Wetlands are important because they provide some essential services, including ecological services such as flood control and water filtration, to food production for wild rice and cranberries. Wetlands also create recreational opportunities such as fishing, wildlife viewing and canoeing.

In honor of World Wetlands Day, the Nature Conservancy recently posted on their website 5 fun and easy ways to celebrate.

1. Thank wetlands as you drink a glass of water – wetlands play a key role in removing sediments, excess nutrients and even bacteria from our drinking water.

2. Visit a wetland and look for tracks left by the small mammals that make the wetlands their home.

3. Create your own wetland field guide by researching what animals live in the wetlands near your home. Make a list of wetland plants and animals, along with pictures, and you’ll have a checklist to use on your wetland visit.

4. Ensure that you dispose of hazardous wastes and chemicals properly, following guidelines set by your municipal government, to reduce the amount of toxins entering our water system.

5. Help the Nature Conservancy of Canada in protecting our wetlands. You can either make a donation or volunteer. Or sponsor them in cause related marketing for your business. Enjoy their television show A Force For Nature, their email newsletter, The Leaflet, and their member newsletter, The Ark

Almost 2,700 acres (1,092 hectares) along the northern shore of Lake Erie has been protected in Ontario. Known as Turkey Point Marsh, the area is part of the Long Point World Biosphere Reserve. It is a biologically diverse region containing coastal wetlands, sand dunes and sand spits which supports over 60 at-risk species such as the snapping turtle and the Eastern foxsnake. The conservation agreement which protects this land allows sustainable hunting and fishing while protecting wetland and prohibiting further development.

Out west, 2,610-acres (1,056 hectares) of Chinook Ranch in the Bow Natural Area of Alberta is newly protected. Much of Chinook Ranch is already protected thanks to a conservation easement with the NCC which was completed in 2010. All together, the property is almost 5000 acres in size. Securing this land for conservation helps many species of moose, deer, and bear as well as a wide variety of birds.

Additionally, 160 acres (64 hectares) of sand dune habitat is now protected. Located about nine miles west of Brandon, the property is a gift from a private Canadian family. The land features sandhill grasslands, Aspen forest and shrubs such as hazel and choke cherry. Endangered plant species such as the Smooth Goosefoot and the Hairy Prairie Clover are also now protected within this region.

In total, the NCC has protected over 7,870 acres (3,185 hectares) of Canadian wilderness and natural habitat this Canada Day. The new protected areas are possible thanks to gifts from Canadians across the country and support from the Government of Canada’s Natural Areas Conservation Program.

It all starts with getting a pair of binoculars. When birdwatching, a little brown bird flying into a tree can become a little yellow bird through the binoculars. Timothy Boucher and Ellen Paul, who wrote the Nature Conservancy article, advise paying attention to how the binoculars feel in your hands, since they have to fit properly to be comfortable over your hours of birdwatching or wildlife watching.

Learn about birds by buying a guide, and learn to start identifying birds by their largest features such as colors, shape and size. Your goal is not to memorize the guide but to learn how to use it in the field.

Find bird walks through your local Audubon chapter or nature center. In Vancouver, VanDusen Garden and Nature Vancouver have bird walks, and other botanical gardens and nature societies likely do as well. Going with an expert at first is a great way to start learning how to use the field guide and how to identify birds. Also, experts are filled with interesting stories and facts about birds.

Use the internet for finding great local birdwatching locations. Take your time, walk slowly, and keep your eyes and ears open for bird movements and sounds. There are a lot of birds around that you will miss if you power walk your way through an area.

I love how Timothy and Ellen end their article. “That’s it! Are you still at your computer? Why? Grab your ‘nocs and go!”

This announcement couldn’t come soon enough. As recently as April 13 Audubon experts were reporting that tar balls could still be found on beaches in Louisiana and oil was still “oozing through marsh grasses.” The continuing mess and contamination puts breeding birds at risk. Melanie Driscoll, Audubon’s Director of Bird Conservation for the Gulf expressed her concerns in a recent press release that as a new breeding season begins, there is still a lot of oil in places where many species of birds nest and feed. Food sources are also impacted by the oil, and birds could go hungry if fish, marine worms, oysters, shrimp and crab are less available.

