NCC's 2017 fall magazine

FALL 2017 

Stronger 

together 

Celebrating the 10-year anniversary of 

the Natural Areas Conservation Program

Nature Conservancy of Canada 

FALL 2017 

Nature Conservancy of Canada 

245 Eglinton Ave. East, Suite 410 

Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4P 3J1 

magazine@natureconservancy.ca 

Phone: 416.932.3202 

Toll-free: 800.465.0029 

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) 

is the nation’s leading land conservation 

organization, working to protect our most 

important natural areas and the species 

they sustain. Since 1962, NCC and its partners 

have helped to protect 2.8 million acres (more 

than 1.1 million hectares), coast to coast. 

The Nature Conservancy of Canada Magazine is 

distributed to donors and supporters of NCC. 

TM 

Trademarks owned by the Nature Conservancy 

of Canada. 

FSC is not responsible for any calculations 

on saving resources by choosing this paper. 

Printed on Rolland Opaque paper, which 

contains 30% post-consumer fibre, is 

EcoLogo, Processed Chlorine Free certified 

and manufactured in Canada by Rolland 

using biogas energy. Printed in Canada with 

vegetable-based inks by Warrens Waterless 

Printing. This publication saved 29 trees and 

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Design by Evermaven. 

COVER 

Big Trout Bay shoreline, Ontario 

Photo by Costal Productions. 

THIS PAGE 

Big Trout Bay Nature Reserve, Ontario 

Photo by Daniel Ehrenworth. 

GENERATED BY: CALCULATEUR.ROLLANDINC.COM 

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2 FALL 2017 natureconservancy.ca

Contents 

Nature Conservancy of Canada FALL 2017 

Better together 

TKTKTKTKTKTKT 

8: DANIEL EHRENWORTH. 12: TIM ZUROWSKI. 14: THE NATURE TRUST OF BC. 

Anew Ipsos MORI poll reports that 

Canada currently is the nation 

with the most positive influence on 

world affairs. As a Canadian, I hate to brag, 

but it doesn’t surprise me. We have, in general, 

the attitude that we do better — are better 

— when we work together. You only need to 

think of the response to the devastated 

community of Fort McMurray after the fire in 

2016; people of all walks of life pulling 

together to make life better. 

I see this attitude play out every day at the 

Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). In this 

issue of the Nature Conservancy of Canada 

Magazine, you’ll read about some of the 

people and organizations who have partnered 

with NCC through the Natural Areas Conservation 

Program (NACP) to help protect 

important natural areas. Together, we have 

already protected more than 1 million acres 

(430,000 hectares) of priority conservation 

lands and waters. And there is more to do. 

The NACP is built upon strong conservation 

science, designed to leverage every dollar 

raised and engage partners from the private 

and public sectors. The NACP encourages 

community conservation, and supports local 

donors to care for the places they cherish. 

Through the commitment of the Government 

of Canada and the dedication of 

Canadians from across the country, we are, 

yet again, setting an example for the global 

community. The message is simple: everyone 

has a role to play in conserving the spaces 

they love and protecting the places that 

sustain us. What part do you want to play? 

Yours in conservation, 

Lisa McLaughlin 

Lisa McLaughlin 

NCC vice-president of conservation planning 

and policy 

8 

12 

14 Canada’s globally 

rare species 

Stopping the sixth extinction 

starts at home 

16 Fairy Hill 

This property near Regina, SK, is 

sure to delight visitors 

17 Nature’s melody 

Singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer’s 

essentials for exploring nature 

14 

FEATURE STORY 

The power of partnership 

Celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the Natural Areas Conservation Program 

12 Piping plover 

Weighing less than 10 loonies, this small 

shorebird is nationally endangered 

14 Project updates 

Four land trust projects made possible under 

the Natural Areas Conservation Program 

16 Mike Hendren: 

Power of community 

How local land trusts can accomplish 

significant conservation gains 

natureconservancy.ca 

FALL 2017 3

COAST TO 

COAST 

Putting 

our house 

in order 

Addressing the global species 

extinction crisis starts with saving 

rare species at home 

Canadians often think about the species extinction 

crisis as something that is happening elsewhere. The 

plight of elephants, tigers and gorillas is well known 

to many of us. We absolutely do need to save these 

species, but stopping the global extinction crisis needs 

to start at home. 

Canada is home to approximately 80,000 species. 

We know that we were once home to at least 16 species 

and sub-species that are now extinct: gone forever 

from Canada and gone forever from the planet. Some 

species you may have heard of, such as the passenger 

pigeon and great auk. The extinction story of others, 

such as the Rocky Mountain grasshopper, Macoun’s 

shining moss and deepwater cisco, are equally tragic, 

but not as well known. 

The global status of species is assessed by the 

International Union for Conservation of Nature 

(IUCN) and maintained on the Red List of Threatened 

Species. Currently, Canada has 127 species on the 

IUCN Red List. In addition, another 70 species have 

been assessed as near threatened, meaning they 

are likely to become endangered in the future. 

One of the most important results of the Nature 

Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) conservation work 

is that we are protecting and recovering more than 

50 Canadian species that are on the IUCN Red List, 

or that have been assessed as near threatened. Many 

of these species are on lands that have been secured 

over the last 10 years through the Government of 

Canada’s Natural Areas Conservation Program. 

Here are a few species on the IUCN Red List of 

Threatened Species that NCC is helping to protect.1 

DEFINING RISK 

The International Union for Conservation 

of Nature defines the levels of threat on 

the Red List as: 

• Extinct (EX): No known individuals 

remaining. 

• Extinct in the wild (EW): Known only 

to survive in captivity, or as a naturalized 

population outside its historic range. 

