of wetland and 40 acres of upland with mixed native trees. It did not have a lot of development potential. After her death her children held on to it, but as they got older they had to decide what to do with it.

“We wanted to honour her memory and what she loved. She always felt she was a true Canadian because she owned property on both coasts,” Cox says, laughing at the memory.

He and his brother-in-law are active in DUC and the family decided to donate the land to the conservation organization. Cox contacted DUC in British Columbia and he was put in touch with Wade Lewis, conservation specialist for P.E.I.

“Wade was an excellent go-between. These things don’t always go quickly or smoothly but Wade hung in there and saw it through. We owe Wade a huge debt of gratitude. He was very pro-fessional and carried us through the whole thing. And we are very happy to say the land was donated to Ducks Unlimited.”

DUC installed a cairn with a granite plaque on the site which reads:

This property donated to Ducks Unlimited Canada in honour of Jessie Doris Cox, Coombs, Vancouver Island, B.C. In keeping with her lifelong love of the natural world.

By the families of her loving daughters and son: Beryl and Bill Barnes, Maxine and Gary Heppell, Weston and Wanda Cox, Sharon Cox Gustavson and Barry Gustavson, Norma and Keith Griffith and Donna and son Dakota Cox. S

Crown land fencing at Alberta lakesLed by the Ministry of Environment, and in partnership with the

Habitat Stewardship Program, the B.C. Conservation Framework Fund, the Ministry of Forests and Range, DUC, the Canoe Creek Indian Band and the Crown range tenure holder, this project constructed 12 km of fence at Alberta and River Lakes, west of 70 Mile House. These fences created two pastures to enable better management of livestock grazing along the chain of wetlands, thereby enhancing habitat values on approximately 1,468 hectares of prime grassland and forested areas.

Naturally endowed with sagebrush grasslands, conifer forests, glacial eskers, alkaline lakes and mineral wetlands, the area provides a diverse range of habitats for many wildlife species. With more than 40 separate wetlands included in the new pastures, a reduction in

From the air, B.C.’s Cariboo landscape is a sea of pine trees, dotted with rolling native grasslands. Not surprisingly, because of these geographic characteristics, forestry and agriculture have been key drivers of the region’s economic growth. And like most other areas, the development of these sectors has at times been at odds with protecting native wildlife habitat.

Although it’s not widely known, research demonstrates that grassland and forests on Crown land support some of the highest densities of breeding waterfowl in B.C.’s Interior. Guided by this knowledge and an understanding of what drives the Cariboo economy, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) has been working with land managers and stewards to develop on-the-ground practices to better manage this priority landscape. Two recent projects - one at Alberta Lakes near 70 Mile House and one in the Williams Lake River Valley - highlight a few of these activities.

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grazing pressures at Alberta Lakes will go a long way to improving nesting habitat for waterfowl. Furthermore, the area is recognized for providing some of the most important habitat in the Cariboo for certain species at risk, namely spadefoot toads and badgers, which rely on grasslands for burrowing and foraging.

Over the next few years, waterfowl brood surveys and vegetation monitoring will determine to what extent these rangeland improvements have helped birds and other wildlife. Expectations are high that this project will be a successful model for future partnerships and perhaps eventually become a demonstration site to promote the value and benefit of better land management to other ranchers.

williams lake river valley PondsTogether with the Williams Lake Field Naturalists, the B.C.

Ministry of Forests and Range and the tenure holder, DUC fenced two spring-fed wetlands on Crown range in the Williams Lake River Valley to enhance natural values and improve its attractiveness for area visitors.

These ponds have an intriguing history. According to locals, in the 1960s, the area was an old-growth birch forest with subterranean seepage and surface water pools that allowed the growth of lush vegetation. Much like today, the valley ponds were a popular place for school classes to experience nature first-hand. In the 1970s, the forest was logged and the area converted to a gravel pit. When the gravel pit was abandoned, vegetation began to reestablish and beavers dammed the outflow of the ponds, resulting in the current

Left and above: Two Cariboo projects illustrate how DUC influences Crown range management to enhance waterfowl habitat.

wetlands. Today a popular recreational trail runs alongside the ponds before it meanders down the valley to the river’s confluence with the Fraser River, providing an excellent place to view waterfowl and other birds.