Although pleased with the funding announcement, Chris Dorsett, Director of Gulf Restoration for Ocean Conservancy also cautioned that this was just the first step of many on a long road to complete restoration, remarking in an OC press release that, “full restoration requires a comprehensive understanding of injuries from the BP Deepwater Horizon, an effort that is still underway. Only through a thorough Natural Resource Damage Assessment can we ensure the health of the Gulf and its communities is fully restored.”

Ocean Conservancy is now calling on BP and the federal government to, “Establish a long term research and monitoring program to determine impacts and measure the recovery and health of the Gulf so that restoration dollars are spent effectively; and ensure that restoration projects result in the full recovery of the Gulf ecosystem.”

For those living in coastal communities throughout the Gulf region for whom the wait for action has no doubt been frustrating, maybe with this funding announcement they can now start looking forward to repairing both their ecosystem and economies.

Along with the Muscatatuck Bottoms plan, the state announced the Wabash project, the largest conservation initiative ever undertaken by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.  The Nature Conservancy explains that the state will acquire 43,000 acres in the floodplain of the Wabash River and Sugar Creek from willing sellers, which will benefit wildlife, public recreation and the environment.  The area involved spans 94 miles along the river, and according to Governor Mitch Daniels it will be one of the largest continuous wildlife and waterfowl habitats in the eastern United States.

The Tribstar reports that the state will use $21.5 million from the Lifetime License Trust Fund, a state trust fund dedicated to conservation purposes, and $10 million from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, to begin the necessary land acquisitions.  Additional funding will come from Ducks Unlimited, the Nature Conservancy, and the U.S. Dept of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The Wabash is biologically diverse and increased protection means that migratory birds such as ducks and geese will be able to find vital resting areas in Indiana while on their way to Mexico for the winter.  Although the ultimate goal of the initiative is to protect habitats and threatened species, the project will also bring significant flood control advantages to the area, according to Governor Daniels in the Tribstar.  Sounds like a win/win situation for all species!

 As the provincial government works to protect this species, it must discover ways to limit access to grizzly bear habitats by industry workers, hunters and ATV riders, reports the CTV News.  Fortunately, there has been strong co-operation seen in related industries.

Currently, there are believed to be approximately 760 grizzly bears found on both federal and provincial lands in Alberta, says the Calgary Herald. 

By  declaring grizzly bears a threatened species in Alberta, the government is required to execute a recovery plan within a year.

Progress is evident with the legally sanctioned grizzly hunt having been suspended as of 2006.  The main issue now is believed to be access roads and, more specifically, the human-grizzly bear contact.  Bears become dependent on grain that trains accidently leak into bear habitats.  This dependency must be controlled in order to reduce habitat disturbance. 

A statement made by a coalition of conservation organizations reports that limiting access to bear habitats in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho has tripled the grizzly bear count in a single generation.

Potential solutions are seen in the Idaho case.  According to The Nature Conservancy in Idaho, a 647-acre conservation easement has been created to protect grizzly bear habitat in northern Idaho.  The easement enables the state to conserve the grizzly bear habitat while sustaining the rural economy.  However, in order to protect the grizzlies, timber is not harvested when bears are present and forest buffers are maintained along streams and roads to better protect the wildlife.

The solution seen in Idaho is only one example of what can be done to help the grizzly bears in Alberta.  The creation of such an easement demonstrates how conservation organizations can work with the government, private landowners and public agencies to support conservation.  While Alberta is only just beginning its journey towards such success, placing grizzly bears on its threatened species list is a step that must be celebrated.

Organizations such as the Nature Conservancy often unite with natural resource companies because the companies’ actions have a direct impact on the environment.  As Nature Conservancy’s President expressed in The Washington Post, it is crucial to not dismiss any conservation strategy, especially one that gets businesses that directly impact the environment involved in improving their practices and supporting conservation.  These alliances allow sustainable practices to be put into play without putting the companies out of business.

