Spring 2018 NCC Magazine

SPRING 2018
Against
the odds
The Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve is
giving the endangered Poweshiek skipperling
a chance to survive

Nature Conservancy of Canada
SPRING 2018
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.
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COVER
Poweshiek skipperling
Photo by Rachel Caro.
THIS PAGE
Western prairie white-fringed orchid,
Tall Grass Prairie Preserve, MB
Photo by Thomas Fricke.
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2 SPRING 2018 natureconservancy.ca

Contents
Nature Conservancy of Canada SPRING 2018
Helping hands
TKTKTKTKTKTKT
THOMAS FRICKE. BRENT CALVER. ROBERT MCCAW.
There’s always something new to learn
about the natural world when you work
for a conservation organization. While
producing the spring 2018 issue of the Nature
Conservancy of Canada Magazine, for instance,
I learned that 800 migratory bird species benefit
from laws set in place more than 100 years ago
by Canada and the U.S.
Each spring, as many of these species return
to Canadian soil to breed and nest, Conservation
Volunteers for the Nature Conservancy of Canada
(NCC) travel to NCC properties from coast to
coast. Volunteers of all ages lend a hand to help
ensure these properties are safe and in good
condition for the birds’ arrival. You can be a part
of those efforts by signing up for an event at
conservationvolunteers.ca.
In this issue, you’ll also read about our efforts
to protect habitat for globally rare species at
risk, such as the Poweshiek skipperling butterfly.
Once a common species, there are now fewer
Poweshieks than pandas; scientists are in a race
against the clock to understand why it is declining.
In our Force for Nature story, we introduce
you to ranchers Scott and Julia Palmer, who
talked to us about their connection to the land
and the impact of their conservation agreement
with NCC. And find out how citizen scientists
in Quebec can now be a part of helping turtle
species, such as the snapping turtle.
As the snow melts in coming weeks and signs
of spring begin to emerge, we encourage you to
share your first signs of spring with us. You’ll find
more information on our #NCCEarlyBirds photo
contest on page 5 of this issue.
Thank you as always for your support of
our work.
Yours in conservation,
CBT
Christine Beevis Trickett
Director, Editorial Services
8
12
14 For the birds
Honour the Convention for the
Protection of Migratory Birds by
helping to protect Canada’s habitats.
16 Big heart country
The Creemore Nature Preserve brings
together locals in a shared passion
for the natural gem in their backyard.
17 Magic fabric
Outdoor educator Jackie Pye never
forgets to take her Indonesian
sarongs into the great outdoors.
18 Hidden in plain sight
Giving the Poweshiek skipperling
a chance to survive in Manitoba at
the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve.
14
12 Snapping turtle
Built like armoured tanks, with their
mighty jaws and muscular build, these
are Canada’s largest freshwater turtles.
14 Project updates
Protecting the island home of a nationally
rare shrub, ensuring a family’s natural
legacy and honouring one man's efforts.
16 Home on the range
When it comes to tending to the cattle
and land on Palmer Ranch in southwestern
Alberta, it’s all in the family.
18 A chance to thrive
Senator Diane Griffin recalls a memorable
encounter with a Thomson’s gazelle while
on safari in Africa.
natureconservancy.ca
SPRING 2018 3

COAST TO
COAST
For the birds
Celebrate the protection of more than 800 species
of migratory birds by volunteering to help protect
Canada’s habitats
Over the last century, a number of legal agreements signed by Canada
and the U.S. have helped protect more than 800 species of migratory
birds. In 1916, both countries signed the Convention for the Protection
of Migratory Birds, which aims to stop the indiscriminate and commercial
hunting of migratory birds and protect their nesting sites.
Last year marked the 100-year anniversary of Canada’s Migratory
Birds Convention Act, and 2018 is the centennial of the U.S. Migratory
Bird Treaty Act. All three are among important migratory bird conservation
efforts in North America over the last century.
You can help lend a hand to manage and restore habitat for migratory
birds by becoming a Conservation Volunteer.
Show your love!
Join a community of Canadians
working to protect species and
natural habitats. Like they say,
birds of a feather flock together!
conservationvolunteers.ca
ISTOCK.
TKTK
4 SPRING 2018 natureconservancy.ca

