Portage Island National Wildlife Area Management Plan: chapter 4

4 Goals and Objectives

4.1 Vision

The long-term vision for Portage Island National Wildlife Area (NWA) is to maintain and enhance habitat for all native wildlife, with priority being given to species at risk and their associated habitats. Portage Island NWA was established for conservation purposes.

4.2 Goals and Objectives

Portage Island NWA was initially established to provide habitat protection for a variety of migratory bird species, with a focus on waterfowl. More broadly, this site protects a unique diversity of coastal, wetland and upland habitat in accordance with the document A Wildlife Policy for Canada, developed by federal, provincial and non-governmenal organizations working group, and endorsed by the Wildlife Ministers Council of Canada in 1990.

Currently, the primary management goal for Portage Island NWA is to ensure that the wildlife habitat and associated wildlife are protected from human disturbances such that the potential for natural biological processes is maximized. In order to attain this goal, a specific set of goals and objectives have been established (see below) to ensure that the NWA will be managed to maintain its long-term natural productivity by maintaining or enhancing the quantity, quality and diversity of natural habitats, while permitting non-conflicting human use.

Portage Island NWA is a remote site where active management of habitat or human visitors is not required. Management activities are limited to responding to specific incidents as they may arise and to planned site inspection visits. Active habitat management will be conducted where appropriate to achieve the goals set for the NWA. The goals and objectives listed below reflect a management approach of responding only to negative human activities as they may arise and within program limitations related to financial and staff resources. The discussion of monitoring activities in section 5.3 provides additional information on how the overall management goals will be addressed.

Specific goals and objectives are as follows.

• Goal 1: Protect the habitat and wildlife resources of Portage Island NWA by monitoring and responding to human activities that have negative impacts on them. In particular, monitor the reproductive success and survival of Piping Plovers nesting on Portage Island NWA.
  1. Objective: Monitor habitats in the NWA for change and disturbance due to human activities, storm surges and sea-level rise.
  2. Objective: Monitor and mitigate potential impacts of pollution and contaminated sites within the NWA.
  3. Objective: Survey and monitor Piping Plover use and nesting success on the island.
• Goal 2: Respond to unauthorized and prohibited activities in the NWA. Protect and maintain the overall ecological qualities of the NWA, including unspoiled natural habitats and Piping Plover habitats, from illegal activities such as camping, camp fires and the presence of dogs.
  1. Objective: Document the number and nature of incidents where evidence exists of illegal activities within Portage Island NWA and report to the Wildlife Enforcement Division, therefore reducing or eliminating their occurrence in the NWA.

4.3 Evaluation

Annual monitoring will be performed within the limits imposed by the availability of financial and human resources. The management plan will be reviewed 5 years after its initial approval, and reviewed and updated every 10 years thereafter. The evaluation will take the form of an annual review of monitoring data obtained from the monitoring and research projects outlined below. This monitoring will be used to establish priorities for action and to allocate resources.