Featured Projects
Wetland restoration: Atocas Bay
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With
over 250 restored wetland basins, the Atocas Bay property
is now a major stop for waterfowl migrating on the north-south
Mississippi Flyway. Photo: Ducks Unlimited Canada. Click
to enlarge. |
| "There's
been an incredible response from the wildlife."
|
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Erling Armson, Ducks Unlimited Canada biologist |
Atocas Bay was once a forgotten stretch of farmland whose
natural capital had been literally plowed under long ago.
That was 1999. Today, after an investment of more than $1
million in collective resources and countless hours of partner
and volunteer work, Atocas Bay is considered one of the most
productive areas for breeding waterfowl in Ontario. Furthermore,
it is a project that demonstrates how agricultural priorities
and conservation goals can be achieved at the same time.
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Visitors
to Atocas Bay are welcome to bird watch, peruse the
interpretation panels or enjoy the walking trail. Photo:
CWS. Click
to enlarge. |
Project partners included Environment Canada’s Canadian
Wildlife Service, Ducks Unlimited Canada, the Ontario Ministries
of Natural Resources and Agriculture and Food, the Nature
Conservancy of Canada and Wildlife Habitat Canada. Contributions
for Atocas Bay came from all of the partners in the form of
direct dollars and in-kind support.
In addition, support came across the American border from
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ducks Unlimited Inc. and
the State of Alabama. Migratory birds such as ducks whose
lives begin in the north travel down the Mississippi Flyway
and through the United States. Alabama recognizes the value
of enhancing Canada’s breeding grounds to support bird
populations throughout the continent. The U.S. North
American Wetlands Conservation Act authorizes the transfer
of American dollars to both Canada and Mexico for priority
conservation projects.
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The
property features a unique collection of rising hillocks
separated by a high density of small and medium-sized
wetland depressions. Photo: CWS. Click
to enlarge. |
Located 75 kilometres east of Ottawa in the community of
Lefaivre on the Ottawa River, the 713-hectare Atocas Bay property
was identified as a high-priority landscape to secure and
restore, preserving the wetlands and associated uplands for
breeding birds. It features a unique collection of rising
hillocks separated by a high density of small and medium-sized
wetland depressions. The area has an unusual, undulating topography
with a heavy clay base that holds water at the surface. This
retention creates ideal wetland habitat for breeding waterfowl.
The restored wetlands, on the north-south Mississippi Flyway,
were expected to receive heavy traffic from birds on spring
migration and during summer breeding season. Also, restoration
would improve surface and ground water quality and quantity,
contributing to ecosystem health for wildlife and the people
in the area.
“There’s a well monitoring station that is monitoring
groundwater,” says Erling Armson, a biologist with Ducks
Unlimited Canada and the person who first noted the conservation
value of the property. “We’re planning to demonstrate
how that works, not just having stormwater drain right off
into the Ottawa River but having it stage through the wetlands
so that it’s filtered and it comes out better in quality.”
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A
Wood Duck, one of the waterfowl species nesting at Atocas
Bay. Photo: Ducks Unlimited Canada. Click
to enlarge. |
Prior to restoration, there were only two or three pairs
of ducks found nesting on the property. Over a period of three
years, the property was purchased through the EHJV and more
than 250 wetland basins were restored, using a variety of
low-cost water management structures. The following spring,
waterfowl-pair surveys revealed 11 species of nesting ducks
and a variety of other bird species. Other wildlife coming
back to the wetlands include moose, white-tailed deer and
short-eared owls.
“There's been an incredible response from the wildlife,”
says Armson.
Some of the upland areas are leased for farming, which provides
funds to manage the property for conservation.
“You can have cattle and you can cut hay in a conservation-oriented
way,” explains Armson.
Appropriate agricultural methods are in place, including
rotational pasturing and late-season haying. Hay is cut late
in the season to avoid disturbing nesting waterfowl. Flushing
bars at the front of the machinery send any lingering birds
forward and safely away from the blades. Cattle are rotated
among designated grazing areas every two weeks. They are excluded
from sensitive wetland areas and are watered using both nose
pumps and wind and solar powered systems.
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Partners
in conservation gathered for a dedication ceremony.
Photo: CWS. Click
to enlarge. |
Atocas Bay has come a long way in five years. In late October,
a small crowd gathered to celebrate the power of inspired
partnership with a dedication ceremony. Against a backdrop
of autumn’s fading leaves and yellowing fields, contributing
partners acknowledged the successful collaboration that spans
organizations and borders. A remarkable mix of people were
in attendance, from the Governor of Alabama to the local farmer
who works the fields of Atocas Bay, bound by a passion for
wildlife and the sense of a vision achieved.
Learn more
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