Celebrating Nature Canada’s Members and Partners

Brian Lipskie, President of Rae & Lipskie Partnership, addresses members at our recent member appreciation event.

Mark Dorfman, past Chairman and current member of the Nature Canada Board of Directors, hosted Nature Canada’s Member Appreciate event in Cambridge, Ontario this fall.  He recounts a day spent connecting with Nature Canada’s diverse members and supporters.

As the past Chairman of the Board of Directors and a local resident of the Waterloo region, it was my honour and delight to host Nature Canada’s Member Outreach and Appreciation event, held a few weeks ago at Langdon Hall in Cambridge, a beautiful spot so near to the Grand River watershed. With over 50 members from Kitchener, Waterloo, Guelph, Cambridge (and a few from as far as Hamilton and Brantford) attending the celebrations, it was an excellent turnout and capacity crowd. 

It was wonderful to welcome and meet the diversity of people who make up the Nature Canada community, from hikers, birders, botanists, to parents, teachers and professors. With so many naturalists in the room together, it showed me once again that there are people who recognize the beauty of nature, its importance, and who understand the need to protect it. It was also a joy to have the opportunity to re-connect with each other.

I spoke of my two favourite memories of the past year. I fondly remembered participating at the dedication ceremony for the Malcolm Bluffs Shore Nature Reserve, a stunning piece of the Bruce Peninsula now protected forever thanks to a bequest left by the late Hugo Germeraad, a Nature Canada member. Attending the Board of Director’s annual general meeting held at Oak Hammock Marsh, an Important Bird Area near Winnipeg, Manitoba was also a highlight for me.

I enjoyed introducing the participants to Ian Davidson (who himself is a graduate of the University of Guelph’s wildlife management course) who has been doing an excellent job of leading Nature Canada since he joined the organization over two years ago.  Ian spoke about the organization’s continued focus on protecting critical habitats and species through the lens of birds, highlighting key successes in our Important Bird Areas work and the numerous local volunteer Important Bird Area Caretakers who are fundamental to its success. Ian began his presentation by introducing the crowd to the cat “bib” which led to a lively discussion about the impact of outdoor cats on bird populations.

He also talked about Nature Canada’s efforts to engage children and youth with nature through the My Parks Pass program, run in partnership with Parks Canada. Given this is the 100th anniversary of our National Parks system, I believe it’s more important than ever for Nature Canada to be actively involved in encouraging the next generation to care as deeply about these magnificent places. 

Ian finished by thanking the members and donors of Nature Canada for their dedication and commitment to nature and its protection. Their personal engagement leads to positive action and our many successes.

Our  Member Outreach and Appreciation celebration was sponsored by our portfolio Investment Counsel, Rae & Lipskie who oversee our investments, including the Charles Labatiuk Nature Endowment Fund. Both Ken Rae and Brian Lipskie were in attendance and I thanked them for their continued partnership with our organization over the past decade and invited Brian to speak on behalf of the firm.  Brian outlined the ways their company is actively involved with the local community and thanked us for the opportunity to be involved with such a worthwhile charity.

In concluding the event, I made sure to thank our local partners in attendance such as Fraser Gibson, President of the Kitchener Waterloo Field Naturalists, and Mike Kelly, President of the Guelph Field Naturalists, for their support in our collective efforts. It can be said that the greatest threats to nature cannot be solved by any one organization. Conservation success comes thanks to our strength in numbers. 

I most enjoyed the opportunity to meet and thank each of the supporters in attendance (including Legacy donors, Nature Builders, Guardian of Nature monthly donors and annual members), letting them know that it is their loyal and dedicated support that has sustained Nature Canada year after year, for decades.  Our members are core to what we do, and the many successes we will achieve in the future.

A lively question and answer session ensued and many members stayed on longer to have the opportunity to chat with Ian, myself and staff.

Thank You Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club!

On Tuesday evening, I was invited as speaker for the Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club (OFNC) monthly meeting in the theatre of the Canadian Museum of Nature. My topic was Important Bird Areas, but I was not going to miss the opportunity to bring the local club up to date with recent changes in Nature Canada. It had been many years since a Nature Canada staffer had talked to the OFNC; in fact no one could remember the last time. Nature Canada Executive Director, and member of the OFNC, Ian Davidson, was in attendence, and by the end of the presentation, he was an active participant in the lively round of questions.

