Ducks Unlimited Canada Celebrates Habitat Secured on Howe Island
Kingston, Ont., Sept. 25, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- An undeveloped landscape on Howe Island in the St. Lawrence River is the latest strategic securement for Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC). The purchase includes shoreline and wetland habitat in a high-priority waterfowl habitat zone in the province.
The property purchased by DUC is 133 acres (54 hectares) and includes coastal shoreline, provincially significant coastal wetlands, mature woodlands, grasslands, fields and other mixed habitats.
Howe Island provides migratory and staging habitat for up to 25 species of diving and dabbling waterfowl, as well as breeding habitat for dabbling ducks such as mallards, black ducks, blue-winged teals and wood ducks. The island also hosts endangered species including least bitterns and map and snapping turtles.
Howe Island is part of a chain of habitat hotspots along a migration path for birds on the Great Lakes. It is the second largest of the Thousand Islands and is located where Lake Ontario meets the St. Lawrence River, a region that hosts up to 40,000 waterfowl at any one time during peak migration.
INVESTING IN VITAL HABITATS
The conservation project was supported by several sources including US Fish & Wildlife Service funding via the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, the Louise Gendron Bequest and donors Lloyd and Donna Thurston.
"Donna and I are strong believers in supporting organizations that purchase and maintain lands for the preservation of our wetlands and other wild places. We have chosen to invest in organizations like Ducks Unlimited Canada that take a lead role in protecting vital habitats for our aquatic and terrestrial wildlife," said donor Lloyd Thurston. "As a retired biologist, I chose the Howe Island property because of its large size and the potential for creating additional habitat beyond the existing wetland, including spring nesting habitat for ducks and breeding areas for other aquatic wildlife that benefit from flooded lands during the spring season."
"We owe a large debt of thanks to Lloyd and Donna Thurston," said William Jones, DUC's development manager in Ontario. "The Howe Island purchase was a unique opportunity that required significant resources and Mr. Thurston recognized its value immediately. He saw the value of the habitat today and the potential for the property to be even more productive in decades to come."
The Howe Island acquisition is one of 21 properties secured by DUC in southern Ontario, accounting for almost 7,000 acres (2,833 hectares) of habitat in the drainage area for the Great Lakes watershed.
IMAGES FOR MEDIA
Find images of the Howe Island property here.
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