SONGBIRDS
Restore and care
for bird habitat
ILLUSTRATIONS: LAURA FETTERLEY. PHOTO: NCC.
RAPTORS
Become a
citizen scientist
Raptors, or birds of prey, are
species that hunt and feed
on other animals, including
rodents and birds. They have
keen eyesight, hooked beaks,
and feet with sharp, curved
claws or talons. The group
includes falcons, ospreys,
hawks, vultures and eagles.
Last year, NCC volunteers
observed migrating golden
eagles during an event in
Alberta’s Crowsnest Pass. They
also learned about raptors
from local experts. In British
Columbia, volunteers have
helped conduct bird inventories
to inform the development
of NCC’s conservation plans.
You can sign up for one of
NCC’s bird inventories across
the country and learn more
about birds of prey like the
golden eagle. Apply that
knowledge by downloading
eBird or iNaturalist — two
fantastic citizen science apps
— and heading out to the field
to collect important bird data.
You’ll be contributing to a
collective body of information
on birds.
GRASSLAND BIRDS
Make fences
safer for birds
Hollow metal posts are often
used in fences on Canada’s
prairies. Since they are small
in diameter and have smooth
inside walls, the posts can
create an unintended hazard
for grassland songbirds. Birds
can become trapped when
they are looking for a hole to
nest in, or when they perch at
the edge of the uncapped post
to explore what’s inside. Young
birds are especially at risk,
since they can easily fit into
pipes. Once they are trapped,
there is no way for them to
climb out, and they die.
The most critical times for birds
getting caught in these hollow
pipes is during migration and
breeding seasons, when more
birds are present and searching
for shelter and homes. You can
show your support for grassland
songbirds, like McCown’s
longspur, by helping NCC staff
cap fence posts with tin cans
and other recycled materials
at the Old Man on His Back
Prairie and Heritage Conservation
Area in Saskatchewan.
SHOREBIRDS
Keep Canada’s
shorelines clean
Shorebirds sport long legs for
wading in water or on mudflats,
and long bills for feeding on
hidden invertebrates. This group
includes oystercatchers, avocets,
stilts, turnstones, sandpipers,
yellowlegs, snipes, godwits,
curlews, phalaropes and plovers.
The piping plover is an iconic
yet endangered shorebird. In
Atlantic Canada it breeds on
sand and pebble beaches.
You can support piping plovers
and other shorebird species
by participating in a shoreline
cleanup this year. By volunteering
to clean up marine debris
and litter, you’ll enhance shoreline
health and protect the areas
where these birds nest and feed.
NCC hosts several shoreline
cleanups each year, such as at
Holman’s Island in PEI, Brier
Island in Nova Scotia and Sandy
Point beach in southwest
Newfoundland.
Songbirds, such as the
endangered prothonotary
warbler, are perching birds
known for their diverse
and elaborate songs. Many
songbirds, including chickadees,
woodpeckers, finches and
nuthatches, are often seen at
winter feeders. Sadly, many
songbirds are disappearing,
largely due to habitat loss.
Join efforts to restore and
maintain the health of native
bird habitat by volunteering for
a restoration project this year.
Whether it’s digging in for
a weed pull to remove invasive
plants or rolling up your sleeves
to plant a tree, you can help
ensure songbirds continue to
have safe places to nest and
rear their young.
In Ontario, NCC’s Conservation
Volunteers have been supporting
restoration work on Pelee
Island — a site well known for
its spring songbird migration
— for more than eight years.
This includes collecting seeds
and planting native species on
the property’s meadows and
restored wetlands, creating
prime habitat for birds.1
Celebrate the return of migratory birds with
NCC’s First Signs of Spring: Early Bird Edition
photo contest, now until May 1. Snap these
moments and share your photos on our
Facebook gallery or on Twitter and Instagram
using #NCCEarlyBirds. You could win one of
our weekly outdoor gear prizes or even the
grand prize: a $1,000 gift card. Upload your
photos and vote for your favourites today!
#NCCEarlyBirds
natureconservancy.ca

BOOTS ON
THE TRAIL
Big heart country
The Creemore Nature Preserve brings together locals
with a shared passion for a natural gem in their backyard
Creemore Nature Preserve
Two hours northwest of downtown
Toronto is the small Ontario town
of Creemore, home to the Nature
Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) Creemore
Nature Preserve. This 204-acre (83-hectare)
property is loved by both locals and
visitors alike.
Home to majestic, mature sugar maple
trees, a meandering, coldwater stream and
small pockets of wetlands, this lush Niagara
Escarpment forest shelters a variety of rare
and at-risk species. The sounds of hairy and
pileated woodpeckers echo through the trees,
while the red-shouldered hawks soar in the
skies above. At-risk wood thrushes and
eastern wood-pewees also live here. The
restored streams on the property support
trout and other coldwater fishes, as well
as various frogs and turtles.
WILD WALK
Over the years, NCC staff, along with volunteers,
have installed new footbridges and
improved trails on the reserve to provide
recreational access for hikers and protect the
surrounding habitat. There is a connected
network of hiking trails that vary in difficulty
and length, all of which have interpretive
signage explaining the natural history and
features of the area.
As you walk through the forest and along the
banks of the stream, you might spot the flash of
silver from a jumping trout. Take the 100-metre
Lookout Trail to see a former pond that is
in the process of transforming into a marsh
surrounded by new willows and dogwoods.
Go early in the morning or in the late afternoon
and you might spot a deer or coyote.
LOCAL LOVE
Known locally as “the Mingay,” after the family
who originally owned and donated the land
to NCC, the Creemore Nature Preserve is an
important part of the community. This area
was long inhabited by both Indigenous
NCC.
6 SPRING 2018 natureconservancy.ca