Forty-four people were in the theatre, many of whom confided that they did not know that there was an IBA in their backyard (Lac Deschenes). I am grateful for the opportunity to talk to our local club, and discuss the IBA program with its members and to consider opportunities for collaboration. Nature Canada's roots are with the naturalists of Canada. Staying connected to our 'foundation' is important to Nature Canada as an organization and to me personally as a naturalist.

I was delighted that two friends of mine, Jeff Skevington and Linda Burr, both members of the OFNC, introduced me and thanked me. I look forward to working with OFNC members on common projects around Lac Deschenes and other areas of joint interest. I also look forward to my own participation in the OFNC as a member and a participant in some of their events, such as the Christmas Bird Count.

My Reflections on the Release of the "Birds at Risk" Report

For over a year, I have worked with colleagues with National Resources Defence Council and Boreal Songbird Initiative on writing the Birds at Risk: The Importance of Canada’s Boreal Wetlands and Waterways.

It is good to see it out in the public forum. Though I’ve lived most of the my life in southern Canada, I have spent considerable time in the boreal region, first as a Park Naturalist on Lake Superior, and afterwards as an atlasser for the Atlas of Breeding Birds of Ontario – both in the early 1980s, and between 2001 and 2005, with the Quebec Breeding Bird Atlas in 1987, and a range of other trips both related to work and pleasure.

I’ve learned that canoeing is the only viable means of getting around in the summer, that in the Hudson Bay lowlands, even with gloves, long sleeves and a bug net over my head, 64 black flies can bite me under my watch band in one day, that there can still be ice along some of the rivers in late June, and most importantly that the vast forests and river systems are not uninhabited, but rather part of the homelands of First Nations peoples. The bugs, the rapids and the sudden changes in temperature do not scare me . . . but the red tinted water escaping from the mine tailings empoundment, the sickly smell of herbicides from aerial spraying and the distant din of machines do.

I am one of those auditory birders – though I enjoy seeing birds, I love hearing them and find great satisfaction in knowing their voices. The sound scape of the boreal wetlands is unequal for drama and beauty. The Common Loon’s song is at the top of the most emotive and haunting sounds on earth. Add to this the melodic flute-like refrains of Hermit Thrushes, a cheery chorus of White-throated Sparrow, the staccato explosiveness of a Connecticut Warbler’s song, and the emphatic “Whip-three-beers” of the threatened Olive-sided Flycatcher, and you have, in my view, the perfect symphony.

Sadly, members of the orchestra are dropping out as pressures to exploit the rich resources of the boreal accelerate destruction and change, and climate change tightens its grip on these northern biomes.

As manager of bird conservation programs for Nature Canada, I know that part of our mission is to be a voice for nature, including the species that are being silenced. We hope that the messages from this report will be discussed, debated and inform decisions related to this precious biome. This is our chance as a country to make a difference for our children, and their children with our largest ecological contribution to the earth’s health, our boreal forest.

Discover, Connect & Share from Sea to Sea to Sea

 We've entered an idea in the Aviva Community Fund challenge! But we need your help to make this vision a reality. The next round of voting starts on Monday, October 24 and every vote brings us one step closer to empowering young nature leaders across the country. Sign up now to be ready to vote or read on to learn more about our idea.

The Project

"It was in the Arctic that I started to realize the significance of a sustainable lifestyle."
– Donovan Taplin (17 years old)Bell Island, Newfoundland

Photo by Lee Narraway/Students on Ice

City traffic, air and noise pollution, cell phones, shopping malls and a daily deluge of e-mail are a reality for most Canadians. We spend our days indoors, sitting under fluorescent lights and breathing re-circulated air.

Our children play video games; they don't play outside. They know how to navigate the internet, but don't know what birds live in their backyards. They learn about big issues like climate change, but don't have the connection with nature that will let them truly understand the problem.

We are isolated from nature. We are isolated from each other.

Nature Canada and Students on Ice want to provide a life-changing opportunity for Canadian youth from sea to sea to sea. We will help them discover nature first-hand on the Arctic Expedition 2012, connect with peers and mentors in community dialogue, and share their experiences with other young people at a national Youth Leadership Summit. We hope that each person who is touched by the SEA to SEA to SEA experience is inspired to lead positive change in their own individual communities.

The Partners

For more than 70 years Nature Canada, a membership-based not-for-profit conservation organization, has been a leader in connecting Canadians to nature.

We have worked with hundreds of local groups in every province and territory to deliver community-based projects including the Parks & People program, allowing youth to experience nature first-hand; the Community Action Fund, enabling on-the-ground conservation activities; the Important Bird Areas Caretaker Network, engaging stewards for habitat and species protection; and Nature Explorers, an integrated program that will see one million children and their families participating in multiple experiences in nature over the next five years. 

