The NCC 2024-2 ehjv proposal builds on our long-lasting commitment to the ehjvs contribution to the north american waterfowl management plan (nawmp)

This Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service under the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund (CFDA 15.623) provides $4,723,206.00 to The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) to support wetland and habitat conservation efforts across multiple Canadian provinces. The funded activities will focus on securing 2,160 new acres of critical wetland, coastal, and upland habitats that are essential for priority waterfowl species. Additionally, NCC will manage 87,022 acres of previously secured lands and influence stewardship on 300 acres of private lands to maintain and enhance habitat quality. These conservation efforts, which align with the North American Waterfowl Management Plan and regional bird conservation strategies, will help address key limiting factors and contribute to achieving waterfowl population goals for the Eastern Habitat Joint Venture. The award period is from December 20, 2024 to November 30, 2027.

Nccs science-based work builds on more than 20 years of north american wetland conservation act (nawca) grant delivery in the ehjv and pursues ehjv and nawmp long-term objectives. Activities align with 2015-2020 ehjv IP goals and consider draft 2021-2030 IP goals and priorities. Activities support BCR 8, 12, 13 and 14 regional bird conservation strategies by implementing key actions in nccs natural area conservation plans (nacps) and actions to restore canadas bird populations as identified in the state of canadas birds 2019 report.proposed activities will focus on targeted conservation of habitat essential to ehjv priority waterfowl species, including freshwater wetlands, salt marshes, bogs and peatlands, estuaries, coastal islands, rocky shores, sandy beaches, shallow bays and intact dune systems. These areas are at risk due to escalating development (e.g., residential, tourism, industrial), recreational pressures (e.g., all-terrain vehicle use, boating, watersports), invasive species, degradation and drainage alterations from agriculture and urban land use, sea level rise among other threats. Activities within this proposal will result in the securement of 2,160 new acres. In ontario, we will continue to add to protected lands to conserve high priority connected wetland and associated upland habitat across relatively intact landscapes such as the frontenac arch, which supports the highest densities of breeding densities of mallards in ontario (figure 2) and highly threatened wetlands in southwestern ontario. In qubec, we will continue securement in the islands and shores of the saint lawrence river (figure 3), including in the LAC-saint-pierre floodplain and restore riparian agricultural lands in the ST. Lawrence lowlands. In the atlantic provinces, we will build on existing land assemblies in areas such as the haldimand river in PEI (figure 4), that contains extensive saltmarsh and intact riparian areas that support priority waterfowl and other wetland dependent, and at-risk species. Other areas of focus include the south shore of NS at port joli, the grand codroy valley in NL and the grand lake lowlands in NB. This proposal does not include enhancement activities. Management activities are proposed to be undertaken across 87,022 acres secured under this and prior nawca grants including maintaining the brighton wetlands, critical coastal wetlands along the shore of lake ontario (figure 5), key waterfowl habitat on the kenauk property in qubec (figure 6) and key coastal areas such as the musquash estuary in NB (figure 7). NCC will influence wetland conservation through stewardship activities on 300 acres of private land in qubec and ontario, including ongoing and expansion of commitments to combatting invasive phragmites in ontario (figure 8). Provision of quality habitat through these activities in strategically focused landscapes will help address key limiting factors (carrying capacity) and create conditions necessary to achieve waterfowl population goals for ehjv priority waterfowl species.