9.0 Historical Changes in the Land-Use and Wetland Availability in Old Norfolk County

9.3 Management of old Norfolk county for waterfowl, wildlife, and people

9.3.1 Introduction

Old Norfolk County has a rich diversity of flora and fauna, and a number of species of which are threatened or endangered. The fact that the Long Point region contains numerous rare species is not a function of any particular ecological deficiency within the area. On the contrary, these species occur throughout the region because of the diversity of habitats and the fact that old Norfolk contains substantially more natural cover than most other areas of southern Ontario. Based on this, old Norfolk County can be viewed for the most part as an ecological success serving as an incentive for neighbouring counties to try to conserve and rehabilitate their natural habitats. The hardships experienced by old Norfolk residents and wildlife during the early 1900s, when soils and natural habitats were seriously degraded, should serve as a stern reminder of the very tangible consequences of unsustainable agriculture and landscape level ecological neglect. We must continue to build on the lessons of old Norfolk County, as existing habitat and sustainable agriculture programs have only slowed the rate of habitat loss, and they have not been sufficient to counterbalance the trends which are causing reductions in biodiversity (Reid et al. 1996). Consequently, the municipality must take further steps to conserve wetlands and wildlife habitat, and we as a community must ensure that economic and ecological problems that took place in the early 1900s do not reoccur. Armed with an advanced knowledge of both agriculture and ecology, we have no excuses.

Trends in agriculture have the most overwhelming effect on the quantity and quality of habitat available to wildlife. This phenomenon has been particularly noticeable in old Norfolk over the past 100 years, with agricultural production and logging having substantial influence on the landscape structure of the county. While the present trend is towards cereal grain production, history suggests that this trend will shift to some other commodity within the next 20 to 30 years. Consequently, wildlife and habitat management strategies that were appropriate 30 years ago are not necessarily appropriate for old Norfolk County today.

Several major steps must be taken before any landscape or county level management programs can be employed. First and foremost, the objectives of the management program must be specified. Once objectives are established, it is important to document deficiencies, as this will facilitate the establishment of appropriate management strategies or alternatives, while providing a baseline with which the success of management actions can be determined. For instance, if it is determined that contaminant levels within a number of wetlands are elevated, and subsequently decided that cover strips would be the most important management strategy to reduce the problem, pre- and post-treatment samples should be compared to assess the success of the management action.

Forming partnerships and attaining the trust of local landowners are paramount steps that are integral to any broad scale management strategy. This is particularly true of old Norfolk, as the county is primarily rural and the economy is for the most part agriculturally based. Prairie Care and Land Care are both prime examples of broad landscape level management strategies that have developed common cause with farmers by developing programs that benefit both the agricultural and ecological economy. These cooperative programs have developed a more healthy agricultural resource base, and in the process they have changed many of the land-management beliefs that have proved to be unsustainable. For a landscape management program to achieve long-term success it should have strong economic, ecological and educational components. For instance, realizing the ecological and economic benefits of buffer strips, farmers often continue to maintain those natural areas even after stewardship subsidies are discontinued. The trend towards increased rural awareness of conservation issues and the positive response of landowners to stewardship programs should make it much easier for conservation organizations to concurrently influence the sustainability of agriculture and the ecological integrity of old Norfolk County.

Compared to the prairie pothole region of Canada, old Norfolk County probably has not been a major waterfowl breeding area at any time over the past 5,000 years. This can be attributed to the fact that old Norfolk is on the periphery of the breeding range of most waterfowl species, and the fact that prior to European settlement, the dense Carolinian forests would have offered limited grassland nesting and foraging opportunities. On a continental basis, the area continues to be of minor significance as a breeding area, due to geographic location and the fact that most wetlands have been drained for agriculture. Consequently, management strategies based solely on increasing the waterfowl production capabilities of the region would be inappropriate. However, wetlands and natural upland habitats should be conserved and enhanced at the landscape level based on:

1/ the abundant flora and fauna of the region and number of rare and endangered species;

2/ the need to maintain soil cover and healthy wetlands to ensure that we continue to farm sustainably;

3/ the overriding influence that runoff from the Big Creek Watershed has on the ecological integrity of Big Creek Marsh and the Inner Bay of Long Point, and consequently, the suitability of the area for staging waterfowl;

4/ the staging, foraging and breeding opportunities for waterfowl in the non-coastal region of old Norfolk.

The rehabilitation, enhancement and creation of upland and wetland habitats required to satisfy the aforementioned objectives will certainly have a substantial effect on the number of waterfowl that breed in old Norfolk County as well as on their ultimate success in fledging offspring, but should not be the ultimate focus of management strategies or considerations.