Students on Ice is an award-winning program that provides youth from across Canada and around the world with ship-based education expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic.

The Students on Ice mandate is to educate and inspire the next generation of leaders and responsible global citizens, and in doing so help provide them with a greater understanding and respect for the planet.

The Plan

Nature Canada and Students on Ice are seeking $150,000 of support from the Aviva Community Fund to assist with on-the-ground delivery of the 2012 SEA to SEA to SEA experience that will empower Canadian youth through a transformative journey.

Photo by Lee Narraway/Students on Ice

In August 2012, 75 students from around the world will participate in the Students on Ice Arctic Expedition 2012. Through a nationwide selection process, a young Canadian from every province and territory will be chosen to participate on the expedition thanks to this support from AVIVA. These funds will facilitate this journey of discovery and the development of young nature ambassadors.

Highlights of the expedition will include a welcome event hosted by the community of Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, and a visit with community leaders and Inuit elders in Pagnirtung to learn about their observations of climate change and its impacts on their community and way of life. The team will stop at National Parks, Important Bird Areas, and spectacular fjords along the way to immerse themselves in learning directly in the spectacular landscape. Participants will have a chance to see magnificent Arctic wildlife, including seabirds, whales, and polar bears.

Throughout the expedition, students will have a chance to learn from each other and connect with mentors. Ongoing discussions will let them reflect on their experiences and energize them to become leaders for environmental and social change in their own individual communities when they return home.

In November 2012, 130 youth from across Canada will converge at a Youth Leadership Summit to explore what the Arctic means to Canada, how our country is connected from SEA to SEA to SEA, and why healthy sustainable communities are critical for our future, the Arctic's future and the planet's future.

The AVIVA Nature Ambassadors from the expedition will serve as youth leaders, motivating their peers as they share their recent Arctic journey, experiences and new knowledge.

The Youth Leadership Summit will empower participants as young leaders, changing their lives and communities. They will make lasting connections that will link Canadian communities from sea to sea to sea in a sustainable future.

"I am taking on the world as an ambassador of positive change."
– Victoria Wee (17 years old)Coquitlam, British Columbia

Please vote to empower change, from sea to sea to sea.

Climate Negotiations and Justice for Vulnerable Populations

Volunteer inspects trees at a tree nursery in Oviedo, Dominican Republic

On Monday I had the opportunity to spend the day at a learning conference that Nature Canada, as a member of the Canadian Coalition on Climate Change and Development (C4D), helped organize.

C4D brings together many of Canada's development and environmental organizations around climate change adaptation, financing and other climate change issues that affect our partners in developing countries. Nature Canada participates in C4D primarily because our integrated conservation and development work cannot ignore climate change and to advocate for the protection of nature and ecosystem-based approaches in climate change adaptation policy and action.

This year, C4D decided to learn more about REDD - the mechanism that is being negotiated internationally to reduce emission from deforestation and forest degradation - and about the debates around its potential impact on small farmers, indigenous peoples and other marginalized and vulnerable people. Earlier this year we held a small learning session about REDD and on Monday 4 panels of fabulous speakers from Canada and the South helped us learn and reflect on the upcoming meeting of the parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Durban in November and the upcoming Rio + 20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in June 2012; REDD and other financing mechanism for mitigation; the role of agriculture; and the opportunities for Canadian civil society organizations around these international fora.

I am still taking all this in, but I heard a few clear messages:

1. Governments are not listening to scientists and are not acting on the opportunity to keep climate change below the level that may avert great human and ecosystem harm (an average increase of less than 1.5 degrees Celsius) before it is too late

2. The most vulnerable, including women, will suffer the most: climate change is a social justice issue, and developed countries need to fund and support adaptation. We need to build RESILIENCE

3. Social and local mobilization are sources of hope, as are, potentially, municipal and provincial governments

4. Upcoming meetings promise little if any progress; but we need to avoid bad decisions, particularly on agriculture, technology transfers and forests

5. Every effort to support action on climate change mitigation and adaptation counts: we can't give up!

Learn more, talk to others, talk to your government, mobilize!

The conference was organized by C4D in collaboration with the Canadian Council for International Cooperation (CCIC) Africa Canada Forum and Asia Pacific Working Group and Canadian Food Security Policy Group. It was possible thanks to the support of Canadian Foodgrains Bank, CARE Canada, CCIC with support from the International Development Research Centre, and the Royal Norwegian Embassy.

