While the majority of North American media has been focused on a few high-profile stories over the past few weeks, an amazing and uplifting story has quietly emerged behind the scenes in Manitoba and Ontario.

A warm welcome from some of the children of Bloodvein First Nation.
Credit: Jeff Wells

It began with the joint announcement between the Bloodvein First Nation and the Government of Manitoba over a new land designation covering the Bloodvein First Nation’s traditional lands. Their traditional land—more than 3,900 square kilometres (almost 100,000 acres)—straddles the coastline of Lake Winnipeg and sprawls eastward along the Bloodvein River and surrounding pristine boreal forest. This remote and picturesque region will now become a traditional-use planning area, which will support and maintain the traditional ways of life these people have relied on for generations. It will also allow for sustainable development opportunities as the community sees fit. All in all, 60% of their lands will be off-limits to any non-traditional activities and the remainder will be carefully managed by the First Nation.

The news got even better when last Wednesday the Pimachiowin Aki Corporation—a group of five First Nations (including Bloodvein) and the governments of Manitoba and Ontario—announced their formal nomination to establish a UNESCO World Heritage Site on their traditional lands. Years of cooperation and planning between these entities paved the path toward this day, and we offer our deepest congratulations on this historic achievement.

Here’s a video about the announcement (including great shots of the area):

The more than 43,000 square kilometre area (more than 10 million acres) spans from the coasts of Lake Winnipeg all the way into the western part of Ontario. It is part of a unique type of southern boreal forest and is still highly intact. In fact, it makes up a good portion of the largest intact block of forest anywhere on earth. Vast networks of lakes, rivers, and wetlands span the area and provide a crucial safeguard for numerous species, including the increasingly-threatened woodland caribou. You can read more detailed posts we’ve written in the past about this project here and here.

Pimachiowin Aki is also home to some great scenery.
Credit: Jeff Wells

Being an avid birder, I can highly appreciate this region’s importance for many North American migratory birds. Lying almost directly north of the Mississippi Flyway, enormous quantities of birds—both in terms of species and overall number—use this area for either summer breeding grounds or as stopover habitat along their northward routes, including some of our most threatened birds like the Canada Warbler, Olive-sided Flycatcher, and Rusty Blackbird.

Here’s an Olive-sided Flycatcher I was able to film in the area:

I had the honor and privilege to be able to visit this sacred place this past summer and was able to tour some of the area that would be protected within this World Heritage Site, including a breathtaking flyover. In addition to meeting some amazing and inspiring people who have been working on this project for years, I was able to take some time outside to explore the area. Christian Artuso of Bird Studies Canada  also took a trip up to the region this past year and wrote a terrific guest post on our blog about his experiences (including some great photos).

Here’s a video of one site within the region where you can hear some of the birds that I heard while on my trip (listen for: Chestnut-sided Warbler, Gray Jay, White-throated Sparrow, Tennessee Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Ruby-crowned Kinglet):

The proposed UNESCO Site, if eventually finalized, would become the first UNESCO Site designated under both natural and cultural heritage in Canada. The people who live there today have been living off that same land for thousands of years and, if finalized, will be able to for many years to come. And the nature speaks for itself.

A final decision should come from UNESCO by 2013.

Here are a couple additional videos I was able to take while on my trip to the region last summer…

Scenery during a boat ride up the Bloodvein River:

White-throated Sparrow:

The holiday season has come and passed. Some of us find ourselves with a few extra presents, many of us find ourselves with a few extra pounds. Whatever it is we’ve gained this winter, it seems as though Santa is facing the opposite problem.

Santa’s reindeer—or caribou as they’re more commonly known in North America—are in serious trouble. From the migratory barren ground herds in the northern tundra to the more southerly forest-dwelling woodland caribou found in the boreal forest, Santa’s friends (and main mode of transportation) are declining in the wake of habitat loss, predation, and a changing environment.

Dangerous road crossing for a young caribou in Quebec.
Credit: Valerie Courtois, Canadian Boreal Initiative

Justina Ray, a colleague of mine and Executive Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, recently wrote a well-timed and well-written opinion piece in the New York Times highlighting the plight of our caribou to the north:
Read op-ed in NY Times >

While caribou numbers have historically fluctuated up and down, she notes an important difference for caribou this time around:

“In the barren lands of the far north, where caribou numbers have undergone natural fluctuations over decades, the question is whether the declining populations will have the chance and the space to rebound as their ranges, particularly their calving areas, face mineral exploration, mine, oil and gas development, and a changing climate.”

