NEWS

NATURE CONSERVANCY OF CANADA STAKES A CLAIM please click here for an area map.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is a national land trust with 25,000 members. They have targeted the Carden Plain for protection for several years due to the globally rare alvar communities. To date they have purchased the Cameron Ranch (2850 acres), then the adjacent Windmill Ranch (1500 acres) and the Prairie Smoke Ranch (675 acres) also adjoining Cameron. In 2005 Ric Symmes the regional director presented NCC’s grand ten-year plan for the Carden Plain. As shown on the map, NCC has defined a “project area” of 25,000 acres that includes all the quality alvar and borders Queen Elizabeth II Park (3,000 Sq. Km.) on the Canadian Shield. Their announced goal is, by 2015,to directly protect 12,000 acres, either alone or with partners such as Ontario Parks and Couchiching Conservancy, and indirectly protect the balance by deflecting aggregate development elsewhere.

In 2007 the Nature Conservancy of Canada, the Couchiching Conservancy, the Carden Plain IBA and Wildlife Preservation Canada began an initiative to expand the 25,000 acre alvar focused project to include the IBA boundaries into an area of 50.000 acres focused on species at risk as well as alvar. The goal is to develop a program that protects species and alvar within the target area while at the same time creating benefits to local landowners. The initiative is name the Integrated Carden Conservation Strategy (ICCS). To date, a series of public meetings have been held to communicate the project and to generate ideas that can be assembled into a strategy. The strategy is expected to be published in March 2008 and will be used to stimulate concrete support from all the stakeholders, regulators and potential benefactors in implementation.

QUARRY COMFLICTS

Resistance to the McCarthy Quarry proposal, which is backed and funded by Moyer Aggregates, from the Trent Talbot River Ratepayers Association (TTRRA), at a cost to them of $300,000, received another set back when the Environmental Review Tribunal rejected their appeal. TTRRA Didn’t give up. They appealed their case to the Minister of the Environment who agreed with their petition and ordered the quarry application to be rejected. Since then the Minister has been replaced, hopefully for other reasons, following the 2007 provincial election, and Moyer has reapplied for a license. This is now the six years from the beginning with no end in sight.

QUARRY COLLABORATION

In September of 2005, the Carden Plain IBA together with Couchiching Conservancy, the Carden Field Naturalists and the Victoria Land and Water Stewardship Council, hosted a the Carden Plain Natural Heritage Conference. Among the ninety attendees were naturalist, local landowners and quarry representatives. A wide range of expert speakers expressed why the Carden Plain was special to them. The objective was to kick off a dialogue between the quarry industry, conservation interests and local landowners based on mutual respect and factual inputs. At the end of the conference the audience was asked to recommend future action. The overwhelming consensus was to form a multi stakeholder taskforce to seek a more harmonious future.

In October of 2005 the first taskforce meeting occurred with representatives of two major quarries, Lafarge and Dufferin (Tomlinson joined latter), plus the Ontario Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (OSSGA), the Couchiching Conservancy, Carden Plain IBA, Nature Conservancy of Canada plus one cattle rancher (later two local landowners were added). On March 25, 2006 The Taskforce hosted Workshop #1 “A Dialogue on the Future of the Carden Plain”. Attendance was by invitation only in order to ensure a broad representation of views. Approximately 65 people attended. The purpose was to identify the key issues of concern to local landowners. Five key issues emerged; security of water supply, quarry operations especially blasting, Official Planning process and zoning, land valuation resulting from zoning, quarry truck haulage,

On July 9, 2006, the Taskforce hosted Workshop #2 “Quality and Quantity of Ground Water”. This time invitations were open to anyone interested. Approximately 50 attended. Expert speakers presented material on; Hydrogeology on the Carden Plain, the Role of Conservation Authority and the Role of Ministry of the Environment. An extensive panel discussion followed guided by questions from the floor.

On November 1, 2006, the Taskforce hosted a bus tour of three local quarries, Lafarge, Dufferin and Miller, to demonstrate the operations process including a blast. Invitations were open to all and about 50 attended. In each case the site manager led the tour and questions were encouraged.

In March 2007, another Workshop was held directed at Official Plan process. The intent was to provide attendees with a factual understanding of what Official Plans are intended to accomplish and how they are created. The timing anticipated that the City of Kawartha Lakes would publish their revised new Official Plan in the spring of 2007. This hasn’t occurred to date but the City did conduct a Haul Route workshop negating any need for the Taskforce to duplicate. Attendance at the Official Plan Workshop was down substantially from earlier events and it was decided to end the program.

ONTARIO LANDOWNERS ASSOCIATION

The environmental theme is being challenged politically by a significant group of landowners, both local and away, who call themselves alternatively the Rural Revolution or the Ontario Landowners Association (OLA) and reject any government planned use of their private land (i.e. zoning) especially if it interferes with what they can do on it and who they can sell it to. They have posted signs throughout the City reading “THIS IS OUR LAND, GOVERNMENT BACK OFF!”. Seven local landowners, on the Carden Plain, went further in the summer of 2006 and posted signs prohibiting birders from looking for birds in their fields. One local landowner even began stopping birders, walking on public roads, telling them to stop bird watching. He ceased this activity after being confronted by the police.