• Critically endangered (CR): Extremely 

high risk of extinction in the wild. 

• Endangered (EN): High risk of 

extinction in the wild. 

• Vulnerable (VU): High risk of 

endangerment in the wild. 

• Near threatened (NT): Likely to 

become endangered in the near future. 

• Least concern (LC): Lowest risk. 

Does not qualify for a more at-risk 

category. Widespread and abundant 

taxa (groups of organisms) are included 

in this category. 

• Data deficient (DD): Not enough 

data to make an assessment of its risk 

of extinction. 

• Not evaluated (NE): Has not yet been 

evaluated against the criteria. 

When discussing the IUCN Red List, the 

official term “threatened” is a grouping 

of three categories: critically endangered, 

endangered and vulnerable. 

READ MORE 

Read a blog from NCC’s senior 

conservation biologist, Dan Kraus, 

with a map of the locations where 

NCC has helped protect Red List 

species: natureconservancy.ca/ 

sixthextinction 

Dakota skipper, 

western prairie 

white-fringed orchid 

In Manitoba’s tall grass prairie 

region, NCC is protecting and 

restoring habitat for the western 

prairie white-fringed orchid 

(endangered) and Dakota skipper 

butterfly (vulnerable). In addition 

to securing key habitats, NCC 

uses prescribed fire as well as 

a range of agricultural activities, 

such as managed grazing, as 

tools to control the intrusion of 

woody invasive species and 

maintain tall grass habitats. 

JACQUI OAKLEY. 


Ram’s-head 

lady’s-slipper 

NCC has protected 

more than 15 properties 

that provide habitat 

for the ram’s-head 

lady’s-slipper (near 

threatened) in places 

such as the Ottawa Valley 

and Bruce Peninsula. 

This delicate orchid often 

grows in rare habitats, 

such as alvars and forested 

dunes. NCC staff regularly 

monitor the health 

of ram’s-head lady’sslipper 

populations on 

many properties. 

Boreal felt lichen 

The boreal felt lichen (critically endangered) 

needs old-growth coastal forest 

to survive. This species once occurred in 

Norway and Sweden, but is now extinct 

there and can only be found in Atlantic 

Canada. NCC has protected habitat for this 

rare lichen in Newfoundland and Labrador 

and Nova Scotia. 

Blanding’s turtle 

NCC has protected thousands of acres 

of Blanding’s turtle (endangered) 

habitat in places such as the Frontenac 

Arch in Ontario and the Quebec side of 

the Ottawa Valley. Maintaining intact 

habitats for the Blanding’s turtle is 

critical for its survival because many 

females are killed each year on roads 

when they migrate to nesting areas. 

Semipalmated sandpiper, 

piping plover 

NCC is protecting key coastal habitats 

for two declining shorebirds: piping 

plover and semipalmated sandpiper 

(both near threatened). NCC protects 

important piping plover nesting 

habitat in places such as Sandy Point, 

Newfoundland and Labrador, and along 

Nova Scotia’s South Shore. This bird also 

nests in the prairies, including on NCC 

properties in Saskatchewan’s Missouri 

Coteau. At NCC’s Johnson’s Mills 

property in New Brunswick, more than 

30 per cent of the world’s population 

of semipalmated sandpipers stop to 

feed during their migration from mid-July 

to mid-September. 

Red-headed woodpecker 

On Ontario’s Rice Lake Plains, northeast of Toronto, 

NCC is protecting rare black oak savannah habitat 

that supports the red-headed woodpecker (near 

threatened). This colourful bird ranges from 

Saskatchewan to Quebec in Canada, and has been 

declining by close to three per cent each year since 

1966. NCC is also restoring the oak savannahs where 

the red-headed woodpecker can be found, through 

prescribed burns and invasive species removal. 



BOOTS ON 

THE TRAIL 

Wild connections 

Just a short drive from Regina, the Fairy Hill South Complex is 

a jewel of a property that connects conservation and community 

Deer at Fairy Hill 

The Fairy Hill South Complex in 

Saskatchewan is not just about 

the future of wild spaces and 

wildlife species, it's also about partnerships 

and people. 

The Nature Conservancy of Canada’s 

(NCC’s) conservation work here means that 

this area will be managed in its natural state. 

Located just a 30-minute drive north of 

Regina on Highway 6, this scenic expanse 

of 1,642 acres (665 hectares) of native grasslands, 

woodlands, river and floodplains serves 

as habitat for aquatic and terrestrial species 

and a haven for visitors wishing to enjoy the 

area. Fairy Hill is protected for the long term 

through NCC’s purchase of the property from 

its conservation-minded landowner, Dorothy 

Schuurmans, and a generous donation from 

Lloyd and Janet Sauer. 

Visitors to the property may spot at risk 

species, such as loggerhead shrike, northern 

leopard frog (prairie population) and Sprague’s 

pipit. This area is also well used as a staging site 

for ducks and geese and serves as a stopover 

for many and varied shorebird species. 

A PLACE OF CONNECTION 

In addition to its importance as a natural 

area, Fairy Hill is a place of connection with 

the local community. This summer, local 

residents and Conservation Volunteers from 

elsewhere in Saskatchewan joined NCC staff 

to help remove invasive common burdock and 

pull down old fencing. 

Given its proximity to Regina, the property 

is often used as a place to take school groups 

on field trips. School children have come out 

here to learn about conservation. They have 

also helped NCC staff remove invasive 

common burdock from the property. 

And thanks to a grazing lease, NCC’s 

property is available to a local rancher to 

graze his cattle. In return, the cattle help 

maintain the health of grasslands on the 

property through their grazing. 

