Left to right: Chris Smith, Manager Industry & Government Relations, DUC, Mark Kornder, Conservation Programs Specialist, DUC, Roger Nesdoly, Planning Coordinator, Mistik, Kevin Gillis, Certification Coordinator, Mistik.

Left to right: Chris Smith, Manager Industry & Government Relations, DUC, Mark Kornder, Conservation Programs Specialist, DUC, Roger Nesdoly, Planning Coordinator, Mistik, Kevin Gillis, Certification Coordinator, Mistik.

 

Forestry company partnership targets boreal wetland protection

Meadow Lake, Sask., Oct 1, 2008 — Enhancing wetland and waterfowl conservation for over 1.8 million hectares of boreal forest in Saskatchewan is the focus of a new partnership between Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and Mistik Management Ltd. The five-year partnership focuses on projects within Mistik’s Forest Management Area (FMA) to help identify and assess areas of high wetland and conservation value leading to the protection of key wetland habitats.

“DUC believes in working collaboratively with companies like Mistik because it’s a proactive approach to promoting wetland conservation in the boreal forest,” says Eric Butterworth, Manager Territorial and Boreal Programs for DUC’s Western Boreal Program. “This partnership showcases Mistik’s interest in wetland conservation, balancing the needs of their business with the sustainability of the wetlands in their operational areas.” 

Al Balisky, General Manager of Mistik, echoes the company’s commitment to sustainable development. “We depend on the resources in this area for economic success, but finding ways to minimize our operational impacts on this landscape and the wetlands in it are also important to us,” says Balisky. “That’s why this partnership with DUC makes sense. They believe in collaboration and are experts in wetlands conservation.”

The partnership is aimed at ensuring effective conservation of wetland and waterfowl resources within the Mistik FMA, which will enhance Mistik’s Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification. The FSC is an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests. The Mistik FMA within this partnership is more than four times the size of Prince Albert National Park in central Saskatchewan.

Projects flowing from this partnership are in progress with DUC completing an assessment of key wetland and waterfowl habitat within the FMA. The results of this assessment have been used by Mistik to modify areas proposed for protection as part of Mistik’s FSC certification process. Mistik has recommended protection of these areas to Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Environment, the agency responsible for establishing permanent protection.  Until this protection is finalized, Mistik has voluntarily withdrawn these areas from all forestry impacts for 10 years. 

Ducks Unlimited Canada is a national, private, non-profit organization which has been committed to wetland conservation for 70 years.

Mistik Management Ltd. is a woodlands management company based out of Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan providing timber procurement and forestry services to NorSask Forest Products Inc. and Meadow Lake Mechanical Pulp Inc.

For more information, contact:

Anh Hoang, a_hoang@ducks.ca
Marketing and Communications Specialist
Ducks Unlimited Canada
Tel: (403) 476-1879

 
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