Planting the Upper Souris Watershed Association (USWA) and Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) into a shared office is an obvious union, say the employees of both organizations.
For DUC, the office in the Beefeater Plaza is not only their first office in Estevan, but also their first in southeast Saskatchewan now that they have moved in with the USWA. The three employees, two for DUC and one for the USWA have been in the office since December 2010.
Employees and volunteers of Ducks Unlimited and the USWA held a small ceremony at the Elks Hall on Sept. 13 with local MP Ed Komarnicki, MLA Doreen Eagles and Estevan Mayor Gary St. Onge in attendance. Speaking to the group of attendees, Vicki East, USWA watershed co-ordinator, said ensuring close ties between these two organizations was a great move.
"This partnership just makes sense," she said. "We can work together with our programming and our education and awareness."
One of the action items in the USWA's watershed plan is to protect and restore wetlands, which overlaps directly with DUC's priorities, she noted. The USWA is in the implementation phase of their watershed protection plan since the outline had been completed in October 2010. The plan includes 40 key actions in total. The items are sorted into four areas: education, programs, research and lobbying.
East said education is important, and they have been sending newsletters out, as well as attending trade shows to increase awareness of the importance of water in the watershed.
St. Onge offered these organizations the city's help and spoke briefly about how the two help the planners at city hall.
"It's important all the time, and we look at it from the point of view of the City," said St. Onge. "We are in the process of doing some annexation, and we have to always look very carefully when we develop as to what we do with the drainage."
He said having DUC and USWA stationed and working closely together will be good for both groups.
"I think it's great that these two organizations are together. I think it's very interesting that one has been around for a long time, the other is relatively new. The fact that they have an office together makes a lot of sense because you can really see the connection between them."
Brent Kennedy, Saskatchewan manager of provincial operations for DUC, also spoke, saying the organization's primary goal is to protect and restore nesting habitats.
He told the attendees that Saskatchewan accounts for about one-third of all North American breeding ducks.
"(It is) the most important jurisdiction by far of any province or state on the whole continent," said Kennedy.
One of the major challenges Kennedy said DUC faces in this area is ongoing loss of the wetlands in southeast Saskatchewan, and the unauthorized drainage.
"The wetlands provide many benefits, benefits that we know much more about today than we did a few years ago," he added. "Those benefits no doubt include habitat for waterfowl and wildlife, but just as important, and maybe more important to much of society, are the other benefits."
He noted recharge of groundwater, restoring nutrients like phosphorous and nitrogen, which appear in lakes, as well as storing carbon and reducing greenhouse gases.
"Probably most important in a year like this, is wetlands store water. They act like sponges and help to reduce downstream flooding. Much of the water that moves through streams and rivers, the Souris (River) being a good example, is a result of upstream drainage."
He said in order to maintain wetlands, as a province, there needs to be new and effective wetland policy. DUC has been speaking with the province about that already, he said.
Kennedy said DUC will buy land for conservation purposes but is doing more with private landowners who come to them with their own conservation projects in mind.
"We do buy some land and manage those lands for conservation and agriculture, much of our conservation is focused now with private landowners," he noted.
Staff in the new office are East, formerly of DUC, and Kylie McRae, currently with DUC, who are both professional agrologists, while Dwayne Donald is the conservation programs specialist for DUC.
