Quebec/ eastern region ( Atlantic )
Quebec • New Brunswick • Nova Scotia • Prince Edward Island • Newfoundland and Labrador
volume 31, number 3, 2010
Great year for wetland conservation in Quebec
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By the time all is said and done 2010 will be a year of many accomplishments. In March, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) began the process of acquiring a large part of the large Lac Mégantic marsh at the head of Rivière Chaudière, and has almost completed the acquisition of the marsh in the Refuge faunique Marguerite-d’Youville, very close to Châteauguay. This site, property of the Congrégation des Sœurs de la Charité (the Sœurs Grises, or Grey Nuns), was restored in 2003 and is now protected forever thanks to government financing. Negotiations are also underway for the major acquisition of marshland at Baie de Lochaber in the Outaouais region, a 15-hectare mosaic of exceptional habitats. In Montreal, 138 hectares of wetland and forest sites surrounding Rivière à l’Orme will soon be protected. DUC is currently completing the Ruisseau de Feu development in Terrebonne. At Baie-du-Febvre, one new permanent site in the Est de Baie-du-Febvre sector and another one in the Commune de Baie-du-Febvre, have been established for fish reproduction and quality waterfowl habitat, all three of these sites required DUC to work in partnership with professionals from the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune (MRNF). In Rimouski in eastern Quebec, DUC will undertake the development
of Étang Dollard, an urban pond with hydrological challenges. Two permanent ponds will be created there and work will be carried out to regulate the water level. On a larger scale, important activities are underway in terms of land-use planning and boreal conservation. The detailed mapping of the wetlands in the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal is almost complete, while mapping in the Région administrative Centre-du-Québec is underway. These activities have been conducted in close collaboration with the Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs and the MRNF. If wetland conservation is to be taken into consideration during planning, basic information such as wetland location should be made available as soon as possible. Work to obtain knowledge on wildfowl habitats in the boreal forest is ongoing. DUC must be proactive following the announcement of the Plan Nord by the Government of Quebec by proposing that conservation sites include wildfowl production areas, while taking into account possible adjustments due to climate change. DUC is actively participating in the Partners’ Discussion Table as scientific adviser so that the knowledge available can be taken into consideration during the planning and decision-making processes. S
Ducks on the Deck Comes to Saint John Ale House
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If you’re in Saint John, New Brunswick on Sept. 16, come out to Ducks on the Deck! The Saint John Ale House (SJAH) is proud to host Ducks on the Deck this year in Saint John. Sponsored by Moosehead and Vincor Canada, this is a drop-in event where anybody can come by, learn a little bit about Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), win some prizes and have a lot of fun. Admission to the event is free, and there will be many silent auction items, as well as four raffles that patrons can play to win fabulous DUC merchandise. Ducks on the Deck is the brainchild of Kimberly Arseneau, DUC’s development manager for Atlantic Canada. The event was originally held in St. Stephen, N.B., at the Old Town Tavern back in 2006 and is now celebrating its fifth year. This is the first year that the event is being expanded to Saint John. “This event is a great way for people to get to know Ducks Unlimited Canada and what we do, while having a lot of fun in
a relaxed atmosphere,” says Arseneau. “If you’ve always wanted to get involved with or learn about DUC, but haven’t had the chance to go to one of our dinners, this is a great opportunity.” The event will take place on Sept. 16 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. The Saint John Ale House is donating $1 from every Moosehead Light sold that day to Ducks Unlimited Canada and its Project Webfoot, which is an educational program that teaches schoolchildren about the value of wetlands. The SJAH will also host a cocktail hour before the event starting at 5:00 p.m. “Saint John Ale House is excited to be the host of the Ducks on the Deck event expansion,” says owner Peter Stoddart. “Our partnership with DUC allows us to support education and wetland conservation in the Saint John area. We are very proud to be supporters of DUC.” For more information about the Saint John Ale House, please visit www.saintjohnalehouse.com or contact Kimberly Arseneau at 506-466-5831 for more information on the event. S
Mega protection for Lac Mégantic
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Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) announced the protection of a large area of marshland at the head of Lac Mégantic, as well as on Îles Dudswell and in another territory in the sector of Dudswell Municipality. This combination of territories covers 814 hectares, or the equivalent of 407 soccer fields. “Being able to protect and promote sites of interest is an important step toward truly sustainable development. To succeed in this, it is essential for the various stakeholders to work in close collaboration,” said Bernard Filion, Director of DUC in Quebec. These acquisitions have been made possible thanks to partnerships with Domtar, Environment Canada and the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune du Québec (MRNF), who are taking part in this undertaking through an ecological gift from the Natural Areas Conservation Program and an agreement between DUC and the MRNF. “The Government of Canada has committed to the long-term conservation of biological diversity and is working closely with partners such as DUC for the protection of our natural heritage. The Ecological Gifts Program is a conservation tool developed to achieve environmental goals related to habitat conservation on private land,” said Christian Paradis, federal Minister for Natural Resources Canada and Member of Parliament for Mégantic-L’Érable. The Lac Mégantic marsh is of the utmost importance both to the Estrie region and to the Rivière Chaudière watershed. It is not only the largest marsh in this watershed and in Estrie; it also provides an exceptional habitat for waterfowl. The Îles Dudswell in Rivière Saint-François form a complex of marshes and swamps, constituting a premium environment for aquatic
