Conservator, Landowners, Philanthropic

For the good of the land

Man and marsh: The Wendler legacy

By Chantelle Abma July 03, 2025

Bernie Wendler stands in front of a water control structure in Wendler Marsh, the land he has managed with DUC for decades.

Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) has enjoyed an uptick in land donations recently and we are grateful to the people and partners who have placed these critical spaces under our care. Here’s how their good land will be used for the good of waterfowl, wildlife and people.

Bernie Wendler is a man who would fit right in with an era like the gold rushes of the late 1800s: independent, resourceful, not afraid of hard work, open to a good laugh and a good time.

In the mid-1980s, he came to the Nechako Valley in the heart of British Columbia and purchased a parcel of land, intending to farm it. The 320-acre (129.5-hectare) property is as complex and lively as he is, but he discovered soon that the landscape was not ideal for agriculture. Ever the optimist, Wendler saw the value in the land and thought to himself: “If I can’t farm it, let’s make it into the best wetland habitat around.” The land was wet, wild and teeming with life — and he wanted to keep it that way.

In 1987, Wendler invited DUC to support his desire to steward the landscape, and staff were pleased to collaborate. Bruce Harrison, DUC’s head of Conservation PRO in B.C., describes Wendler’s land as “a haven for biological productivity. So many creatures live out their full life cycles in this healthy, intact and connected series of marshes.”

The mineral-rich wetland complex on Wendler’s land is large, with shallow open water and multiple marshes intermingling with mixed-wood forests, pastureland and shrubs. It’s unique to the region, notes Harrison.

“The wetland lies in this broad valley, in an area where wetlands are not common, and the water flowing through has a chance to slow down and spread out,” Harrison explains. “The marshes are not very deep, but they are rich in biodiversity, since sunlight can easily penetrate the shallow water and bring life to its biological communities.”

The wetland supports plenty of invertebrates, birds and mammals, including a community of beavers that Wendler welcomed and integrated into his management plan. When the beavers built a dam on top of an existing water control structure, rather than destroying it and discouraging the beavers, Wendler instead left the dam alone and installed a pond leveller to prevent the water levels in the wetland from rising too high.

Under Wendler’s stewardship, his marsh became a sanctuary for biodiversity — where cattails sway at the water’s edge, dragonflies skim the surface and buffleheads make their nests near the shallows.

The wetland on Bernie Wendler’s land is large, with shallow open water and multiple marshes intermingling with mixed-wood forests, pastureland and shrubs. © Ducks Unlimited Canada

A generous gift: Stability for the wetlands

As the years passed, Wendler continued to act as caretaker for the landscape, and it thrived under his watch with support from DUC. In late 2024, Wendler decided to transfer the land over to DUC. The act was a mutual gift, with DUC covering a portion of the land value, and Wendler generously donating the balance.

All in, the landscape is valued at more than $1 million, with additional value locked into the timber that grows there, and in the carbon sequestered within the wood and wetland soils. By transferring the land to DUC, Wendler ensured the land would not be drained for agriculture, and that the mixed-wood forest would remain intact. The land will also be submitted for inclusion in Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program and be counted toward provincial and federal 30×30 goals, a shared goal to protect 30 per cent of Canada’s land and waters by 2030.

And while DUC may own the land, Wendler still calls it home. He will continue to live on the property as its dedicated caretaker, just as he has for over 40 years. In the same way he may have found wealth if he were part of the gold rushes of the past, he found his riches at Wendler Marsh, where he’s invested a lifetime of conservation.

DUC’s conservation of the Empire Avenue Wetland ensures that it continues to be a haven for wildlife and people, and becomes a key piece of natural infrastructure for the city of St. John’s, helping to filter runoff and mitigate flooding. © Ducks Unlimited Canada

More good news for good lands

Land donation safeguards critical wetland habitat corridor in Ontario

DUC celebrated the acquisition last spring of 297 acres (120 hectares) in the Lake Simcoe watershed in Ontario. The property, on the Beaver River in Scugog Township, will provide a contiguous corridor of wetland habitats for migratory waterfowl and rare and endangered bird species. The land was acquired from multiple individuals who donated their shares of the land to DUC.

“DUC was approached in 2021 by a group of passionate people who truly care about conserving wetlands,” says Alexis Hand, DUC conservation program specialist. “We’re grateful for their thoughtful gift of conservation and for their determination to conserve critical habitats for waterfowl and other wildlife long into the future.”

Among these habitats is a Class 1 Provincially Significant Wetland situated within DUC’s priority habitat for breeding waterfowl. This site supports some of the highest waterfowl pair densities in the province and provides quality habitat for breeding, moulting and staging dabbling ducks like mallard, black duck, blue-winged teal and wood duck. The site also provides habitat for rare and endangered bird species like the Virginia rail, least bittern, pied-billed grebe, common gallinule and long-billed marsh wren.

The donation extends the conservation of vital wildlife habitats in the region, including adjacent land with public-use trails owned by the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority, along the Beaver River.

Reflecting on the outcome of his land share donation is Aubrey Baillee, a member of the former Yacking Duck Club, who owned and used the land for hunting waterfowl for more than three decades.

“Ducks Unlimited Canada was the right choice,” Baillee says. “We knew they would look after the property and love it the way we did for so many years. To sit in the marsh and hear the birds singing all around you is the best way we knew to rid ourselves of the stress of city living. The donation is a fitting chapter to the legacy to the members of our group who loved this place with all their hearts.”

St. John’s partnership helps community and North America’s smallest dabbler

In 2023, DUC acquired a 12-acre (4.8-hectare) wetland in St. John’s, N.L., thanks to a land donation by residential developer Brian Noseworthy and funding support from the Natural Heritage Conservation Program. The marsh, located just off Empire Avenue, is a community gem in a part of the city undergoing rapid development, connected to the popular Mundy Pond recreation area, and used by wildlife like the green-winged teal, the smallest dabbling duck in North America.

“I’m delighted to share the piece of property with Ducks Unlimited Canada to create this green space,” said Noseworthy, managing director of Nosegard Holdings Ltd. “When and where possible, land like this must be protected for everyone’s enjoyment.”

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