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Creston Valley Marshes Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You! 
Kamloops, BC, August 12, 2002 - The Creston Valley marshes, nestled between the Purcell and Selkirk mountains, with their clear water and abundant wildlife are so beautiful they ought to be in pictures.
And that's just where Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is going to put them!
Early this week, a DUC film crew will be flying over the area's 7,000 hectares of marshes and airboating on them to capture footage for a national public awareness campaign. The ad that DUC is crafting with footage from this marsh will appear in selected Famous Player Theatres this fall.
"The partners working in the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area (CVWMA) have worked hard to create this incredibly beautiful wetland," said Brad Arner, manager of conservation programs with DUC's Kamloops office. "I'm pleased that we have an opportunity to showcase the successful results of these partnerships to the rest of the country."
The Creston Valley marshes were chosen for profile because of their clear water, the good weather associated with the area and the abundance of wildlife. The message conveyed in the theatre ad will be that, in addition to providing wildlife habitat, wetlands filter impurities from water before it reaches our homes. Wetlands are nature's original water filters.
"We have over 6,500 Ducks Unlimited Canada projects to choose from when selecting a project to profile. It's not an easy task," said Madeleine Arbez, Ducks Unlimited Canada's director of communication and marketing from DUC's head office in Manitoba. "Creston Valley's vastness and its clear water was a big draw when selecting a project that has to visually fill a theatre screen."
Approximately 25 years ago, DUC partnered with other private organizations and the province to assist in regulating waterflow through the valley by creating diked wetland cells. The creation of these wetlands has generated nesting habitat for waterfowl and other water birds. The CVWMA is home to BC's only breeding colony of Forester's terns, the largest breeding colony of black terns and the highest population density of osprey.
Some of the marshes offer spawning habitat to sockeye salmon. Other fish found include large mouth bass, whitefish and rainbow trout. In 1994, the area was designated as a RAMSAR site, meaning it is recognized as a wetland of international significance to wildlife. People too are now flocking to the marshes to visit the interpretive centre and watch birds and other wildlife, hunt, fish, hike, camp and canoe.
For over 60 years, Ducks Unlimited Canada has been partnering with private landowners, government agencies and other conservation organizations to undertake projects and programs that support its conservation mission. Ducks Unlimited Canada conserves, restores and manages wetlands and associated habitats for North America's waterfowl. These habitats also benefit other wildlife and people. For more information visit www.ducks.ca.
