Back left: Scott Paschke, DU regional director; John Daugherty, district supervisor, Ohio Division of Wildlife; John Murphy, secretary, Ohio DU; Dr. Bob Hoffman, director, DU Great Lakes/Atlantic Region; Ron Maher, DUC Ontario manager of provincial operations; Scott Muir, DUC biologist, coastal securement. Front left: Gildo Tori, DU director of public policy; Dave Risley, wildlife administrator, Ohio Division of Wildlife; Steve Gray, chief, Ohio Division of Wildlife; Todd Bishop, DU director of development; Dave Graham, assistant chief,

Ohio Division of Wildlife.

TThe completion of the 62-acre Jeannette’s Creek wetland restoration project, located along the southeast shoreline of Lake St. Clair in southern Ontario, was celebrated with a dedication ceremony on June 29, 2006.

The project was completed using funds from the Ohio Division of Wildlife, which grants a portion of its Ohio Waterfowl Stamp proceeds to Ducks Unlimited, Inc. (DUI). DUI then matches these funds and sends them to Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), where they are again matched by the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, and other Canadian partners. The money is used to support DUC’s conservation efforts in southern Ontario through the Eastern Habitat Joint Venture, part of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. Thousands of acres of wetlands and associated uplands have been restored through this international partnership, benefiting waterfowl that nest in Canada and migrate and winter in Ohio and the southern United States.

“Ohio sportsmen and women, through their purchase of Ohio Wetland Habitat Stamps, would be pleased with how their money is being spent in southwest Ontario,” says Steven A. Gray, chief of the Ohio Division

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volume 27, numBer 4, 2006

Continental collaboration great news for wetland conservation

of Wildlife. “These habitat projects are producing waterfowl that migrate into Ohio for our waterfowl hunters, birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts to enjoy. No doubt we are getting great results for our dollars contributed to this international program.”

The dedication was part of a two-day tour conducted by DUC, DUI and the Ohio Division of Wildlife to review the accomplish-ments of the program. Tour participants included DUI and DUC conservation and fundraising staff, DUI volunteers from Ohio, DUC volunteers, and federal, provincial and private Canadian partners. Eight wetland restoration sites were visited and inspected by the tour participants.

“The Ohio Division of Wildlife has been a longtime part-ner in supporting Ducks Unlimited Canada and their conservation work,” says Bob Hoffman, director, DUI’s Great Lakes/Atlantic Regional office. “The habitat restored in southwest Ontario will provide critical nesting and brood-rearing habitat for waterfowl and many other species of wetland wildlife.”

e a s t e r n r e g i o n ( o n t a r i o )

OThe need for wetland conservation in Canada’s busiest provinceOntarians love nature and the outdoors. Provincial parks are packed all throughout the summer and camping has never been more popular. Angling is a tremendous growth industry and provincial highways are gridlocked with travellers escaping from busy cities on the weekends. Given this tremendous affinity for blue skies and open spaces, are Ontarians doing enough to protect the province’s natural spaces?

Consider this:• Ontario is home to over one-third of the nation’s population.• The majority of Ontario’s 12.5 million people live in southern

Ontario where competing land-uses make it challenging to conserve habitat.

• One-quarter of Canada’s farms are located in Ontario and 90 per cent of these are in southern Ontario.

• The south makes up approximately 15 per cent of the entire land area of the province, but is home to 94 per cent of the population.

With all this activity and demand for land in such a concentrated area, it is no surprise that wildlife habitat is threatened in southern Ontario. Wetland conservation is as important now as ever before!

Yet the environment receives less than two per cent of all donations in Ontario. Every donation to wetland conservation helps to keep Ontario natural and beautiful for future generations. DUC members should be proud of their contribution to a better Ontario – thank you for your support!

(l-r): Ruth Ann Winter, OGLRF director; Robert Bossu, landowner; and Don Robinson, OGLRF Chair

OWetland road trip for OGLRF directors

One of the benefits of supporting wetland conservation through Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is that supporters can see the results of their contribution up close. DUC’s work is visible in the form of wetland conservation projects on the ground. Earlier this summer, the Ontario Great Lakes Renewal Foundation (OGLRF) board of directors participated in a tour of south-western Ontario to see the results of their recent contributions. OGLRF and DUC are partners in a $2 million agreement to restore wetland habitat in Areas of Concern in Ontario.

Nature is closer than you think!The Healthy Wetlands…Healthy Communities partnership between the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Ducks Unlimited Canada will wind up at the end of this fiscal year, but its legacy will live on for many southern Ontarians. The partnership helped to improve wetland interpretive opportunities at many public wetlands in southern Ontario including:

1. Westminster Ponds, London2. Laurel Creek Nature Centre, Kitchener-Waterloo3. The E.C. Brown Conservation Area, Welland4. Kortright Centre for Conservation, Toronto5. Wye Marsh, Midland6. Bowmanville Westside Conservation Area, Bowmanville7. Little Cataraqui Creek Nature Centre, Kingston8. Charlottenburgh Park, Cornwall9. Baxter Conservation Area, Ottawa10. MacSkimming Outdoor Education Centre, OttawaAnd possibly more!The Down at the Pond website helps promote these and other fabulous wetlands to visit.