While there are some factors behind their decline mostly out of our control, such as forest fires, we do have the ability to make an impact in other areas. Habitat loss and degradation is widely considered to be the leading factor behind their long-term decline, which was echoed in a paper I coauthored with other leading scientists last summer. Climate change is another threat we can make a difference on.

Woodland caribou have lost much of their southern habitat (in red).
Credit: International Boreal Conservation Campaign

The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) has a petition up for Canadian leaders to protect this iconic species from further decline. They are only 10,000 signatures short of their goal of 36,000, the estimated number of woodland caribou remaining in the wild.

So unless you’re comfortable with the idea of Santa hitching a ride next Christmas Eve, I highly suggest you add your name to the list!
Sign petition >

Audubon has a way to make the birds a little less angry this year
Borrowed from: Geekalerts.com website

While this question is typically posed to children to determine what sorts of presents they can anticipate over the holidays, most of us would infer it’s a little more complicated than that. Regardless of which side you think you’ve leaned toward this past year, however, there’s a great way and fun way to tilt that scale a little more in favor of the ‘nice’ side.

Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count (CBC) occurs every year and, for those of you less familiar, is intended to compile data on bird movements and occurrences throughout North America. It’s not just a fun little social media experiment (although they usually do have some interesting maps and graphics as a result), this information goes a long way toward better understanding birds and how we can help them. For example, in the 1980s researchers used data from CBCs to document the decline of the American Black Duck, resulting in several conservation measures to ease hunting pressures on the species.

To participate, all you have to do is find a circle (basically a team of volunteers that scan a specific area) on their registration page, sign up (registration is only $5), and show up on time at the stated meet up location. Organizers will often post additional comments or instructions. It’s a great excuse to get outside, see some amazing birds, meet other birders, and tip that karma scale a little more back in your favor!

Attawapiskat First Nation office
Credit: Paul Lantz

We thought it important to bring to your attention a troubling crisis in the far north of Canada. We’ve blogged numerous times in the past about various environmental crises in the boreal forest—from worrisome declines in woodland caribou and migratory birds to destructive industrial projects—but this story focuses on a human tragedy, and one that will resonate deeply with anyone concerned about poverty, disease outbreaks, and other cold realities of those less fortunate than many of us are.

Attawapiskat First Nation is a small Aboriginal community in the far north of Ontario, less than 20 miles from James Bay up the Attawapiskat River. Long a place of gathering for indigenous people in the area living off the land, over the past century its infrastructure has grown and today nearly 2,000 people reside there year-round. Unfortunately, the condition that many of these people live in is quite shocking.

In late October Attawapiskat First Nation declared a state of emergency over living conditions in the town. Goods—everything from groceries and clothes to fuel, firewood and building materials—are extremely expensive, largely due to shipping costs. There are also very few jobs. While the large diamond company De Beers operates a multi-billion dollar mine less than 60 miles away, only 100 of the 500 employees are from the First Nation and many have complained about pay inequity. In recent years, members of the First Nation have held protests over the relative lack of revenue sharing from the mine, which is on their traditional land.

This combination has left the community with extremely poor living conditions. Makeshift tents, sheds and trailors make up the living quarters for many of the members, most of which are uninsulated and often lack a heat source despite the temperature being well below freezing during the winter. Some of these homes don’t even have running water and must use buckets for waste. Exacerbated by cold and crowded housing, a high number of respiratory and skin infections have plagued the area.

Video showing the housing crisis:

This is something you’d expect to see in a third world country, not a prosperous Western country like Canada. The government has begun to listen, but some complain that it knew about these conditions long in advance and should have acted sooner. Additionally, some of its more recent approaches to solving the problem have come under scrutiny, including the proposal to place Attawapiskat under third-party management to oversee renovations and improvements. This would force them to pay a hefty $1,300 per day fee for the consultant and would largely remove the government’s direct responsibility for overseeing improvements.