Importantly, while these businesses are initially negatively impacting the environment, the alliance is formed to help improve the business operations.  Therefore, the organizations’ involvement is a positive force that leads to rapid improvement and in no way implies that they condone the detrimental impacts originally seen to the environment.

Recently, 21 of Canada’s forestry companies who are members of FPAC (Forest Products Association of Canada) and 9 environmental organizations signed the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement.  While seemingly unlikely to collaborate, both sides realized economic difficulties and public concern were impacting them both positively and negatively.  It caused them to search for a unique solution.

The Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement pertains to over 72 million hectares of Boreal Forest reaching from British Columbia to Newfoundland.  The Agreement promotes the teamwork of industries and environmental organizations in order to aid governments in defining the future of forestry and conservation in the Boreal Forests, as reported by NewMediaDrive.com.

According to The Los Angeles Times, the Agreement prevents logging of over 111,000 square miles of Boreal Forest in northern Canada, protecting almost the entire boreal caribou habitat without disrupting mill operations.  In leading the forestry industry towards green certification, the pact reduces some concerns regarding endangered wildlife and climate change issues in the area.

In committing to save the natural world we must first face the problems in order to devise efficient strategies that will result in the most positive outcomes.  Thus, conservation organizations working with business can be a key move in achieving conservation goals.

If you double click on the map, an ecoregion box springs up that shows you the ecoregion’s name and the number of mammal species it has.  In my case, I learned that the Guianan Highlands Moist Forest in north eastern South America has 237 mammal species.

Wow! 237 mammal species.  How many could an average person name or even recognize?

A moment later, I clicked on a new map type and learned that the area has 613 bird species.  Then, 123 snake and lizard species.  All working together to keep the ecosystem healthy.

I have only seen the online version.  However, you can order your own copy of the full Atlas through the Nature Conservancy’s marketplace.  It costs $44.95 (US Dollars), and has 272 pages, 229 color illustrations, 6 b/w photographs, 40 line illustrations, and 79 maps.

Canada (with 37 Ramsar sites) and the United States (with 26 Ramsar sites) are among the many countries who have signed the agreement.  Canada has more sites than the U.S. partly because Canada is home to 25% of the world’s wetlands.

Wetlands, according to the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), include swamps, ponds, marshes, and peat bogs.  They function similarly to giant sponges, soaking up rain and snow melt water, and slowly releasing it during drier seasons while filtering it to help reduce pollution and soil erosion.

Wetlands are the exclusive home to plants, fish and birds that use them for breeding, nesting and feeding.  Sadly, wetlands are disappearing. In Canada, organizations such as the Nature Conservancy of Canada and Ducks Unlimited work together to try to preserve wetlands.

Much of this work is part of the Nature Conservancy’s partnership with the Government of Canada.  The Natural Areas Conservation Program is a $225 million grant given to the NCC by the government in 2007, which the organization is responsible for managing.  The grant assists NGOs in securing ecologically-sensitive lands, and involves the government matching funds raised by the NGOs.  As of September 2009, the program has saved over 302,880 acres, protecting habitat for over 79 species at risk.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada determines which natural areas are significant based on an area’s level of biodiversity and the threats it faces.  Much of this information is gathered through the eight Conservation Data Centres established by the organization across Canada since 1988.

Once priorities are set, the NCC works with private landowners to secure ecologically-significant land identified as conservation priorities.  NCC acquires and protects land through land purchase, donation, conservation agreement or relinquishment of mining or timber rights.

NCC’s work doesn’t end when the land is acquired.  Ongoing land management is needed to ensure the continued health of ecosystems and the plants and animals that live within them.

The program is certainly a positive one for a government that didn’t do much good in Copenhagen.  Let’s hope that by recognizing the good that they’re doing here, we can encourage the government to care for the climate – the very climate that provides the rain and snow that make wetlands possible.