Wellers Bay National Wildlife Area Management Plan: chapter 6

5 Management approaches

The overall management philosophy for Wellers Bay National Wildlife Area (NWA) is to protect the ecological values of the site in order to ensure the continued existence of wildlife and plants, including species at risk. Active management will be kept to a minimum to limit disturbance to wildlife and fragile beach and dune ecosystems. Management will be undertaken only to sustain habitats and biodiversity, monitor Unexploded Explosive Ordnance (UXO) and mitigate the effects of human disturbance, consistent with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature classification as a Category IV Habitat/Species Management Area (Dudley, 2008). Public safety, species habitat use, timing windows, critical habitats and other constraints will be considered within all management actions.

This section and Table 4 contain a description of approaches that could be used in the management of the Wellers Bay NWA. However, management actions will be determined during the annual work planning process and will be implemented as human and financial resources allow.

5.1 Habitat protection and management

Habitat management goals and objectives for the Wellers Bay NWA are based on minimal intervention in the natural processes. There has been limited active habitat or vegetation management at the NWA. Rather, natural processes occur unimpeded, with the primary focus of habitat protection to ensure that human activities do not interfere with natural sand beach and dune dynamics and habitats for migratory birds and species at risk.

ECCC-CWS will not interfere with natural forces that act on the sand spit and dunes. However, mitigation measures may be contemplated if there is a threat due to human disturbance or destruction of the vegetation. Erosion control may continue on a limited scale by means of revegetation or placement of sediment traps to retain sand and promote restoration of the dunes and beach.

ECCC-CWS will continue to work with DND to monitor coastal processes and risks of UXO. Authorized visits to the sand spit and dunes and low-impact studies will be kept to a minimum and monitored over time to assess effects of disturbance to wildlife and habitat.

Regular monitoring will be conducted to track changes in vegetation community density and extent through vegetation mapping using aerial photography and occasional site surveys. Periodic biological inventories on the NWA, as well as collaborative monitoring (e.g. Coastal Habitat Assessment and Monitoring Program [CHAMP], bird monitoring programs) occurring within Wellers Bay will assist reporting on biological diversity and threats.

It is anticipated that additional critical habitat may be identified for several species during the term of this management plan (Table 3). ECCC-CWS will implement recommendations from recovery documents for survival and recovery of species at risk where feasible.

Non-native or invasive plants

Actions to control non-native or invasive plants have not been undertaken at the NWA. The extent and rate of expansion of non-native or invasive plants will be periodically assessed to evaluate impacts and activities to manage and reduce will be considered only if the species are determined to be causing significant problems for native plants and wildlife, particularly species at risk and their habitats. 

5.2 Wildlife management

5.2.1 Waterfowl and migratory birds

Protection and conservation of habitat for migratory birds, species at risk and other wildlife will be achieved mainly by limiting human disturbance and providing a refuge for species during sensitive breeding, nesting and/or staging periods of their lifecycle. Migratory birds and species at risk will be monitored as part of broader survey efforts, and threats will be assessed. Active management actions may be undertaken if the need arises.

Species at risk will be surveyed to assess population size and distribution, potential and existing threats, and to determine and implement best management practices and recovery actions.

5.2.2 Overabundant wildlife and feral and domestic animals

Actions to control overabundant wildlife and feral and domestic animals have not been undertaken at the NWA. The need for non-native and invasive species management will be assessed upon completing site visit and survey work. Activities to control non-native and invasive species will be considered only if the species are determined to be causing significant risk for habitat and wildlife within the NWA.

Where routine monitoring of the NWA identifies particular problems with domestic or feral animals, removal of problem animals may be undertaken by ECCC-CWS, and incidents of domestic livestock at large or people releasing or feeding wild or feral animals will be reported to ECCC-WED.

5.3 Species at risk

Species at risk and habitat requirements for species’ persistence, breeding, stopover and recovery within the NWA will be identified and protected. Today, Wellers Bay NWA provides year-round and seasonal habitat for ten species listed under SARA. These species are particularly susceptible to human disturbance and non-compatible land use activities. Recovery strategies and management and action plans for species at risk will be key drivers of management activities at the NWA. Management will be adapted as critical habitat is identified within the NWA and more recovery strategies and action plans are completed and posted on the Species at Risk Act Public Registry.

Individual species at risk will be managed in an integrated approach with other species at risk and other wildlife. Overlapping and competing habitat needs will be evaluated, and habitat management will be based on providing the greatest amount of benefit to the greatest number of species at risk, while considering high-priority species (those at greatest risk).

