Immediate Need for Volunteer Piping Plover Guardians

Kim Toews and her son Brendan discovered endangered Piping Plovers at Sauble Beach in 2007 and at Oliphant in 2008. They are dedicated to the recovery of these shorebirds, but need your help. In this guest post, Kim shares the most recent updates about the Sauble Beach Piping Plovers and asks for volunteer Piping Plover Guardians:

For the third year in a row, endangered Piping Plovers have returned to Sauble Beach, located on the South Bruce Peninsula in Ontario. Sauble Beach is beginning their busy summer season and more volunteers are needed to monitor and protect the Piping Plovers.

At present, Sauble Beach has three pairs of Piping Plovers nesting along its sandy shores. Piping Plovers are one of Canada's rarest birds and are under immediate threat of extinction. They have been listed as an endangered species and are protected under Ontario's Endangered Species Act and the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA).

Piping Plovers make their nests in the wide open sand or areas with very sparse vegetation. These locations leave them exposed to a number of threats such as predation from gulls, merlins and raccoons, and disturbance from cats, dogs and human activities. Wire predatory exclosures - that the Plovers can hop through, but denying larger avian and other predators access - have been erected over the nest sites. The birds themselves blend into the beach as they are the colour of dry sand, with a thin black band around their neck and across their forehead during breeding.

In 2008, one pair of Piping Plovers successfully nested at north Sauble Beach, fledging one chick. Another pair at Oliphant also nested successfully and one chick fledged. This successful nesting season marks a new beginning for Piping Plovers along the Canadian Great Lakes after 30 years of absence from the region.

We are looking for individuals who can volunteer immediately as Piping Plover Guardians. Volunteers will spend time on the beach monitoring and protecting the Plovers from any disturbances that might affect their nesting activities. Volunteers will also educate the public about the Piping Plover and what they can do to help. Information will be provided to the guardians.

In order to provide full protection to the Piping Plovers, two to three volunteers are needed for each four-hour shift (between the hours of 9:00 am and 9:00 pm).

Your help is needed. Please volunteer to be a Piping Plover Guardian. For more information contact Stewart Nutt at stew@synsol.ca or (519) 372-8588, or Sue Seibert at saubleplover@gmail.com or (519) 422-3610.

(Thanks Kim! We wish you success with the Piping Plover Guardians this summer, and look forward to more updates from southern Ontario. Thanks to Brendan Toews for this beautiful photo of an adult female Piping Plover with chick at Sauble Beach, Ontario, taken on June 30, 2008.)

Minnesota legislates "Lights Out" for a safer migration

Millions of birds migrate at night during spring and fall. And millions are killed each year as they collide against brightly lit buildings. "Lights out" programs in many cities along flyways, including Toronto, encourage building owners and managers to shut the lights out during spring and fall migration.

In Minnesota, state-owned or state-leased buildings are now required to turn off their lights after midnight, after legislators last week passed a law inspired by Audubon Minnesota's "Lights Out" program.

Be it through laws or voluntary measures, lights should be turned off everywhere when not in use. And not only for the sake of migrating birds; it’s also an obvious energy saving measure!

Dining with Nature

What could be better than good friends, fresh food, the warm sun, and a cool breeze? Watching wildlife while enjoying a backyard barbeque or picnic in the park! Capering critters form an ever-changing panorama, and birdsong provides the perfect soundtrack. Of course, I want to make sure that my alfresco dining is as friendly as possible for the environment, so I’m trying to follow some eco-conscious tips:


Buy local, organic food. Besides tasting so much yummier, local and organic foods reduce your carbon footprint since they don’t have to travel as far and their production requires fewer chemicals.

Use reusable dish- and drinkware. The random bits of cutlery at the back of your drawer are perfect to use for summer meals with friends. So are the free mugs you’ve collected in the cupboard and the mismatched plates accumulated from various sets over the years. Why pay for paper and plastic when these are readily available? If you need to buy something new, try to choose sustainable materials like bamboo.


Dispose of waste properly. Despite our best efforts, we will usually have some waste from an outdoor meal. Ensure that garbage and recyclables are sorted and put in the available bins. If containers aren’t available, pack these things up with you and dispose of them when you get home.

One last note: because I care about the health of my wild neighbours, I won’t be feeding them while I’m dining outdoors myself. In addition to disrupting their natural habits, feeding wild animals may cause them to fall ill and can habituate them to human contact.

