North Shore Environment
Over the next few weeks, as the occasions present themselves, I want to pass along some thoughts on several large projects that are beginning to take shape. In one way or another, these projects are of interest to us here on the North Shore. They include the establishment of the Jacquet River Gorge Protected Area, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Association's involvement with the long term management of the whole Restigouche River Estuary, and the on-going efforts of several groups to establish an eco-tourism industry (if that is the right word for it).
In this space, though, I want to write about a project that I personal;ly find fascinating and one that I hope will interest some of you enough to consider becoming involved yourselves.
In January, Bird Studies Canada and the Canadian Wildlife Service will begin work on a new Breeding Bird Atlas for Maritime Canada. Over the next five years, hundreds of volunteers will collectively spend thousands of hours in the woods, along the shorelines, and in the towns and cities of the three Maritime Provinces monitoring birds as they come and go, and particularly as they attempt to breed here. A similar project, begun twenty years ago (in 1986) and completed fifteen years ago (1991) provided important data on the subject. However, doing surveys such as this is rather like conducting a census; the results are no sooner published then they are obsolete. Those of us who have been watching birds in some sort of organized fashion over that time have realized that significant changes have been occurring, some of them positive, and others, unfortunately, not.
(I will mention just a couple of local examples to illustrate what I mean. Twenty years ago, there were several very active Common tern colonies in the county, including one down by the old ferry wharf on the Bowater property in Dalhousie. Last summer I did not see a tern in the whole region until late August; those few birds were migrants from
elsewhere. Twenty years ago, Barn swallows were very common birds locally; since then they have become rare.)
Surveys such as this one allow scientists to determine whether local changes in populations are just that, or whether they reflect changes that are taking place over the whole area. the larger the area affected, the more significant the change. Whether that change is positive or negative, it allows them to evaluate causes and,
particularly if the change is a negative one, to consider what might need to be done to ameliorate the situation. Before any of this can happen however, they need to get the numbers, and that is where you (possibly, hopefully) and I (certainly) come into the picture.
Well-known birder Raymond Chiasson of Campbellton has recently been appointed Regional Coordinator for this project. He is, I am certain, already hard at work lining up volunteers to begin survey work for next year's breeding season. (Did you realize that certain species, such as Ravens and Great horned owls actually begin to nest and breed in late winter?) Should you be interested in becoming involved, you might want to contact him. At the very least, you might want to keep your eyes and ears open; I am certain that there will be information sessions on the
project in the new year.
It is a fascinating project (I know because I worked on the last one) and, besides, anything that can encourage people to think about spring and summer just as winter is settling in is worthwhile in its own right.