Reading suggestions, more detail on the conference and a related public event held Monday night are available here.

A webcast of the conference will be available soon. Check back on this blog for the link.

Want to know more about Nature Canada's work in developing countries? Check out our projects in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Nature Canada's 2010-2011 Annual Report is Now Online

After much anticipation, our annual report for 2010-2011 is now available online, making it that much easier for us to share our conservation successes with you!

What will you find inside the report?

By clicking through the pages of the report, you will find a message from our Executive Director and Chair of the Board of Directors, financial statements, our list of supporters and award winners, and our conservation successes from the past year.

Quick links to each section, the full PDF of the report, and a video message from Ian Davidson, our Executive Director, can be found by visiting our Annual Report webpage.

 We would like to extend our gratitude to all our 2010-2011 supporters - every one of conservation successes is thanks to you!

Canadian and American IBA Programs Have Much in Common - An Interview with John Cecil, National Audubon

As a follow-up to Mara Kerry's post on the National Important Bird Areas meeting in Port Rowan last week, Ted Cheskey, manager of bird conservation, shares his thoughts on the meeting and speaks with John Cecil of National Audubon about the Canadian and American IBA Programs.



IBA Canada partners have been working hard to engage volunteers – called IBA Caretakers – to care for and be the "eyes, ears and feet on the ground" for Canada's IBAs. These volunteers were a focus of the National IBA meeting in Port Rowan last week. Between presentations on monitoring protocols for IBA Caretakers, and animated discussions on habitat definitions, John Cecil, Manager of the Important Bird Area Program with National Audubon sat down with me to discuss his impressions of the Canadian program and the potential of collaborating more closely on bird conservation.

John was a very welcomed full participant in the two-day workshop, held at the spectacular Bird Studies Canada headquarters in Port Rowan, Ontario. He provided us with a good overview of the IBA program history in the USA. We compared notes on challenges and opportunties, and came away feeling motivated to share more – we have much in common with our American IBA colleagues.

We had scheduled the workshop for late April, to avoid the "field season", for many of the participants from across Canada, but still take advantage of migration in this internationally famous World Biosphere Reserve and Globally significant IBA.

I really wanted to interview John outside, but Mother Nature had the last word, throwing high winds and rain at us for most of the workshop, allowing us to happily toil inside without regrets. For the interview, we were able to find a quiet spot in the excellent BSC library to chat for a few minutes.

There were some brief moments during the workshop when the weather was more accommodating. We went on a brief trip on the trail to a lookout over Long Point Bay, and saw thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands of ducks, Ruddys, Scaup, Redheads, Canvasback, Buffleheads, Mergansers, Coots, and many more species, all milling about in the bay. The build up in late April was a sign that things were still frozen much further north, where most of these birds breed. Somehow they know this. . . .

Moments like these - being fascinated and inspired by the birds and habitats like Long Point, or sharing and learning from colleagues - are what motivate us to protect our IBAs, and the birds that depend upon them and the surrounding landscapes and habitats.

Workshop attendees, including Ted Cheskey (front row, second from left), Ian Davidson, Nature Canada's executive director (front row, third from left), and Mara Kerry, Nature Canada's director of conservation (back row, 8th from left)

Know the past. Enjoy the present. Protect the future.

What's the link between a fort, a huge rock, an old guy, a tepee and a bison? Check out the My Parks Pass video and find out:

If you're a Grade 8/Secondary 2 student, you'll get your My Parks Pass from your teacher so that you can visit over 200 Parks Canada destinations for a full year - for free.

It doesn't matter if you're into camping, skiing, paddling, exploring or if you just want to discover more about Canada's past at your own pace; My Parks Pass has something for everyone. With more than 200 destinations across the country, there's an adventure closer than you think!

All Eyes Are On Nature!

Cast Your Vote for Nature on May 2, 2011!

Canadians expect their government to protect nature. We live in a time when the planet's health is in peril, a time when strong leadership and decisive action are required to address the urgent threats of climate change, habitat loss, and species extinctions.

To effectively protect nature for future generations, the Government of Canada has to do four things:

1. Protect Wildlife
2. Preserve Natural Areas
3. Prevent Environmental Disasters
4. Lead Canadian Conservation

Visit Vote for Nature 2011 to find out more about what the government should do on these four issues. We've also put together a list of 7 Questions for Your Candidates.

Tell Canada’s leaders where you stand – vote for nature in 2011!


Music for All Eyes Are On Nature is courtesy of Pitx.