DANIEL GRUNERT. 


BACKPACK 

ESSENTIALS 

1 

2 

Northern leopard frog 

A PLACE TO EXPLORE 

As you walk through the property, you’ll 

weave around native grassland, trees and 

wetlands. Follow the loop trail and you will 

come to a hill that overlooks the valley. It’s 

the perfect spot to have a picnic or just to 

pause for a moment. 

4 

3 

ROBERT MCCAW. ESSENTIALS: JUAN LUNA. SARAH HARMER: ANITA DORON. 

A PLACE OF HISTORY 

Fairy Hill is located in the Qu’Appelle 

Valley on Treaty 4 land. It got its name when 

Europeans settled the area, as some thought 

it reminded them of hills back in Ireland also 

called Fairy Hill. 

A PLACE OF PARTNERSHIP 

A number of partners have been involved in 

this conservation project. Various private 

and individual contributors have dedicated 

funds toward the purchase of Fairy Hill. 

In addition, Environment Canada (now 

Environment and Climate Change Canada), 

through the Natural Areas Conservation 

Program, and the Province of Saskatchewan, 

through the Fish and Wildlife Development 

Fund, have also substantially contributed to 

this purchase. 

TRAILS 

Length: 5 km round-trip 

Difficulty: moderate with hills 

Terrain: earthen, worn path with 

occasional markers 

Description: a loop trail passing through 

grasslands, forests and wetlands1 

NATURE DESTINATIONS 

Learn about this Nature Destination at 

natureconservancy.ca/fairyhill 

5 

Nature’s melody 

Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer shares 

a few of the essentials she always packs when she’s 

out exploring nature 

1. JOURNAL When you’re 

hanging out with the trees 

and appreciating all they 

do for us, it’s nice to 

know your journal isn’t 

made of old-growth 

forests...I look for 

paper that’s recycled or 

FSC (Forest Stewardship 

Council) certified. 

2. BINOCULARS 

My Skipper 7x50 binoculars by Swift 

are heavy but strong, and they’ve been 

with me since I picked them up at a thrift 

shop years ago. 

3. WATER BOTTLE 

Water is truly the 

most essential thing, 

especially on a hike. 

4. HAT This bright 

hat is key in the fall, 

when hunters may 

be out in the woods. 

Staying alive and 

unharmed is also 

clearly essential. 

5. PENS A few good pens are a must, 

perhaps to sketch a leaf or write down 

an idea that strikes.1 



THE 

Power 

OF 

partnership 

This year marks the 10-year anniversary of the 

Natural Areas Conservation Program — a unique public-private partnership 

that has spurred private land conservation in Canada to new heights 

TKTKTKTKTKTKT 


The North Shore of Lake Superior, 

renowned for its rugged beauty, 

needs little introduction. But that’s 

not stopping Gary Davies. 

“I think you’re going to have a few ‘Wow!’ 

moments when you’re on the property,” says the 

Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) program 

director for northwestern Ontario. “It’s got some 

pretty spectacular scenery and views.” 

The property in question is the Big Trout Bay 

Nature Reserve, a 2,500-acre (1,012-hectare) 

tract of forest, wetlands, tall cliffs and jagged 

peninsulas. It features 21 kilometres of frontage 

on the Lake Superior shore and is home to such 

iconic species as moose, black bear, Canada 

lynx, bald eagle and peregrine falcon, the latter 

a species of special concern in Canada. 

Purchased by NCC in August 2016, with a 

total project cost of $8.5 million — combining 

a $3-million contribution from the Government 

of Canada’s Natural Areas Conservation 

Program (NACP) with matching funds 

raised from foundations and private donors 

— Big Trout Bay stands as one of the last 

undeveloped parcels of Great Lakes coastal 

wilderness between Thunder Bay, Ontario, 

and Duluth, Minnesota. According to NCC 

vice-president of conservation planning and 

policy, Lisa McLaughlin, it’s also a hallmark 

of the kind of conservation successes made 

possible by the NACP — through which NCC 

has conserved more than 1 million acres 

(430,000 hectares) since the program’s 

inception 10 years ago. 

TKTKTKTKTKTKT 

BY Brian Banks, freelance writer & journalist PHOTOGRAPHY Daniel Ehrenworth 



Today, Davies is standing near the reserve’s 

western boundary, speaking to a group of 

wildlife scientists from the Royal Ontario 

Museum and the Ontario Ministry of Natural 

Resources and Forestry’s Natural Heritage 

Information Centre. Scenery aside, it’s the sort 

of group whose “Wow!” moments might also 

include seeing rare plants, birds or insects. 

They’re here to start a week-long intense 

science “bioblitz” on the property — one of 10 

national science surveys of species biodiversity 

held this year under the Canada BioBlitz 150 

program — and Davies is outlining features, 

access points and hazards to get them oriented. 

“There are some pretty steep cliffs,” he warns. 

“You’re bushwhacking and then all of a sudden 

you’re at the edge.” 

Ordinarily, when NCC acquires a new 

property, it conducts its own baseline inventory 

of plant and animal species. It combines 

that data with its existing site knowledge to 

create a long-term management plan. It’s no 

wonder then that Davies is thrilled to have the 

bioblitz team on hand. The pending treasure 

trove of data, he says, will be “a baseline 

inventory on steroids.” 

NCC program director for northwestern 

Ontario, Gary Davies, says the NACP was 

a significant enabler for the securement 

of Big Trout Bay. 

In terms of sheer volume of lands conserved, the 

more than 1 million acres saved to date under 

the NACP represents nearly one-third of the entire 

habitat NCC has helped protect since it was 

founded in 1962. 