It’s a very tough and complex situation, and one filled with much emotion. Here are a couple of good articles discussing some of the components of the crisis:

Feds aware of Attawapiskat crisis for years:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/12/03/pol-attawapiskat-thehouse-strahl-fontaine.html

Attawapiskat’s woes spark debate about what’s wrong on Canada’s reserves:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/attawapiskats-woes-spark-debate-about-whats-wrong-on-canadas-reserves/article2255952/

Attawapiskat Crisis: Reserve Must Pay $1,300 Daily For Third-Party Consultant:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2011/12/08/attawapiskat-crisis-pay-consultant_n_1136665.html?ref=canada-politics

(Op-ed): Rethinking the future of Ontario’s north
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1098714–rethinking-the-future-of-ontario-s-north

Unfortunately, Attawapiskat First Nation is not alone. Numerous other First Nations across Canada have complained about similar situations—poor housing facilities, water and electricity shortages, and other undesirable conditions—and the issue of living conditions in Aboriginal communities has become much larger than any one of those communities. It’s a problem that must be addressed – we join the call for a renewed and real commitment by government leaders to create thriving, sustainable communities in Canada’s North with a high standard of housing and a quality way of life.

With the holiday season well underway we thought you might enjoy these terrific waxwing photos our colleague, Valerie Courtois of the Canadian Boreal Initiative, took from her yard way up north in Goose Bay, Labrador. These were taken in November, meaning they could be a bit further south at this point. Enjoy, and hope you get some backyard visitors (birds, not crooks) this holiday season as well!

Canadian Mint, the manufacturer of Canadian currency, has come out with a new sleek coin celebrating Canada’s vast and wild boreal forest. This new toonie (Canada’s $2 coin) fits with Mint’s current trend expanding awareness of Canada’s natural heritage. It was preceded by a loonie ($1 coin) dedicated to the centennial of Parks Canada and will be followed in 2012 by three quarters featuring the Orca, Wood Bison, and Peregrine Falcon. Three noble and worthy species to showcase in my humble opinion.

The fact that Canadian Mint chose to highlight the boreal forest on their new $2 coin demonstrates the growing awareness about the importance of this critical forest. While it’s significance has surely been understood by the hundreds of First Nations and Aboriginal groups who have resided there for thousands of years, its importance was less understood by more urban Canadians as well as the international community for a long time. However, over the past 20 years or so, this has gradually changed. Today the words “boreal” and “natural heritage” are practically synonymous in Canada. Its beauty, ecological and social importance are as recognized as ever, and this coin helps it take one more step forward.

It is fitting that the coin features a bird given the boreal is one of the most important breeding grounds for migratory birds anywhere on earth. Billions of migrants flock to the boreal each spring to feast on the abundance of food emerging from the snow-covered winter. It’s also fitting that it features a person given humans have coinhabited this vast network of trees, wetlands, and waterways for millenia.

You can purchase 5-packs of these commemorative coins here >

Canadian Mint produced a short television ad to help promote both the coin and the boreal forest. It took a bit of heat from a reporter who argued several of the species featured in the advertisement were not common boreal species. However, in my opinion this artistic interpretation of the boreal should be primarily intended to induce amazement and awe of the boreal rather than act as a catalogue of occurring species. Here’s the ad below – feel free to comment and tell us what you think about it!

-David

The Mackenzie River – largest in Canada
Credit: Irene Owsley

Canada’s boreal forest is big. Real big.

At 1.4 billion acres (think of two Argentinas), this lush and varied landscape spans the middle third of Canada like a green scarf. But it’s not all green. The retreat of ice from the last ice age has left the boreal with millions of pristine blue lakes speckled across its terrain—the largest concentration anywhere in the world—as well as countless undammed, free-flowing rivers that carve through the vast expanses of trees.

This is in part what makes Canada’s boreal such a Mecca for migratory birds. Billions of birds—from songbirds and raptors to waterfowl and shorebirds—flock there every summer to take part in one of the largest breeding occurrences on Earth. The plethora of lakes, wetlands and rivers form ideal habitat for waterfowl and shorebirds and produce a feast of insects for a variety of land birds. The waves of migrants heading south each fall can be found in every corner of the United States and, in the case of the Hudsonian Godwit, as far away as the Tierra del Fuego.