Find nature near you at www.downatthepond.ca. See you Down at the Pond!In addition to these public wetlands, the partnership is helping to restore up to 23 small

wetlands in co-operation with private landowners throughout southern Ontario.

e a s t e r n r e g i o n ( o n t a r i o )

A viewing stand overlooking Westside Marsh will help visitors appreciate the nesting osprey,

kingfishers, migrating geese and waterfowl that enjoy this habitat.

Wye Marsh demonstrates the “can-do” attitude

and many volunteers pitched in to help complete

the HWHC boardwalk.

DUC director of operations for Eastern Canada,

Jamie Fortune, enjoys the scenery from the newly

built viewing tower at Baxter Centre near Ottawa.

This new kiosk will greet visitors at the entrance

of Baxter Centre. From left: Jamie Fortune, DUC;

Joff Coté, MNR; John H. Miller, Chair, RVCA.

SSuncor Energy Foundation invests in southern Ontario wetland habitatSuncor Energy Foundation announced that it will invest $45,000 over three years in wetland restoration in southern Ontario. This commitment to wetland habitat will have a tremendously positive impact for the province – especially in southern Ontario, where habitat comes at a premium.

Suncor Energy Foundation’s commitment will be pooled with other funding sources to help Ducks Unlimited Canada complete up to 45 wetland projects representing nearly 700 acres of habitat this year

alone (2006-07). This is about the size of 150 Canadian football fields!“DUC’s goal at the end of the three-year funding commitment is

to conserve up to 4,500 acres of wetland habitat through a variety of methods including working with landowners to restore wetlands on idle or marginal farmland,” says Ducks Unlimited Canada’s pro-vincial manager of operations for Ontario, Ron Maher. “We really appreciate Suncor Energy Foundation’s ongoing support.”

Is your hometown a Team DU town? DUC is looking for a few good folks to help organize fundraising events in Ontario communities that don’t currently have a DU event. DUC’s friendly Ontario volunteer customer service representatives have

everything you need to get started. Just give them a call at 1-866-389-0418 and they will put you in touch with a fundraising manager in your

area who will be happy to help you organize your first DUC chapter meeting!

Join Team DU today and help make Ontario a better place – for ducks and for anyone who enjoys the great outdoors.

Team DU needs you!

TThanks to a recent gift from TransCanada PipeLines Limited, over 625 Ontario children will have the opportunity to learn about and visit a wetland. Project Webfoot is an award-winning Ducks Unlimited Canada program for Grade 4 classes. Kids involved in Project Webfoot will learn about the wonders of wetlands, both in the class and through a hands-on field trip. Thanks to TransCanada’s donation of $15,000, 25 classes in the greater Ottawa area will be able to participate in Project Webfoot.

“We are pleased to be able to help DUC to bring the wetland experience to Grade 4 children in Ottawa. TransCanada appreciates the importance of a healthy environment for people and wildlife and we feel it is important that children understand the value of wetlands to water quality and the air we breathe,” says Janice Badgley, community relations liaison, Eastern Region, with TransCanada.

“TransCanada has chosen to support a program that delivers environmental education to the next generation. This makes them a leader in the conservation effort,” says Dino Sophocleous, Ontario development manager for DUC. He adds that “support from corporate partners like TransCanada is crucial in helping us deliver our conservation habitat and education programs in Ontario.”

Project Webfoot, which started in 1998, is gaining momentum in Toronto, London and Ottawa and has already engaged over 190,000 students across Canada.

TransCanada PipeLines connects kids with wetlands

TransCanada’s Ken McBride, manager, Maple/Niagara Area, and Janice Badgley, community relations liaison, Eastern Region, present a

cheque to Dino Sophocleous, DUC.

eastern region (ontario)

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, 2006 Printed in Canada on 100% recycled paper including 100% post-consumer fibres

ontario area ContactsDirector of Regional Operations Eastern Canada, Jamie Fortune (613) 565-2525

Manager of Provincial Operations for OntarioRon Maher (613) 389-0418

Conservation ProgramsBrian Royal (705) 721-4444

Development Dino Sophocleous (705) 721-4444

Marketing/CommunicationsLynette Mader (705) 721-4444

Education Program Coordinator Vicki Puterbough (705) 721-4444

Government RelationsJulie Cayley (705) 721-4444

Provincial Manager of Event & Volunteer ProgramsSteve Stinkowji (705) 544-8437

Event & Volunteer Customer Service(613) 389-0418 (866) 389-0418

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