Wallace Bay National Wildlife Area Management Plan: chapter 4

4 Goals and objectives

4.1 Vision

The long-term vision for Wallace Bay National Wildlife Area (NWA) is wildlife conservation: the NWA provides marine and freshwater wetlands for many species of marsh-dependent wildlife, and is particularly important for migrant and nesting waterfowl.

4.2 Goals and objectives

Wallace Bay NWA was established to protect coastal waterfowl habitat consisting of a rich mosaic of salt and freshwater marshes fringed by an upland border. The NWA is an important staging area for ducks and geese during their spring and fall migrations. This goal was in accordance with the document “A Wildlife Policy for Canada”. This policy stated that the goal for an NWA was:

“… to maintain and enhance the health and diversity of Canada’s wildlife, for its own sake and for the benefit of present and future generations.”

Wallace Bay NWA is classified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as a category VI protected area. The NWA is protected and managed for the sustainable use of a natural ecosystem; however the NWA is not actively promoted as an ecotourism destination. As portions of this NWA consist of significant areas of controlled water level impoundments, the habitat within these sites will be actively managed for breeding waterfowl and waterbirds production. While the NWA includes 10 ha of agricultural upland that is maintained in pasture, hay, and grain crops by neighbouring farmers under permit, no other commercial activities are permitted. Public visitation is allowed, although not promoted. Some renewable and traditional land uses, such as hunting, fishing, and trapping, are allowed subject to applicable federal and provincial permits.

The primary management goal for Wallace Bay NWA is to ensure that the quantity, quality and variety of wetland habitats, important to waterfowl and wetland birds and other wildlife are maintained and protected from outside disturbances such that the potential for natural biological processes are maximised. To ensure that this goal is attained, more specific goals and objectives are in place so that the area will be managed to maintain its long-term natural productivity, by maintaining or enhancing the quantity, quality, and diversity of habitats while permitting non-conflicting human use. Specific goals and objectives are as follows:

Goal 1: Forest habitat will be managed to maintain populations of forest birds.

Objective:

1.1 Manage the existing 100 ha of forested habitats so that the NWA contains large contiguous areas of mature Acadian Forest.

1.2 Acquire by fee simple purchase, lands within proposed boundaries of the existing National Wildlife Area.

Goal 2: Wetland habitats will be managed to provide habitat for migratory birds including waterfowl, waterbirds, and marshbirds.

Objectives:

2.1 Manage the six controlled water level impoundments (138 ha) comprising fresh and brackish water wetlands for optimal use by a broad spectrum of native species. Maintain open water and vegetation at a 50:50 ratio (with patches of vegetation interspersed with areas of shallow open water), with a high degree of interspersion and plant species diversity.

2.2 Retain the 104 ha of salt marshes in their natural state and, where possible, protect these wetlands from exterior influences such as surface water induced eutrophication and sea-level rise.

2.3 Acquire by fee simple purchase, lands adjacent to the boundaries of the existing National Wildlife Area.

Goal 3: Grassland habitats will be managed to provide habitat for migratory birds including bobolink and aerial insectivores.

Objective:

3.1 Grasslands are maintained by periodic mowing conducted outside of the nesting season.

Goal 4: Human activities that have negative impacts on the habitat or the wildlife of Wallace Bay NWA are minimized.

Objectives:

1. Control unauthorized and prohibited activities in the NWA.
2. Inform visitors of NWA regulations and educate the public in the value of habitat protection and the primary mandate of NWAs being protection of wildlife.
3. Provide and maintain a safe entry point and boat launch to facilitate authorized public use.
4. Mitigate potential impacts of commercial activities in the vicinity of 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 five years after its initial approval and reviewed and updated every ten 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.