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Alberta Habitat Heroes Recognized as Ducks Unlimited Canada Celebrates 65 Years 
Edmonton, Alberta, August 12, 2003 — Gordon Johnston surveys the wetland on his Stony Plain-area property with pride. Mallard ducks and their broods paddle past, dabbling at the surface of the water for pondweed. A startled white-tailed deer leaps from the marsh edge into the safety of the surrounding bushes. A great gray owl perches on a nearby tree, waiting to pounce on an unsuspecting mouse. It’s an idyllic scene, and one that more landowners like Johnston and his wife Lilli want to preserve.
Helping maintain the natural beauty of their rural property is one reason why the Johnstons joined the more than 300 rural residential property owners in the Stony Plain and Cooking Lake moraines near Edmonton who have enrolled in Ducks Unlimited Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Program since 1996. Through this unique program, conservation-minded landowners can sign an agreement with Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) to retain habitat in a positive state for wildlife. Some landowners like the Johnstons allow DUC to install nesting tunnels and nesting boxes to attract a variety of waterfowl and wildlife. “We got a larger variety of birds than we would have without the structures,” says Gordon, who hopes DUC’s interest in their property will help the couple protect the landscape from developments that impact the lake.
This year marks 65 years of conservation for Ducks Unlimited Canada. In celebration of this anniversary, DUC is featuring landowners like the Johnstons all across Canada. These people form a network of more than 16,000 Canadian landowners who have voluntarily participated in programs that have saved 1.6 million hectares (4 million acres) of habitat in prime waterfowl habitats targeted by DUC.
Across Alberta, more than 5,000 landowners have helped DUC conserve, restore and protect a total of 1,317,669 acres (533,241 ha) of lands that are critical to the survival of waterfowl and other wildlife. That’s equal to half the size of Jasper National Park!
Ever since DUC started conserving habitat in 1938, it has recognized that people’s land use decisions influence the extent and quality of wildlife habitat. DUC’s habitat conservation programs for landowners are targeted to important waterfowl areas and designed to minimize habitat loss, maximize sustainability and reward landowners economically for adopting habitat friendly land uses.
“Conserved lands provide all of us with improved water quality, better protection from severe floods and droughts, mitigation of climate change and greater natural diversity in plants and animals,” said Morley Barrett, DUC’s director of regional operations, Prairie Region. “These contribute to our enjoyment of the outdoors. They are the rewards landowners give us when they choose to conserve habitat on their land. Landowners in turn need to be rewarded for practicing good stewardship if we wish to continue down a path of sustainable land use.”
DUC’s innovative Stony Plain/Cooking Lake Habitat Stewardship Program has led to the conservation of more than 5,000 acres (2,000 ha) of native habitat by private individuals like the Johnstons. The program is one example of many ways DUC works with landowners to encourage habitat conservation.
DUC conserves, restores and manages wetlands and associated habitats for North America’s waterfowl. These habitats also benefit other wildlife and people.