Sharing the wealth 

Just as the bioblitz has the potential to 

kick-start NCC’s work on Big Trout Bay, it 

helps to think of the NACP in the same way. 

In the past decade, NCC has used the NACP, 

with the participation of Ducks Unlimited 

Canada and other land trusts, to spur private 

land conservation in Canada to a level that 

would have been hard to imagine prior to the 

creation of the program. 

In terms of sheer volume of lands conserved, 

the more than 1 million acres saved 

to date under the NACP represents nearly 

one-third of the entire habitat NCC has 

helped protect since it was founded in 1962. 

“We have hundreds of thousands of acres 

now protected that certainly would not 

have happened had this program not been 

in place,” says McLaughlin. 

The program is about more than raw totals, 

however. From day one, when the Government 

of Canada put up an initial $225 million 

in a fund to be administered by NCC, with 

$25 million tabbed for Ducks Unlimited and 

another $15 million set aside for other land 

trusts, rules required that no money could be 

drawn unless it was matched 1:1 with monies 

(or an equivalent value in donated property) 

raised from other sources — chiefly foundations, 

corporations and individual donors. In 

2013, when the government allocated another 

$100 million to the NACP — money slated to 

sustain the program through 2019 — it changed 

the ratio to 2:1, doubling the required match 

from other sources. 

Canada’s Minister of Environment and 

Climate Change, Catherine McKenna, believes 

the matched funding commitment is key to 

the NACP’s success. “It shows it’s not just 

government spending the money but working 

with great folks like farmers and ranchers, 

who are giving land and providing funding for 

the program.” 

The matching element means every 

acquisition done under the NACP is a partnership, 

says McLaughlin. “It reinforces the notion 

that land conservation or biodiversity conservation 

is everyone’s responsibility.” It also 

makes it easier to raise funds when you can tell 

a donor that every dollar they contribute will 

be matched, essentially tripling their impact. 

“It was a very significant enabler for us [with 

Big Trout Bay],” says Davies. 


In Big Trout Bay’s case, this match even 

helped to motivate a number of American 

donors and partners, including The Conservation 

Fund, a national conservation lender, and 

the Minnesota and Wisconsin state chapters of 

The Nature Conservancy (U.S.). “They all spoke 

to Lake Superior as an international conservation 

asset,” Davies says. “It was great to see that 

kind of generous cross-border co-operation.” 

On many projects, NCC has to seek out 

its funding partners. In other instances, they 

reach out from the grassroots up. 

A clear example in the latter category is 

NCC’s Musquash Estuary project, the organization’s 

largest reserve in Atlantic Canada, located 

less than 20 kilometres southwest of Saint John, 

New Brunswick. A sublime, verdant, winding 

expanse of salt marshes, peat bogs, tidal flats 

and surrounding Acadian forest and freshwater 

wetlands, Musquash is one of the last fully 

functioning estuaries in the Bay of Fundy, a 

haven for aquatic species, migratory water birds 

and other wildlife. In 2007, the Musquash Estuary 

was announced as Canada’s sixth Marine 

Protected Area (MPA) under the Oceans Act. 

NCC’s involvement here dates from around 

2000, when local residents began campaigning 

for the MPA designation in order to protect the 

estuary from proposed industrial development. 

As the MPA designation only applies to marine 

areas, they sought NCC’s assistance in securing 

the land around the estuary. By the time the 

MPA was designated, NCC had acquired close 

to 3,000 acres (1,200 hectares) of adjacent 

property, much of it transferred from the 

provincial government. That milestone also 

coincided with the introduction of the NACP. 

In the decade since the program’s introduction, 

NCC has relied heavily on the program to secure 

another 2,000 acres (800 hectares) on the 

estuary. “Much of what’s happened since 2007 

has been land donated by local families,” says 

Paula Noel, NCC’s New Brunswick program 

director. “They’ve given their land, and on 

the basis of its matching value, the NACP has 

covered the other costs of us being able to accept 

that land — such as biological inventories and 

gathering information on species and habitat.” 

Musquash has also taken on added significance 

lately, as the federal government has 

stepped up its efforts to deliver on Canada’s 

commitments as a party to the Convention on 

Biological Diversity (CBD). Under the CBD, 

signatories have committed to conserving at 

least 17 per cent of terrestrial areas and inland 

water, and 10 per cent of coastal and marine 

areas, through networks of protected areas 

and other effective area-based conservation 

measures by 2020. “I think they’re looking at 

Musquash as an example of how MPAs should be 

done,” says Noel. “Because of all the community 

input that was behind that designation.” 

The government’s efforts to reach the CBD 

targets fall under a program called The Pathway 

to Canada Target 1 (the language is adapted from 

the CBD’s Aichi Biodiversity Targets process). 

...continued on page 18 

A discussion with 

Catherine McKenna, 

Minister of 

Environment and 

Climate Change 

BB: This year, NCC is celebrating 

the 10-year anniversary of the 

NACP. What is your sense of the 

NACP’s key accomplishments? 

CM: I believe that it’s important 

to have public-private sector 

partnerships and that’s exactly 

what [the NACP] is. It takes real 

action to protect lands. And 

between 2007 and 2016, [the 

program helped conserve] 430,000 

hectares of not just any lands, but 

ecologically sensitive lands. [We 

predict that] by 2019 it’s going to 

be well over 500,000 hectares. 

It’s really about protecting lands 

that people care about. You’re 

connecting people to pieces of 

land, you’re engaging people 

and getting them excited and 

motivated to do this and be part 

of a bigger picture. It’s not just 

environmentalists. You have 

ranchers and farmers all coming 

together with the federal 

government and with the 

provinces to protect really 

important pieces of land. 