5.4 Monitoring and surveys

Monitoring and surveys at the Wellers Bay NWA will be kept to a minimum to limit disturbance to wildlife and habitats, allow the site to recover from previous disturbance and minimize the health and safety risks to investigators from UXO. Monitoring will be carried out in a manner that contributes to meeting recovery strategy and action plan objectives and requires careful planning and a coordinated approach. Ongoing monitoring needs are as follows, and will be conducted on an as needed basis:

1. Monitor distribution and abundance of migratory birds (particularly waterfowl, land birds and water birds), amphibians, reptiles and species at risk using established monitoring and survey protocols.
2. Monitor the extent, distribution and ecological integrity of wetlands, beach and dune, panne, aquatic, and forest habitats, using established monitoring and survey protocols.
3. Monitor the quality and quantity of habitat available for migrating waterfowl and species at risk (e.g., critical habitat as identified in recovery documents).
4. Monitor, at select locations, the volume of illegal access and prohibited activities, and the effects of human disturbance (authorized and unauthorized) to coastal processes (erosion and accretion) and vegetation (sand beach and dunes).
5. Measure the occurrence, distribution and density of non-native and invasive species (e.g., Silver Poplar, non-native Phragmites, Mute Swan and Double-crested Cormorant), and feral and domestic animals (e.g., dogs and livestock).
6. Annual DND Legacy Sites Program surface sweeps to monitor the presence of UXOs.

5.5 Research

Environment and Climate Change Canada may support research activities within and around the NWA if their results are likely to provide data and information on topics of interest, including waterfowl and migratory bird population monitoring, understanding coastal processes and the risks posed by climate change to sand dune and beach habitats within the NWA, protection or recovery of species at risk, habitat restoration, the effects of climate change and water level variability on coastal processes (within the NWA along the Lake Ontario and Wellers Bay shorelines) including assessing the vulnerability of sand spit, dune, upland and wetland habitats, reducing illegal public access to and prohibited activities on NWA lands, and the effects of invasive and non-native species on habitat and wildlife.

Research activities will be considered when the results will not interfere with the conservation of wildlife, will not likely cause significant adverse environmental effects and where public safety risks can be mitigated. ECCC-CWS CWA permits are required under the Wildlife Area Regulations to conduct research and monitoring in the Wellers Bay NWA. All research requests must be made in writing. Refer to Appendix 2: Canadian Wildlife Service (Ontario): Conditions of Research Requests (in National Wildlife Areas). To obtain a permit to conduct research in Wellers Bay NWA and to receive instructions concerning guidelines for a research proposal, please contact:

Environment and Climate Change Canada - Canadian Wildlife Service
Ontario Region Permit Office
867 Lakeshore Road
Burlington ON L7R 4A6
Tel.: 905-336-4464 
Fax: 905-336-4587 
Email: wildlife.ontario@canada.ca

Upon completion of the activity, permit holders are required to submit all data/information collected to ECCC-CWS, as a condition of the permit.

5.6 Multi-agency land management partnerships

Efforts to maintain or increase capacity of ECCC-CWS staff to establish and maintain relationships with government agencies (such as DND, ECCC-WED and OMNRF), neighbours, local planning authorities, and enforcement personnel will facilitate a coordinated approach for the management and conservation of Wellers Bay NWA.

ECCC-CWS will identify opportunities to address current and future management challenges and threats, including waterfowl conservation, multi-species conservation, habitat restoration, control of invasive and non-native species, adaptations to climate change and variability, and species at risk recovery.

5.7 Public information and outreach

Public awareness and compliance with prohibitions on entry and use of the NWA is a key component to successful implementation of the Wellers Bay NWA management plan. Increasing ECCC-CWS staff capacity for compliance and promotion activities is important to improve public relations, raise awareness and reduce mis-information and misconception.

ECCC-CWS public information and outreach activities are designed to enhance public understanding and appreciation of the important conservation role of the Wellers Bay NWA for protection of the Wellers Bay Coastal Sand Spit, wetlands outside of the NWA in Wellers Bay, migratory birds and other wildlife including species at risk, and to encourage public cooperation in wildlife conservation.

Signage, notices and outreach materials will be used to increase awareness and promote voluntary cooperation and compliance with the Canada Wildlife Act and Wildlife Area Regulations, which prohibit domestic animals and the release of domestic or wild animals within the NWA.

ECCC-CWS and DND established a cooperative posting strategy that simultaneously brings to public attention the dangers of the area and its NWA status. Public information notices are published annually by ECCC-CWS (Appendix 3) and DND (Appendix 4). ECCC-CWS and DND signs are posted in the same locations within the NWA (see Section 1.5).

Signage at the Wellers Bay NWA and communication and outreach materials will be reviewed and updated periodically to ensure that they provide clear direction to visitors, partners and the public on the prohibition of entry, prohibited activities and requirements for permits, and health and safety hazards within the NWA. Awareness is also generated through a CWS website and via printed materials available on the Environment and Climate Change Canada protected area website.