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

Throughout the year, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) conducts regular assessments of waterfowl habitats across Canada. While not a substitute for systemic surveys or scientific studies, these assessments do provide a valuable snapshot of wetlands and waterway conditions across Canada.

Most recently released was the “Early Summer Habitat Conditions in Canada” report which contained almost entirely favourable news. For example, much of the Prairies are rated as “good”, “very good” or “excellent”, thanks to above average levels of precipitation which refilled basins and allowed for localized flooding. In these regions, duck breeding populations have increased by 41 to 66 percent over last year’s estimates and show an increase compared to the long term average as well. Similarly, observed populations of beaver, geese and ducks in Ontario are the same or better compared to 2010.

The only exception is in certain areas of British Columbia such as the Interior. While conditions are generally improved compared to previous years, the cold spring has delayed flooding in some basins. Possibly as a result of these spring weather patterns, sightings of waterfowl breeding pairs are down. The Boreal forest areas of British Columbia and Alberta also experienced a decline in total duck populations as compared to previous years. DUC speculates that many birds are taking advantage of more favourable conditions elsewhere in the region.

While the DUC reports focus mainly on waterfowl breeding habitats and easily observed mammals such as beavers, the observation of healthy wetlands and waterways certainly benefits other species of animals and plants as well.

Wetlands are an important habitat for birds and other wildlife. Each year, almost 28 million waterfowl and shorebirds use BC’s wetlands to nest and over-winter. In addition, wetlands are home to species such as salmon and play an important role in maintaining the balance and purity of surface waters.

But in the face of increased human growth, agriculture and industry, wetlands have been in decline. In some places, 85 percent of floodplains and marshes have been lost.

Ducks Unlimited Canada, an organization which partners with government, non-government, industry and private sources to conserve BC’s wetlands and other associated habitats, worked with the city of Kelowna to develop a new strategy for wetland conservation.

With the help of Ducks Unlimited, which provided funds and assistance in the development of a Wetland Inventory, Classification and Mapping report, the City Council of Kelowna and Mayor Sharon Shepherd recently unveiled the Kelowna 2030 Official Community Plan (OCP). Under the new OCP, individuals and organizations are required to obtain permits prior to conducting any development within wetlands in Kelowna. The actions of city council were praised by Les Bogdan, Ducks Unlimited’s provincial manager in BC, as showing “tremendous environmental leadership”.

A total of 278 wetlands and waterways were identified by the report and will be protected under the new plan. All concerned parties are encouraged to contact staff from the City of Kelowna before beginning work near watercourses.

The Prairie Pothole Region, which extends from the Canadian prairies of Saskatchewan and Alberta down into South Dakota and parts of Iowa, is an area of highly productive land used by wildlife, ranchers and farmers alike. The “potholes” are literal depressions in the land – a relic of retreating glaciers from the distant past – which have since filled with water. These seasonal wetlands are important habitats for migratory waterfowl, with some research suggesting that the lands are used by over 50% of all North American migratory birds. In addition to being important waterfowl habitats, the prairie potholes are also home to a diverse set of plant and aquatic life.

The Dakota Grassland Conservation Area proposal seeks to preserve habitat by purchasing easements from willing sellers on approximately 2 million acres of prairie habitat. Easements are legal agreements in which a private owner agrees to limit use or development of an area of land. Under the proposed initiative, easements would allow farmers to use the land for grazing or haying, but would prevent more destructive activities such as plowing or draining.

During his visit, Salazar met with Ducks Unlimited, whom he applauded for supporting the proposed program. Ducks Unlimited estimates that almost 194,000 acres of prairie have been lost or degraded since 1984 and have committed to invest $50 million over ten years towards the project. The remaining funds for the project would come from previously committed government conservation dollars.

Hunters and anglers generate almost $80 billion in the U.S. economy each year, Scott Sutherland, Director of the Governmental Affairs Office for Ducks Unlimited, told the officials. He then suggested that the government remember how important waterfowl-related issues are to their constituents when scaling back budgets.

In more than 30 meetings, the Ducks Unlimited volunteers outlined how waterfowl-related initiatives, such as the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, positively impact the economies of local communities across the nation.

Several participants of the fly-in also met with Ken Salazar, U.S. Secretary of the Interior. They discussed the importance of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposed Dakota Grassland Conservation Area, designed to protect endangered grasslands in America’s Prairie Pothole Region.

Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 12 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. These Washington DC meetings will hopefully help preserve even more land birds.

 The details were announced at the recent BC Wildlife Federation Convention in Surrey, BC.  The largest beneficiary was the BC Wetland Partnership Program, which received $250,000   Wetlands are biological diverse and productive ecosystems, but are constantly threatened by urban development, industrial expansion and climate change.  The money will go towards the maintenance and management of wetland habitats for fish and wildlife throughout BC.   This funding was closely followed by $238,000 for Wild BC to manage programs and resources in environmental education.

Other initiatives include money for protecting and studying endangered species, such as bats and Boreal caribou.  Bat populations all over North America are being decimated by “white-nose disease”, a fungal ailment, while Boreal caribou are being severely challenged by habitat fragmentation.  As the HCTF is largely funded by fees from anglers, hunters and trappers, there are also programs planned for the monitoring and development of improved management systems for salmon and trout species, and habitat restoration and conservation of game species all across the province.

In total, over 150 projects will be supported by this funding.

The HCTF  was founded in 2007 and acts as Trustee of the Habitat Conservation Trust, which was created in 2007 as an amendment to the BC Wildlife Act.  The HCTF succeeded the Habitat Conservation Fund which ran from 1981 to 2007.  Since 1981, the HCTF/HCF has invested over $120 million in conservation projects throughout British Columbia.

A letter was then published in New Orleans and Washington, D.C. newspapers in which various environmental organizations pointed out that Congress has already authorized plans to divert fresh water from the Mississippi River into the nearby marshes.  However, there has been a lack of federal funding, and Mabus is asked to call for immediate funding and implementation of those plans.

The letter lists detailed steps that must be taken, ending with (perhaps most importantly) the creation of a federal-state authority that has the power, will and resources to complete the restoration in time to prevent land loss rates.  For the steps, see the Shreveport Times article!

While the oil spill has been detrimental to Oceanic creatures as well as people who make their homes along the coast, the extra focus on these areas has allowed officials to see that the Gulf has been in danger for quite some time.  Now, thanks to the collaboration of Mabus and environmental groups, the resources will hopefully be assembled to take action and protect the damaged areas and their endangered species.

The Initiative will pay for up to 150,000 acres of farm and ranch lands along the southern border of the US that lines the Gulf of Mexico, advises the LA Times.  Landowners are being asked to flood their fields and promote bird-friendly plants, or improve any wetlands they have on their property.

The farmers who are already participating in conservation programs such as soil erosion control, pest management and water quality improvement, are expected to lead the sign ups.  Hopefully other farmers/ranchers will also sign up for the program, which is expected to last for 3 to 5 years.

The Migratory Bird Conservation Commission is part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and is involved with establishing new waterfowl refuges as well as setting the price for any land and/or water areas that the Service is interested in purchasing.

One example is on June 16th, the US government announced that the Commission has approved a total of $35.7 million for acquiring over 319,000 acres of lands and wetlands in the United States and Canada.  In addition to protecting birds, preserved wetlands provide storm protection and prevent flooding, cleanse water, and provide people with recreation and wildlife viewing arenas.

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.