Saskatchewan's Environmental Champions

Bird Habitat Conservation

Rather than celebrating a particular individual or organization, this page celebrates Saskatchewan collective achievements in bird habitat conservation.

Saskatchewan provides critical habitat for migratory birds, especially shorebirds and waterfowl, making the province a major part of continental and international bird habitat conservation efforts.

Three areas in Saskatchewan are part of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN). The Network currently has 64 sites in eight countries and Saskatchewan has the three largest sites of the six sites in Canada. All three are also designated as International Important Bird Areas (IBAs), part of a world-wide program aimed at identifying, monitoring and protecting a network of critical sites for birds of all types. In addition, two of the sites, Last Mountain Lake and Quill Lakes are designated as Wetlands of International Importance and part of the Ramsar agreement on Wetlands, first signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971.

Not only are the habitats protected under these programs critical for birds themselves, they are part of the growing field of eco-tourism. Human beings relate to birds in significant ways in the realms of the arts, science and spirituality. Furthermore, birds serve as flagships for many important natural ecosystems.

Protecting wetland habitat in Saskatchewan has also been central to the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP), signed between Canada and the United States in 1986. Mexico joined in 1994 and this continental effort, still in progress, has come to be considered one of the most successful conservation initiatives in the world.

Prairie wetlands provide breeding habitat for almost 40% of the continent's duck population, including half of the mallards and pintails. NAWMP has the goal of returning waterfowl populations to the levels found in the 1970s. It does this by improving habitat through provision of upland nesting cover and retention of small wetland complexes and identifying, protecting and managing wetlands important for all migratory birds. It works directly with landowners to achieve conservation goals.

In Saskatchewan, the Wetland Conservation Corporation was created in 1989 to coordinate provincial activities related to NAWMP. In 2002, this work became part of the larger Saskatchewan Watershed Authority (SWA). The SWA coordinates wetland conservation activities in Saskatchewan and also delivers, in conjunction with other agencies and conservation organizations, a Prairie Shores Program that benefits breeding ducks and provides direct benefits to threatened and endangered species, shorebirds and grassland songbirds.

Not only are the habitats protected under these programs critical for birds themselves, they are part of the growing field of eco-tourism. Human beings relate to birds in significant ways in the realms of the arts, science and spirituality. Furthermore, birds serve as flagships for many important natural ecosystems. The main habitat areas and protection programs are summarized below.

Quill Lakes International Bird Area

Big Quill Lake is Canada's largest saline lake and the shallow and receding north and east shores have extensive, sparsely vegetated alkaline flats that are important breeding sites for endangered Piping Plovers and spring and fall staging areas for up to 150,000 arctic-nesting shorebirds. The wetland complex, including Big Quill, Little Quill and Foam Lake is also a major breeding and staging area for 250,000 geese and 40,000 Sandhill Cranes. The area hosts up to one million birds annually.

The Quill Lakes region was designated a Ramsar Site in 1982 and is recognized as one of the most important bird areas in the world. In 1994 it was dedicated as a WHSRN site and in 1998 it was designated as Saskatchewan's first IBA.

In 1987, Quill Lakes was used as the first implementation site for NAWMP in Canada. NAWMP initiatives protected or enhanced 6,630 ha for waterfowl and other wildlife values. In addition, designation as a premier provincial marsh under the Saskatchewan Heritage Marsh Program has involved intensified management of existing Ducks Unlimited Canada projects and enhancement of the waterfowl crop damage prevention program. The latter was instituted in the late 1960s to compensate landowners for grain crops lost to field feeding waterfowl. This proactive program now employs temporary lure crops (168 ha) and four bait stations to reduce the incidence of crop depredation in the area.

Islands located in Middle Quill Lake are designated as provincial wildlife refuges to protect breeding colonies of American White Pelican and double-crested Cormorant.

To capitalize on ecotourism opportunities the towns of Wynyard, Wadena and Foam Lake near the Quill Lakes have built an interpretive centre at Wynyard and information centres at the other two towns.

Chaplin/Old Wives/Reed Lakes area

This 42,000-hectare (100,000 acres) area of saline lakes and mudflats is another very important inland site for migratory birds in Canada. More than 30 species of shorebirds, some endangered, stop or nest here every summer and surveys indicate a peak count of 67,000 birds a day using the lake. Included in these numbers are 50% of the hemispheric population of Sanderlings and 15% of the provincial population of endangered Piping Plovers. The area was designated a WHSRN site in 1997 and an IBA in 1999. It is the second largest saline inland water body in Canada after Big Quill Lake. The area provides brine shrimp, midge larval and seeds from reed beds and grassy shorelines. Sanderlings rest and eat here before completing their journey to nest in the Canadian Arctic and then again in the fall with their young.

An interpretive center near the village of Chaplin offers information about the birds, the brine shrimp industry and this area's significance as it connects to the hemispheric web of migration. Self guided and guided tours are available as well.

Last Mountain Lake

Last Mountain Lake in central Saskatchewan was designated as a Ramsar site in 1982 and a Regional WHSRN site in 1994. The Sanctuary's shallow lakeshore and adjacent basins provides a variety of natural and managed habitats, including mudflats and marshland. Besides its critical importance for waterfowl and shorebirds, the site provides some of the richest spawning and nursery grounds in Saskatchewan for numerous fish species, including the vulnerable fish Ictiobus cyprinellus, rare over most of its range. The northern end of Last Mountain Lake was Canada's first Migratory Bird Sanctuary.

Other IBA Sites

Since 2001, 53 lakes, marshes and uplands in Saskatchewan have been awarded the IBA designation and 13 have been marked for detailed community conservation planning. Examples are Lucky Lake, Cumberland Marshes, Radisson Lake and Manitou Lake. The program is distinct in that it focuses on all groups of birds, not just water birds.

The IBA project follows international guidelines and seeks to develop long term, community-based conservation plans that simultaneously protect the birds, ecosystems, and the aspirations of human communities. An example of the integration needed is a program in the Wood River watershed. The river supplies water to systems fundamental to several rare bird species, including the Chaplin Heritage Marsh and Old Wives Lake. Land users along the river are being encouraged to establish a riverbank buffer zone that will decrease agricultural runoff into the river and reduce nutrient loading. The buffer zone will be seeded to forage plants and used for hay and cattle grazing.

Prairie Shores Program

SWA's Prairie Shores programs include acquiring native grassland and wetlands around the Quill Lakes and in other areas such as the Missouri Coteau. With its rolling hills and high pothole hole density it is important for breeding waterfowl and large numbers of staging shorebirds, as well as endemic grassland birds. More than 7,000 ha of cropland have been seeded back to pasture to protect critical sites.

The Piping Plover is an endangered shorebird whose population is only about 6000. The 800 or more Piping Plovers that breed in Saskatchewan comprise over 20 percent of the world population. Managing cattle, which can tramp their shoreline habitat, has been undertaken at Chaplin Lake, Willowbunch Lake and other sites.

Prairie Stewardship Program

This SWA program has over 1200 landowners enrolled in voluntary stewardship agreements to maintain and protect 207,000 ha of native prairie, 402 km of streams, and 6,075 ha of wetlands. SWA has a Native Prairie Nursery and is working with schools, conservation agencies, and industry in Saskatchewan to restore plots of land back to native prairie.

Redberry Lake

The lake was designated a Federal Migratory Bird Sanctuary in 1925, and the islands, where the American White Pelican nests, a Provincial Wildlife Reserve since 1970. It is now designated as an international heritage site.

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