Love Nature? Love Beer? Then You Can Help!

If you love nature and you love beer, combining your two passions while making a difference has just gotten easier with the launch of Alexander Keith's Green Initiative!

By entering a PIN from specially-marked 24 IPA packs and 15 -bottle mixer packs of Alexander Keith’s beer on Keith’s Facebook page, you can reveal a donation amount of between $0 and $1,000 which Keith’s will donate on your behalf to four great causes and their national partners across Canada:

• Nature Canada
• Waterkeepers Canada
• NSLC Adopt-A-Stream
• Trees Ontario

Entering your pin also gives you the chance to win a Keith’s Eco-Adventure. You could be on your way to an eight day dog-sledding adventure in the Yukon!

Not a beer drinker, but still want to help nature? Share Keith’s Green Initiative with friends on Facebook and Keith’s will donate $1 to one of the above four charities! Sharing also enters you to win a Keith’s Eco-Prize Pack. Keith's estimates that as much as $75,000 will be donated through this program.

A few words from our executive director, Ian Davison, on the initiative:

“Alexander Keith’s Green Initiative is helping to protect nature in this country, something we know Canadians care deeply about. Wildlife is the clear winner when one of Canada’s most respected conservation organizations teams up with one of the country’s oldest commercial breweries.”

A big thank you goes out to everyone who has shared Keith's Green Initiative on Facebook and to those who have purchased specially marked cases of Keith's beer.

Cheers!

The Best of Environmental Film Comes to Ottawa

Every few weeks, my daughter Cassie insists we visit the Canadian Museum of Nature here in Ottawa -- what she calls "the dinosaur museum" -- so that she can visit the triceratops models and feed them her lunch. The museum staff is very accommodating toward these wholly unsanctioned fantasy mealtimes.

This week, I have another good reason to visit the museum, and it has nothing to do with giant lizards. From April 5-8 the Canadian Museum of Nature will present some of the best environmental documentaries from Toronto's Planet in Focus Film Festival.

The Ottawa screenings are part of a national tour with stops at other natural history museums in several Canadian cities, including Whitehorse, Halifax and Victoria. I've looked at the line-up; it's a mix of the fear-inducing and the awe-inspiring. There are award-winning films about the coming crisis in drinking water, the dire effects of a mass bee hive collapse, and the alarming effects of global warming. But there is also an uplifting story about indigenous peoples saving the Yukon River, another about former enemies joining forces to save the hawksbill turtle, and a fascinating underwater journey into Alaska's inside passage.

Nature Canada joined famed author and nature advocate Margaret Atwood on the red carpet at the 2010 Planet in Focus festival for the premiere of the Ron Mann film In the Wake of the Flood, a documentary about Atwood's worldwide Year of the Flood book tour. Since Atwood helped to raise funds and awareness about Nature Canada on the tour, we make a small appearance in the film.

(Ron Mann's film isn't on the docket for this travelling film fest -- but you can still buy the DVD!)

Check out the museum's web site for film schedules and other details, or the Planet in Focus site for more info about screenings in other cities.

Help us find 250 people who "Like" Nature Canada!

We're now on Facebook and looking to connect with all of the wonderful supporters of nature out there. One of the first 250 people to "Like" Nature Canada on Facebook will win a copy of the Bird Songs Bible from Raincoast Books!

Wondering what this book is all about? It features almost 750 breeding birds from North America, in both beautiful illustrations and digital recordings. Check out this video to see how it works:



And don't forget to "Like" Nature Canada on Facebook today for your chance to win this great giveaway!

Wind Energy Project Jeopardizes Globally Significant IBA

Gilead Power Corporation has submitted a proposal to construct a 9-turbine wind energy farm at Ostrander Point, in Prince Edward County, Ontario. Ostrander Point lies within the Ostrander Crown Land Block owned by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) and is located just west of the Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area, near the eastern end of Lake Ontario. The location of the proposed Ostrander Point Wind Energy Park is near the centre of the globally significant Prince Edward County South Shore Important Bird Area and only a few kilometres from the Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area – the only National Wildlife Area specifically designated for its importance to migrating landbirds. This globally significant Important Bird Area (IBA) is designated for its high concentration of landbirds during migration as well as waterfowl. Additionally, Ostrander Point is a candidate provincial Area of Natural and Scientific Interest due to its significance for migrating birds and its rare alvar habitats (it is likely it has yet been officially recognized due to this controversial project).