As with any great forest ecosystem, however, it is seeing its fair share of industrial threats. Demand for paper and wood products, sources of electricity, mineral resources and our seemingly never-ending thirst for oil are pushing an industrial footprint further and further into the heart of the boreal each year.

You would be hard pressed to find a part of the boreal absent of many birds, but three particular aquatic-friendly regions are becoming areas of particular concern. These were highlighted in the newly-released report Birds at Risk: The Importance of Canada’s Boreal Wetlands and Waterways, a collaboration between the Boreal Songbird Initiative, the Natural Resources Defense Council and Nature Canada, of which I was a co-author.

The Hudson and James Bay Lowlands

From a plane, the vast expanses of lakes, wetlands and muskeg that sweep across the Hudson and James Bay Lowlands of Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec seem to stretch endlessly into the horizon. Parts of it almost do, as the northern portions in Ontario and Manitoba form part of the largest intact block of forest anywhere on earth. The coastal tidal zones and interior wetlands provide vital breeding grounds for a whopping 28 species of waterfowl, 21 waterbirds, including loons, terns and herons, as well as 19 types of shorebird. It also serves as an important stopover habitat for many species that breed further north in the Arctic. The 33 recognized Important Bird Areas within the region demonstrate just how wealthy this landscape is from a bird perspective.

James Bay Lowlands
Credit: Evan Ferrari

However, some of the largest and most important rivers that flow through this vast drainage basin have been dammed, most notably in the James Bay region of Quebec and Hudson Bay lowlands of Manitoba. Touted as being “green” compared to other sources of electricity, dams still cause notable detrimental effects on breeding and stopover habitat for birds. Reservoirs created by dams flood important habitat—the James Bay Project in Quebec alone has flooded as much as 5,135 square miles, lost habitat for an estimated 5 to 10 million birds—and block important nutrients and natural flows that spur life further downstream. Mercury contamination within these artificial lakes is also a major concern. Fish in reservoirs of the James Bay Project have been unsafe to eat since the 1980s, and such contamination inevitably affects predatory fish and birds higher up in the food chain.

The Peace-Athabasca Delta

The Peace-Athabasca Delta, a major freshwater delta where the Peace and Athabasca Rivers meet and eventually descend into Great Slave Lake and then into the Mackenzie—Canada’s largest river—is one of the most important regions for birds, particularly for waterfowl and shorebirds, anywhere in the world. Its location in northern Alberta positions it uniquely at the confluence of three major flyways: the Pacific, Central and Mississippi. It is one of the largest freshwater deltas in the world and is filled with numerous inlets and small lakes and ponds, which make for perfect conditions for a wide variety of birds. Upwards of 215 birds have been recorded in or near the delta, and spring and fall migrations through the region are staggering. Large spring migrations have seen more than 400,000 waterfowl and over 1 million birds returning south in the fall. It’s also vital for a number of shorebirds and waterbirds, and the adjacent Wood Buffalo National Park poses as the last natural breeding grounds for the endangered Whooping Crane.

The Peace-Athabasca Delta in northern Alberta

The W. A. C. Bennett Dam upstream in the Peace River, installed in the 1960s, has reduced flows into the Peace-Athabasca Delta for decades and has become a source of concern among First Nations. The Peace River is integral to the formation of many of the small inlets and ponds heavily used by birds and further flow reduction could become a reality if the proposed Site C Dam is allowed to proceed as planned. In addition to reduced flow, there is considerable concern about contamination of the Athabasca River due to tar sands development upstream from the Delta. Higher rates of cancer in nearby Fort Chipewyan as well as documentation of deformed fish in the region have elevated fears that contaminants are leaking downstream, including into the Delta.

The Lake Superior Watershed

Lake Superior, which straddles the United States and Canada, is the largest freshwater lake by surface area in the world. Exposed granite, dense bedrock and thin soils throughout the northern portion of its drainage basin create irregular drainage patterns and have left the region heavily packed with small lakes and wetlands. Several boreal-breeding birds experience their highest breeding densities in the region, including the bug-loving Olive-sided Flycatcher and Alder Flycatcher. Many warblers flourish in the mix of wetlands and coniferous and deciduous trees.

