HomeNature Legacy Celebrated in Fort St. John 
Prince George BC, Sept. 21 – Ducks Unlimited Canada and its partners in the BC Prairie Care Program held a dedication ceremony today at the Blanchette property northeast of Fort St. John where the most recent conservation project in the Peace Region of British Columbia was completed.
Prior to the habitat enhancement work, the Blanchette property was characterized by a series of small, shallow wetlands and cultivated fields. Most of the wetlands on the property retained very little water and the uplands were sown to cereal grains and oil seeds. Through the BC Prairie Care program, water levels were stabilized in the wetlands and the uplands were planted with native and tame grasses.
The site now offers the area's declining waterfowl species, which include lesser scaup, American wigeon, northern pintail and blue-winged teal, breeding and nesting habitat. In addition to ducks, geese and shorebirds, trumpeter swans also use these wetlands during migration. The improved uplands offer grazing areas for deer and moose while smaller animals can take shelter in the dense grasses.
The Blanchette property is part of Natural Legacy 2000, a nationwide initiative to conserve wildlife habitats on private and public lands. Ducks Unlimited's contributions to this program and habitat conservation in general are greatly enhancing Canada's landscape according to the Hon. Herb Gray, deputy prime minister and minister responsible for the Government of Canada's millennium initiative.
"At the turn of the millennium, Ducks Unlimited is expanding its success in conserving and enhancing waterfowl habitat," said Gray. "The Government of Canada is proud to support Ducks Unlimited's endeavours. Through its Canada Millennium Partnership Program, it has contributed $10 million to a program called Natural Legacy 2000, which is aimed at conserving natural spaces in Canada and in which Ducks Unlimited is a partner."
BC Prairie Care was established in January 1999 with funding from the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. BC Prairie Care is a partnership program designed to conserve wetlands and associated upland habitats while maintaining viable agriculture in the region. Ducks Unlimited Canada is the main delivery agent for BC Prairie Care. Other key partners in the program include: Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration, BC Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, BC Ministry of Forests, BC Ministry of Agriculture and Foods and Environment Canada (Canadian Wildlife Service).
The financial support of the Government of Canada's Millennium Partnership Program toward the Blanchette property project is gratefully acknowledged by Ducks Unlimited and its partners. Since it started working in BC in 1969, Ducks Unlimited has completed over 400 conservation projects and conserved over 163,000 acres (66,000 hectares) of wetlands and associated areas in the province for waterfowl, other wildlife and people.