peoples and more recent settlers. NCC started
working on the property in 1997, but the trails
through the forest were already well known
to local nature enthusiasts. Creemore comes
from the Gaelic “Croí Mór,” meaning “big
heart,” and the town is true to its name in
supporting and caring for this important local
natural gem.
Several partners have supported NCC’s work
at the Creemore Nature Preserve, including
Creemore Springs Brewery, Nottawasaga Valley
Conservation Authority, Fisheries and Oceans
Canada, Gail Worth, Ian Cook and Carol Phillips,
Bruce and Anne Godwin, DJ and Diane Wiley,
and the Dichek family, in addition to many
local families and the Government of Canada,
under the Natural Areas Conservation Program.
BACKPACK
ESSENTIALS
White trillium
TRILLIUM: NCC. SARONGS: JUAN LUNA.
TRAILS
Maple Leaf Loop | moderate
Length: 2.5 km Width: 1–3 m
Surface: hard-packed dirt and rolling hills
Highlights: Venture through a mature sugar
maple forest and over stream crossings on
this trail loop.
Mingay Trail | moderate
Length: 2.5 km Width: 1–3 m
Surface: hard-packed dirt and rolling hills
Highlights: Follow the trail to a restored
stream and enjoy views from the lookout.
Lookout Trail | easy
Length: 0.1 km Width: 0.5 m
Surface: hard-packed dirt and flat ground
Highlights: Visit a restored pond to see new
wetland plants, such as willows and dogwoods,
grow and mature.
Trout Trail | easy
Length: 0.5 km Width: 0.5 m
Surface: hard-packed dirt and flat ground
Highlights: Follow the banks of a coldwater
stream, keeping an eye out for trout.1
Magic fabric
Her beautiful and practical Indonesian sarongs are
the most useful items that outdoor educator Jackie
Pye takes into the great outdoors
Sometimes, the simplest things
go a long way when you
are in the woods.
Whether camping, hiking
or canoeing, there are
a few tools that I never
leave behind — some
of them technical, and
some of them practical.
On the practical side,
some of the most useful
things in my kit have been the
sarongs I have collected in my work in
Indonesia at the Green School. These
affordable, reusable, multiuse fabrics
serve not only as a wrap for
a post-dip cover-up, but have
many magical uses that
make them a must-have
on the trail. Some of my
top uses for a sarong
have been: as a blanket,
an emergency sling,
a sun shelter, a satchel
bag, a strainer (for coffee
or pasta), a blindfold for trust
games, a towel, a belt, a scarf
and an oven mitt.1
natureconservancy.ca
SPRING 2018 7

Hidden in plain
TKTKTKTKTKTKT
TOP: RACHEL CARO. BOTTOM: THOMAS FRICKE.
8 SPRING 2018
natureconservancy.ca

With perhaps only 500 Poweshiek
skipperlings left in the world, the
Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve
is giving this endangered butterfly
a chance to survive the odds
sight
BY Susan Peters, writer and editor
TKTKTKTKTKTKT
They may be drab-brown
and no bigger than a
loonie, but Poweshiek
skipperlings are rarer
than pandas.
On a sunny November day, Marika Olynyk checks the
temperature above and below the snow at the Manitoba
Tall Grass Prairie Preserve, just 80 kilometres southeast of
Winnipeg. “Oh, that’s interesting,” she says. “It’s nine degrees warmer
under the snow, close to the ground.” The site is home to some of the
world’s last Poweshiek skipperlings, an endangered butterfly species
currently in diapause — the insect equivalent of hibernation — and
protected from the cold under a quilt of snow. “We think they’re near
the soil. Some insects go into the soil in winter, but we don’t think the
Poweshieks do that.”
The “we think” is important. In the entire world, perhaps 500 Poweshiek
skipperlings are left, with a significant portion found at the Manitoba
Tall Grass Prairie Preserve. Once a common species, they’ve now become
exceedingly rare: 10 per cent of the world’s population may be lying,
frozen, a few feet from Olynyk’s weather monitoring station. Over the
past 20 years, the population took a sharp, worrisome nosedive.
Determining why the butterflies have disappeared, and how they
can be recovered, is a team effort that stretches across the Canada–U.S.
border, requiring universities, zoos, governments and researchers, including
the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), to pool their knowledge, filling
in the questions on this understudied species.
“That’s the problem with endangered insects: they’re not on anyone’s
radar. They’re fascinating if you see them up close, but no one’s going to
see them up close,” says Olynyk wryly. She grew up in the country outside
of Saskatoon, surrounded by nature — from the toad that came out of
the sandy soil to plop onto the family’s deck when it rained, to the prairie
cactus she loved showing off to a visiting relative. Passionate about
natureconservancy.ca
SPRING 2018 9

