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Ecowrappin'
Here's some reassuring news
Tuesday, March 25, 2003
Do you know what I really like about my job with Ducks Unlimited? I am getting initial phone calls from between 3 to 6 landowners each week. It always involves a visit to their property where they explain to me the history of how it has been managed and then moves on to how they would like to improve their management for wildlife.It makes a deep impression to be talking to new people each week about such things. The discussions always turn to their motives. Some people end up talking about providing a nature experience for their children or grandchildren. Some people want to have the area for recreation such as birding, hiking, hunting, etc. Everyone of them feels that we have lost too much of our natural areas and each wants to contribute their part to a greater solution.
Certainly some of the people I connect with can well afford to do these projects. Others contact me right after they acquire the property, knowing that they will not be able to afford to build a house for several years, but want to get started naturalizing much of the property right away. On numerous occasions I have had people ask me to take 20 to 80 acres they own and decide how best to return it to a functional wildlife area. I know it is not me personally, but the Ducks Unlimited Canada organization that inspires people to have that kind of faith.
The biggest frustration I have is the fact that I can not respond as quickly as they and I would often like. On each project there are administrative approvals required and budgeting that must be done, plus other regulatory consents that must be obtained. Many of these things take an inordinate amount of time and resources to obtain. That is the part of the job that is less fun than chatting with a 70 year old farmer about what he hunted "just over there‚ when he was a lad.
The truth is I sometimes feel like a father-confessor, as people tell me about land use practices earlier in their life, or about things that Dad or Grampa did "That never should have been done!" It is as if, for some people, talking to me is the first step towards atonement for multi-generational sins against the land. At times like this I try to focus on what we can do now. I prefer to look at where we are now, and where do we want to go.
In order to have a wetland project with DUC, we require a signed agreement with the landowner. It will state that the wetland work we do will be kept in place for 25 years, it could be annually inspected by DUC staff, and if necessary maintained by DUC. It will never try to manage your private property. If you wish to hunt or not hunt, it is up to you. At DUC we are interested in creating wetlands. We will assist landowners in that but we believe that day to day management of property is far better left in private hands.
For people who wish to make wildlife habitat improvements or solve a problem that could contribute to environmental quality there are several other programs. While it can be confusing and frustrating to sort through all of them, there are people with the conservation authorities and the stewardship councils who should be able to help. I try to keep up on them too because wetland projects usually also have a component that includes trees or native grass plantings.
When I sat down to write this I had a completely different theme in mind. It is just that have I talked to so many people in various walks of life who all seem to want to restore or preserve natural areas. I find it very reassuring for our part of the province.
Both the Chatham and Sarnia DUC Banquet and Wildlife Art Auctions are coming right up. The Chatham one is April 2, at the CAW Hall. For tickets contact Doug King 360-1656 or Stan Vincent at 352-1148. The Sarnia Banquet is on April 12 at the CEP Union Hall, 900 Devine Street. For tickets contact Darrell Randell at 627-3764.
Darrell Randell works for Ducks Unlimited Canada as a Conservation Programs Specialist in South West Ontario. Before that he was a Lambton County Pork Producer for 25 years. He served 2 terms on Sombra Township Council, 1994-2000, and is currently a councillor in St Clair Township. He is a past president of the Lambton County Federation of Agriculture. He was a founding member of the Rural Lambton Stewardship Network and served as chairman of that group from 1995-2003. He and Nancy have 3 grown children, each of whom they are extremely proud.
