volume 28, number 2, 2007

western region ( )britishcolumbia

PPartnerships between conservation and agriculture are not too unlike a farmer’s field. You sow the seeds for future success, you do what you can to ensure they take root, and you hope they grow and branch out. And so it has been with wildlife agriculture programs on Vancouver Island’s east coast over the last 15 years.

Back in the summer of 1991 the Comox Valley Problem Wildlife Committee and local farmers on Vancouver Island came to Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and partners, looking for ways to reduce the impact of trumpeter swans that were eating so much grass on their fields the livestock forage was being affected. Populations of trumpeter swans, once a threatened species, have not only recovered, but have been increasing every year in the Comox Valley, according to bird counts from the Comox Valley Naturalists, whose last estimate was near 3,000. But the farmers were seeing a different side to that happy story.

So with funding from the Ministry of Agriculture and the conservation partner-ship of the Pacific Coast Joint Venture (PCJV), DUC and the Canadian Wildlife Service

Sowing seeds for the futuremet to devise a plan that would provide for both land user groups. The result was a pilot project that required farmers to plant grass winter cover crop which serves to protect the soil from erosion, provide forage for swans, and replenish the soil for the next planting. At the same time they scared the birds away from more sensitive forage fields – an approach called “hazing.” That pilot evolved into the successful Comox Valley Waterfowl Management Program (CVWMP).

Several years later DUC and its PCJV partners purchased the Simpson and Comox Bay farms to secure waterfowl habitat there. In time the income generated from farm leases provided funding needed to keep the CVWMP running. Today the CVWMP not only provides about 200 hectares (500 acres) of winter cover crops each year, it also evaluates techniques to deter swans from sensitive crop fields, and has helped to build the relationship between farmers and wildlife agencies.

Building on the co-operation of that program, the Comox Valley Forage Mitigation and Compensation Program (CVFMCP) was created in 2001. Using

Swans forage on the green grasses of Vancouver Island farms

the established methods of crop cover and hazing, the CVFMCP also compensates farmers for the loss of grass from foraging swans. The potato farmers receive $50 per acre to produce cover crop for the swans – half of that coming from the CVFMCP and half from DUC.

The CVFMCP is a partnership between farmers, Ducks Unlimited Canada, the Comox Valley Farmers’ Institute (which was formed in 1873), the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, as well as the British Columbia Agriculture Council with funding from the federal-provincial Agriculture Environmental Partnership Initiative.

That same year the Comox Valley Farmers’ Institute Demonstration and Variety Trial Project also got its start. This program gives farmers a method to evaluate various forage options conducive to the Island’s growing conditions. It also gives practical information on increasing productivity and environmen-tal protection through forage crop selection and planting techniques. In addition to the institute, the project’s partners are the B.C. Forage Council, Top Shelf Feeds, Islands Forage Committee and members of the Island Farmers Alliance.

TThe folks at Ducks Unlimited Canada feel pretty strongly about the outdoors, especially wetlands. And so, on one clear, crisp winter weekend a novel expression of this passion was played out on a frozen DUC project at B.C.’s Logan Lake when the newly formed Bar Headed Ducks hockey “franchise” took to the ice.

Comprising a collection of five DUC staff members, the Bar Headed Ducks played in the inaugural Western Canada Pond Hockey Tournament on Jan. 12-13 on Logan Lake proper, some 60 kilometres south of Kamloops. The team was so named for a few reasons, but mainly to recognize the very unusual sighting of the Asian bar-headed geese, which were observed at Logan Lake in July 2006. These birds rise to lofty heights above Mount Everest in migration so the hope was that their hockey namesakes would do likewise.

The DUC team fledged quite well in the first game, but gradually succumbed to oxygen deprivation in the last few minutes and let the game slip away. By the time the round robin was complete, the squad of Ian Barnett, Brad Arner, Bruce Harrison, King Campbell

and Katharine VanSpall were victorious in spirit, but not on the scoreboard.

The Bar Headed mascot was Don Cherry – that is, his image on a cardboard cutout from a recent DUC promotion – which helped to raise the Bar Headed Ducks’ profile among the field of 20 teams. The Bar Headed Ducks finally laid the golden egg in the consolation semifinals when they defeated an equally mature (aged) and enthu-siastic team from Vancouver. But dreams of hoisting the “E” Final prize were dashed when they were defeated in overtime with only one second left.

Logan Lake was enhanced with a water control structure in the late 1980s that was upgraded in 2005. In the breeding season Logan Lake supports a healthy population of waterfowl and a myriad of other wildlife. And it looks as though the wetland will now be supporting other forms of wildlife that sport helmets and jerseys after this successful tournament debut!

The pond hockey event was hosted on National Hockey Day, but DUC is pushing to have the extravaganza on World Wetlands Day (Feb. 2) next year. DUC feels that there is a strong link between the frozen marshes of Canada and DUC’s core business of waterfowl and wetland conservation.

Pond hockey is also a good way to remind people who are in the depths of winter that wetlands are full of life, and that we need

more outdoor skating areas to not only enrich the lives of would-be NHLers, but more importantly, to support more waterfowl and wildlife.

Ducks and Pucks: “On frozen pond” w e s t e r n r e g i o n ( b r i t i s h c o l u m b i a )

Logan Lake was the site of the inaugural Western Canada Pond Hockey Tournament where DUC’s Bar Headed Ducks competed with their equals.

A hockey fan, apparently from the big city of Toronto, interlopes for a slice of Bar Headed Duck glory.