Canadians really understand 

that it’s critically important that 

we protect our natural beauty 

and that’s something that’s 

broadly shared by Canadians 

across the country, of different 

political persuasions. 

Read the expanded Q&A 

with the minister at: 

natureconservancy.ca/ 

catherinemckenna 

The week-long bioblitz at Big Trout Bay was an opportunity to gather important 

data that will be used to inform a long-term management plan for the property. 

Read about the bioblitz 

and its findings: 

natureconservancy.ca/ 

btbbioblitz 



SPECIES 

PROFILE 

Coastal 

camouflage 

Blending in with the beaches on which they nest and rear their young, the piping plover’s 

sensitivity to habitat loss and shoreline disturbances makes it a nationally endangered species 

TIM ZUROWSKI 

12 FALL 2017 

natureconservancy.ca

What’s black, white and brown, and endangered all 

over? If you guessed a small shorebird native to 

North America called a piping plover, you’re right. 

Piping plovers are migratory shorebirds weighing approximately 

43–63 grams (less than 10 loonies). They can be distinguished by 

their short, black-tipped orange beak and orange legs. 

A SPECIES IN DANGER 

Due to disturbances on the shores where they nest, piping plover populations have 

been decreasing in Canada (where the species is considered endangered). 

Piping plovers nest on beaches during the spring and summer, which is also peak 

season for beachgoers. If disturbed by humans or dogs, a piping plover will often 

abandon its nest. 

Piping plovers rely on camouflage to keep their eggs and chicks safe, nesting on 

sandy beaches mixed with gravel or sticks to help conceal themselves. But nesting 

in open areas is risky, as they are vulnerable to predators, such as feral cats, foxes 

and gulls. Storm surges and high tides can also destroy nests and chicks. 

THE PLOVERS OF THE PRAIRIES 

While piping plovers may be thought of as coastal shorebirds, 20 per cent of the 

world’s population nest in Canada’s prairies, around the edges of lakes. 

Canada’s prairies support more than 1,000 piping plovers, mostly in Saskatchewan. 

In addition to conserving plover habitat, the Nature Conservancy of Canada 

(NCC) participates in the International Piping Plover Census (which happens every 

five years) by providing data collected by NCC staff and Conservation Volunteers. 

In Saskatchewan, NCC has installed fences around nesting sites, adjusted the 

density of grazing livestock and delayed grazing until after nesting season. Staff 

from NCC’s Saskatchewan Region have been surveying piping plovers at the Shoe 

Lake West property since the International Census began in 1991. This past June, 

staff observed up to 12 adults, including three breeding pairs, plus a single chick. 

GREAT LAKES COMEBACK 

Although rare in Ontario, piping plovers are known to breed at Lake of the 

Woods in the western portion of the province, and along the shores of the Great 

Lakes, where they are making a remarkable comeback. In the 1980s, the Great 

Lakes population was almost extirpated and piping plovers were considered 

endangered in Ontario. 

Thanks to habitat protection measures and beach stewardship, piping plovers 

are recovering and have now bred in Ontario at several locations along Lake Ontario 

and Lake Huron. NCC has protected several key coastal areas along the Great Lakes 

that could provide nesting habitat for piping plovers as they continue to recover. 

EAST COAST LIFESTYLE 

In New Brunswick, NCC has conserved nesting habitat for piping plovers at 

Miscou Island on the Acadian Peninsula and Tabusintac, in the northern part of 

the province. 

In Nova Scotia, there are fewer than 40 breeding pairs; a decline of more than 

25 per cent since 2001. To help combat this decline, NCC has conserved four properties 

with, or adjacent to, piping plover nesting beaches. 

At Port Joli, on Nova Scotia’s South Shore, NCC has conserved sensitive and 

unique shoreline. Thanks to signs and barriers installed by NCC, beachgoers know 

to keep away from active nests. 

FACT SHEET 

SCIENTIFIC NAME 

Charadrius melodus 

SIZE AND WEIGHT 

This small shorebird measures 17-18 centimetres 

in length and can weight up to 63 grams. 

RANGE 

The Atlantic subspecies (Charadrius melodus 

melodus) nests along the Atlantic coast, from 

Newfoundland to South Carolina. In Canada, 

the species breeds along the coasts of the 

four Atlantic provinces and on Quebec’s 

Magdalen Islands. The interior subspecies 

(Charadrius melodus circumcinctus) nests 

on the Great Lakes, Lake of the Woods and 

in the southern part of the prairies. 

POPULATION TREND 

Piping plover populations have been steadily 

decreasing in Canada. 

STATUS IN CANADA 

Endangered 

Piping plover range 

Interior subspecies (C. m. circumcinctus) 

• Atlantic subspecies (C. m. melodus) 

NCC works with the New Brunswick 

Department of Natural Resources, Bird 

Studies Canada’s Piping Plover Guardian 

Program and others to ensure that migratory 

birds continue to grace the shores of 

Atlantic Canada. 

Each year, NCC holds Conservation 

Volunteers events across the country to 

restore areas where piping plovers are known 

to nest. Beach cleanups aim to clear away 

marine garbage that has washed up on shore 

and that might impede the plovers’ nesting.1 



PROJECT 

UPDATES 

1 

Strategic securement 

EAST KOOTENAY, BRITISH COLUMBIA 

1 

2 

Partners in conservation 

The Natural Areas Conservation Program also provides 

funding for projects by Ducks Unlimited Canada. An additional 

$5 million is available to help Canada’s land trusts to 

support conservation in their communities under the Other 

Qualified Organizations (OQO) portion of the program. 

natureconservancy.ca/oqo 

3 

4 

This 170-acre (70-hectare) property 

in the East Kootenay, secured by The 

Nature Trust of British Columbia 

with funding under the Other Qualified 

Organizations (OQO) program, 

BC 

is located 1.5 kilometres north of the 

confluence of the Bull and Kootenay 

rivers. It provides an important 

grassland and open forest corridor 

that links Crown lands on both the 

north and south sides of the property. 

