2003-2004 Community Action Fund SASKATCHEWAN QUILL LAKES INTERPRETIVE CENTRE—DISPLAYS WYNYARD TOURISM ASSOCIATION AND QUILL LAKES TOURISM ASSOCIATION QUILL LAKES IBA, SASKATCHEWAN The Quill Lakes are located immediately north of the town of Wynyard in east-central Saskatchewan and support an exceptional number of breeding Piping Plovers. In the fall, they are also renowned as an important waterfowl breeding and staging area for a multitude of ducks, Sandhill Cranes, Canada Geese, and Snow Geese. The Wynyard Tourism Association and the Quill Lakes Tourism Association are in the process of renovating the Quill Lakes Interpretive Centre and installing displays. The new addition is part of the Wynyard Civic Centre that currently contains the community hall and local library. The Centre is the Western Gateway of the Saskatchewan Bird Trail and leads to the Quill Lakes IBA. Both associations aim to encourage the participation of other organizations in conservation efforts in the Quill Lakes area, the protection of ecosystems and the responsible management of tourism opportunities. PIPING PLOVER CONSERVATION PLAN CHAPLIN TOURISM CHAPLIN LAKE IBA, SASKATCHEWAN Chaplin Lake, a saline lake in south-central Saskatchewan, supports a number of shorebirds and a significant breeding population of nationally endangered and globally vulnerable piping plovers. Unlike most shorebirds that winter as far afield as South America and journey to remote arctic and sub-arctic areas to breed, the piping plover favours the temperate regions of North America where most of its habitat has been put to human use. Although its camouflaging plumage serves as its first method of protection, the plover has another clever tactic to foil predators: when threatened, it pretends to be injured to distract the enemy and lead it away from the nest. Mammals and other birds are a major threat to nesting piping plovers throughout Saskatchewan. To address this issue, the Chaplin Tourism Committee with the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority (SWA) will examine the impact on nesting piping plovers in the Chaplin Lake basin. To increase the accuracy of monitoring, small video cameras will monitor nests, identify major predators, and provide the public with a unique and educational viewing opportunity. At the Chaplin Nature Centre and on the Chaplin municipality Web site, footage will be broadcast live on a “nest-cam,” an initiative that will complement the Nature Centre’s educational displays. Promoting the importance of the Chaplin Lake IBA to the public, the Piping Plover Conservation Plan project is an effective way to raise community awareness and encourage stewardship among the 25, 000 people that visit the centre annually.   WOOD RIVER BIODIVERSITY FESTIVAL WOOD RIVER ENVIRONMENTAL AUTHORITY/IBA SASKATCHEWAN CHAPLIN, OLD WIVES/FREDERICKS, AND REED LAKES IBAS, SASKATCHEWAN Before Wood River reaches Saskatchewan’s premier IBAs, it carves through land intensively exploited for ranching and farming, sometimes within a metre or two of large-scale agricultural activity. The accumulation of pollution in this waterway is a threat to IBA habitat and wildlife, including the nationally endangered and globally vulnerable piping plover. Predation, loss of habitat from encroaching human populations, and disturbance from ecotourism are leading to the decline of this species. To address this issue, the Wood River Environmental Authority and IBA Saskatchewan are working to draw attention to the plight of this rare bird. The Wood River Environmental Authority promotes the importance of biodiversity and bolsters community groups toward enhancing environmental and economic sustainability in prairie agriculture. Though it lacks the power to regulate land-use activities in the Wood River Watershed, the Authority has been supporting projects in the area complementary to its mandate. The community conservation plan for Chaplin, Old Wives and Reed lakes IBAs recommends holding a festival that promotes conservation, biodiversity, and the importance of the regional IBAs. To actualize this recommendation, the Wood River Environmental Authority and IBA Saskatchewan are coordinating the Wood River Biodiversity Festival, which has gained abiding support from the local community. The festival will highlight the interdependency of rural economic survival, human health, and conservation in a fun and memorable community event.       back to map