Fencing the ponds has allowed for improved management of both cattle and wildlife in the area. It will encourage further natural development of aquatic and riparian vegetation and the planting of more trees and shrubs that are so important for wildlife habitat and the landscape’s appeal. The fence will also prevent ATVs and dirt bikes from damaging the sensitive wetland environments.

In addition to the partners mentioned above, the project was supported by several other organizations and individuals in the community, including financial support from local Rotarians. Fencing materials were donated by Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Nature Trust of B.C.

Both of these Cariboo region projects highlight Ducks Unlimited Canada’s involvement in helping to protect and restore rangeland habitats. By working in partnership with Crown land agencies, tenure holders, and other stewardship groups, these areas and their local wildlife residents stand to be the biggest winners. S

Editorial note: Thanks to Ordell Steen of the Williams Lake Field Naturalists for his contributions to the Williams Lake River Valley Ponds segment.

DUC conservation specialist Katharine VanSpall monitors wetlands at Alberta Lakes.

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Len Everett, B.C. senior director, and Les Bogdan, manager of provincial operations, recently visited Banrock Station’s Wine and Wetland Centre on the Murray River in South Australia. While learning first-hand about Banrock’s on-the-ground wetland con-servation efforts, they took the opportunity to present Ducks Unlimited Canada’s (DUC) Diamond Sponsor in Perpetuity award to manager Tony Sharley. Wine centre ecologist Kate Thorn later led the DUC group on a boat trip down the Murray River where they revelled in the splendour, wildlife and tastes of the region. Banrock has generously con-tributed more than $40,000 in proceeds from the sale of their wines and helped raise the profile of DUC’s wetland conservation efforts in B.C. S

Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and the Wetland Stewardship Partnership (WSP) have been working on the development of wetland best management practices guide-lines for over a year and are pleased to announce the completion of Wetland Ways: Interim Guidelines for Wetland Protection and Conservation in British Columbia. This interim draft is based on extensive stakeholder consultations done in the fall of 2008.

DUC and the WSP see the development of Wetland Ways as a critical step in build-ing a comprehensive model for wetland conservation in B.C. This tool aims to set clear guidelines to avoid and minimize impacts to wetland features and functions in the context of stakeholder land use on both private and public lands. The document includes general, broadly-applicable guidelines for wetland protection. It also includes sector-specific chapters that address the unique needs and impacts, as well as manage-ment and regulatory considerations, of various industries and groups.

Over the next two years, the interim document will be field-tested to ensure that it generates desired outcomes and is practical, relevant and user-friendly. This field testing period will conclude with another round of stakeholder consultation, as well as more technical reviews and monitoring. A final draft is expected in early 2011.

Wetland Ways is available at www.ducks.ca/wetlandways. 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: Kelly MacDonald Quebec: Bernard Filion Ontario: Lynette MaderWestern Region Prairie-Western Boreal: Marci Dube British Columbia: Wendy Fister

Flyway production staffDirector of Communications and Marketing:Madeleine ArbezEditor: Duncan MorrisonAssistant: Deb MenardArt Director: Tye GreggGraphic Designers: Lindsay Pikta-Marie, Aquila Samson, Jeope Wolfe

© Ducks Unlimited Canada, 2009 Printed in Canada on 100% recycled paper including 100% post-consumer fibres

Area ContactsDirector of Regional OperationsIan Barnett, Edmonton (780) 602-3221

Manager of Provincial Operations and Development ManagerLes Bogdan, Surrey (604) 592-5000

Manager of Conservation ProgramsBrad Arner, Kamloops (250) 374-8307

Marketing and CommunicationsWendy Fister, Surrey (604) 592-5004

FundraisingRory Brown, Victoria (250) 652-5090

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western region ( )BritishColumBiAInterim guidelines for wetland

protection and conservation

Mixing wine with business

(left to right): DUC director Len Everett, Tony Sharley and Kate Thorn of Banrock Station and DUC's Les Bogdan