I hope you enjoy experiencing the outdoors with a picnic or barbeque of your own this summer! Why not leave a comment and let us know how you’re planning to dine with nature?

Artist Shows the 'Beautiful Destruction' of the Tar Sands

Artist Louis Helbig flew over Alberta's tar sands last summer and this is what he saw:

This image, which out of context could be described as quite beautiful with its curves and mocha colours, in fact shows bitumen residue corralled by floating pipes over toxic water at Syncrude's Aurora North facility. It is here, at this tailings pond, where 1,600 ducks were killed in spring 2008 when they landed here to rest.

The image is part of a collection showing at At Koma Designs in Toronto, Ontario, right now until May 31. The exhibit is called Beautiful Destruction, and chronicles part of what professional photographer Helbig saw on a visit to Fort McMurray, Alberta.

Helbig's photos address the highly controversial issue of Canada's tar sands in ways that words cannot, and begin to reveal the sheer scope and scale of industrial development taking place in our North. From the artist's statement:

The Alberta Tar Sands are a place of superlatives, a place of awesome beauty and destruction where exaggeration of scale and proportion seems almost impossible. Leaving aside the politics that surround them or their technical specifics, the Tar Sands are simply awe inspiring. With every twist and turn of the airplane, another incredible scene presents itself, followed by another. It’s a linear kaleidoscope of contrasts, colours, and patterns garnished by the movement of machinery below, smoke and effluent; the scene resetting, again and again, as the paint of photography – light – makes its daily changes. Morning, mid-day, evening, the passing of clouds.

Here's another image from the exhibit -- from Suncor's Millennium mine, trucks remove the first layer of earth, sand and gravel, called 'overburden', to get to the bitumen.

If you're in the Toronto area check out Helbig's exhibit as part of the Contact Toronto Photography Festival (or meet the artist at a closing party May 28) or take a look online. The collection will also be coming to Ottawa June 6 and 7 for the New Art Festival.

Baillie Birdathon

The Baillie Birdathon is an annual fundraising event that provides important financial support to a wide range of Canadian groups including bird observatories, many of which are participants in the Canadian Nature Network. Organized through Bird Studies Canada, Birdathon participants are able to donate a portion of the money they raise to and organization of their choice. For many years, I have dedicated that special portion to the Bruce Peninsula Bird Observatory (I am Past President). In 2008, I and four other "BPBO birdathoners" raised a total of $3067 of which $1947 came back to BPBO, while the rest went to the James L Baillie Memorial Fund. I ask you to support bird monitoring and conservation by pledging your support in to my birdathon. I will again be part of that BPBO “team” this year. Myself, and Rod Steinacher, current BPBO President, will be doing our third “green” birdathon in the Cabot Head – Dyers Bay area on the Victoria Day weekend. Last year, as part of the “Presidents’ Choice” I walked and cycled my way to over 120 species in the Cabot Head checklist area. You will receive a tax receipt and an account of the day that will be published on BPBO's website.To sponsor me on-line, go to the following BSC page http://www.bsc-eoc.org/bat/donate.jsp and enter my participant’s number 11772, then follow the instructions. If you prefer to send a cheque, make it out to “Baillie Birdathon” and please mail it to the address below and indicate on the cheque that it is for sponsoring Ted Cheskey - BPBO. Cheques are to be mailed to:
Baillie Birdathon
Bird Studies Canada
P.O. Box 160,Port Rowan,
ON N0E 1M0

Your support is extremely appreciated.

Ted Cheskey
Conservation Ecologist
Nature Canada


Canada’s Baillie Birdathon is the oldest sponsored bird count in North America. It was established in 1976 as a national fundraiser to support the research and conservation of wild birds. Funds raised by participants benefit not only the work of Bird Studies Canada, but also designated bird observatories in the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network, the James L. Baillie Memorial Fund, which provides research grants to amateurs across Canada, and participating conservation and naturalist clubs.

Nature Canada Welcomes New Executive Director

Nature Canada welcomes Ian Davidson as the organization's new Executive Director! Ian will begin his new responsibilities on July 8, 2009.

