Welcome to Week CCIX of ‘Fishing Parkland Shorelines’. Like most of us I am a novice fisherman, loving to fish, but far from an expert. In the following weeks I’ll attempt to give those anglers who love to fish but just don’t have access to a boat, a look at some of the options in the Yorkton area where you can fish from shore, and hopefully catch some fish.
Some days the best thing you can do in terms of fishing is to roll over when the alarm rings and go back to sleep.
That would have certainly been a better plan for the recent holiday Monday.
It was partly my fault I admit. I had a brain freeze, forgetting that you can never, ever, not one day a year, leave home without a parka packed in the vehicle. I sadly did not.
I did have a heavy bunny hug (yep I’m from Saskatchewan), and a nylon shell windbreaker, which in tandem proved woefully inadequate against the wind whipping off Crooked Lake and across this solitary fisherman huddling on the sand spit which is Indian Point.
It took three, maybe four casts, and I was chilled. Initially, it was just a slight discomfort. Thirty casts into the morning and the bunny hug hood was up, my bones felt like I was out on a long January walk, and my mood was frankly chillier still.
I was rolling through my tackle box, sending long wind assisted casts into the lake, catching a few weeds, and that only added to the discomfort as I had to clean the green off the treble hook.
An hour in I was defeated - no fish and a thorough chill which I may pay for in a day or two if it promotes a cold which are so joyous in spring or summer.
It was frankly as lousy a time of fishing as I can recall in … well maybe ever.
The old adage a bad day fishing is better than a good day at most things was obliterated. I could have thought of numerous things way more fun than time on that cold, windy spit. A few games of international checkers, Dameo, or Hive with a friend, a round of disc golf, even in the wind since I would have been moving to stay warm, or a good Sherlock Holmes pastiche, or a graphic novel to read.
The day also reaffirmed something my son and I had discussed a week earlier, if you don’t catch fish in your first 15-20 minutes, don’t hold your breath for a good day of fishing ‘cause you are likely to end up rather breathless and purple too boot.
That is of course less the case with a boat, you can go searching for a school of hungry fish.
And if you want to dedicate the day to the effort, you may catch a feeding time later in the day, but usually it’s catch early, or enjoy the scenery.
Not surprisingly the scenery is less spectacular when you are wondering when the snow will start falling because you are midwinter shivering.
It was honestly so windy and cool there wasn’t a bird in the air, or wading the sands, so there was zero ‘wildlife’ to distract me from the chill.
I mention birds as a segue into a recent release which hit the computer inbox which was disconcerting as someone who while far from being a ‘birder’ does appreciate our feathered friends when out and about whether driving, disc golfing or fishing. The release is shared here because in general fisherfolk care about nature in general, and this report certainly suggests we need to be more diligent in efforts to protect bird populations.
The release had the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) sharing the concerns of a continent-wide partnership of scientists, non-government organizations and governments regarding serious and widespread declines of birds in North America.
“The most comprehensive report of its kind, the State of the North America’s Birds Report 2016, was released recently in Ottawa and Washington, and sounds the alarm that a full one third of bird species in Canada, the US and Mexico are now of “major conservation concern.” The report is based on the first-ever conservation vulnerability assessment for all 1,154 native bird species that occur in these countries.
Dan Kraus, senior director of conservation program development with the NCC, said the report reinforces the need for habitat conservation,” detailed the release.
“This report should both give us hope and be a call for more action” said Kraus in the release. “Many places NCC has protected are critical to maintain healthy bird populations. Unfortunately there is a long list of Canadian species that are continuing to decline. We clearly need to do more to protect their habitat. Canada has a unique role to play in bird conservation because so many species migrate here to breed. Protecting bird habitats here in Canada will have an impact on the biology and health of ecosystems across North America.”
The report highlights many trends:
*More than half of North America’s seabirds are on the Watch List, as they are most at risk of extinction without significant action,
*Steep population declines also threaten birds in coastal and grassland habitats.
*Migratory shorebird populations have declined by almost 70 per cent since 1973,
*One third of North America’s grassland breeding birds are on the Watch List due to steep population declines and habitat threats,
*Wetland habitat conservation efforts are helping the populations of waterfowl and other waterbirds. Continued investment in wetlands conservation is needed to ensure that waterbirds will continue to thrive,
*Conservation works; when we protect their habitats, birds do well.
“Birds don`t recognize provincial or national borders so we must continue to conserve habitat across the continent to help protect these migratory populations,” said Mark Wartman, Regional Vice President, NCC Saskatchewan Region in the release. “NCC is proud to work with Environment and Climate Change Canada, provincial governments, private industries, and a host of other conservation organizations to protect natural spaces across Canada, including over 150,000 acres (60,703 ha) in Saskatchewan alone.”
The report was developed by the North American Bird Conservation Initiative, the result of collaborative efforts among scientists, governments, non-government organizations like the NCC and citizen scientists in Canada, the US and Mexico. The report highlights the North American Waterfowl Management Plan in which NCC is a key partner, as “a model for continent-wide conservation.”
The State of North America’s Birds Report is being released during the 100 year anniversary of the Migratory Bird Treaty, an agreement between the United States and Canada that promised collaborative conservation to protect the migratory birds of North America, detailed the release. In 1936, 20 years after the signing of the Migratory Bird Treaty, Mexico and the U.S. committed to a similar treaty, connecting all of North America in its efforts to protect our shared species.
Benefits of Bird Conservation:
• Bird conservation means conserving habitat. Healthy bird habitat is also healthy for people,
• Migratory birds contribute to environmental benefits such as pollination, insect and rodent control, and seed dispersal,
• Birds are estimated to consume up to 98 per cent of certain insect pests, which reduces the need for pesticides in agriculture,
• Communities economically benefit through nature-based tourism with birdwatchers, travel writers, photographers, nature enthusiasts and others who visit conserved areas.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada is the nation’s leading land conservation organization, working to protect our most important natural areas and the species they sustain. Since 1962 NCC and its partners have helped to protect more than 2.8 million acres (over 1.1 million hectares), coast to coast, with over 150,000 acres (60,700 ha) of ecologically significant lands conserved through land donations, purchases and agreements in Saskatchewan.
NCC’s partners and supporters in Saskatchewan include landowners, community pasture patrons, the Government of Saskatchewan, Government of Canada, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and others. SaskEnergy provides NCC Saskatchewan with subsidized office space and helps support its programs, including NCC’s Conservation Volunteers.
Learn More:
• More information and the full report: www.stateofthebirds.org
• Migratory Bird Treaty Centennial celebration: www.fws.gov/birds/MBTreaty100
• How you can support bird conservation: www.stateofthebirds.org/change
• NCC’s work in Saskatchewan: www.natureconservancy.ca/sk