IBAs are some of the most significant sites for birds on earth. BirdLife International the global authority of bird conservation first developed this program in Europe, recognizing that some species of birds are dependent upon very specific places for their survival, and that some places are very important for the survival of large numbers of species. BirdLife is an international partnership, now active in over 100 countries. In Canada, Nature Canada and Bird Studies Canada are the official partners responsible for delivering the IBA program to Canadians. In many provinces, we work in partnership with provincial nature-conservation organizations such as Ontario Nature, to get the program to the ground and work with local individuals, groups, government official and First Nations to ensure that IBAs receive the attention and protection they deserve and need.

Prince Edward Point South Shore Important Bird Area, also called Prince Edward Point Important Bird Area on the IBA Canada website , is one of about 100 IBAs with conservation plans, developed in concert with local community members. When the conservation plan for the Prince Edward County South Shore Important Bird Area was developed in 2001, a large number of people, including representatives from the local Ministry of Natural Resources' (MNR) office, contributed to the plan, the mapping of the specific IBA boundaries, and the plan’s recommendations. The Ostrander Point Crown Land Block was one of the key-stone sites within the IBA, which spans a much larger area from Prince Edward Point to Point Petre and which includes offshore areas also for congregating waterfowl. Known as a potential site for rare and threatened species, and connected by scrub and forested shoreline and coastal habitat to the National Wildlife Area, Ostrander is central to the function of the IBA – particularly given that it was in public ownership by the MNR and thus not under the same risks for development as private land. At the time, disturbance from all-terrain vehicles was one of the big issues within the IBA, but in the bigger scheme of things, this was relatively minor, and something that could be managed through education and negotiation. At Ostrander Point, the question was when MNR would have resources to implement a restoration plan to encourage grassland habitat in an area already very significant for birds.

No one at the time could have dreamed that the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, legally responsible for protecting Ontario’s natural heritage, would consider promoting an industrial wind farm on a site that they were also in the process of nominating as an Area of Natural and Scientific Interest for Natural Sciences due to its importance for migrating birds and the rare alvar habitat present there.

In 2004, a few years after the publication of the conservation plan, the MNR made a policy decision to make some of its Crown land assets available for “green energy” projects. Such a policy change would make the way easier for small, independent electricity generating projects to take place in central and northern Ontario, where much of the land is owned by the crown. This policy change also opened up the playing field for wind energy developers, but it was not accompanied by efforts to systematically identify areas where wind energy projects should be excluded, as is currently the case with offshore turbines. Rather, projects were proposed and in some cases developed without a policy framework to guide where they would be located.

In our view, Ostrander Point Wind Energy Park is the most egregious example of how the good idea of wind energy can end up in the worst of all possible places due to the lack of a planning an policy framework in place.

Nature Canada is a strong supporter of the Ontario government’s effort to rapidly deploy wind energy as an essential strategy to meet the urgent need to reduce the greenhouse gas impacts of our energy system. We support most wind energy projects and recognize that projects cannot be developed without some impact to wildlife. However, the development of the Ostrander Point Wind Energy Park crossed a line for us. We see its consequences as extremely risky and potentially catastrophic for birds. We can only hope that either the developer or the Province will come to their senses and withdraw this project.

On March 10, 2009, Nature Canada provided Gilead Power Corporation with specific comments on the Draft Environmental Review Report, released in January of 2009. In September 2010, Gilead released a Draft Natural Heritage Assessment & Environmental Impact Study, including reports specific to birds and bats, prepared by Stantec Consulting Ltd., which is open for comments until November 24, 2010. Nature Canada, in concert with Ontario Nature, took this opportunity to emphasize its opposition to the project. Our position is simply that the proponent, and the government of Ontario reject the proposed Ostrander Point Wind Energy Park; given the significant impact it is likely to have on the area’s birds and bats, and to seek an alternative site for the project outside of the IBA. No more studies are required to confirm the areas significance.

Gilead’s own contracted reports on birds leave no doubt about the significance of the site for both migrating birds and breeding birds. Anyone who has birded in this remote part of Prince Edward County knows that, at times, this area can be a “river of birds“ due to its unusual geography and exceptional habitat. Radar studies in the bird report posted on Gilead’s website describe up to 160,000 birds passing through Ostrander Point during the fall migration, of which approximately half were flying at turbine blade height. Both the consultant’s data, and data from near-by Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory demonstrate that high numbers of both familiar species such as swallows and Saw-whet-owl, and at-risk species such as Whip-poor-will and Common Nighthawk would be at significant risk from this project. Swallows and nightjars (Whip-poor-will and Common Nighthawk) are aerial insectivores – species that feed exclusively on flying insects. Insects are known to concentrate around the spinning blades of the turbines, perhaps due to the lower air pressure or the colour of the blades. One does not have to be a rocket scientist to connect the dots and understand the heightened risk to these species, which concentrate along the Great Lakes shorelines including Ostrander Point, during their migrations.

