mallard

Home to roost

Wildlife habitat on the Cuthberts’ land along Delta Marsh will last, no matter who holds the title

Nestled on the south edge of Lake Manitoba’s Delta Marsh, where it meets Portage Creek, there sits a pastoral slice of paradise. The tract covers 31 acres of riparian habitat, wetland, forest and meadow, and is home to hundreds of species of wild animals and birds — plus two humans, Cal and Elaine Cuthbert. For



A mayfly on water. (SBTheGreenMan/iStock/Getty Images)

Health Canada steps back from bans on two neonics

New limits, some cancellations to be put in place

A federal proposal to protect aquatic insect habitat by cancelling all registered outdoor uses for two popular ag insecticides has been walked back in a major way. Health Canada on Wednesday announced its special review decisions on the risks to aquatic bug life from the use of clothianidin and thiamethoxam, both pesticides and seed treatments

(File photo by Dave Bedard)

German cabinet approves legislation to ban glyphosate from 2024

Law would still need parliamentary approval

Berlin | Reuters — Farmers in Germany will have to gradually reduce their use of glyphosate and stop using it completely from 2024 in order to preserve clean habitats for insects, under draft legislation passed by the country’s cabinet on Wednesday. “The exit from glyphosate is coming. Conservationists have been working toward this for a



wetland

Opinion: Celebrate World Wetlands Day

February 2 is a day to remember the vital ecological importance of these distinct ecosystems

February 2, 2019, is World Wetlands Day celebrating the signing of the Ramsar Convention in Iran in 1971 where the purpose was to recognize the importance of wetlands to society. So what’s the big deal about wetlands? To start, we know that wetlands are considered to be a vital part of the Manitoba prairie landscape.

Part of Manitoba’s Climate and Green Plan, the $102-million Conservation Trust will fund activities that create, conserve, or enhance natural infrastructure in Manitoba.

A watershed moment — province funds Conservation Trust

When fully capitalized, the fund is expected to generate about $5 million a year for projects and environmental goods and services

The ink is now dry on Manitoba’s new Conservation Trust agreement, and groups looking to it to support new programs with it should submit letters of intent by January 15. The province signed its agreement December 11, putting in an initial $28-million contribution this month, towards making the $102-million trust it announced in last spring’s

Christian Artuso of Bird Studies Canada pitches the role of large grazers in grassland bird conservation during a recent SARPAL informational meeting in Hartney, Man.

Range management for the bird and herd

Manitoba Beef Producers seeks more producers for SARPAL program

The Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP) wants more of its members to get worried about birds. About 27 producers, and 17,000 acres, have signed on so far with MBP’s SARPAL pilot in its first year of implementation. SARPAL (Species at Risk Partnerships on Agricultural Lands), an initiative by Environment and Climate Change Canada to tie farmers


Local ALUS co-ordinator and conservation district manager, Colleen Cuvelier, explains one of several perennial forage projects ALUS is funding in the Little Saskatchewan River Conservation District during a July 2018 field tour.

ALUS gains steam in western Manitoba

ALUS returned to its roots in the Little Saskatchewan River Conservation District in 2014, and producers are buying in

A multi-province program that promises to pay landowners for conservation practices is attracting so much interest in the Little Saskatchewan River Conservation District that providers say they can’t meet the demand. District manager and local ALUS co-ordinator, Colleen Cuvelier said program co-ordinators couldn’t accommodate all the proposals this year, estimating another 100-200 acres could have

A root wad buffers the bank from erosion and simultaneously provides fish habitat.

Project stabilizes creek bank, enhances fish habitat

Roseilse Creek is home to a state-of-the-art project 
that looks like an all-round winner

A riverbank stabilization project on the Roseilse Creek is demonstrating how to restore, rebuild, rehabilitate and enhance fish habitat and the riparian area along the waterway. The project, which involves the Pembina Valley Conservation District (PVCD), Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), the Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnership program, AAE Tech Services and the Rural Municipality of