36 Conservator | fall 2012

You have a chance like never before to make a difference in wetland conservation in Alberta. In the next few months, Alberta will have a new province-wide wetland policy. We need your help to make sure we get a comprehensive policy that stops further loss of our marshes and ponds, and supports restoration where they are already lost.

Tracy Scott, head of industry and government relations for DUC in Alberta, says if people were ever looking for an easy, yet important way to make a difference, this is it.

“The time is now,” says Scott. “We are on the home stretch and Albertans have the opportunity to add their voice to a policy that will affect the province for years to come.”

Giving your support is easy. The best way to make a differ- ence is getting informed, and then writing a letter or talking to your MLA. You can play a direct role in deciding the future of Alberta’s wetlands.

“There are tons of resources on our website about what we need to have in the policy, and what your letter should say,” says Scott. “Also, spread what you know to

people you talk to every day. Whether it’s family, friends or coworkers; this is something that everyone will be affected by.”

Alberta currently has an interim wetland policy for wetland conservation on private land in the settled areas, but it doesn’t touch all areas of the province. For example,

it does not address the ongoing loss of wetland resources in non- settled areas, such as Alberta’s portion of the Western Boreal Forest.

The new policy must address the conservation of all wetlands throughout Alberta.

A draft of the new policy is expected early in 2013. Now is the time to get our message across. If you’d like more infor-

mation about the wetland policy work in Alberta and how you can help, visit ducks.ca/how-you-can-help/be-voice/alberta or get in touch with Tracy Scott at t_scott@ducks.ca.

Your chance to make a difference

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“The time is now. We are on the home stretch and Albertans have the opportunity to add their voice to a policy that will affect the province for years to come.”– Tracy Scott,

Head of industry and government relations (alberta),Ducks Unlimited Canada

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37Conservator | fall 2012

Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) gets inquiries from supporters and outdoor enthusiasts interested in our conservation projects. This fall, Pamela Moore emailed DUC after visiting their Nicolle Marsh project in Saskatchewan and seeing some of the restoration work underway. Below is part of her exchange with Bill Chappell, DUC head of habitat asset management in Saskatchewan.

Pamela, thank you for your interest in Nicolle Marsh; it is a Ducks Unlimited Canada conservation project. Last year, the river adjacent to the project was flooding because of the high levels of precipitation received. In an effort to reduce the impacts of the flooding downstream, the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority (SWA) breached the dike on the project to allow for increased water storage on the system. Up to 10 feet of water inundated the conservation project, flooding out most of the existing emergent vegetation.

Our staff is currently managing water levels on the project to restore the emergent vegetation. By exposing mud flats and previously vegetated areas to air, emergent vegetation seeds will germinate and any mature plants that are still alive will begin to recover. Our inspections show that our efforts are successful in some areas of the marsh, but less so in other areas.

By providing appropriate water levels over the next few years, marsh

conditions will continue to develop and improve.

Bill Chappell

I wish you and the DU team every success with the restoration of Nicolle Marsh. It holds a very special part in my heart. My father died five years ago and our special place to go, whenever I visited for almost 30 years was Nicolle Marsh. We shared many wonderful experiences there over the years: watching all the waterfowl, other birds, and critters.

I just always expected it to be there: a place where I could be close to Dad, where his grandkids could remember him, where our whole family could recall him educating us about the outdoors. It was he who convinced me how valuable and worthy of support was Ducks Unlimited.

Dad would have said “they are doing what they have to do” and, were he here today, we would follow the re-establishment of Nicolle Marsh together.

My husband and I, along with the rest of our family, will watch and hope for its restoration under your guidance. Best regards,

Pamela

Connections online, and on the land

Winter wheat growers are reaping the benefits of a successful harvest. New marketing oppor- tunities resulting from changes at the Canadian Wheat Board led to attractive prices and delivery options for farmers across the Prairies. Farmers found themselves with a higher cash flow crop that isn’t tying up bin space this winter.

With Winter Cereals: Sustainability in Action, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) partners with Bayer CropScience to promote winter wheat as part of a sustainable crop rotation. “Growing more grain on existing cultivated land is an important part of increasing the sustainability of the agricultural industry,” says Paul Thiel, vice- president of innovation and public affairs at Bayer CropScience. “Winter wheat can yield 10 to 40 per cent higher than spring-seeded

varieties, and fall planting allows growers to spread their workload.”

Other benefits include making more efficient use of equipment, helping avoid inclement weather during spring seeding or late harvests, and employing an ecological tool in manage-ment of common wheat pests.

Not only does growing winter wheat make good business sense, it also provides environ- mental benefits. Winter wheat provides great nesting habitat for waterfowl, especially north- ern pintails. Ducks that nest in winter wheat are 24 times more productive than those nesting in spring cereals.

For the second year in a row, DUC, Bayer CropScience and Meridian Manufacturing Group are bringing winter wheat growers the “Bin Full

of Reasons Contest” that rewards growers for sharing their successful management decisions. Only winter wheat growers are eligible to enter this contest that sees three, 4,100 hopper- mounted galvanized grain bins awarded next summer.

”The Bin Full of Reasons Contest asks growers to share their successful winter wheat produc- tion systems with us,” says Paul Thoroughgood, DUC regional agrologist for Prairie Canada. “Many new and experienced winter wheat growers have realized strong economic returns from managing their winter wheat well. This contest allows us to hear from growers and share their successes with others”.

Learn more at GrowWinterWheat.ca

Winter wheat crops heavy on the scale

Aquatic plant growth re-establishes on mudflats at Nicolle Marsh, after much of the vegetation was flooded out in 2011.

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