Making Childhood Green Again: Project Webfoot Wrap Up 2017

This is a guest post from DUC summer student Sarah Wilkins.

When a community takes the step to sign a municipal habitat stewardship agreement, it ensures that the next generation will have a healthy environment to enjoy, whether it be a walking trail, a fishing hole, a favourite berry picking spot, a community garden, or an outdoor classroom.

Critter dipping in Plum Point with students from Flower's Cove.

Having green spaces where children can learn and play is vital to their development and overall health. Kids who play outdoors are more physically active, more creative, less aggressive, show better concentration, and are more likely to be environmentally conscious adults. The National Wildlife Federation states that the most direct route to caring for the environment as an adult is participating in “wild nature activities” before the age of 11. Combining the outdoors with education for students is the number one mission of Project Webfoot.

In the last month, I have had the pleasure of meeting children across the province by delivering Project Webfoot field trips everywhere from St. Mary’s on the Avalon peninsula to Corner Brook on the west coast of the island. Project Webfoot is Ducks Unlimited Canada’s elementary school program which links specifically to the grade 4 curriculum. Field trips and in-class resources focus on the value of wetland habitat for both wildlife and people.

Plum Point.

In June 2017, Project Webfoot field trips were delivered by DUC staff to grade 4 students from four SAM member municipalities: Flower's Cove, Hawke's Bay, Deer Lake and Springdale. In addition, partner organizations delivered the program in Happy Valley - Goose Bay (for the first year ever, thanks to  Healthy Waters Labrador!), Grand Falls - Windsor (delivered by Corduroy Brook Enhancement Association), St. John's (delivered at the Fluvarium) and Indian Bay (delivered by staff at the Indian Bay Ecosystem Corporation). The field trip program incorporates outdoor learning by showing kids how to use binoculars and a spotting scope, how to identify male and female birds, as well as finding and identifying the aquatic invertebrates that many birds call their lunch! Games are geared to teach children what a wetland is, how to differentiate the several types of wetlands in Newfoundland and Labrador, and the many values wetlands offer people, wildlife, and the environment.

Critter dipping at Corner Brook marsh.

Explaining a game in Corner Brook.

While leading these field trips, it is exciting to experience the students' enthusiasm to be outside, “spying” on birds or practicing bird songs, and it is inspiring to see their eagerness to share their knowledge on exoskeletons, plant adaptations, food chains, and animal camouflage. Witnessing their compassion for the environment and concern for habitat and associated population loss is always the highlight of each field trip for me, along with their unrestrained enthusiasm for learning new things, finding bugs in the waters they often walk by each day, and being able to identify those bugs and learn about their life cycles.

If you are interested in a wetland-themed presentation for a summer camp or a Girl Guide/Scout group in your area or have any other questions about Project Webfoot and Ducks Unlimited Canada, please contact Danielle, Emma or Sarah at the DUC office in St. John's at du_newfoundland@ducks.ca or 709-237-DUCK (3825).

Corner Brook Marsh.

June and July SAM Community Updates

Summer is a busy season for stewardship and conservation. Here are three activities that kept us out of the office this summer.

Interpretive Hike: Burgeo
On the last weekend of July, Burgeo invited SAM to participate in its Sand and Sea Festival. SAM staff led an interpretive hike through the trails and beaches of Sandbanks Provincial Park. The hike was greatly enhanced by the wealth of local knowledge provided by Burgeo residents. Burgeo has been a member of SAM since 2010, and is looking forward to being more involved in the SAM community moving forward!

Wetland Mapping Fieldwork
SAM is involved in a pilot project to produce an inventory and a map of wetlands in Newfoundland and Labrador. The project is led by C-Core (a non-profit research based organization based at MUN), and the fieldwork element is a collaborative effort between C-Core and the NL EHJV partnership. During July and August, these partners are collecting data on wetland classification in multiple pilot areas, including around Happy Valley - Goose Bay, Deer Lake and the NE Avalon Peninsula, near PC-SP, Torbay, Flatrock, St. John's and Bauline.