ecosystems, Olynyk originally studied environmental
science, before earning her master’s
degree in natural resources management.
Now an engagement coordinator in NCC’s
Manitoba office, her work includes research
on the Poweshiek skipperling. “They’re not as
charismatic as panda bears or polar bears,
although those are great for drawing attention
to environmental issues.” Poweshieks also
don’t have marathon flights like monarchs,
those magnificent long-range flyers found
across southern Canada. So it’s perhaps
less easy to admire the small, drab-brown
Poweshieks, which are born and die in the
same small patch of prairie.
Last summer, Olynyk spent three weeks
observing the Poweshieks, noting everything
they did: observing what nectar plants the
adults feed on (black-eyed Susans are a
favourite), what they do in the rain (stop
flying), how far they can fly (not far) and
where they mate and lay eggs (Olynyk believes
the perfect spot is between slightly drier
terrain, where the nectar plants used by adults
grow, and the slightly wetter land that supports
the plants eaten by the caterpillars).
Today, Olynyk is installing a new weather
monitor and camera, and checking that the
other instruments are functioning correctly.
The camera, normally used to photograph
wildlife like deer, will instead take a daily
photo of the snow against a metrestick, to
track its depth as winter progresses.
Established in 1989, the Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve is home to
16 species at risk. Unfortunately, 99 per cent of this habitat has been lost.
Today, the most urgent conservation
Poweshiek skipperling, is to protect
Protecting the prairie
Once common across the American Midwest
and adjacent Manitoba, Poweshieks are
now found near Flint, Michigan, possibly in
Wisconsin and in one place in Canada: the
Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve. The
preserve is over 12,000 acres (4,800 hectares),
and owned by NCC and other partner organizations.
The wind blows across flat, scrubby
fields, interrupted by woods of bur oak and
aspen. Here and there are old tractor attachments,
abandoned by settlers who tried to
grow crops, only to find the soil better suited to
raising cattle. Ranchers and farmers conserved
the native prairies in the area through grazing,
haying and pasture-rejuvenating fire, to the
delight of botanists who went looking for
examples of tall grass prairie a century later.
Established in 1989, the Manitoba Tall
Grass Prairie Preserve is home to 16 species
at risk, including two endangered butterflies:
the spectacular monarch butterfly and the
drab Poweshiek skipperling.
With close to 200 Canadian species at risk
documented on its properties, NCC is actively
working to protect and recover these species.
NCC also manages and restores habitats for
species at risk on some properties, with
activities such as prescribed fires and invasive
plant control.
NCC also works with local conservation
groups and other landowners to develop
management plans for properties. In the
Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve, for
example, cattle grazing and haying the
grasses can help maintain open grasslands,
benefitting the health of the prairie and
local economy alike.
“Canada has this very long history of
recovering rare species, such as swift fox,
white pelican and bald eagle,” notes Dan
Kraus, NCC’s senior conservation biologist,
adding that there have been three main
causes of wildlife loss in Canada over the
last 150 years: unsustainable harvest,
pollution (such as DDT) and habitat loss.
“We’ve made good progress on the first two
problems,” says Kraus. “Today, the most
urgent conservation action for species at
risk is to protect and restore their habitats.”
Tall grass prairies and the species that
live there are in trouble, says Kraus. “We’ve
lost 99 per cent of this habitat, and it’s
critical we save what’s left.”
CLOCKWISE, TOP RIGHT: JIM BRANDENBURG/MINDEN. THOMAS FRICKE. THOMAS FRICKE.
10 SPRING 2018 natureconservancy.ca