Bernard Filion, Director of DUC in Quebec; Serge Simard, Minister for Ressources naturelles et la Faune; Johanne Gonthier, Member of the National Assembly for Mégantic-Compton; Christian Paradis, federal Minister for Natural Resources Canada and Member of Parliament for Mégantic-L’Érable; and Martin Lorrion, general manager of the Domtar mill in Windsor. fauna. This natural site encompasses a marsh at the heart of a forest massif, and is an area of great value. “These acquisitions will allow us to help protect and conserve the wildlife, habitats and forest ecosystem in the marsh at Lac Mégantic and the two Dudswell sites. This is another demonstration of the importance that our government is placing on the protection of endangered species and on the promotion of wildlife habitats for the benefit of future generations,” said Québec’s Minister for Ressources naturelles et de la Faune, Serge Simard. These acquisitions join the other sites already safeguarded by the DUC Protection Team. S
e a s t e r n r e g i o n ( q u e b e c / at l a n t i c )
Geomatics and land-use planning make for better wetland management
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Geomatics and land-use planning are two disciplines relatively unknown among the general public yet essential to the mission of Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC). Geomatics groups together all the tools and methods required to produce and process geographic data. Land-use planning, on the other hand, is a relatively new discipline in Quebec, incorporating a set of measures that seek to ensure more balanced land development through the better geographic distribution of human activities. In Quebec, DUC is fortunate to have a young and dynamic team dedicated to these fields. In the past few years the blend of the two specialties has led to the creation of many wetland knowledge tools adapted to the needs of different territory managers. These tools make it easier to pinpoint the sites to be protected or restored, to identify the evolution of the wetland situation within a territory, or even to integrate wetlands into land development planning, for example. Recent developments include the commencement, with the collaboration of various governmental partners, of a detailed mapping of the wetlands of the St. Lawrence and Lac Saint-Jean lowlands. Using innovative techniques developed over the last few years, such as computer-aided photo interpretation in stereoscopic mode (3-D), the team produces totally new data on the wetlands in these areas. The products developed within the framework of this project will soon be available on our Internet site (www.canardsquebec. ca/outils). DUC will use these tools to support governmental and regional initiatives for the protection and ordered development of
Above, Bernard Filion, Director of DUC in Quebec, presenting the lapel pin for 10 years’ service to DUC to Jason Beaulieu, land-use planning team leader. the territory. The goal is to prevent non-integrated actions that could lead to the degradation of water quality and natural habitats. To attain this goal the team continues to travel across Quebec to make the various territory supervisors aware of the importance of the goods and services rendered by wetlands. Finally, it is with great pleasure that we announce the arrival of Stéphanie Murray, forestry technician, and Guillaume Daigle, biologist and land-use planner, to the DUC team to help us bring this important challenge to fruition. We hope to update you soon, but in the meantime we wish you a great summer and lots of fun discovering the wetlands of Quebec! S
Nova Scotia libraries first recipients of popular wetland educational resources
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For the first time in Canada, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is providing popular environmental educational resources to public libraries. Public libraries in northeastern Nova Scotia – branches of the Eastern Counties Regional Library and the Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library – will be receiving sets of materials from the Project Webfoot program offered by DUC. “Eastern Counties Regional Library is so pleased to be the recipient of these resource materials,” says Lesley Carruthers, acting CEO/manager of community outreach services of the library. “As a regional library, we serve the counties of Inverness, Richmond and Guysborough through seven branches and nine community library link sites. This initiative will provide valuable educational resources to a huge cross-section of our population, particularly our region’s children." “Having these resources available within the library system will be of fantastic benefit to the people in those regions,” adds Jodie Hambrook, manager of outreach programs for DUC Atlantic Canada. “These materials will now be there for any children who participated in Project Webfoot and want to learn more about wetland conservation, for children who may have not had the opportunity to participate, for parents and educators, and for visitors to the area.”