Here is part of an announcement we released to introduce Ian to our friends, colleagues and supporters:

Born in Canada, Ian has worked throughout the world on a range of environmental issues that are central to Nature Canada's conservation mission. A graduate from the University of Guelph, specializing in wildlife management, he spent his formative years working for the Canadian Wildlife Service, first in James Bay on migratory shorebird issues and later in the northern Boreal forest studying the impact of forestry regimes on small mammal populations.

In the late eighties, Ian spent significant time working on environmental projects in Africa and Latin America before taking on an assignment with the Canadian International Development Agency where he advised on projects and policy issues in the Americas. He continued his international work with Wildlife Habitat Canada coordinating initiatives for Wetlands for the Americas focused on Canadian migratory species and habitat conservation.

Since 2000 Ian has been the Regional Director for BirdLife International, a global network of conservation NGOs dedicated to the conservation of birds and their habitat, where he worked closely with NGOs in almost all countries of the Americas, including BirdLife's Partners in Canada, Nature Canada and Bird Studies Canada. Over nine years he helped support and develop the BirdLife partnership's capacity to implement effective conservation programs throughout the region.

"Because of his strong ties to BirdLife International, Ian is already familiar with Nature Canada's mission and vision for nature conservation, and he brings a strong commitment to advance support for that mission throughout Canada and the Americas," said Nature Canada Board of Directors Chair Richard Yank. "On behalf of the board and staff, I am pleased and excited to welcome Ian to Nature Canada."

Nature Canada wishes to thank Ruth Catana, the organization's Director of Public Affairs, who served as Acting President during the hiring process.

60,000 Petitioners Call on Government to Protect Boreal Forest

I just got back from a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, where Nature Canada and Boreal Songbird Initiative drew attention to the 60,000 petitioners, from 117 countries, who joined the Save Our Boreal Birds Campaign. Dr. Jeff Wells, from BSI, kindly agreed to write a guest post about the petition, and the need to protect the Boreal Forest:

Last night as we slept one of the world’s most awesome wildlife spectacles happened over our heads. It will happen again tonight and the next and the next through early June and then it will start again in the fall. Every spring night a massive wave of birds--10-30 million, yes million of them—migrate back to Canada from wintering grounds in the U.S., Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean. This incredible abundance of birds battles its way back over tough and torn terrain to make it to the safety and opportunity of one of the world’s last great intact ecosystems—Canada’s Boreal Forest.

The Boreal Forest contains 25% of the world’s last uncut and pristine forests and it is these vast forests, peatlands, wetlands, lakes, rivers, taiga and tundra that support the 1-3 billion birds that return to it each year to raise their young. Over 300 bird species regularly breed within Canada’s Boreal Forest habitats and nearly 100 of those species rely on these habitats to support more than half of their global populations.

Many of these species are among our most loved and familiar—birds like the Common Loon, the American Black Duck, the Evening Grosbeak, and the White-throated Sparrow. Clearly their futures are dependent on the decisions we make today about the Boreal’s future.

Sadly, even this great Canadian legacy is not immune to the loss and degradation we hear about daily from across the globe. By some estimates, at least 25% of Canada’s Boreal has already been impacted by industrial disturbances while only 12% is protected. Many Boreal dependent birds have experienced major declines—some as high as 70, 80, or 90% in the last 40 years. Species like the Olive-sided Flycatcher, Canada Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, and Evening Grosbeak are among those whose populations have dropped by 60-80%. Already the Olive-sided Flycatcher and Canada Warbler have been recommended for listing under Canada’s Species at Risk Act.

But the good news is that Canada’s Boreal Forest does still remain largely intact. These bird-filled forests are also one of earth’s most significant insurance policies against global warming. The Boreal Forest globally stores more carbon than any other terrestrial ecosystem and its large intact forests, peatlands, and wetlands provide the places that animals and plants will require for survival as they are pushed north by increasing temperatures. That makes it one of the world’s last and greatest opportunities for planning ahead to ensure healthy ecosystems endure that sustain birds and wildlife and the communities that have lived with them beyond memory.

As this petition demonstrates, the people of Canada and its neighbors care deeply about the future of Canada’s great northern treasure and to the birds that call it home. We are grateful for the recent leadership in Ontario and Quebec to move this public support into action by calling for 50% protection of Boreal ecosystems and hope that other leaders will follow suit.

