Local contractors: DUC’s proxies in Ontario's rural communities

Just as volunteers are part of our flock, so are the skilled contractors who work with us in the field.  With their close knowledge of DUC’s large habitat projects, they often become passionate supporters.

Last autumn, DUC said good-bye to one of those good friends. Bill Stapleton was a long-time contractor to DUC in the Kingston area. Bill came on board in an operations and maintenance role and soon took on supervision and cost-tracking for large projects. Quickly, he was highly valued for his reliability and competence.

“Everyone enjoyed working with him including landowners and other construction workers,” recalls DUC engineer Craig Berga. “We had so much respect for Bill. Every piece of work was a show-piece.”

DUC’s Ontario-based engineering group—including Berga, Rick Robb and Steve Mack—works closely with contractors on project construction and annual inspections and maintenance.

Across the province, in the rural and semi-rural areas where DUC restores wetlands, there are trusted DUC contractors who have gained a great deal of specific knowledge about projects and provide outstanding service to assist the project landowners.

“We would not be able to carry out our work without this support,” explains Berga. “The services are invaluable and having someone based in the community reduces costly travel for us.”

Often, these contractors are the face of DUC for landowners. They treat every project with the same care they would if it were their own, and sometimes even donate services.