The securement of this property reduces the risk 

of disease transmission from domestic livestock to bighorn 

sheep, protects the winter range for elk and deer and 

protects habitat for endangered American badgers. 

“This property is an exciting addition to existing 

conservation lands in the lower Bull River,” says Jasper 

Lament, CEO of The Nature Trust of BC. “Bighorn sheep 

use this property as part of their traditional winter range. 

Because it is bounded on three sides by other conservation 

lands, it is a very strategically important acquisition.” 

The Bull River Corridor, secured with funding under the OQO, provides an important 

wilderness corridor and habitat for animals such as elk, deer and bighorn sheep. 

MINDEN. THE NATURE TRUST OF BC. 



The Noloqonokek/Nələkwənəkek Nature Preserve is part of the Grand Lake Meadows, 

Atlantic Canada’s largest freshwater wetland complex (12,360 acres/5,000 hectares). 

ON 

SASK. 

NB 

MINDEN. NATURE TRUST OF NEW BRUNSWICK. 

2 Worthy 

3 An at-risk 

4 

wetlands 

BUSHFIELD CONSERVA- 

TION EASEMENT, 

SASKATCHEWAN 

Located about 50 kilometres south 

of Saskatoon are the rolling Allan 

Hills. Because of the high density 

of wetlands, the area supports as 

many as 60 breeding waterfowl 

pairs per square mile, including 

up to 10 pairs of northern pintails 

— a species that has declined 

by more than 70 per cent between 

1966-2012 in North America. 

Agricultural and municipal 

development pressures have 

had an impact on wetlands in 

the Allan Hills area. Thankfully, 

Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), 

along with some very mindful 

farmers, recently announced a 

conservation project in the area. 

The Bushfield conservation 

easement will add another 3,000 

acres (1,200 hectares) of conserved 

wetlands and grasslands 

in the Allan Hills. 

DUC has been a valuable 

and effective partner since the 

inception of the NACP. Under the 

NACP, DUC has conserved more 

than 158,150 acres (64,000 hectares) 

on 569 projects since 2007. 

watershed 

SYDENHAM RIVER, 

ONTARIO 

Secured by Ontario Nature with 

support from the OQO program, 

this 190-acre (80-hectare) property 

provides important habitat for 

wildlife in a watershed where 

more than 85 per cent of the land 

is crops. The property protects 

a section of the main branch of 

the Sydenham River, floodplains 

and forests dominated by sugar 

maple and American beech. 

The Sydenham River is 

well-known for its richness of 

aquatic species and contains the 

greatest diversity of freshwater 

mussel species of any watershed 

in Canada. Over 10 aquatic species 

at risk have been documented on 

the property, including eastern 

sand darter, blackstripe topminnow 

and salamander mussel. The 

section of river on the property 

is one of only three places in 

the world where the northern 

riffleshell mussel is healthy and 

reproducing. Other species at 

risk found on the property 

include cerulean warbler, 

red-headed woodpecker, blue 

ash and Kentucky coffee-tree. 

Freshwater 

diversity 

MIDDLE ISLAND, 

NEW BRUNSWICK 

The Noloqonokek/Nələkwənəkek 

Nature Preserve, located on 

Middle Island in the Maugerville 

area of the lower St. John River, 

was named after the traditional 

Wolastoqiyik/Wəlastəkwiyik 

name for the island. Thanks to 

funding contributions under 

the OQO program, the Nature 

Trust of New Brunswick acquired 

the new 170-acre (70-hectare) 

nature preserve to conserve its 

floodplain forest and provincially 

significant wetlands. The wetlands 

and shores support a diversity 

of plants, birds, amphibians and 

aquatic species — including the 

globally rare yellow lampmussel 

and tidewater mucket. 

Located two kilometres south 

of the 5,300-acre (2,150-hectare) 

Portobello Creek National 

Wildlife Area, established in 

1995, the conservation of Middle 

Island now secures the rich 

habitat in close proximity to this 

national wildlife area for the 

long term.1 

Partner 

Spotlight 

This year, the Nature 

Conservancy of Canada 

presents NatureTalks, 

a Canada-wide speaker series. 

NatureTalks is an evening of 

thought-provoking content, led 

by a diverse panel of experts. The 

events encourage communities 

to come together to explore and 

discuss nature as a resource, 

an inspiration and a place that 

sustains life. 

NatureTalks is brought to you 

thanks in part to our presenting 

sponsor, TD Bank Group, through 

the TD Common Ground Project. 

This year, in recognition of Canada’s 

150 th anniversary, TD is helping 

to create a legacy of green 

spaces in more than 150 communities 

across Canada with the 

#TDCommonGround Project. 

Order your complimentary 

NatureTalks tickets while quantities 

last, and learn more about 

the speakers, cities and dates by 

visiting natureconservancy.ca/ 

naturetalks. 



FORCE FOR 

NATURE 

Power of 

community 

As executive director of the Kawartha Land Trust, Mike Hendren 

is working to secure the future of the landscapes he calls home 

NEIL EVER OSBORNE. 



When Mike Hendren thinks of his favourite place in 

nature, he is transported to the eastern end of Ontario’s 

Kawartha Lakes region, on the shores of Stony Lake. 