Helping hands
In 2011, scientists who had become alarmed by
the sudden disappearance of the Poweshiek
skipperling came together for a conference in
Winnipeg. Researchers and conservationists
theorized about why the Poweshieks had
blinked out of existence from the hundreds of
sites where they used to live: gone in Minnesota
and North Dakota, and cut down to only
one spot in Wisconsin. Habitat loss was one
of the biggest concerns, of course, since
Poweshieks have very particular habitat needs.
The other reasons for the butterfly’s
disappearance remained a mystery: some
areas were grazed by cattle, some weren’t,
some had regular fires, some didn’t. Another
possibility could be a changing climate — it’s
possible that in a dry winter where the soil is
left bare, or if the snow melts during a warm
spell in February, the insects could die when
exposed to -35 Celsius.
The conference partners included
representatives from Michigan, the world’s
only other significant site of Poweshieks,
where the butterflies live on the fringe of
prairie wetlands unsuitable for farms or
housing. “It’s probably not one single cause,
but several things: chemicals, habitat
“Because of the great partnerships we’ve
built, we’re protecting more habitat for other
species,” says Cuthrell. “In Michigan, there
are two or three other rare butterflies in the
areas that are being protected for Poweshieks.
We have a little leafhopper that’s only in
five sites in the world, but four of those sites
also have Poweshieks.”
Last summer, researchers from Winnipeg’s
Assiniboine Park Zoo gathered eggs, trying
to raise Poweshieks in captivity (six tiny
caterpillars are spending the winter in an
incubator set at -4 Celsius, before being
thawed in the spring). Other scientists have
studied genetic diversity to determine the
extent of inbreeding. Poweshiek populations
have become isolated into separate groups
that can’t cross the road or ditch to mate with
each other, let alone fly four states over. In the
summer, for the brief period of two or three
weeks when the adult Poweshieks are flying,
biologists and volunteers gather at the
Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve to survey
Poweshiek skipperlings.
The late fall day of checking weather
monitors comes to an end at a site that
Poweshiek skipperlings love, possibly because
THREE AT-RISK TALL
GRASS PRAIRIE SPECIES
GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKEN
Now extirpated from Canada due to
habitat loss and over-hunting, this
species has not been observed in
Manitoba for more than 30 years.
Recovery efforts in Minnesota, just
south of the Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie
Preserve, are showing success. This
species may soon expand its current
range back into Canada.
action for species at risk, like the
and restore their habitats.
TOP TO BOTTOM: TIM FITZHARRIS/MINDEN. GLENN BARTLEY/BIA/MINDEN. THOMAS FRICKE.
destruction and climate change,” says David
Cuthrell, a conservation scientist with
Michigan State University. He’s concerned that
Michigan is seeing more severe droughts and
inconsistent winter temperatures. Plus, one
theory is that newer chemicals in pesticides
proven harmful to bumblebees and honeybees
(the organophosphate compounds and
neonicotinoids) could also harm Poweshieks,
if applied incorrectly.
The upside of unravelling the mystery of
the Poweshiek skipperling’s decline is that
the fight to save this one species may help
researchers learn how to save other endangered
butterflies, work across international
borders and conserve habitat for other
species at risk by saving the habitats they
need to thrive.
of all the black-eyed Susans growing there.
Olynyk is quietly confident that she will see
the humble brown butterflies again next year.
“We have five good areas for Poweshieks,
and we expect to see them in these areas in
the summer. We still check some areas where
there used to be Poweshieks, but we don’t
expect to see them there anymore”
In the spring, Olynyk and NCC staff will
head out to the sites to collect the snowdepth
cameras and weather data. They’ll
gather and analyze the information on the
2017–2018 winter conditions at the Poweshiek
sites. Any clues that can help unravel the
mystery of this species and the conditions it
needs to survive are invaluable in the race
to ensure these butterflies continue to fly in
Canada’s tall grass prairie.1
BOBOLINK
The male bobolink’s plumage resembles
a tuxedo worn backwards. This mediumsized
songbird has one of the world’s
longest migrations, travelling over
20,000 kilometres between southern
South America, Canada and the northern
U.S. each year.
WESTERN PRAIRIE
WHITE-FRINGED ORCHID
This endangered orchid grows in wet
meadows and prairies, and is pollinated
by nocturnal sphinx moths attracted
to its scent. NCC has secured habitat for
more than 25 per cent of the global
population of this species.
natureconservancy.ca
SPRING 2018 11

SPECIES
PROFILE
Snapping
turtle
They're the armoured tanks of the natural world. With
their mighty jaws and muscular build, snapping turtles
are Canada’s largest freshwater turtles
ROBERT MCCAW.
12 SPRING 2018 natureconservancy.ca

SIZE AND WEIGHT
Weighs up to 16 kilograms and usually grows to
35 centimetres in shell length (but occasionally
up to 50 centimetres).
SHELL
This robust species has a ridged, thick upper
shell (carapace), which is tan, olive or black,
and a long, studded tail. Its bottom shell
(plastron) is small compared to that of other
turtle species, leaving the snapping turtle’s
limbs and neck exposed. The snapping turtle
is unable to fully retract into its shell when
threatened, which is why it snaps its jaws as
a defense against predators.
RANGE
In Canada, this species is widespread — from
southeastern Saskatchewan to Nova Scotia.
Snapping turtles are still fairly common in
eastern Canada, but less so in Saskatchewan
and Manitoba.
HATCHLINGS
From late May to June, female snapping
turtles build their nests in sandy soil. The
number of eggs per nest varies widely, but
a typical clutch contains 25–45 eggs. The sex
of hatchlings is determined by the incubation
temperature — males develop between
23–28 Celsius, while females develop outside
this temperature range.
ALGAE
Snapping turtles spend so much of their time
in the water that algae grows on their carapace.
They occasionally climb onto logs or rocks to
bask in the sun, especially in northern areas
where it is cooler.
HELP OUT
To help protect habitat for species such as
the snapping turtle, visit giftsofnature.ca.
More than a hard shell
needed for protection
Although snapping turtles have few
natural predators due to their size, their
numbers have declined because of the
loss of their wetland habitat. They are
particularly vulnerable to road mortality,
because females often have to cross
roads to find suitable nesting sites. Their
reputation as aggressive, voracious
predators has unfortunately also made
them targets for persecution by people.
Snapping turtles do not attack swimmers,
and are only aggressive when provoked.
They play an important role as scavengers
and help keep our waters clean.
Snapping turtles can live over 70 years,
and only reach sexual maturity at 15 to 20
years of age. As a result, any loss of
mature individuals can impact the
population. Roadside nests are at risk
of being destroyed by traffic, and eggs
and hatchlings are also vulnerable to
being eaten by other animals.
The snapping turtle is currently listed
as a species of special concern under
Canada’s Species at Risk Act.
Snapping back for
turtles at risk
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC),
with support from our partners, launched
the Carapace Project during the summer of
2017. The project invites members of the
public to report turtle sightings throughout
Quebec. The data collected helps identify
sites in need of conservation action and
helps define hot spots for road mortality.
To date, 856 turtle sightings have been
reported on the website (carapace.ca), of
which half were snapping turtles.
NCC conserves freshwater habitats that
support species like the snapping turtle.
Across Canada, NCC has conserved
properties where snapping turtles occur,
including in the Outaouais region, the
Grand Marais de Bristol, Clarendon and
Sheenboro natural areas in Quebec, the
Interlake Natural Area in Manitoba and the
Silver River property in Nova Scotia. In
Ontario, NCC has restored wetland habitat
on Pelee Island and in the Southern
Norfolk Sand Plain. Snapping turtles were
spotted using these new habitat areas
almost immediately!1
natureconservancy.ca
SPRING 2018 13

