volume 28, number 1, 2007

eastern region ( )Quebec • New Brunswick • Nova Scotia

• Prince Edward Island • Newfoundland and Labrador

Quebec/atlantic

OOver the past few decades, wetlands have been subjected to various pressures as a result of forestry practices and agricultural activities as well as industrial and residential development. Unfortunately, the coastal wetlands of the Gaspé Peninsula have not been spared. It is therefore essential that we conserve the last bastions of wetlands which remain.

Among others, the Baie-au-Chêne marsh, located on the banks of the Restigouche River near Chaleur Bay in the municipality of Pointe-à-la-Croix, which is in the Gaspé-Îles-de-la-Madeleine region, represents a major wetland ecosystem in the Gaspé Peninsula.

Due to the site’s great ecological wealth and important biological value, it is vital that its sustainability be assured. This wetland complex is affected by freshwater discharge from the Restigouche

River and saltwater

tides from Chaleur Bay. It is also furrowed by the Loup River as well as a few creeks. This juxtaposition of many types of wetlands, including shrub or tree-covered swamps, a bog, a beaver pond and a saltwater tidal marsh produces an exceptional ecosystem. As well, the presence of brackish-water channels, of pools and salt pans, and a deciduous and coniferous forest add to this mosaic of habitats.

This highly diversified environment offers wildlife a wealth of ecological niches, enabling them to find food and shelter and to reproduce. In terms of its area, this environment represents the second largest coastal wetland ecosystem in the region and the largest marsh unprotected by a barrier sandbar.

Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is proud to announce that it has acquired this valuable site, thereby ensuring its preservation for years to come. Its acquisition by mutual agreement was made possible through financial partnerships with the support of the Department of Natural Resources and Wildlife and the EJLB Foundation. S

DUC aquires valuable wetland complex in Gaspé Peninsula

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 )

I“If forests are the lungs of the planet, then wetlands are its kidneys. And just as we don’t truly appreciate good health until we’ve lost it, the consequences of cumulative wetland losses are what ultimately remind us of their importance to the community. This is why Ducks Unlimited Canada in Quebec is pleased to announce that the Regional Plans for wetlands in the Chaudière-Appalaches, Montérégie and Centre-du-Quebec regions are now available to everyone free of charge, at www.canardsquebec.ca. These Regional Plans represent the first step of a provincial initiative to provide information and analysis for wetland conservation,” said Bernard Filion, director of Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) in Quebec, at the Oct. 19 press conference attended by the Honourable Claude Béchard, Quebec Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks and Louis Aubry, director of development and wildlife management.

These plans are the result of a partnership agreement between various government departments (the Quebec Departments of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks, Natural Resources and Wildlife and Municipal Affairs and Regions, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Environment Canada) for the purpose of developing a concerted vision for wetland conservation. The Regional Plans provide a picture of wetlands by means of an interactive presentation with accompanying texts. These offer a complete analysis of a large assemblage of wetlands within a regional county municipality and also within a watershed.

Quebec’s Department of Municipal Affairs and Regions has made these regional plans available through an electronic resource called Système d’information et de gestion en aménagement du territoire (SIGAT). The plans are the first privately produced product available

for consultation using this information tool which serves all municipalities and regional county municipalities in Quebec.

DUC now plans to organize work sessions with the primary stakeholders involved or interested in wetland conservation.

Come discover these tools on the DUC Quebec website: www.canardsquebec.ca. S

Wetland conservation at the forefront of regional planning in Quebec

IIf you’re looking for a shining example of good corporate citizen-ship on Prince Edward Island, look no further than Amalgamated Dairies Limited (ADL), the province’s largest manufacturer of dairy products.

When DUC approached ADL earlier this year with a request to sponsor our agricultural program, now in its second year, the company’s response was swift and affirmative: a generous pledge of $10,000 that will support sustainable agriculture on the Island and create new wetlands at the same time.

The agricultural program helps Island farmers who wish to employ best management practices on their land. For dairy farmers, that means disposing of milk house wash water and the run-off from manure storage in an environmentally friendly manner. Constructed wetlands – which filter farm run-off so that only clean water enters surrounding watercourses – provide an effective and economical way of dealing with both types of waste water. DUC, of course, has been constructing such wetlands for decades.

“A typical project occupies an acre or less, depending on the location and the size of the dairy herd that it serves. Naturally, the bigger the wetland the more its filtering capacity,” explains Wade Lewis, DUC’s conservation program specialist in P.E.I. The design and construction costs of each project are shared between federal and provincial agricultural departments, DUC and the farmer.

“ADL is delighted to be working closely with Ducks Unlimited Canada,” says James Bradley, the company’s chief executive officer. “Partnering with such a well-known conservation group will enable ADL to encompass the expertise provided by DUC in a way that will see the maximum benefits of the program realized by both the farmer and the general public.”

“This contribution from ADL will assist us in delivering three or four additional wetland projects in P.E.I.,” adds Wade Lewis. “That in turn will provide more habitat for waterfowl and will help promote the important role that wetlands play in improving water quality within the agricultural landscape.” S

Cream rises to top for P.E.I.’s biodiversity program

(l - r) Bernard Filion, director of Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) in Quebec, Honourable Claude Béchard, Quebec Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks and Louis Aubry, director of development and wildlife management.

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 )

INew community wetland in KentvilleIt’s not often that DUC has the opportunity to develop a single project that offers a whole range of benefits – environmental, educational and social – to an entire community. Yet that is exactly what we are achieving with the restoration of a 20-acre wetland next to the Cornwallis River in the heart of Kentville, Nova Scotia.

