Anniversary | Organization continues to provide independent analysis
STONEWALL, Man. — Ducks Unlimited isn’t owned and operated by the federal government, and Alesa Sutherland thought that was just ducky.
“They’re actually free to talk,” said Sutherland, a Winnipegger who visited Ducks Unlimited’s Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre Oct. 4 as it celebrated the organization’s 75th anniversary.
“I’m impressed by the level of depth of research that’s going on.”
Sutherland, who is not a Ducks Unlimited member, had just been chatting with research scientist Pascal Badiou, who along with other staffers was manning interpretive stations around the sprawling reclaimed marshland complex north of Winnipeg.
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“We aren’t part of the provincial government either, and that’s something that surprises a lot of people,” Badiou had said a few minutes earlier as Sutherland and a group of friends talked with him about Manitoba’s water quality problems.
Oak Hammock Marsh is a sparkling jewel in the crown of protected and reclaimed wetlands that Ducks Unlimited has helped establish across Canada and the United States.
The area was once a vast marsh, absorbing water from a large area of heavy flatland and cleaning it of harmful nutrients such as phosphorus while providing a home to thousands of waterfowl and countless fish. However, the wetlands, like those across much of Western Canada, were drained and converted to agriculture during settlement.
In some cases, as at Oak Hammock, the reclaimed land has merely become poor cropland while allowing phosphorus, nitrogen and other substances and particles to pollute streams, rivers and Lake Winnipeg.
However, conservation groups such as Ducks Unlimited have tried to counter the loss of wetlands. They have established and encouraged government and private conservation and easement programs that help farmers do what they feel is right for the land and birds but also protects them from too much economic damage.
Ducks Unlimited’s work was a response to concerns by U.S. and Canadian hunters that waterfowl populations were declining because of a lack of habitat. Each drained pothole meant fewer ducks come hunting season.
Millions of dollars of hunter contributions, farmer donations and third party supports have helped organizations such as Ducks Unlimited protect existing wetlands, re-establish cleared ones and educate the public about the value of wetlands.
In recent years, the health of Lake Winnipeg has become a hot topic in Manitoba, often pitting farmers against conservationists and governments.
Many have blamed farmers for allowing water to pour off their land far faster than it naturally flowed before being broken, carrying nutrients into water sources.
Badiou told Sutherland and her friends that wetland clearance is still occurring, but groups such as Ducks Unlimited are trying to minimize the loss and encourage the re-establishment of marshes and water retention structures to reduce flooding and pollution.
Sutherland said she is bothered by reports that federal scientists are muzzled from sharing their professional views and worries about information coming from corporate and government sources. It’s why she appreciates Ducks Unlimited’s independent analysis.
“Ordinarily we get filtered decisions, and I think it’s really important that we recognize that information is vital to making intelligent decisions,” said Sutherland.