PROJECT
UPDATES
3
2
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
Visit natureconservancy.ca/where-we-work to learn
more about other NCC projects.
1
1
Protected: Island home
of a nationally rare shrub
YARMOUTH, NOVA SCOTIA
BC NS
Within an area 25 kilometres wide, on the
southern tip of Nova Scotia, grows a unique
perennial flowering shrub. A member of the
aster family, eastern baccharis grows to about
three metres tall. In fact, the entire Canadian
population of this species, estimated at 3,000 plants, is found in
and around the salt marshes of Lobster Bay, near Yarmouth.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) recently protected
a 61-acre (25-hectare) island habitat for this nationally threatened
and rare plant. The newly conserved island in Lobster Bay is called
Tete a Milie (Milie’s Head), named by the area’s Acadian settlers.
Although found along the eastern coast of the U.S., in Nova Scotia
the eastern baccharis is at the northern tip of its range.
The island was entrusted to NCC by John Brett of Halifax, who was
thrilled to discover eastern baccharis on the property about 15 years
ago. “[Since I’m] an amateur naturalist, you can imagine how excited
I was. It’s not every day you come across a large, prominent shrub
that turns out to be the only member of its genus to be found in the
entire country! And here it was, hiding in plain sight.”
This dynamic environment, coupled with the shelter provided by
Lobster Bay’s salt marshes and relatively mild climate, attracts a great
diversity of wildlife: willets, bald eagles, ospreys, blue herons, kingfishers,
harbour and gray seals, white-tailed deer, black bears, bobcats, minks,
even the occasional porpoise and small whale. In the fall, many kinds of
shorebirds feed on the mudflats before continuing their migration south.
In winter, sea ducks, loons and mergansers shelter in Lobster Bay.
NCC has now completed two conservation projects in Lobster Bay,
building on work by the Province of Nova Scotia to establish the nearby
Tusket Islands Wilderness Area.
Learn more at natureconservancy.ca/easternbaccharis.
Harbour seal
Tete a Milie is a drumlin: a rich mound of soil and rocky debris formed thousands
of years ago by retreating glaciers, which has been further shaped by the tides.
SEAL: NICK HAWKINS. EASTERN BACCHARIS, TETE A MILIE: ANTHONY CRAWFORD.
14 SPRING 2018 natureconservancy.ca

