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The
Ontario Wetland Habitat Fund Program
(OWHF Program) will work directly with private landowners to secure,
enhance and restore wetlands and associated uplands, as a core contribution
to the Ontario Eastern Habitat Joint Venture (OEHJV) Ontario Implementation
Plan and the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. The OWHF
Program works through landowner contact experts who provide an extension
service aimed at engaging landowners in wetland conservation. The
OWHF Program will a) foster the creation of wetland conservation
plans; b) secure wetland habitats on private lands through the signing
of 10-year conservation agreements with Wildlife Habitat Canada
(WHC); and c) help landowners develop and implement habitat enhancement
and restoration projects on private lands. Private landowners
will develop and implement at least 160 high-quality projects to
enhance 5,000 acres of wetland and 3,000 acres of upland habitats
(8,000 acres in total) on lands secured under conservation agreements.
The Program
covers the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Key Program Area, which covers
the southern-most third of the province, taking in Ontario's entire
portion of Bird Conservation Region 13 (Lower Great Lakes/St. Lawrence
Plain) and part of Southern Ontario's portion of Bird Conservation
Region 12 (Boreal Hardwood Transition). The Great Lakes St. Lawrence
Key Program Area is the top priority Key Program Area identified
in the Ontario Eastern Habitat Joint Venture Ontario Implementation
Plan. To date, roughly 31,000 acres of wetland and upland habitat
have been secured and enhanced through the OWHF Program.
Extension
work will encourage landowners to engage in broader conservation
activities and Best Management Practices, including participation
and involvement in other OEHJV programs, such as Ducks Unlimited
Canada's wetland restoration efforts and the Nature Conservancy
of Canada's securement activities, as well as other stewardship
programs, such as those of Conservation Ontario and Ontario's Stewardship
Councils.
The OWHF Program 2004-3 and 2005-1
North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) proposals are both
supported by U.S. funds provided by BHP Billiton to WHC. BHP Billiton's
generous contribution has provided the non-Federal U.S. match that
is central to the 2004-3 NAWCA submission, and which has bolstered
the 2005-1 NAWCA submission. This enhanced funding will enable the
OWHF Program to reach out to under-serviced areas, such as Manitoulin
Island and adjacent lands, as well as the Ottawa Valley, a region
considered of continental significance for waterfowl. The two NAWCA
proposals also engage new partners who are helping to promote the
OWHF Program and helping to monitor and assess the habitat and biological
results of wetland stewardship. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
recently approved both the 2004-3 and 2005-1 proposals for funding.
This program will be delivered and
implemented within the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Key Program Area,
which includes Ontario's portion of Bird Conservation Region 13
and part of Bird Conservation Region 12.
Project
summary for 2005-2006 is now available
(pdf - 1.4Mb)
For more information on this project, please contact Diane
Brunet, Program Administrator, Ontario Wetland Habitat Fund,
Ottawa, Ontario.
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