Archives

11 February 2005 
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Court Blocks Further Saemangeum Reclamation, South Korea

9 February 2005, BirdLife International - The Seoul Administrative Court recently ruled in favor of environmental conservation in a legal suit challenging the controversial Saemangeum Reclamation Project, brought by environmental groups and local people living around the Saemangeum tidal-flats.
  The 40,000ha Saemangeum project on South Korea's west coast has generated enormous controversy as the area supports the livelihoods of an estimated 25,000 people and some of the largest and most important concentrations of migratory birds in Asia.
  The court ruled that no economic benefits can be expected from the reclamation project because of the anticipated economic losses caused by water pollution in the proposed reclamation reservoir, and by the destruction of the tidal-flat ecosystem. For more details, click here.
  You can also learn more about the Saemangeum reclamation battle through the newly created organization, Birds Korea. Birds Korea is a national and international network dedicated to the conservation of birds and their habitats. Currently, membership is free to those living outside South Korea. For more details click here, 

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One Million and Counting!

1 February 2005 - Project FeederWatch recently received the one millionth checklist submitted from across North America since the project began in 1987! Dorothy Schroeder of Mooers, New York, was the lucky participant to send in the millionth checklist and win a prize package filled with items donated by Wild Bird Centers, Wild Birds Unlimited, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Meet the FeederWatcher who submitted the one millionth checklist by clicking here. Bird Studies Canada has closed sign-ups for this season and is now taking sign-ups for the 2005-2006 season. You can learn more about Project FeederWatch by clicking here.

FeederWatcher Documents First Varied Thrush for Prince Edward Island

Photo: Beth Hoar

1 February 2005 - Beth Hoar of Hunter River, PE had a surprising visitor to her feeder last week. A Varied Thrush, normally found only in southern British Columbia in the winter months, showed up at her feeder site on 30 January 2005, where it fed on apples still on the tree. While the Varied Thrush only stayed for a day, Beth notes that birders have been flocking to her yard and neighbourhood in the hopes of catching a glimpse of this unique island visitor. This is the first confirmed sighting of Varied Thrush in Prince Edward Island.

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List Growing for Conservation Uses of Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas Data

9 February 2005 - Now entering its fifth and final field season of data collection, the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas is already supplying a wealth of valuable information to researchers and conservationists. For example, Bird Studies Canada’s (BSC's) GIS Analyst, Andrew Couturier, has recently begun collaborating with Mike Norton (Canadian Wildlife Service - Prairies and Northern Region) on a special research project that is evaluating data from the Ontario Atlas as part of the groundwork needed to develop a coordinated bird monitoring plan for all species of birds across Canada's vast boreal forest region. With support from the Canada-Ontario Agreement on the Great Lakes, BSC is also working with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources to assess the status of waterbirds across the Great Lakes basin. Meanwhile, BSC's Partners in Flight Scientist, Dr. Peter Blancher, has been "mining" the Atlas database for an assortment of research projects that are directly connected to conservation planning in Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs) across Ontario.
  Atlas data are also being supplied to researchers who are formally evaluating the status of several species at risk on behalf of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). Likewise, Atlas data are of enormous value to Ontario's Natural Heritage Information Centre, and to recovery teams who are working on the recovery of species at risk. Many other researchers in the environmental consulting industry are also making use of Atlas data for environmental assessments. Municipal planners, the academic community, and the forest and mining industries also have enormous interest in these data. The list goes on and on . . .
  To learn more about the Atlas (or to get involved), click here.

MMP Québec to be Profiled at Canadian Wildlife Service Seminar

9 February 2005 - On 24 February, Catherine Poussart of BSC’s Québec regional office will be presenting the Québec Marsh Monitoring Program (MMP) at a seminar organized by the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) of Environment Canada, Québec Region. The presentation will include a general overview of MMP, protocol followed by participation and results from 2004 season and plans for the 2005 season. Interested people can attend the conference, which begins at 9:30 a.m. in the CWS office in Sainte-Foy (Québec) at 1141 route de l’Église.

Dans le cadre des séminaires hebdomadaires du Service canadien de la faune d’Environnement Canada de la région du Québec, Catherine Poussart, employée d’ÉOC au Québec, présentera le 24 février prochain le Programme de surveillance des marais du Québec. La présentation inclura les éléments suivants : aperçu général du programme, protocole utilisé, résultats de la saison 2004 et nouveaux développements pour la saison 2005. Le public intéressé est invité à assister à la conférence. Elle débutera à 9:30 dans les locaux du SCF à Sainte-Foy (Québec), soit au 1141 route de l’Église.

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Volunteer Opportunity for Wetland Enthusiasts

11 February 2005 - The Great Lakes Marsh Monitoring Program (MMP) is looking for outdoor-oriented people to monitor birds, amphibians, and their habitats in marshes throughout the Great Lakes basin in both Canada and the United States. MMP volunteers conduct surveys during spring and early summer in marsh habitats, documenting the presence and abundance of birds and amphibians within these biologically rich environments. To date, data submitted by MMP volunteers have been used to detect significant changes in population trends of marsh birds and amphibians, to develop indicators of wetland health, and to provide practical information for marsh habitat management. You can help promote this rewarding opportunity by circulating or displaying the MMP 2005 recruitment notice or by distributing MMP brochures. For more information on the program and to find out how to participate, contact Kathy Jones at aqsurvey@bsc-eoc.org or 1-888-448-2473 ext. 212.

LPWWRF Waste Grain Project Receives Delta Waterfowl Funding

9 February 2005 - Delta Waterfowl recently announced that they will be providing $5000 U.S. to help support research on agricultural waste grains at Long Point, ON. The research will be conducted by Master of Science student, Ted Barney, at the University of Western Ontario under the supervision of Dr. Scott Petrie, Research Director of the Long Point Waterfowl and Wetland Research Fund. Delta’s generous support will be used to fund research on post-harvest waste corn dynamics, specifically depletion rates of waste corn, changes in nutritional quality, and field use by staging waterfowl.

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BSC Atlantic Presents Recommendations for Managing Bicknell's Thrush

3 February 2005 - BSC Atlantic staff Becky Whittam and Greg Campbell, along with Dalhousie University Master of Science candidate Sarah Chisholm, recently visited New Brunswick forestry company UPM Kymmene, Nova Scotia forestry company Stora Enso Port Hawkesbury Ltd., and the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources (DNR), to discuss recent research by Bird Studies Canada and Dalhousie University focusing on Bicknell's Thrush use of industrial forest land. Chisholm's research in New Brunswick, conducted in 2003 and 2004 on crown lands managed by UPM, has shown that Bicknell's Thrushes use industrial forest stands of various stages, ranging from early regeneration, to pre-harvest, but that Bicknell's Thrush abundance was highest in the densest stands immediately prior to pre-commercial thinning. After thinning Chisholm detected a large decrease in Bicknell's Thrush abundance. BSC is currently developing recommendations for forestry companies to reduce disruption to Bicknell's Thrush on industrial forest land. Draft recommendations were shared with the forestry companies and DNR to obtain input and to plan future research, and will be available on BSC’s High Elevation Landbird Program web page soon. This project has received financial support from the Habitat Stewardship Program for Species At Risk, the Endangered Species Recovery Fund of World Wildlife Fund Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service (Atlantic Region) of Environment Canada, UPM Kymmene, Stora Enso Port Hawkesbury, NSERC, and Human Resources Development Canada.

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