Partner
Spotlight
Thank you to our sponsors
of the Nature Conservancy
of Canada’s cross-country
NatureTalks series in 2017.
NatureTalks events engage
Canadians in discussions that
focus on urgent conservation topics.
The NatureTalks cross-country
series brings together multi-disciplinary
panels for knowledge
sharing, enhancing connections
between people, nature and
conservation.
John Walters (Nancy Ferrier’s
nephew) and his wife, Sylvia. When
Nancy passed away, they became
the executors of the estate.
In 2017, the NatureTalks series
visited 10 major cities across
Canada and delved into various
topics, including water, grasslands
and natural capital. Thank
you to everyone who joined
us for an evening of thoughtprovoking
discussion.
2
Keeping it all in the family: The Ferrier property
GOUGH LAKE, ALBERTA
In 1904, brothers John and Tom Ferrier sailed from Scotland to Canada to look for
a homestead and to make a better life. They settled on the edge of Alberta’s Gough
Lake, 125 kilometres east of Red Deer, where they built a wood shack with a tin roof.
John and his wife, Agnes, raised their children on the farm through the Great
Depression and two World Wars. After decades of drought, dust and hail storms, the
Ferriers’ children saw the farm prosper.
Recently, John Ferrier’s last surviving child, Agnes Isabelle Ferrier, known as Nancy,
passed away and willed the land to NCC. The property contains wetlands and shoreline
habitats that are essential for the mammals, grassland birds, shorebirds and waterfowl
that live in and migrate through the region.
AB
3
Loomer’s legacy: Picking up where he left off
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA
BRENT CALVER.
Over two days this past September, the family of the late Dick Loomer, a former
volunteer steward who passed away in June 2017, joined NCC Conservation
Volunteers and staff at NCC’s Swishwash Island Nature Sanctuary. The group had
assembled to recognize and carry on Dick’s important legacy of caring for this
BC
island, which perches in the mouth of the Fraser River.
Located in the midst of one of Canada’s largest urban centres, Swishwash Island
offers a safe haven for diverse wildlife, including coyotes, eagles, salmon and
thousands of snow geese that use the island as a stopover spot during their flight
south from the Arctic. After being taken over to the island on the Coast Guard’s
bright red Zodiacs, the group planted 100 Douglas-fir seedlings, conducted a beach cleanup and cut Scotch
broom, an invasive plant species. Watch a video of the event at natureconservancy.ca/swishwashsteward.
NatureTalks will be coming to a city
near you in 2018! Stay tuned for more
information, including dates, panel
topics and speaker lineups:
natureconservancy.ca/naturetalks.

FORCE FOR
NATURE
Home on
the range
On the Palmer Ranch in southwestern Alberta,
ranching and conservation go hand in hand
COLIN WAY.
16 SPRING 2018
natureconservancy.ca

Spanning the lush, vibrant grasslands of Alberta’s southern
foothills, the Palmer Ranch is a place deeply rich in history,
with family connections to the land tightly intertwined with
the practice of ranching. It’s a place where cows graze on grassy
ridges neighbouring Canada’s Rocky Mountains, which tower
majestically in the background. The area still harbours wildlife
species, including large carnivores, that once existed throughout
the Northern Great Plains.
JULIA PALMER.
In 1999, co-owners Scott and Tom Palmer approached the Nature
Conservancy of Canada (NCC) with the idea of building a lasting legacy
on this land. It was NCC’s first large conservation agreement on the
boundary of Waterton Lakes National Park. The project planted the
seed for other collaborations between NCC and ranchers in the area.
Scott’s daughter Julia is keen to continue her family’s legacy by
taking the reins as the manager of Palmer Ranch. Read our interview
with Scott and his eldest daughter, Julia, below.
NCC: Scott, why was it important for you to teach Julia about ranching
and the rancher’s life?
SP: “She came naturally to it. I wasn’t specifically teaching her things;
she was just picking up on it. She had lots of exposure to different ways
of approaching ranching, too.”
JP: “One thing that was really special about growing up with my parents
was that I never had to be a rancher. If I wanted to explore something
else, I could. I just happened to love ranching, so mom and dad made a
point of including me on so many different adventures. I wasn’t always
helpful, and in fact may have slowed down the process, but I never felt
like I was a hindrance. I had something to offer, and I could be part of
the ranch. In ranching, you have this tie to a place that you watch, grow
and change with. You can start to see your influence on it and also how
it shapes you.”
You have this tie to a place that
you watch, grow and change with.
You can start to see your influence
on it and also how it shapes you.
NCC: How have NCC’s conservation efforts on Palmer Ranch influenced
your family’s ranching practices?
SP: “NCC has been really important to us, ranching-wise. It’s given us
a really nice base of grass to produce some grass-fed cattle — the way
it used to be done [by ranchers in the past].”
JP: “It’s been really exciting to have an organization like NCC to partner
with, and it’s been great tapping into the knowledge network NCC has,
such as rangeland health experts in the area. NCC has also been really
open to our suggestions too, allowing us to work collaboratively on
improving and enhancing this property.
Palmer Ranch is a strong example of what can happen
when ranchers and conservationists work together.
“While we’ve absolutely made some
mistakes at times, we’re recognizing and
making the changes by using new strategies
— that’s where NCC has been really important
for us. Working with NCC, we’ve been able to
develop off-site watering systems and change
our grazing patterns by using electric fencing.”
NCC: Julia, why is it important to you to continue
your family’s legacy on Palmer Ranch?
JP: “I love this place. If I could do one thing in
my lifetime well, I want to leave it either intact
or better than it was before. I want to contribute
to a place, a landscape, that has meant more to
me than I could ever put into words.
“Ranching allows me to live here, and I really
hope it is what I’m able to do for the rest of my
life. I don’t have a family at the moment — my
husband grew up on a sheep farm in Scotland
and has a love of farming and agriculture as
well — but we’re hoping to have kids. Perhaps
they won’t want to be ranchers, but I hope they
will always have an appreciation for nature
and for the ranch.”1
To read more about the history of Palmer
Ranch and more from Julia and Scott, visit
natureconservancy.ca/palmerranch.
natureconservancy.ca
SPRING 2018 17

