Rare alvar habitat for 19 at-risk species including shrike
Adam Prudhomme
Beaver Staff
Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna was in downtown Napanee on Wednesday to help announce the expansion of the conservation area known as the Napanee Plain Alvar Nature Reserve.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada purchased an additional 78 acres of the plain, which is an important habitat for 19 at-risk species, most notably the eastern loggerhead shrike. The addition brings the reserve’s total area to 300 acres.
“Canadians want us to protect the environment,” said McKenna during a press conference held at the NCC’s Napanee office located at 47 Dundas Street E. “They see the opportunity to protect species at risk and they also understand there’s a huge economic opportunity. People value the animals, they value the plants that we’re so fortunate to have.”
The eastern loggerhead shrike. (Bill Hubick Photo)
Conservation experts have deemed the Napanee Plain worth protecting because they contain one of the few alvars in the world. They are rare in that they contain a limestone plain with no soil and support rare species and plant life. They are also an ideal habit for the loggerhead shrike, which experts say are ever more sparse than a panda. Known as the “butcher bird,” they are a rare predatory songbird, infamous for impaling its prey on thorns or barbed wire, necessary for them to eat due to possessing a weak talon. Experts say there are only 20 breeding pairs left in Ontario.
“When you hear those numbers, that’s really worrying,” said McKenna. “That’s not the only species we’re seeing with huge decline. Part of it is development, part of it is climate change. Climate change is real and it’s having a real impact right now. Extreme weather events, but also real impacts on species at risk.”
McKenna says Wednesday’s announcement, which brings the total acres of Napanee Plains protected by the NCC up to 1,846, is part of the Canadian government’s ongoing commitment to conservation.
“We have an international target of protecting 17 per cent of our land and inland waters,” said McKenna. “It’s not just about targets. It’s about doing right about what we value. There is value in protecting our spaces. People come to Canada because they see how beautiful it is. There’s huge tourism opportunities. If we do not protect our spaces, it’s going to have an impact on farmers. It’s going to have an impact on fishers. It’s going to have an impact on our community and the tourism industry and we’re going to be less healthy.”
Hastings Lennox and Addington MP Mike Bossio and Minister of Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna answer questions. Photo by Adam Prudhomme.
Hastings, Lennox and Addington MP Mike Bossio was also on hand for the announcement.
“It’s so important that we have these protected spaces to protect the biodiversity in our rural communities,” said Bossio. “Nature conservancy plays such a big part in that.”
Bossio says Wednesday’s announcement demonstrates their commitment to preserving the rare alvar. It was almost one year to the day that Bossio was in Centreville to announce the NCC had acquired 40 acres of the fragile ecosystem.
“It keeps growing and this is really good news,” said Bossio. “It’s exactly what was supposed to happen.”
Funding for the acquisition of the land was made possible through a donation from Dr. Kenneth Ockenden, who named the property the Irene Ockenden Alvar Tract in honour of his late wife. He said he was moved to donate while out for a walk with his daughter in Hamilton. Being struck by the beauty of nature, he decided to donate during his lifetime rather than leaving a donation as part of his will.
“I could only describe it as being in a cathedral with the sun shining through the trees,” said Ockenden. “It was just so marvellous so I said to myself, why wait?”
When he learned of the alvar that needed protection near his home in Napanee, he decided to do some research. Much to his surprise he learned that the alvar in Napanee was similar to the one in Estonia, which is where his wife was born. He took that as a sign and decided to help with the purchase of the land.
Obtaining the land is just the first step in the NCC’s quest to revive the shrike’s numbers. They will continue to study the area and track the birds as well as continuing their work with a breeding program.
Along with the shrike, the Napanee Plain is also home to other endangered species such as the eastern meadowlark, least bittern and juniper sledge.