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Galloway and Miry Bays and the surrounding area are used each fall by
nearly a million Greater White-fronted Geese, as they migrate through the
Great Plains from their Arctic nesting grounds to the southern United States
and Mexico. Also, up to 162,000 Sandhill Cranes use the bays and 55 km
stretch of the river during fall migration. These bays are part of the South
Saskatchewan River in southwestern Saskatchewan. The bays are a recent
phenomenon as they are the result of river water held in the west end of
Diefenbaker Lake by two dams.
The objectives in this plan draw attention to the importance of a
relatively small area for 60 - 80 % of the North American mid continent
population of Greater White-fronted Geese. The plan identifies the primary
stakeholder involved, and summarizes ecosystems features including pertinent
conservation opportunities and threats to birds and their ecosystem. No
pressing conservation concerns have been identified at this time, but
vigilance is needed with regard to disease, crop depredation and
distrubance. Management strategies should maintain existing land use,
and discourage excessive disturbance potentially arising from hunters,
bird watchers and other resources.
This Community Conservation Plan for Galloway and Miry Bays was
prepared as part of Saskatchewan's Important Bird Area (IBA) Program.
In this program, special areas are awarded an IBA designation for
conservation purposes if the areas are used by large concentrations
of birds, if birds present are at risk, or if the sites represent intact
biomes and their bird inhabitants. Galloway and Miry Bays satisfy the IBA
'congregatory' criteria, and are considered 'globally significant'.
Conservation goals and objectives include:
- the continued monitoring of goose numbers and distribution
- hunting, boating and other restrictions to avoid excesive disturbance
- the development of facilities to enhance nature related tourism
- maintaining local awareness of the importance of the site for the IBA
birds
The IBA Program was launched initially by BirdLife International in the UK. Today
there are BirdLife
Partners in over 100
countries. In Canada
the national partners
are Canadian Nature
Federation and Bird
Studies Canada. In
Saskatchewan, the
conservation component
of this program is
being delivered by
Nature Saskatchewan.
Funding partners include
Canadian Adaptation
and Rural Development
Saskatchewan (CARDS),
the University of
Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan
Environment and Resource
Management (SERM)
and the Canadian Millennium
Partnership Program.
VISION
To
highlight the
significane of
Galloway and Miry
Bays as an Important
Bird Area, and
to encourage a
use that will
respect the birds
and interests
of local people
and visitors.
INTRODUCTION
Bird
conservation is
not 'just for the
birds'. In a widely
acknowledged and
visionary treatment
of the causes, human
uses and state of
decline of diverse
life forms on Earth,
E.O. Wilson (1992)
suggests that certain
species will will
and should receive
special attention.
Wilson points out
that individual
species which may
be large and colourful
or otherwise charismatic,
often are conservation
favorites even though
they represent a
small fraction of
living things. Such
species, Wilson
claims, can motivate
conservation at
many levels, from
individual to government.
Since no species
exists in isolation
from other species
or its environment,
such conservation
efforts already
in the first instance
serve to protect
elements of a fuctioning
life support system.
If human economics,
cutural and social
values are adapted
in addition to species
and systems concerns,
the conservation
efforts will come
'full circle' and
have gone well beyond
the birds.
The purpose of this
report is to add
an impetus for continued
conservation. Toward
this end, this report
tries to;
- explain why
Galloway and Miry
Bays have been
chosen as an Important
Bird Area,
- describe the
Bay's ecosystem,
- outline opportunities
and challenges
for conservation,
- list potential
stakeholders and
contact people,
- provide a conceptual
backdrop (biological,
social and economic)
in which conservation
efforts may operate,
- briefly review
appropriate literature
and thus suggest
other resources,
- consider what
is known, but
also speculate
as to the potential
impact of the
unknown, and
- anticipate opportunities
and concerns across
as many sectors
in society as
possible.
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