HomeAlberta Habitat Heroes Recognized as Ducks Unlimited Canada Celebrates 65 Years 
Calgary, Alta., August 12, 2003—Farmer and cattleman Pat Honess is pleased his investment is paying off. “This is dry country but things have really improved around here,” he said. Honess is referring to his involvement in Ducks Unlimited Canada’s (DUC) Medicine Wheel habitat conservation project. In the late 1980s, Honess, along with three other local families and the Lomond Grazing Association, allowed DUC to access some of his leased land to make this project a reality in southern Alberta. The project, located approximately 40 kilometres southwest of Brooks, derives its name from the nearby Majorville Medicine Wheel – a ceremonial site used by the Plains Indians for over 5,000 years.
DUC completed the extensive $1.7 million project in 1995, developing 36 wetland basins which flooded 384 hectares (948 acres) of bottomland. The project also brought over 19,000 hectares (47,300 acres) of uplands under a management agreement to improve the quality of nesting habitat for wildlife and grazing for cattle. Over 16,000 hectares (40,000 acres) of these uplands are native prairie.
The restored wetlands and upland management now provides secure habitat conditions and improved local shorebird and songbird production. It is also an important stopover for migrating shorebirds. “It would be pretty desolate without the work DU has done,” said Honess, who has seen ducks, geese, frogs and deer grace his property since improved water management revitalized the project area. Honess was so enthused about DUC’s work that six years ago he started up the local Lomond DUC fundraising committee, which he chairs. His wife Delores also serves on the committee.
This year marks 65 years of conservation for Ducks Unlimited Canada. In celebration of this anniversary, DUC is featuring landowners like Pat Honess all across Canada. These people form a network of more than 16,000 Canadian landowners who have voluntarily participated in programs that have saved over 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 533,241 hectares (1,317,669 acres) of lands that are critical to the survival of waterfowl and other wildlife. That’s almost equivalent to the size of Banff 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 conserves, restores and manages wetlands and associated habitats for North America’s waterfowl. These habitats also benefit other wildlife and people.