Moreover, this site is one of the most concentrated areas for hawk and owl migration, with numbers of hawks peaking in early October at 70 to 109 observations/hour. On a single day in October, 60 golden eagles, an endangered species in Ontario, and more than 1,000 red-tailed hawks flew over nearby Prince Edward Point.

Fourteen conservation priority species from Partners in Flight (of which Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources is a partner) breed within Ostrander Point including Northern Harrier, Whip-poor-will (recently listed as Threatened under the federal Species at Risk Act), Black-billed Cuckoo, Northern Flicker, Willow flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Wood Thrush, Brown Thrasher, Field Sparrow, Savannah sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Eastern Towhee, Eastern Meadowlark and Baltimore Oriole. Most of these species are experiencing serious declines in Ontario. The area also has high densities of Wilson’s Snipe and American Woodcock, two species for which the males conduct aerial displays at approximately the height of the turbine blades.

Most of the coastal habitat of the lower Great Lakes – Ontario, Erie and Huron has been modified or transformed for human use. Little natural coastline remains. Ostrander Point is natural habitat – alvar, scrubland, grassland, forest and wetland. It is superb habitat for birds and the arthropods, berries and seeds that sustain them. Because it is located on a narrow peninsula (the Long Point peninsula, smaller, but similar to the famous peninsula of the same name on Lake Erie), migrants are concentrated in higher densities during migration due to the funneling effect of the peninsula.


Gilead’s Ostrander Point Wind Energy Park has the potential to kill high numbers of migratory birds, permanently damage a significant breeding bird community, and jeopardize the government’s responsibility for protecting s Ontario’s biodiversity. Ostrander Point should not be an industrial wind “park” but rather it should be conserved and managed so that its significance for migrating and breeding birds is ensured in perpetuity.

Click here to read Nature Canada’s full comments.

Photos by Myrna Wood

Celebrating All Buffleheads Day

A pair of Buffleheads
Photo by Nick (kukkurovaca)/Flickr

A major event in the history of Buffleheads is the Great Bufflehead Crash that occurred in November 1940 near Foam Lake, Saskatchewan. The crash may have been caused by a heavy fog on the night of November 4th, with the addition of Foam Lake’s street lights that confused Buffleheads into thinking it was a lake. These are diving ducks, so one can only imagine the outcome of such a mirage – they could dive straight into the ground! Some say the crash could have been due to freezing rain that forced the ducks to ‘fall from the sky’.

At Nature Canada’s 2010 Annual General Meeting, a resolution – All Buffleheads Day, October 15th, 2010 – was adopted to recognize that 2010 is the 70th anniversary of the Great Bufflehead Crash of 1940; to encourage the government to implement and support the monitoring of key phenological indicators through citizen-based monitoring programs; and to commend the District of North Saanich and the Town of Sidney in their efforts to protect essential Bufflehead habitat in Shoal Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary.

Read a short profile on the Bufflehead

Celebrate Summer!

Happy Canada Day! We hope you have a chance to get out and explore nature, whether it's in a national park or just in your own backyard. The diverse array of natural wonders we are so fortunate to have is one thing that makes Canada truly unique.

Before you head out to celebrate, why not share the holiday with friends and family by sending a Canada Day eCard? Or, send wishes to our American neighbours for a great start to the summer over the 4th of July weekend.

Say No to Commercial Whaling!

The post below was distributed by Avaaz, a global online advocay community that brings people-powered politics to global decision-making.

Nature Canada strongly supports the opposition against commercial whaling - this industry poses severe threats to biodiversity and the health of ecosystems.

------- ------- ------- ------- -------

The international vote that could legalize commercial whale hunting is just days away. Over 800,000 of us have signed the petition to protect whales, and an Avaaz team is on the ground to make sure we're heard -- let's super-charge this campaign by hitting 1 million signatures! Add your name and then forward this message:

Sign the petition!

In one week, the International Whaling Commission will hold its final vote on a proposal to legalize commercial whale hunting for the first time in a generation.

The outcome rests on whose voices are heard most clearly in the final hours: the pro-whaling lobby -- or the world's people?