“I love the feeling of water: from just being beside it, to being 

immersed in it,” says Hendren. “The shoreline is where a lot of 

biodiversity interacts and where things come alive.” 

NEIL EVER OSBORNE. 

Stony Lake is hugged by two shores: a perimeter of coarse granite lines the lake on 

the north, and a smooth shore of thick, granular sand and clay decorates the south. 

Each shore demonstrates the varied geology of the Kawartha Lakes; a region 

Hendren is passionate about protecting. 

“There’s such a diversity of landscapes here,” says Hendren. “We have the Oak 

Ridges Moraine in the south bend, the limestone plain through the middle and in 

the north, the Canadian Shield. Being so close to Canada’s largest metropolitan 

area — Toronto — and with continuing development in and around the area, it’s 

clear that this region is changing and evolving.” 

As the executive director of the Kawartha Land Trust (KLT), Hendren’s understanding 

of land conservation has been, in his words, an incremental journey. Originally 

planning to become an environmental lawyer, Hendren decided to use his background 

in business and master’s degree in urban planning to focus on land protection. 

“I wanted to be more about building a community around land conservation,” 

explains Hendren. “Both the organization and I were pretty young when I joined 

the team [in 2010], and I was given an opportunity to take on the position [of 

executive director] and learn by doing. I was fortunate that my predecessor and 

the many involved to that point had established a strong foundation to build on.” 

Collectively, the KLT has helped protect 26 properties in the Kawartha Lakes 

region. KLT has also assisted dozens more landowners with the management 

of their private lands and helped to find conservation options on their properties. 

Hendren says they plan to double the amount of KLT-protected areas in the 

next 10 years. 

“What we do as land trusts is really appealing to me; knowing that the conservation 

we achieve today for the land won’t be rolled back tomorrow. Although it sometimes 

feels as if conservation progress isn’t happening fast enough, what we have 

achieved so far is permanent.” 

Land conservation is one of the ways 

to ensure the future of a landscape,” 

reflects Hendren. 

Hendren credits many of Canada’s conservation successes, especially by 

smaller land trusts, to the Natural Areas Conservation Program (NACP). 

“The NACP has made land conservation more of a priority and has some good 

criteria that ensure other resources have to be brought to the table, specifically with 

the matching program,” says Hendren. “It has taken some smaller [conservation] 

groups to the next level.” 

“We accessed funding under the Other Qualified Organizations program for 

our Big Island project on Pigeon Lake,” says Hendren. “It was an important lift at 

a key time in our evolution. Achieving this 

large and iconic conservation project has 

grown our impact, our awareness and 

opportunities on all levels.” 

Although Canada has had many conservation 

successes, Hendren believes more needs 

to be done to protect land across the country. 

In order to make effective strides in conserving 

landscapes, we need to change the way 

we use land, he says. 

“Eighty-five per cent of the land in the 

Kawartha Lakes is privately owned. I think 

our region is a microscopic illustration of the 

larger issues of southern Canada. It’s not just 

about protecting a few key areas, it’s about 

building a natural areas system for a whole 

region to create impact.” 

With the power of community, Mike Hendren 

believes these conservation aspirations can 

become a reality.1 



...continued from page 11 

On the terrestrial side, NCC’s McLaughlin 

says the NACP can be seen to be helping 

Canada move closer to its 17 per cent target 

by enabling private land conservation in the 

more developed areas of southern Canada. 

“The federal government’s tools are incredibly 

effective in large geographies, however the 

tools NCC has are built for this fragmented 

landscape in the south,” she says. “So the 

NACP supports Canada in its efforts to get to 

its national and international goals, in a way 

it would be unlikely to do otherwise.” 

McKenna agrees that collaboration among 

“unusual partners,” including private land 

trusts, non-profit-organizations, Indigenous 

communities and ranchers, is going to be 

key to meeting Canada’s Pathway to Target 1 

goals. “[We’re] bringing together everyone, 

from Indigenous peoples, to ranchers, to 

not-for-profit organizations, to develop a path 

to get to this goal, in addition to our advisory 

panel [on which John Lounds, NCC president 

and CEO, is a member].” 

Local conservation 

NCC’s Fort Ellice project on the Assiniboine 

River in western Manitoba is another example 

of the NACP’s potential to fuel conservation 

success. From a biodiversity standpoint, the 

3,500-acre (1,420-hectare) property boasts 

a concentration of threatened species and 

L to r: Much of the Musquash Estuary is now protected thanks to 

the efforts of local community members. A former Hudson’s Bay 

trading post, Fort Ellice is an important natural and cultural site. 

a diversity of prairie habitats. But as the name 

suggests, Fort Ellice is also an important 

cultural site — as the site where, in 1831, 

C.T. William Todd established a Hudson’s 

Bay Company (HBC) trading post. 

Kevin Teneycke, director of conservation 

for NCC in Manitoba, says HBC records also 

indicate that many Indigenous peoples set up 

winter camps in the vicinity. In fact, the site’s 

value to the local First Nations community is 

such that they hold a sunrise ceremony on the 

property each year at the summer solstice. 

It’s an arrangement that the property’s former 

owner adopted and NCC has honoured since 

taking possession in 2012. 

NCC plans to do more to recognize the site’s 

historical-cultural significance, as well. According 

to Teneycke, NCC is working with the local 

municipality and a local economic development 

corporation to establish a “low-impact, lowmaintenance 

interpretive site,” to highlight the 

site’s ecological importance and history. 

The theme of providing support for local 

conservation also underlies NCC’s administration 

of the portion of the NACP grant that 

is earmarked for use by smaller land trusts 

across the country, under the Other Qualified 

Organizations program (OQO). 