One of the many small lakes in Lake Superior Provincial Park
Credit: Matt Medler

The dense stands of trees common throughout the region have enticed numerous logging operations and the network of roads present has made much of the area easily accessible. While companies on Crown land replant areas following harvest, replanted regions rarely return to original conditions, particularly when herbicides, pesticides and large-scale machinery are used in the process. These replanted swaths typically lack diversity and many species of bird are unable to use the area.

Enacting Bird-Friendly Policies

There are countless policies that could help some of our threatened boreal species. In addition to elevating the importance of bird-friendly practices within all industrial developments and land and water uses, the following four policy adoptions would go a long way toward ensuring healthy numbers of migrants return to and breed in the boreal each year.

-Recognize the global importance of Canada’s boreal forest. Recognizing the importance of this region from an international perspective—emphasizing migratory birds—would boost efforts throughout the forest to better protect it. Additionally, increasing the number of Important Bird Areas, Ramsar Wetlands and UNESCO World Heritage Sites within Canada’s boreal would ensure better management and conservation of some of Canada’s most important breeding and stopover habitats.

-Adopt the principles of the Boreal Forest Conservation Framework. Striving to protect at least half of Canada’s boreal forest from industrial development would guarantee large portions of habitat throughout the boreal would remain mostly undisturbed well into the future. Working in tandem with local First Nations would ensure conservation planning and mapping is done carefully, thoroughly and held to the highest of ethical standards.

-Preserve healthy water ecosystems. Hydroelectric developments and logging have degraded previously intact water ecosystems throughout much of the boreal, particularly within the south. In addition to enhancing better management practices within these types of development, identifying and protecting pristine source-to-mouth ecosystems would go a long way toward guaranteeing a safe and healthy future for boreal birds well into the future.

-Protect the James Bay Lowlands, Peace-Athabasca Delta and Mackenzie Basin. These regions not only form vital breeding habitat for a plethora of birds, but all three contain large areas that are still intact. Working with First Nations, these areas should remain at the highest of conservation priorities within Canada, with serious opportunities to expand protection across broad tracts.

Solitary Sandpiper—one of the boreal breeding shorebirds profiled in the report:

With the advent of satellite transmitters (tags) small enough to fit on birds (large birds at least), our eyes have been opened to the dazzling migration feats that birds perform every day. We have chronicled a number of these feats here in this blog over the years including stories about scoters and eiders and godwits and Whimbrels.

Bar-tailed Godwit tracked via satellite tag:
http://www.borealbirds.org/blog/?p=497

A Not-So-Common Eider:
http://www.borealbirds.org/blog/?p=436

Hope the Whimbrel Spotted on St. Croix:
http://www.borealbirds.org/blog/?p=177

Tracking Hope the Whimbrel:
http://www.borealbirds.org/blog/?p=176

Scoters By Satellite:
http://www.borealbirds.org/blog/?p=22

Whimbrels are one of my favorite birds—how can you not be enamored of a large shorebird with a large sickle-shaped bill and a name like “Whimbrel?” It is also a species of conservation concern that I profiled in my book Birder’s Conservation Handbook (click here to read the account).

Whimbrel
Credit: Kirk Rogers

The species has a fascinating distribution with both Old and New World forms considered by some to be separate species (the ones on the other side of the Atlantic have a white rump). In North America, Whimbrels have two distinct and widely separated breeding areas. One includes much of interior and north-coastal Alaska extending east to the Mackenzie Delta of the Northwest Territories. The other breeding areas is within the Hudson Bay lowlands from Nunavut south to Ontario. An estimated 76% of the North American breeding range is within the Boreal Forest ecoregion.

Starting in late July and August, Whimbrels begin moving south, stopping off in good feeding spots in southern Canada and the U.S. While small numbers winter in the southern U.S., the bulk of the population continues further south with large concentrations in South America.

A few years ago, the Center for Conservation Biology headed up a new project to find out more about the movements of Whimbrels by putting satellite tags on some that used stop-over sites in Georgia. People from all over the world were amazed to follow tagged birds like “Winnie” who flew a non-stop nearly 5,000 mile flight to the Mackenzie Delta and “Hope” who nested in the Mackenzie Delta and later was tracked to St. Croix on her return. We all held our breath this past August when “Chinquapin” flew into Hurricane Irene but somehow made it through and arrived safely in the Bahamas.