More than 800,000 of us have signed the petition to protect whales -- it's time to reach 1 million! At the whale summit in Morocco, an Avaaz team is setting up billboards, front-page newspaper ads, and a giant, constantly-updating petition counter -- all to ensure that delegates, from the moment they step off the plane until they cast their votes, will see from our explosive numbers that the world will not accept legal whale slaughter. Click to sign, and forward this email to everyone:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/whales_last_push/?vl

Thanks to the worldwide outcry, many governments have already pledged to oppose the proposal. Each time the Avaaz whale petition added 100,000 signatures, it was sent again to the IWC and key governments -- some, like New Zealand, thanked all of us who had signed on.

But pressure from the other side has been relentless. Now other governments, especially in Europe and Latin America, may abstain... or even support the proposal. The vote could go either way.

Citizen pressure is our best hope. After all, it was an explosive worldwide social movement in the 1980s that led to the commercial whaling ban we're now trying to protect. As the International Whaling Commission meets in Morocco -- starting this Thursday, the 17th, with the crucial vote less than a week away -- let's make sure the world's voices are there to greet them:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/whales_last_push/?vl

After the global ban was first implemented on commercial whaling, the number of whales killed each year plummeted from 38,000 per year to just a couple of thousand. It's a testament to the power of humanity to move forward. As we move to confront the other crises of the modern age, let's cherish this legacy of progress -- by joining together now to protect our majestic and intelligent neighbors on this fragile planet.

With hope,

Ben, Ben M, Maria Paz, Ricken, Benjamin, David, Graziela, Luis, and the whole Avaaz team

P.S.: Despite the ban, Japan, Norway, and Iceland have continued whaling -- and are now pushing to make the IWC proposal as lenient as possible. Expecting permission to catch more whales than ever, Japan is reportedly planning to buy its largest whaling ship yet. Click here to sign the petition against commercial whaling!

Nature Canada Pipes Up Against Enbridge

Twenty-one years ago, the Exxon Valdez ran aground, spilling 40 million litres of crude oil into Prince William Sound and causing irreversible damage. Now, Enbridge wants to bring the same risk to B.C.'s pristine coastal waters and rainforest.

The proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline would carry oil from the tar sands to a port at Kitimat, B.C. Supertankers fed by the Enbridge pipeline would travel the same waters where the Queen of the North ferry sank in 2006.


Nature Canada is one of over a hundred signatories - including First Nations, businesses and prominent Canadians - to an open letter opposing the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline and crude oil tanker traffic in BC's northern coastal waters. The risk oil spills pose to First Nations, communities and the environment is too great.

Add your voice and pipe up against Enbridge by sending a letter to Enbridge CEO Patrick Daniel today.

Nature Canada's 6-degrees connection to tonight's Rick Mercer Report

I just wanted to give everyone a heads-up that Nature Canada will have a 'six degrees of separation' connection to tonight's episode of the Rick Mercer Report on CBC (8pm EST).

The show will feature the winning universities in the Spread the Net Student Challenge, which aims to reduce the spread of malaria in children across Africa. It turns out that University of Ottawa is one of the winners of the challenge, alongside Simon Fraser University.

Now here's the interesting Nature Canada connection:

My MSc supervisor, Dr. Jeremy Kerr, and Dr. Manisha Kulkarni-Woodstock and Rachelle Desrochers, a Post-Doctoral Fellow and PhD Candidate, respectively, from Dr. Kerr's lab, played key roles in the University of Ottawa's Spread the Net campaign. Students from two undergraduate biology classes at the university were also MAJOR contributors to the campaign's fundraising success - enough for 700 bednets was raised!!

During a field ecology course co-taught by Jeremy, Manisha and Rachelle in Tanzania last year, they and a group of undergrad students actually hand-delivered bednets to groups of school children across that African country.

Manisha's research, which is based mostly in east Africa as well as parts of South America, focuses on the ecology of the mosquitoes that carry malaria (Anopheles spp) and how climate change may alter their distributions - and therefore the human populations that may be at risk - over time. My former supervisor, Dr. Kerr, brings expertise on the impacts of climate change on insect distributions to the project, among many other research capacities.

I'm not sure what will air on the show tonight (remember: 8pm EST), but it looks like Rick Mercer spent some time in one of the biology labs with a few of my former labmates - See the banner image here - http://bit.ly/dmtKWg.

So, that's the '6-degrees' connection for Nature Canada to tonight's Rick Mercer Report. Enjoy the show, and think about what you can do to prevent the spread of malaria!