For the past three years, DUC has partnered with Encana Corporation to offer Project Webfoot to elementary schoolchildren in northeastern Nova Scotia and along Nova Scotia’s eastern shore. Project Webfoot is Ducks Unlimited Canada’s school-based, national wetland education program that offers curriculum-linked resources related to wetland and environmental conservation for more than 50,000 students across Canada every year. With Encana’s support in Nova Scotia, the Project Webfoot learning resources will now be made available to all branches of the Eastern Counties Regional Library and the two main branches within the Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library. This is the first time in Canada that these resources will be made available outside of the in-school Project Webfoot program. “Encana is pleased to support this initiative to provide these tremendous learning materials to public libraries in northeastern Nova Scotia,” says Lori MacLean, communications adviser for Encana in Halifax. The goal of Project Webfoot is to teach today’s students – who are tomorrow’s decision-makers and conservation leaders – about the tremendous value of wetland habitats. For more information on Project Webfoot, see www.ducks.ca/aboutduc/how/edu.html. S
Barry Burke Says Farewell A longtime Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) employee will soon be saying farewell. Barry Burke, Atlantic manager of event fundraising, will be retiring after a 28-year career with DUC. Burke started with DUC in 1982 as a construction supervisor, building numerous habitat projects around New Brunswick. In 1998, a co-worker in event fundraising fell ill, and Burke was asked to fill in, having worked at various events on a volunteer basis. When his co-worker’s health prevented her from returning to work, Burke took on the role on a permanent basis. Since 2005, he has been a fundraising manager team leader, based out of the Fredericton office. “Most of all, I will remember Barry’s incredibly positive attitude, no matter what the challenge, and his open and friendly ability to work with people,” says Geoff Harding, manager of major projects. “Both of these traits were needed during Barry’s time leading our volunteer event fundraising efforts for 10 years. His attitude and problem-solving ability clearly helped Barry succeed in what is one of the most demanding and most satisfying jobs in Ducks Unlimited Canada. Few people have what it takes to work through the roller-coaster of event fundraising and come out with so many friends!” In his 28 years with DUC, Burke has seen many changes, both big and small. Changes in organizational and funding structure mean that “we have to be a lot more creative than we were 28 years ago,” he says. “As well, when I started out, we were really busy building projects. Of course, as time goes on and more and more projects are built, your focus starts to shift from building new projects to maintaining the ones you’ve already completed.” Barry was indeed very busy building projects, as evidenced by one event that stands out in his memory: “We were working on a project on Christmas Eve, to try to get as much finished prior to the end of the year. Geoff Harding came by, and we finished pouring the concrete by the light of his truck’s headlights.” Burke also has wonderful memories of many DUC events and all of the “very special and great people” that he got to meet, particularly the volunteers. He considers many of them to be close friends, making his retirement a bittersweet event, as he will truly miss working with them. As Burke looks back over his career, he thinks of what advice he would give, could he go back and talk to his 1982-era self: “I would tell him to enjoy every minute and that working here is very exciting and rewarding. I would also tell him to be honest, sincere and truthful, and that if he does that, everything will work out. I remember that Al Glover once said to me, ‘I don’t care what goes wrong, but I want you to always be honest with me. Tell me the truth.’ I’ve always tried to follow that advice.” As he departs, he surveys DUC in Atlantic Canada and knows that it will do just fine. He thinks that it has a terrific staff and great volunteers. “Never have I seen a better group than we have right now in Atlantic Canada. We’re in great shape going forward.” Everybody at DUC in Atlantic Canada wishes Barry Burke all the best as he enters this new chapter in his life. S
quebec/ eastern Region ( atlantic )
The Flyway newsletter is published by Ducks Unlimited Canada Oak Hammock Marsh Conservation Centre P.O. Box 1160, Stonewall, Manitoba R0C 2Z0 tel (204)467-3000 fax (204)467-9028 toll-free 1(800)665-DUCK Please direct your inquiries to the following: Eastern Region Atlantic: Krista Elliott Quebec: Bernard Filion Ontario: Joanne Barbazza Western Region Prairie-Western Boreal: Marci Dube British Columbia: Wendy Thatcher Flyway production staff Director of Marketing: Madeleine Arbez Editor: Duncan Morrison Assistant: Deb Menard Manager Creative Services: Lindsay Pikta-Marie Graphic Designers: Christa Edwards, Aquila Samson, Jeope Wolfe © Ducks Unlimited Canada, 2010 Printed in Canada on 100% recycled paper including 100% post-consumer fibres
Area Contacts Manager of Provincial Operations, Atlantic Tom Duffy (866) 903-8257 ext.234 Manager of Provincial Operations, Québec Bernard Filion (800) 565-1650 ext.15 Fundraising Manager, Québec Jocelyn Landry (877) 551-5757 Fundraising Manager, New Brunswick Duska Frink (888) 920-3330 Fundraising Manager, Nova Scotia James Young (888) 557-5554 Fundraising Québec (West) Bernard Filion
(800) 565-1650 ext.15
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