Nest Box Workshop:Codroy Valley
On May 30, staff from DUC and NCC partnered up to deliver a nest box workshop for students at Belanger Memorial School in Upper Ferry, in grades K-6. Three boxes were installed, which will provide nesting habitat for ducks that nest in tree cavities, such as mergansers and goldeneyes. The students at the school agreed to be stewards of these three new nest boxes, and to inspect them every year for nesting activity.

SAM Fall Meeting: October 2-3 in Deer Lake

SAM Members, October 3 2015, Deer Lake

Last weekend, SAM representatives from 18 municipalities across Newfoundland and Labrador, and several partner organizations of the Eastern Habitat Joint Venture, gathered in Deer Lake to share recent stewardship and conservation initiatives from their communities. In the past year, several municipalities have constructed community gardens, expanded trail systems, installed interpretive signage, added stewardship zones and hosted engagement events such as birding workshops. Overall, it was an excellent year for SAM, with two new members (Bauline and Portugal Cove-St. Phillip's), and several more in the works. Dr. Kelly Vodden, of the Environmental Policy Institute, presented her research on source water protection in rural Newfoundland and Labrador.
New (and returning ) Executive Officers
Geoff Gallant (Torbay) stepped down as President, after dedicating five years to the role. His hard work on behalf of SAM and the Town of Torbay is much appreicated, and the SAM community wishes him all the best in his future endeavours. He was replaced by Linda Bailet (Carmanville), the former Vice-President, with Tony Chubbs (Happy Valley - Goose Bay) stepping up to fill her position. Cathy Kleinwort (Spaniard's Bay) and John Norman (Bonavista) remain in their positions of Treasurer and Secretary, respectively. 

SAM Executive 2014-2015, L-R: Vice-President Linda Bailet, President Geoff Gallant,
Treasurer Cathy Kleinwort, Secretary John Norman

SAM Executive 2015-2016, L-R: Secretary John Norman, President Linda Bailet,
Treasurer Cathy Kleinwort, Vice-President Tony Chubbs

Thank you to the town of Deer Lake for all of your hospitality. Many participants enjoyed the organized evening walk in the sunshine that showcased Deer Lake's beautiful beach and stewardship areas. Christopher Mitchelmore (MHA - The Straits-White Bay North and Environment critic with the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador) generously offered his time to give a guest presentation about the importance of wetland conservation in this province.
Thank you to everyone who participated, we look forward to seeing you at the next Annual General Meeting in spring 2016!

SAM Members enjoying the sunshine on the hike to the
Deer Lake stewardship areas.

Deer Lake

 

Know Your Wetland Classes, Part 1: "Fentastic" Fens

A few weeks ago I helped out my colleagues over at Ducks Unlimited Canada with wetland classification surveys near Deer Lake (a wetland stewardship community!). The field work was part of a large project to map the wetlands of Newfoundland and Labrador using remote sensing techniques. It was challenging, and fun, to classify over 30 wetlands in a three day period!

Did you know that there are 5 classes of wetland in Canada? Learn to recognize them and get acquainted with the wetlands near you. You can learn about all 5 classes of wetland in greater detail by reading the Canadian Wetland Classification System. This post is Part 1 of a 5 Part series entitled Know Your Wetland Classes. This week, I'll start with Fens.

Peatlands

Wetlands with a build-up of organic soil, or peat, are called peatlands. They are found in cool, wet environments where decomposition is slow, allowing for this build-up of organic material. Most of the natural wetlands in Newfoundland and Labrador are peatland, so chances are, you've seen one before! There are two types of peatland: Fen and Bog. 

Fens

Fens are peatlands that receive at least some of their water input from groundwater inflow. Water table fluctuates throughout the year, and is usually close to or above the ground surface. 

Fen Plants
Because groundwater is rich in dissolved nutrients and is less acidic than precipitation, fens have a higher diversity of plant life than their peatland compatriots, bogs. You'll find all sorts of neat plants here, including sedges, moss, Scheuchzeria (left) and Grass of Parnassus (right).