Energy companies that operate near and within Alberta wetlands play a critical role in the stewardship of these important habitats. Building an understanding amongst their employees of what wetlands are, how industry operations interact with wetlands, and how to avoid and minimize impacts to wetlands can help energy companies work towards their environmental goals. A partnership between Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and TC Energy is creating opportunities for knowledge sharing based out of the Wetland Centre at Evergreen Park, a hands-on demonstration site located in Treaty 8 Territory, south of Grande Prairie, Alta.
Wetland Centre at Evergreen Park is a place for wetlands learning
Wetlands are vastly important to our natural environment and to humanity, providing ecosystem services like clean water, carbon storage, and mitigating the impacts of flooding, drought and climate change, as well as protecting wildlife by providing habitat, and recreation opportunities for all who visit. In 2022, TC Energy provided a donation to support the work of DUC’s National Boreal Program at the Wetland Centre. The Centre is a one-of-a-kind site for boreal wetlands training, research, and demonstrations, and is a collaborative space for bringing together diverse user groups to share their knowledge of wetlands and to test new ideas. The Centre hosts on-the-ground examples of innovative industry solutions to avoid and minimize impacts to wetlands, citizen science projects, and regular events for visitors.
Our tour of the Evergreen Wetland Centre and the McNaught Homestead with Ducks Unlimited Canada was a highly collaborative and informative experience. It provided us with valuable insights into the importance of the work Ducks Unlimited is doing to preserve wetlands.
Centre attracts thousands of visitors
It is not only industry that benefits from this exchange of knowledge; the Wetland Centre sees thousands of visitors each year, including youth, the public, and practitioners. TC Energy became involved with the Wetland Centre in 2022 and saw the potential that the site and working with the National Boreal Program could have for their operations, as well as for the greater community:
“Our tour of the Evergreen Wetland Centre and the McNaught Homestead with Ducks Unlimited Canada was a highly collaborative and informative experience. It provided us with valuable insights into the importance of the work Ducks Unlimited is doing to preserve wetlands,” says Randy Nielsen, Area Manager with TC Energy. “We look forward to seeing the progress at the Wetland Centre as they continue to enhance the experience for all visitors.”
Two-way flow of knowledge at the Wetland Centre
The flow of information runs both ways, with TC Energy and DUC staff conducting tours of TC Energy’s operations to learn about opportunities and challenges that the industry is facing when working in and near wetlands.
“What we love about working together is the problem-solving nature of the relationship. Although DUC is always excited to tour industry groups around wetlands, the opportunity to visit TC Energy’s operations and to learn how our partners work and the challenges they face is equally important. This two-way exchange of knowledge can lead to innovative ideas and solutions,” says Rick Murray, conservation programs specialist with DUC.
The donation from TC Energy will support site maintenance and improvements, industry and public knowledge exchange events, citizen science data collection, and other programming at the Wetland Centre.