(Thanks Jeff! Dr. Jeff Wells is the Science and Policy Director for the Boreal Songbird Initiative (BSI), a project of the Pew Environment Group. BSI is a non-profit organization dedicated to outreach and education about the importance of the Boreal Forest to North America's birds.)

(Photo: Canada Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler by Jeff Nadler)

The Real Wolverine

The first blockbuster movie of the summer is tearing across movie theatres this month, with Hugh Jackman in the titular, adamantium claw-wielding role of superhero Wolverine. While your opinion of the movie may be mixed, it’s undeniable that the species behind the name rocks!

The endangered eastern population of Wolverines is arguably one of the most misunderstood and least known of Canada’s wild animals. There are unconfirmed sightings of this elusive creature each year, although positive identification is difficult since they can resemble porcupines, fishers, or small bears in appearance. With fewer than 50 members estimated throughout Labrador and Quebec, the greatest challenge facing this species is that the population may be too low for natural recovery.

The Facts:

• Wolverines are known for traveling long distances. Their range extends from less than 100 square km for females to more than 1,000 square km for males. These are the largest reported home ranges for a carnivore.


• Wolverines are non-migratory and do not hibernate during the winter. They’re active day and night, and alternate three to four hour periods between activity and sleep.
  
  
• The Wolverine’s powerful teeth and jaws are adapted for crushing the frozen meat they scavenge in winter. They will even eat frozen bones and pelts when desperate. In summer they eat berries and vegetation, too.


• The Wolverine is known by a variety of descriptive names: ‘skunk-bear’ because it marks its food and various landmarks with urine and musk, a fluid secreted by its anal glands; and ‘glutton’ because of its voracious appetite. Carcajou is its French Canadian name.
  

Read more and find out what’s being done to protect this iconic animal in its Nature Canada species profile.

List of Endangered Species Grows in Canada

Last week the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) met to assess the status of wildlife species in Canada believed to be at risk of extinction. COSEWIC is the independent scientific advisory body that assesses the status of species under the federal Species at Risk Act.

COSEWIC summarized the results of the meeting as "From Abalone to Whales: Aquatic Species in Canada Face Risk of Extinction." Indeed, the message is clear, and quite grim, for two marine species, the American Plaice and the Northern Abalone.

Both species have undergone precipitous declines, with American Plaice suffering declines of 90% in some areas of Canada's east coast, and Northern Abalone still declining in British Columbia due to poaching. These declines have continued despite a 20 year moratorium on abalone harvesting and a long-standing plaice moratorium in some fishery areas.

The American Plaice is a flatfish, which, as a juvenile looks like a conventional fish, but as it develops into adulthood, its left eye migrates from the left side of its head to the right side, and from that point onward swims on its side. (Here's a image).

The Northern Abalone is marine snail with a flat, oval-shaped shell mottled reddish or greenish, with areas of white or blue. It was the first marine invertebrate to be designated at risk by COSEWIC, in 1999.

The assessment meeting also brought some good news for a marine species - the status of Bowhead Whales in Canada's eastern Arctic has been upgraded to special concern from the previous status of threatened. Hundreds of years of commercial whaling had depleted Bowhead Whale populations but recent decades of conservation have resulted in increased numbers. However, COSEWIC notes, "Although the increased abundance is encouraging, the species faces an uncertain future in a rapidly changing Arctic climate."


Two Canadian bird species were also assessed as at-risk for the first time, Whip-poor-will and Horned Grebe (below). Whip-poor-wills are found across much of Canada, but, like many other aerial insectivorous bird species, habitat loss and degradation as well as changes to the insect prey base may be affecting their population.

Abundance indices indicate that Whip-poor-wills have declined by more than 30% over the past 10 years (3 generations), leading COSEWIC to assess them as threatened. Horned Grebes found west of Quebec were assessed as special concern. Canada has approximately 92% of the North American breeding range of this species, and long-term and short-term population declines have resulted from threats like degradation of wetland breeding habitat and pressure on their wintering habitats. Horned Grebes found in the Magdalen Islands were assessed as endangered. Their very small population size (average of 15 adult birds) makes them particularly vulnerable.

The Horned Grebe wasn't the only wetland species assessed as at risk. Northern Leopard Frogs (below), once ubiquitous wetland residents in many parts of Canada, were determined to be endangered in British Columbia (where they are now only found in a single population in the Creston Valley). The western boreal and prairie populations were assessed as special concern. The Maritime Ringlet, a specialist butterfly found only in Canada, and only in 10 coastal salt marshes in New Brunswick and the Gaspé Peninsula, was classified as endangered.