One such beneficiary of the OQO program is 

the Kawartha Land Trust (KLT), which is based 

in Peterborough, Ontario, and to date has 

helped protect 26 properties in the surrounding 

Kawartha Lakes region. In 2015, KLT received 

$108,000 in OQO program funding that proved 

critical in enabling it to make its largest 

acquisition to date — securing the 1,100-acre 

(450-hectare) Big Island in Pigeon Lake, a deal 

with a total value of more than $6 million. 

“The owner donated the land, while the 

OQO money provided a lot of the enabling 

cash for appraisals, human resources, a 

survey, some legal fees — a lot of things that 

are essential to completing a project, but 

aren’t always that attractive to donors,” says 

Mike Hendren, KLT’s executive director. 

Hendren strongly believes that the NACP is 

a good program that needs to continue. “I hope, 

in fact, it can be expanded,” he says. “In the 

last five to 10 years, the land trust community 

in Canada has really grown. We’re now better 

positioned to use that [support].” 

While NCC operates at a much larger scale, 

McLaughlin credits the NACP with helping 

to spark a similar evolution in its work in the 

10 years since the program began. 

“We’ve really established a science-based 

process for conservation investment,” she says. 

“So now, when NCC goes into an area, we’ve 

done the science and identified the most 

important places, ecologically. That means we 

have a different discussion with the local 

community. Whether that’s about the irreplaceability 

of a particular habitat or about building 

a corridor or network so that animals and 

plants can move, we’re now connecting people 

to landscapes in a way that is more meaningful 

to everyone.” 

Big Trout Bay is a case in point. This 

summer’s bioblitz ultimately identified an 

incredible 532 species of plants, birds, insects, 

mammals and other wildlife — information that, 

according to Gary Davies, “will allow NCC to 

create a well-grounded property management 

plan.” Significantly, that plan will include a public 

hiking trail, interpretive signage and community 

outreach in the Thunder Bay area. “We want 

people to appreciate the property and the 

benefits we all receive by protecting it,” he says. 

For McLaughlin, creating such opportunities 

for Canadians is one of the greatest 

measures of the NACP’s success. “They’re 

learning a little more about what makes 

their community special. And I think it raises 

awareness; it fosters a conservation ethic. 

All these spinoff benefits of the program will 

actually have a long and lasting impact, just 

like the long-term conservation of the land.”1 

MUSQUASH ESTUARY: MIKE DEMBECK. FORT ELLICE: KAROL DABBS. 


GIVE THE 

GIFT OF 

CANADIAN 

NATURE 

The perfect gift for any nature lover on 

your list this holiday season. 

Your symbolic gift will help the Nature Conservancy of Canada protect 

our country’s natural spaces and the species they sustain. 

Order today at giftsofnature.ca or call us 

toll-free at 1-800-465-8005.

YOUR 

VOICES 

Nature at your doorstep 

Send us your stories! magazine@natureconservancy.ca 

“One past July, on a warm sunny 

day, I cycled with a friend along 

the base of a large portion of the 

Scarborough Bluffs. We were on a 

road constructed years ago to slow 

erosion by the pounding waves 

of Lake Ontario along the base of 

the bluffs, which in some sections 

measure up to 300 feet high. 

“This natural area is less than 17 kilometres from downtown Toronto. It is 

another world — lush tree-cover up to the base of the bluffs, killdeer flying 

everywhere, bank swallows flitting in and out of their nests high up on the 

sandy walls, a hawk circling high above, searching for prey and the everpresent 

gulls over the lake. 

“I’m sure very few Canadians (let alone Torontonians) have ever seen or even 

heard of this 'wilderness' on the shore of Lake Ontario, so close to Toronto. 

One might easily think that I have been describing a land acquisition by the 

Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), but no, in this case, much of this land 

is owned by the Toronto Region Conservation Authority. 

“This could well have been an NCC story. For me, this example mirrors what NCC 

is all about: finding, buying, protecting and managing parcels of land, preserving 

flora and fauna that exist therein, for current and future generations to enjoy. 

“I can’t begin to describe the intensity I feel when I am in the middle of nature’s 

wonders, such as I was that day in July. By participating in NCC’s Gifts of 

Canadian Nature program, I am able, in my own small way, to spread the word 

to others, and hopefully spark their interest in nature and the need to help it.” 

~ Stuart Logan is a member of NCC’s Nature Legacy Society. 

He lives in Ajax, Ontario. 

Family values 

“I fell in love with NCC when I was doing a 

project on Canadian conservation organizations 

during my undergraduate degree 

at U of T. One of my favourites was NCC for 

its quiet, effective work protecting the many 

pieces of land that contain beautiful and 

functional nature, but that aren’t parks. 

“Giving regularly to NCC and other organizations 

is not just charity for me and my family 

— it’s an essential part of giving back. My family 

sees our contributions to NCC as a way to 

mitigate our unintended impacts, and a way 

to share that with our friends and family. For 

more than a decade, we’ve been giving and 

sending calendars and certificates through 

the Gifts of Canadian Nature (GCN) program, 

and our friends and family love the idea that 

they’ve contributed to the protection of 

a wild and beautiful piece of Canada.” 

~ Kai M.A. Chan, PhD, lives in Vancouver, 

BC. He has been participating in the 

GCN program for more than 10 years, 

and giving to NCC for over 20 years. 

STUART LOGAN. COURTESY KAI M.A. CHAN. 

NATURE CONSERVANCY OF CANADA 

245 Eglinton Ave. East, Suite 410, Toronto, ON M4P 3J1 

RE ID E17 A 3

NCC's 2017 fall magazine

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