Partners

Quebec Presents Black Duck Awards

The commitment of conserving waterfowl and wetland habitat in the Province of Quebec continues to thrive. To recognize partner contributions, the Black Duck Award is presented annually by the Quebec Eastern Habitat Joint Venture Steering (Committee). The award is presented in three categories to individuals or organizations who have made significant local, regional, or provincial contributions toward reaching North American Waterfowl Management Plan goals. The Committee salutes this year's winners.

In the individual category, the award was presented to Mrs. Joanne Marchessault, a biologist with the lower St. Lawrence Model Forest. Mrs. Marchessault raised awareness among Gaspé Peninsula property owners on the importance of conserving forested wetlands. She secured 35 property-owner agreements for the preservation of 138 hectares of wetland habitat.

In the organization category, the award was presented to Joël Bonin, Director, Nature Conservancy of Canada. Through financial contributions, the Conservancy ensured the protection of Île de Grâce, an exceptional wildlife site on the St. Lawrence River, and home to hundreds of waterfowl and other wildlife species.

In the long-term contribution category, the award was presented to Mr. Jean-Hugues Bédard, a retired Laval University professor now living in Quebec City. Mr. Bédard is well-known for his research on St. Lawrence estuary seabirds. His efforts have protected countless hectares of habitat, and his influence on up-and-coming researchers is a constant reminder of the role of education and awareness towards the pursuit of sustainable ecosystems.

For more information, contact Mélanie Dion, Société de la faune et des parcs du Québec, 675, boul. René-Lévesque Est, 11ième étage, boîte 92, Québec, Québec G1R 5V7, (418) 521-3845 extension 4575.

Partnership at Full Throttle
by Judith Lacroix, Ducks Unlimited Canada

Under the North American Waterfowl Management Plan banner, the Rivière-aux-Pins Project, in Boucherville, Quebec, took flight thanks to several sources: Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), Pratt & Whitney Canada, the City of Boucherville, and the Société de la faune et des parcs du Québec. It is an excellent example of what partnerships can accomplish. In this case, the result is an evolving urban wetland park.

Pratt & Whitney Canada, a world leader in the manufacture of aircraft engines, has a plant in Longueuil, a 10-minute drive from the marsh. At a recent press conference, they donated $90,000 to DUC for continued conservation of the site. According to Mr. Gilles Ouimet, Pratt & Whitney Canada's President and Chief Executive Officer, "It reflects our commitment to contributing to the well-being of our shared local communities."

Boucherville is a quiet suburb on the south shore of Montreal. Each wetland preserved in this densely populated area is a huge gain for the environment. Cities are too often faced with a choice of filling wetlands for residential or industrial development or conserving them as natural spaces for the benefit of wildlife and the community. Boucherville is an example of a municipality that chose to conserve a wetland within its city limits. The 5-hectare marsh is on the edge of the St. Lawrence River, surrounded by 10 hectares of uplands.

Because the Plan has promoted wetland conservation for so many years, there are now new municipal and corporate ambassadors recognizing the value of giving back to their communities. Thanks to corporate partners like Pratt & Whitney Canada, Boucherville is yet another example of the ever-growing appreciation for urban wetland parks. Urban planning to include wildlife habitat conservation has come a long way.

For more information, contact Judith Lacroix, Ducks Unlimited Canada, 710 Bouvier Street, Suite 260, Québec, Québec G2J 1C2, (418) 623-1650 extension 20, j_lacroix@ducks.ca.

Birds in the Hood
by Ben Ikenson, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

If Steven Spielberg required a new set location to shoot his next epic war picture, Fort Hood, Texas, would serve well. It is one of the country's largest heavy artillery training sites, where Army inductees learn to operate armored tanks and fighting vehicles. It is no surprise that a substantial portion of the 220,000-acre Army base resembles a scorched battlefield, but there is also a softer side to this installation.

A 1993 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) biological opinion noted that Fort Hood has essential nesting habitat for two endangered, neotropical songbirds: the golden-cheeked warbler and the black-capped vireo. Following the opinion's release, the Army assumed the responsibility of managing 66,000 acres (more than 25 percent of its land) for the recovery of these two birds.

Fort Hood contracted with The Nature Conservancy (Conservancy) of Texas to research and monitor the birds. Service and Army biologists joined Conservancy researchers in gathering data. The information collected to date constitutes the most comprehensive body of information known for these two species.

Every March, both species, neither larger than the palm of a child's hand, journey from wintering grounds in Mexico and Central America to Fort Hood. Unfortunately, the birds' populations have been declining for decades. The vireo population, which once ranged to central Kansas during breeding season, is now mostly confined to central and western Texas and northern Mexico. The warblers only breed in the fast-disappearing woodland habitat of central Texas. The vireo made its way onto the Federal Endangered Species List in 1987; the warbler followed in 1990.

The major threats these birds face are habitat loss and nest parasitism by brown-headed cowbirds. Cowbirds are so named because of their association with cattle, which keep grasses cropped to lengths that make it easy for the birds to snatch insects.

"Historically, the impact of parasitism was limited," said Fort Hood Endangered Species Program Manager John Cornelius. "The cowbird's effect on other birds used to be localized, but now, livestock are extremely widespread, and manicured lawns and golf course fairways are everywhere. The bird's ecological niche has vastly expanded, and cowbird numbers have greatly increased. They are affecting other birds across their entire range.

"We began monitoring the black-capped vireo in 1987," said Cornelius. "After 2 years of observing parasitism above 90 percent and extremely poor productivity, we calculated that the bird would become locally extinct within 10 years without immediate intervention."

The Fort Hood team installed cowbird traps at various locations. Roughly the size of single-car garages, mesh-covered traps lure cowbirds with food, water, and decoys through a narrow slit in the top of a wood frame. Once inside, the cowbirds cannot get out. Females are humanely euthanized; males and any non-target birds are released unharmed.

Nest parasitism on the base has dropped from 90.8 percent in 1988 to less than 10 percent in each of the last 5 years. "Now," said Cornelius, "parasitism is low, productivity is high, and Fort Hood is very likely serving as a source population for vireo production."

Wherever these birds exist, they must be protected. Above the din of artillery training, Fort Hood is hearing this call.

For more information, contact John Cornelius, Fort Hood Endangered Species Program Manager, 4612 Engineer Drive, Room 76, Fort Hood, Texas 76544-5028, (254) 287-2885, john.cornelius@hood.army.mil.