Miner Marsh was ditched and drained for farming in the 1930s, but lay fallow for many years until it was purchased by DUC in 1997. Restoration work is now complete: dikes and ditches that once kept water off the land are now being used to retain water on the marsh, and they have been widened to provide a suitable base for more than one kilometre of walking trails. An observation deck is in place and other work continues, including installation of interpretive signage and a dipping platform for use in our educational programs.

The project is a co-operative effort between several parties who share the same vision. The Town of Kentville has agreed to share with DUC the cost of a spectacular 120-foot wood-and-cable suspension footbridge that will provide access from the town; the County of Kings is allowing use of its property in the town for the bridgehead, and has plans for further involvement; Michelin North America (Canada) has made a major financial contribution, and a number of local businesses have donated additional funding; and Environment Canada has provided assistance through the EcoAction Community Funding Program.

Part of the site will be wheelchair accessible and it will be open all year round. “This truly is a great community project, where young and old will be able to become much more aware of the importance of wetlands,” says Ian Ripley, development associate with DUC.

What’s more, town officials hope that the marsh will serve as a catalyst for other similar projects. “A lot of people will enjoy the benefits of having a manmade wetland right in the middle of downtown,” says Mayor David Corkum, “both those who live and work here and visitors too. We hope eventually to develop a river park here, and I think this project could naturally lead into that.” S

OQuebec City and surrounding area receives detailed wetland inventory

On Nov. 2, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) in Quebec released the results of the first comprehensive census of wetlands under-taken on the territory of the Quebec Metropolitan Community (QMC). The project, which began in May 2004, was carried out by DUC in co-operation with the QMC and the City of Quebec, with the financial support of the Quebec Sustainable Development Action Fund (QSDAF) and the technical support of the Department of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks. This inven-tory, which is accessible to all, paints a complete and detailed picture of the wetland situation as it exists on the QMC territory in addition to providing an essential tool for developing the territory in an informed manner.

The inventory, which is presented in a new complete database format, provides a list of attributes for each of the wetlands inventoried, biological reconnaissance records for the 160 sites which were visited, more than 800 photos, and other relevant layers of information. The inventory also includes three map products: an atlas covering the entire territory of the QMC; administrative factsheets (map, photos, and statistics) for each city and its districts, as well as for each regional county munic-ipality (RCM) and its municipalities; and a document present-ing an example of some attractive wetlands in Quebec City. The wetlands database is available free of charge to the public via the City of Quebec and the QMC.

With this new inventory, no less than 2,434 wetlands repre-senting a total of 19,242 hectares have now been inventoried in the Quebec Metropolitan Community. These wetlands account for 4.9 per cent of the QMC territory.

In order to provide a better understanding of the approach taken to develop this inventory, DUC has recently published a Wetland Mapping Methodology Report. This document can be consulted on the DUC website in English or in French. S

TThe future of the endangered Maritime ringlet butterfly is looking a little brighter these days, thanks to the combined efforts of DUC, the northeastern New Brunswick community of Bas Caraquet, the Government of Canada and the New Brunswick Wildlife Trust Fund. Working together the group have restored a 40-acre salt marsh, Ruisseau à Sivret, which had been degraded by infill-ing. The marsh is once again providing critical habitat for this protected species, and important wetland habitat for a variety of other wildlife.

Habitat degradation is one of the main causes of the decline of the Maritime ringlet, which lives only on the coastal wetlands of New Brunswick’s Acadian Peninsula. DUC is committed to protecting these lands, and for this particular marsh we were able to obtain a grant from the federal government’s Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk to help fund the project.

“This grant not only secured habitat for the Maritime ringlet, it also helped us leverage further funding for the project because of the additional waterfowl and wetland benefits that accrued from the salt marsh restoration,” says Deanne Meadus, DUC’s manager of conservation programs.

In 2005, DUC removed several tonnes of infill so tidal waters could return to the marsh. This summer the Maritime ringlet population using the restored marsh was monitored and an observation deck and osprey platform were built. By spring, signage highlighting the plight of the Maritime ringlet and the value of salt marshes will be in place.

DUC has also secured the long-term conservation of Ruisseau à Sivret through stewardship agreements with its private landowners. “When I explain to them the importance of these saltwater marshes, they are very co-operative and really feel that they must protect them for the next generation,” says Philip Boucher, DUC’s stewardship contractor for the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The majority of landowners have already stepped up to the plate, and eventually DUC hopes to sign agreements with them all.

“What makes this project unique,” observes Deanne Meadus, “is that two very different programs can work hand in hand to meet a common goal. These types of multi-partner projects are vital to the future of our coastal landscape.” S

Salt marsh restoration aids endangered butterfly habitat

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: Kelly MacDonald Quebec: Bernard Filion Ontario: Lynette MaderWestern Region Prairie-Western Boreal: Marci Dube British Columbia: Ellen Baragon

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

© Ducks Unlimited Canada, 2007 Printed in Canada on 100% recycled paper including 100% post-consumer fibres

Quebec/atlantic

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

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

Fundraising ManagerJocelyn Landry (877) 551-5757

Fundraising Eric Hansen, Québec (West) (877) 547-9494

Barry Burke, New Brunswick (888) 920-3330

Darren Hasson, Nova Scotia & PEI (888) 920-3330 ext. 4

Kelly Sandoval, Newfoundland and Labrador (877) 243-8257

Greenwing LiaisonsKim Votour, Fredericton (888) 920-3330

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