From the Atlantic to the Pacific: Connecting partners in Canada for shorebird conservation

In contrast to the small communities of Miscou and Mingan, on Canada’s Pacific coast, WHSRN site the Fraser River Estuary, intersects with the over two million people living in the Fraser Delta.

Given the large human population, it may be challenging to reach every community member, site partners are working together to incorporate shorebird conservation into their programs. Birds Canada, one of the Fraser River Estuary’s lead site partners, facilitated a visit for me to visit the site. This visit provided an opportunity for shorebird conservation discussions with municipal, provincial, and federal government staff; nonprofit organizations, artists, and educators. The discussions reinforced and sparked new collaboration on restoration, research, education, and links to other sites.

James Casey, Fraser Estuary Specialist for Birds Canada, said, “The Network allows us to connect with other sites to learn from each other, sharing science, skills, and celebrations. These linkages blend the global and local conservation to not just build our capacity and move action forward, but remind us that we are not alone in this effort.”

In the prairies of Saskatchewan, the Chaplin-Old Wives-Reed Lake Complex has a strong history of community engagement and monitoring for migratory shorebirds. However, in recent years the Chaplin Lake Nature Centre and other community engagement activities have faced many challenges, including loss of leadership, degrading infrastructure, and lack of resources. Beyond these community engagement challenges there has been limited conservation action or planning at the site.

To address the long-term conservation needs at the site, the WHSRN Executive Office and Nature Conservancy of Canada initiated steps to build a coalition of stakeholders for collaboration on conservation, research, and education. This started with the completion of the WHSRN Site Assessment Tool to assess current management, threats, and actions needed. These results will then be used to develop an action plan, with a focus on reviving the Chaplin Lakes Nature Centre.

Back in the Atlantic Canada, at the site that made WHSRN a network, the Bay of Fundy expanded and changed its status to a Landscape of Hemispheric Importance in 2019. Establishing this landscape site involved working with The Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq, Fort Folly First Nation, two provinces; many municipalities, landowners and other stakeholders. The designation of the expanded WHSRN Landscape represents the first step in a long-term effort to build collaborative shorebird conservation, education, and research across the Upper Bay of Fundy. With this project, five interpretative signs will be installed in the recently expanded parts of the WHSRN site, connecting residents and visitors from around the world to this important shorebird habitat and to the actions they can take to protect them.

WHSRN sites are more than just dots on a map. They are a constellation of willing partners who voluntarily commit to being good hosts to these avian travelers. In Canada, the recent engagement has expanded and strengthened site partners. Said Cynthia Pekarik, National Shorebird Conservation Coordinator, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, “WHSRN sites in Canada are important stopovers for shorebirds – either as the last place before arriving on their nesting grounds or the first stop after the breeding season. It is essential for us to be connected to this network of partners, working together to continuously to ensure that these areas provide the resources required by shorebirds on their journeys.”

The Network and other site partners are strengthened by stronger partners in Canada, creating a Hemispheric force for shorebird conservation. Shorebirds need each stop on their migration. Without one, they are none.