Ducks Unlimited Canada surpasses one million acres conserved in Ontario

Everyone is asked to mark conservation milestone by exploring local wetlands on World Wetlands Day

Barrie, Ont. (February 1, 2022)— As nations around the globe prepare to mark World Wetlands Day tomorrow, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is celebrating an important “wetland win” right here at home. DUC has surpassed an incredible milestone of conserving one million acres in Ontario.

Since 1974, DUC has completed more than 5,000 conservation projects in Ontario, altogether conserving one million acres of natural habitats—specifically, wetlands and their next-door natural spaces like grasslands and forests. Together, these habitats help make up functioning ecosystems and they’re making life better for wildlife and communities.

What that means on the ground is 4,000 square kilometres of nature in Canada’s most populous province. To celebrate this milestone, we’re inviting everyone to put on their boots and jacket and take a stroll in nature. There’s an old saying, enjoying winter is all about how you dress. With the right gear, winter can be as much fun as summer.

“We’re inviting Ontarians to bundle up and enjoy a winter wetland together. There are a million reasons to get outside in a winter landscape,” said Lynette Mader, DUC’s manager of provincial operations for Ontario. “Fresh air and special times together, that’s what many of us are looking for these days.”

New interactive map of 17 public wetlands in Ontario

On World Wetlands Day, instead of scrolling, we want Ontarians to try strolling in a winter wetland. Wetlands are one of Ontario’s best kept winter secrets. There are many public wetlands to enjoy and we’ve created an interactive map to help people discover 17 winter wetlands where they can go for a stroll today. New interactive map from DUC: ducks.ca/winterwetlands

The 17 wetlands featured on the map are all conservation projects carried out by DUC on public lands, which are owned and overseen by the Province of Ontario, the Government of Canada or local Conservation Authorities. Together with conservation landowners, both public and private, we are making progress on conserving important wetlands across the country.

DUC is uniquely positioned to provide large-scale, science-based wetland restoration. Restoring wetland habitat contributes to the natural infrastructure of landscapes by boosting climate resiliency, water quality, flood mitigation, phosphorus reduction and overall watershed health.

The same productive wetland habitat sustains wildlife including waterfowl, other birds and hundreds of other species such as turtles, fish and pollinators.

QUOTE:

“Our mission of protecting and restoring landscapes has resulted in more than one million acres of healthy wetlands and adjacent habitats in Ontario. What we’ve learned over the course of more than 5,000 conservation projects has uniquely positioned Ducks Unlimited Canada to provide the large-scale wetland restoration that is both needed and demanded by our communities for clean water and flood protection.” – Lynette Mader, DUC’s manager of provincial operations for Ontario

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ABOUT DUCKS UNLIMITED CANADA: Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is the leader in wetland conservation. A registered charity, DUC partners with government, industry, non-profit organizations, Indigenous Peoples and landowners to conserve wetlands that are critical to waterfowl, wildlife and the environment. To learn more about DUC’s innovative environmental solutions and services, visit ducks.ca/ontario

ABOUT WORLD WETLANDS DAY: February 2nd marks the adoption of the Convention of Wetlands, which took place in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar. It’s a treaty negotiated by countries and non-governmental organizations that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands. Canada is one of the treaty’s contracting parties and currently has 37 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar sites). Ducks Unlimited Canada is a proud conservation partner for 24 of them.