CLOSE
ENCOUNTERS
A chance to thrive
By Senator Diane Griffin, former NCC program director for PEI
From the nearby windows of a Jeep, we watched
the gazelle gently clean her tiny newborn and then
walk away. The newborn was too weak to move,
so the mother came back and walked away again. Back in
the Jeep, we were quietly cheering for the baby gazelle
— “Get up! Get up!” — because we had seen lions and
hyenas in the area, and knew the calf wouldn’t last long
where it was, out in the open. The mother came back and
this time the newborn tried to nurse — and the mother
walked away again. Finally the baby was on its feet, moving
on wobbly legs, and we breathed a sigh of relief, knowing
its mother would soon find a good hiding place for it.
I and a group of friends had been travelling across the
Serengeti savannah, when our eagle-eyed guide and driver
spotted a Thomson’s gazelle lying down in the grass.
Although I’ve had many wonderful close encounters
with wildlife, this experience on my African safari is one
of the most memorable. I suppose it reminded me of the
newborn calves I saw growing up on my family’s dairy farm.
If not for the care of their mothers, and of course their
human caretakers, they would not have survived. Growing
up on a farm inspired me to study biology in university
and I was fortunate to take courses in ecology — a new
and exciting field in the 1970s. From my ecology professor,
I learned about the interconnectedness of habitats and
species, which led me to conservation and the Nature
Conservancy of Canada (NCC).
While I have been fortunate to see wildlife in many
places throughout the world, it never ceases to amaze me
how rich Canada is in wildlife. Without habitat, there
would be no wildlife — it is that simple. The work done
by NCC helps to ensure that our country will continue to
maintain habitat.
Although we saw many other animals on that trip
— and even had one of our camp chairs nibbled by
a hyena outside our tent — it was that birth, and the
vulnerability it exposed, that impressed me the most.
I remain extremely proud of my work with and
connection to NCC. We all have a role to play in conserving
and caring for natural areas, to allow our Canadian
species — including moose, mountain goat, Blanding’s
turtle and many species of birds — the opportunity to
be born and raised in the habitats they require to survive
and thrive.1
HEATHER COOK.
18 SPRING 2018 natureconservancy.ca

Your passion for Canada’s natural spaces defines your life; now it can
define your legacy. With a gift in your Will to the Nature Conservancy
of Canada, no matter the size, you can help protect our most vulnerable
habitats and the wildlife that live there. For today, for tomorrow and for
generations to come.
Learn more about leaving a gift in your Will at
NatureConservancy.ca/legacy or 1-800-465-0029

YOUR
VOICES
Looking to the future
“As a volunteer with the Nature Conservancy
of Canada (NCC), I have been
involved for several years with NCC’s
work to conserve the unique landscape
of Newfoundland and Labrador. In 2017,
our family decided to donate a 243-acre
(94-hectare) coastal property in Freshwater
Bay, near St. John’s, to NCC.
“This property is a peaceful place, with
stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean,
just minutes from the city. We were
happy to provide the East Coast Trail
Association with access to this land, so
hikers could explore the area. Now we
are looking forward to working with
NCC to ensure this land is permanently
protected and remains in its natural
state for present and future generations
to appreciate.”
~ Rob Crosbie is an avid sportsman
and well-known business leader who
has been involved with NCC in Newfoundland
and Labrador since 2009.
Mess or meadow?
“In my old neighbourhood in downtown Toronto, a church on a corner lot got
torn down, to be replaced by townhomes. But before the property became
a construction site, it stood vacant for a long time. Or rather, it stood unoccupied
by people. Opportunistic wild things claimed it for their own.
“In spring and summer, it became glorious; full of purple thistles and the goldfinches
who thrive on them, sunflowers, orange daylilies, goat’s beard that
formed seed pods like ghostly globes, blue tares, wavy grasses, creeping pink
bindweed. Not only a joy to the eyes, the little meadow, as I called it, smelled
green on the smoggiest days and hummed with insect chatter.
“I knew that not everyone approved of the meadow, because I’d heard complaints
about its resident skunk. 'Somebody should clean out that mess,' they said.
“To me, the meadow was one of the neighbourhood’s pleasures and a testament
to nature’s ability to transform a pile of rubble into a refuge. I fantasized
about becoming wealthy enough to buy up every vacant lot in the city, just to
leave it be. That didn’t happen, but pondering the fate of my meadow moved
me to join in NCC’s efforts to open people’s eyes to the nature in their midst
and to acquire and conserve plots of land across the country, some of them
meadows destined to last!”
~ Liz Warman has been a montly donor with NCC since 2009.
Send us your stories! magazine@natureconservancy.ca
GOLDFINCH: STEVE GETTLE/MINDEN PICTURES.
NATURE CONSERVANCY OF CANADA
245 Eglinton Ave. East, Suite 410, Toronto, ON M4P 3J1
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E18 A1