Tests show B.C. swans felled by lead shot poisoning

FFor decades trumpeter swans, which dedicated conservationists once pulled back from near extinction, have wintered in B.C.’s Fraser Valley. However, each year since 2001 several hundred of the elegant birds have been discovered dead in the area, many on the shores of Judson Lake that borders on Whatcom County in the U.S. Since 2001, Canadian and American agencies have co-operated on efforts to better understand the cause of the deaths. Post-mortem tests showed that the swans had lead shot poisoning, and pellets were found in their gizzards. It is believed that the swans acquired the lead after they ingested grit (small stones) which aid in their digestion.

However, determining where and how the swans are ingesting lead pellets has proved to be a complex issue. Lead shot has been banned from waterfowl hunting since 1992 in B.C. (and since 1989 in the U.S.), however it is still permitted on some upland hunting and trap shooting areas.

Surrounded by agricultural land, Judson Lake is a 48.5-ha (120-acre) shallow wetland, three-quarters of which is situated inside Washington state, with one-quarter extending into Canada in the municipality of Abbotsford. The lake is used by various amphibians, fish and birds, such as the great blue heron, American wigeon, common merganser and sora rail. But perhaps the most visible species is the beautiful trumpeter swan that roosts nightly at the lake throughout the winter and spring.

To determine if the lake itself is a primary source of the lead, in the fall of 2006 wildlife agencies tried hazing, a technique to intermittently deter the swans away from Judson Lake. However, because swans fly through large agricultural areas during the day to forage for food and return to different roosting areas at night, finding the specific source location where the swans ingested the lead has proven very challenging. Also, the swans’ roosting sites have changed, making it more difficult to monitor them.

With support from the Trumpeter Swan Society, and led by the Canadian Wildlife Service and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the investigation continues.

It is anticipated that before the end of 2007, the partners will unravel the puzzle for the majestic trumpeter swan.

In the meantime, Ducks Unlimited Canada, in partnership with Environment Canada, the Province of British Columbia and the B.C. Wildlife Federation, is working on other challenges at Judson Lake. Over time, there have been an accumulation of sediment, reduced water levels, and increase in invasive foreign plant and fish species at the lake. This has significantly compromised the habitat for waterfowl and other wetland-dependent species. Using its strengths in engineering, biology and contract management, DUC identified the issues and drafted an action plan which included hiring a hydrologist to evaluate engineering options that might improve the ecology of the lake. Partial funding for the hydrologist was provided from the Province of British Columbia. The options identified by the consultant were reviewed by partners and evaluation of the feasibility is underway. Pending the outcome of the evaluation and input from surrounding landowners, a detailed restoration plan can be developed.

The Canadian Wildlife Service, The Province of British Columbia and DUC partnered on this poster urging people not to use lead shot in the environment.

w e s t e r n r e g i o n ( b r i t i s h c o l u m b i a )

O an additional 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres) of riparian habitat along the 30-km watercourse to the Chilcotin River.

But in 2006, it was discovered that the diversion structure was in dire need of repair.

The regulation of water flows was as critical to supporting healthy populations of fish and waterfowl as it was a quarter century ago, and DUC got to work on it.

A head gate structure was installed with two slide gates to regulate the flow of water. But before that could happen, 100 sandbags were used to create a cofferdam to keep the water flow away from the creek bank, and keep the construction site dry. Partners on the project were the Stone Indian band and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC), the National Water Supply Expansion Program (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Program), the Pacific Salmon Foundation, and the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund.

The head gate repair has ensured that Big Creek will continue to reap benefits from the project decades down the road.

The Big Creek project has improved stream flows into Fletcher Lake, a popular fishing spot that draws recreational fisher-men from all over the region. Another positive offshoot is the enriched fisheries of coho, sockeye and chinook downstream in Minton Creek. The Stone band and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada are designing a fish ladder with a local Williams Lake business to further improve salmonid access upstream.

The National Water Supply Expansion Program’s mandate to secure long-term water sources for Canadian agricultural producers was achieved here with almost 70 per cent of the water supply being used for agricultural purposes.

The legacy of the Big Creek project for waterfowl habitat, sport fishing, tourism, agriculture and people’s livelihoods, not to mention a way of life in the Big Creek community, will last for a long time to come.

Over 25 years ago Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) installed a water diversion at Big Creek in B.C.’s Chilcotin region. Big Creek is a small but vibrant community two hours west of Williams Lake. The diversion was built to regulate the flow of water from Big Creek into the smaller Minton Creek, not only to enhance fish and wildlife habitat, but agricultural production as well.

The water from Minton Creek makes possible agricultural irrigation on the Stone Indian Reserve and nearby ranches, improving forage and hay production for the more than 1,500 cattle in the area. The Big Creek project improves water flows to nine DUC project segments for a total of 412 hectares (1,020 acres) and also benefits

Big Creek, a vibrant Chilcotin community

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

area contactsDirector of Regional OperationsIan Barnett, Edmonton (780) 602-3221

Manager of Provincial OperationsLes Bogdan, Surrey (604) 592-5000

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

FundraisingRory Brown, Victoria (250) 652-5090

Marketing/CommunicationsEllen Baragon, Surrey (604) 592-5004

Major Gifts and Feather SocietyGordon Stewart, Surrey (604) 592-5008

publication agreement #40064849

The original head gate at Big Creek created adequate diversion to enhance habitat and irrigate the area for a quarter century. The new one promises to benefit Big Creek for at least another 25 years.

western region ( )britishcolumbia

Sheet piling is often used to create a cofferdam to divert flow and make way for construction. But hard rock proved too much, so 100 sandbags were used instead.