That’s why it was such a crushing blow to many when two of the satellite tagged birds—“Machi” and “Goshen”—made their way back from nesting grounds in Nunavut and northern Ontario and amazingly beat through hurricanes and tropical storms to make landfall on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe in September where they were shot and killed at a hunting swamp soon after arrival.

See press releases from Center for Conservation Biology:
http://ccb-wm.org/news/news_pressreleases.cfm

Migration route of Machi, ending at Guadaloupe in red
Credit: Center for Conservation Biology

Not surprisingly there has been much discussion about these birds and the question of whether Whimbrels and other shorebird species should be hunted. Until the early 1900’s, shorebird hunting of all kinds was a common practice throughout North America. Where I am from in Maine, Eskimo Curlews (a smaller but close relative to the Whimbrel) were sometimes hunted in the fall and shipped to Boston restaurants before they became extinct. Except for American Woodcock and Wilson’s Snipe, it is now illegal to hunt shorebirds in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico and in many other countries.

Recreational hunting for shorebirds is still practiced in many parts of the Caribbean but on some islands there has been increased awareness by shorebird hunters of the conservation needs and implications for shorebirds. Hopefully the spotlight on these issues that resulted from the loss of “Machi” and “Goshen” can be focused towards positive changes for conservation.

Read more about this incident and shorebird hunting in the Caribbean at:
http://www.birdlife.org/community/2011/09/shooting-of-whimbrels-sparks-calls-for-regulation-of-shorebird-hunting-in-the-caribbean/

And the American Birding Association’s response at:
http://blog.aba.org/2011/09/abas-ned-brinkley-makes-birders-voices-heard-en-francais.html

And from Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds:
http://www.scscb.org/

Like the tens of millions of other bird enthusiasts around the country I have anticipated the release of the new movie The Big Year with a mix of excitement and apprehension. Excitement because the idea of a mainstream movie incorporating birding as a key element that begins to reflect how increasingly mainstream the hobby has become and because if done well, it would be fun to be able to see a movie from an insider’s perspective. But the apprehension is there as well because often the idea of birding can be treated as a goofball, eccentric plot element that makes it seem foolish and trivial. Let’s hope that they don’t fall into that one. The other bit of apprehension is around whether the movie will be any good. It would be a bummer if we finally get a movie that treats birding in a somewhat realistic and positive and human light but that it is so bad that no one wants to watch it.

I can’t wait to see it and find out!

Let us know if you’ve seen it yet and what your thoughts were below if so. I’d be curious to get other birders’ perspectives on it. If you haven’t seen it yet check out the trailer:

Screenshot from Google Earth’s new boreal forest tour
Credit: Google Earth Outreach

Today Google Earth Outreach launched a new program in Canada.  One of Google Earth’s top priorities was to focus on Canada’s boreal forest.  You can now take a three-minute tour of Canada’s boreal forest, allowing an easy-to-use vehicle for millions of people around the world to quickly learn more about the boreal.  On the tour, participants will see the boreal forest from space in its global context and then will zoom in and “fly-over” landscapes to learn about the features that make Canada’s boreal forest globally unique, including:

• bears, wolves, and caribou that still roam its vast landscape;
• the hundreds of Aboriginal communities;
• the massive storehouse of carbon in its peatlands, soil, and permafrost;
• its vast waterways and wetlands like the Mackenzie River Watershed and the Peace-Athabasca Delta;
• and free-flowing rivers that are the last strongholds for healthy runs of North American Atlantic salmon.

We invite you to experience the boreal forest from this perspective, and share it with others. We hope that this will prove to be an important part of efforts to educate people around the world about the importance of Canada’s boreal forest and the need to protect it.

Here is the tour on YouTube. You can download the tour to view directly in Google Earth at the link below it.

Google Earth downloadable file and press release:
http://www.pewenvironment.org/news-room/press-releases/pews-boreal-forest-tour-showcased-at-google-earth-canada-launch-85899364505