In 2007 tensions between OLA and birders appeared to have abated. Most of the anti-birder signs were not reposted and no confrontations with birders were reported. This calm was deceiving. In September the OLA hosted a rally on a member’s property on the east side of Wylie Road opposite box #10. They announced that they intended to clear all the hawthorn trees from 13,000 acres to prevent Loggerhead Shrikes from nesting. About 70 people attended the rally most of whom came from outside of Carden. There were numerous speeches and loud cheers before the rally broke for lunch. In all, about 100 hawthorn trees were cut down in a 100-acre site. While the threats proved empty, the rally did attract a good deal of local publicity and sparked the initiative to create an Integrated Carden Conservation Strategy mentioned above.

BLUE BIRD BOX RESULTS

From Herb Furniss, IBA Steering Committee.
2006 got off to a poor start when 30 fledges died during a late May cold snap. Despite this set back 180 fledged from 30 active blue bird boxes, compared to 190 in 2005. Herb says that relocating 10 boxes to the north of Shrike Road made a big difference.

LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE RESULTS

Twelve pairs of wild Shrikes nested in Carden in 2007, up from just seven in 2006. They produced 51 fledges over doubled 2006 production. One member of two of these breeding pairs and two other single Shrikes came from the captive breeding program Overall in Ontario 3.6% of captive released birds have returned to breed, a rate comparable to that seen in other small migratory song birds. In addition, Shrikes are returning to territories long ago abandoned. The birds were seen in Pembroke, Gray-Bruce, Smith Falls and Napanee.

The captive breeding program remain productive with 94 fledges released in 2007 compared to 100 in 2006. For the first time, 19 released birds were fitted with radio-transmitters to enable two graduates from the University of Guelph to track their activity. Initially after their release, the birds stayed close to the release site gradually spreading out over nearby locations in Carden. Suddenly one day in mid September all the radio-tracked birds immigrated, so suddenly that the trackers were caught by surprise and lost contact. Still the experiment showed what could be done to learn what happens on migration.

Just when every thing seemed to be going well a new problem arose. Environment Canada, who has been the primary sponsor of the Shrike Recovery program announced a 50% cut in funding. If these funds are not reinstated or replaced the Captive breeding program will be terminated and the captive birds destroyed. Even though Wildlife Preservation Canada has raised $300.000 through Boisset Winery’s “French Rabbit” LCBO program, the funds are targeted to construction of a new wintering facility and not available to support operating costs. If you wish to share your opinion on this matter contact John Baird, the Minister of the Environment at www.ec.gc.ca. If you wish to donate vist www.wildlifepreservation.ca

WOOD DUCKS

In 2004, the IBA sponsored students from Sir Sanford Fleming College put up 24 wood duck boxes in the Sedge Wren Marsh provincially significant wetland mapping their location with GPS. In 2005 students checked the boxes and found most empty, some with carpenter bees, one starling, one mouse, and no wood ducks. In 2006 students checked again and found one box with Wood Duck eggs shells. Again in 2007, Fleming students checked and found one box with Wood Duck features.

NATURE GUIDES TO THE CARDEN PLAIN

This fold out map and guide proved to be very popular in 2005, 2006 and will be repeated in 2007. Copies are available from the Couchiching Conservancy office (705)326-1620 or picked-up at the City Service Center in Kirkfield. Two other websites of interest www.theCardenProject.com and www.ofo.ca/CardenAlvar.

CARDEN NATURE FESTIVAL JUNE 6,7,8, 2008

June 2007 saw the launch of the inaugural Carden Nature Festival as a celebration of the natural wonders of the Carden Plain, an oasis of traditional landscapes located in southern Ontario, close to the GTA, formed by a distinctive geological history and brimming with ecological biodiversity. Over 200 people from all across the province attended. Comments were extremely positive with a few suggestions to expand the number of events and keeping to smaller groups.

June 6-8, 2008 is the second Carden Nature Festival All the suggestions have been incorporated. It is twice the size, with twice the selection and twice the duration, all at the same price. Already registration has reached 150 with 13 events sold out. But it is not too late; there are 47 events still available This Festival should not be missed.

Some readers are already familiar with the Carden Nature Festival. Some may have already visited the web site at www.CardenGuide.com/Festival. Some may have even registered. I am asking you to please forward this e-mail and the attachment to all your friends and associates. Make sure they are aware of the Festival in time for them to still have a good selection of events.

Other readers are not yet familiar with the Carden Nature festival. Please look at the attachment then visit the web site www.CardenGuide.com/Festival , browse the activities, make a selection and register then forward this e-mail and the attachment to all your friends and associates.

Thank you for your attention and see you at the Carden Nature Festival

Lou Probst
2642 Kirkfield Rd. RR 3, Kirkfield ON, ON K0M 2B0
(705)438-1324

"It's a good time to visit Carden"