There are now 585 wildlife species in various COSEWIC risk categories, including 244 endangered, 145 threatened, 160 special concern, and 23 extirpated wildlife species. In addition, 13 are extinct and 45 are data deficient.

As always, Nature Canada will keep tabs on these assessments to make sure that the species receive timely listing under the Species at Risk Act, so that they and their habitats are protected.

photo: Elena Kreuzbert (frog), Vladamir Morozov (grebe)

What's the solution to plastic pollution?

With spring weather truly upon most of the country now, and summer just around the corner, there are unlimited options to get outdoors and enjoy ourselves. Living in Ottawa, I look forward to the myriad festivals, fairs and celebrations that run from May through the early fall; however, the waste generated by thousands of people passing through these sites each day of the event does cause me some concern. In the past few years many of these events have initiated environmentally-friendly procedures, largely based around biodegradable plastics. I could feel better with the knowledge that all those disposable plastic cups were being collected so that they wouldn’t end up in a landfill. I learned in a recent news article by the CBC that most of these initiatives haven’t performed as expected, because Ottawa doesn’t have a municipal composting facility capable of handling this waste stream.


The current Nature Canada quick poll asks, “Do you think provincial or state governments should ban the use of plastic bags?” The majority of respondents say yes, getting rid of these bags is essential. In addition to the concerns for wildlife ingesting plastic products or becoming inescapably entangled in them, the visual pollution is an aspect I think we can all relate to: “I am sick of seeing plastic bags hanging in trees, on fences, plugging sewer drains,” writes one subscriber. Another sums it up: “There isn't one positive thing that can be said about plastic bags and bottles!”


Is it true that there are no positive points to plastics? What about those unexpected errands on the way home from work or after eating a meal out? I know that I don’t always carry a canvas shopping bag with me. Even those who might support a plastic bag ban recognize the convenience of the product: “As convenient as I think plastic bags and bottles are, I think we need to move towards more re-usable rather than disposable packaging in general. It's hard to buy groceries without plastic packaging or containers.” There are also those who reuse these products in various ways, such as the member who says, “If the stores stop giving them to me with my purchases, I would be forced to buy them. If their sale were to be outlawed, what the heck would I use to line my garbage cans, carry out my compost and recycling, pick up the dog's poop?”


Are biodegradable products a part of the answer, then? Some members think so: “There are compostable 'plastic' bags that could be used instead for trash. These would allow items in landfills to biodegrade, contributing to solving part of our waste disposal problem.” Another response reads, “They've proven to be problematic, in many ways. Biodegradable plastic and reusable bags are the way to go. If they can't be completely banned, then there should be a recycling program in place.” At first glance, biodegradable plastics seem like a great idea – they contain starch fibres that will break down once they’re disposed. Deeper digging, though, has shown me that not all biodegradable plastics are made equal. Some are made from a combination of petroleum products and plant materials that will only partially decompose. Most require very specific conditions in order to break down; a landfill or home composter won’t work, and the bags will persist in the environment just like any other. Finally, tossing these biodegradable bags in your recycling actually ends up contaminating the recycling stream since they aren’t true plastics!


The best solution to the problem of plastic waste may be the most fundamental: reducing its use. Many respondents choose not to use plastic - “Complete ban, use recycled paper bags instead. Every time I go to the quick shop I refuse plastic bags and always tell the clerk, no thanks save the wildlife, and when they smile or laugh, I tell them why!” - and advocate for reusable containers - “Many plastic bags end up littering the roadside and are an eyesore. Canadians spend far too much money on bottled water instead of carrying their own recyclable stainless steel bottle. Let's reduce the production of unnecessary plastics.” To that end, Loblaws and its affiliated stores have recently started charging consumers for plastic bags, and Ikea Canada will be completely removing plastic shopping bags from their stores later this year.


We should all be able to enjoy the outdoors in whatever way we choose, but we should also be conscious of the impacts our activities have. This summer, I know I’ll be heading out with my stainless steel water bottle, filled from the tap, and my reusable bamboo flatware in tow, hoping to lighten my eco-footprint while following the festival season.