4 - Sunday, December 31, 1989 — North Shore News Gary Bannerman Cocktails & Caviar ¢ Eco-Logic ¢ ES RECENTLY, DR. Walter Block of the Fraser Institute urged ecologists to embrace the market system. Forget about more public sector involvement. ‘*We have found that a govern- ment limited to clearly defining and assiduously protecting private property rights is best able to ac- complish the ecological task." To prove his point, the good Dr. Block cited three environmental groups that have embraced mar- ket-oriented techniques to realize the goal of protecting rare species through the private purchase of wildlife habitat. One of these groups was the venerable Ducks Unlimited, which has raised $350 million over the past 50 years, with which it has dammed, ditched and diked a total of 2.2 million acres of Canadian wetlands to provide what its founders usrd to call ‘*duck fac- tories,’’ bie which a more FR- conscious “eneration of duck pop- ulation mangers likes to refer to as ‘‘an investment in good hun- ting.”’ Dr. Block’s infatuation with Ducks Unlimited was perhaps a trifle premature. The current issue of Har- rowsmith carried a scathing in- dictrnent of the organization. If Ducks Unlimited is such a hotshot operation, the magazine asks, why have duck populations been plummeting to the point where a Canadian biologist doesn’t believe there will be waterfowl hunting in North America 10 years from now wot — for lack of ducks. The article, by Andrew Nikiforuk, serves as a cautionary tale for neoconservative think- tankers who are eager to shoulder governments out of the business of protecting the environment; han- ding the task over solely to clear- sighted businessmen. Writes Nikiforuk: “Although no one questions Ducks Uniimited’s laudable efforts at wetlands conservation, many hunters and wildlife biologists are beginning to ask where the prom- ised duck populations are. In 1900, more than 200 million ducks blackened the prairie skies on their annual migrations; today there are barely more than 62 million. “Since 1955, the first year Ca- nadian and U.S. wildlife officials began keeping formal estimates, the population of the 10 most popular duck species has dropped from 42.7 million to 30.3 million — the number of mallards, for in- stance, plummeting from 12 mil- lion to five million. The northern pintail and blue-winged teal have also suffered tremendous losses."* What has gone wrong here? According to the late Albert Hochbaum, the ‘‘dean of water- fowlers” and author of a classic book on prairie ducks, the prob- lem was two-fold. A former en- thusiastic supporter of Ducks Un- limited who quit the organization ees THE CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF NORTH VANCOUVER 1990 DOG LICENCES Itis an offence under the Dog Tax and Regulation By-law to own a dog over the age of four (4) months that is not wearing a licence tag issued by The City of North Vancouver for the cur- rent year. Hf you have purchased a 1989 Dog Licence from the City of North Vancouver, you will receive a 1990 Dog Licence State- ment early in January, 1990. If you did not purchase a 1989 Licence or, for some other reason do not receive a statement by January 31st, 1990, please contact the Treasury Department at the City Hall, 741 West 14th Street, North Vancouver; Phone 985-6671 Locai 315. Dog Licences may also be purchased in person at the S.P.C.A. Shelter, 299 Mansfield Place, North Vancouver in person only. For New Registered Dog Owners proof must be supplied for spayed and neutered dogs. _ Spayed or Neutered Dogs Un-Spayed or Un-Neutered Dogs A.K. Tollstam Treasurer-Coliector $13.00 $30.00 550,000 people work hard to protect Canada’s endangered | z, species. in the late 1940s, Hochbaum found that the duck hunters regularly cooked their books by exag- gerating acreage claims and adding zeroes to their monthly tallies of ducks. He also found that only 25 per cent of the so-called ‘‘drought- proof nesting grounds” duilt acress the prairies by Ducks Un- limited’s engineers actually held water during a drought. Since Hochbaum quit in disgust, the organization has evolved into one of the most powerful and respected conservation groups in North America, if ‘‘conservation’’ can truthfully be applied to any clique whose purpose is to blow something away. Whatever the case, Ducks Un- limited is admittedly a large organization, and hence influen- tial. It annually raises $60 million for wetlands conservation and res- toration, some 90 per cent of which is spent in Canada. Its budget for 1988 was therefore twice that of the Canadian Wildlife Service. With that kind of money at its disposal, Ducks Unlimited should not be a flop. Yet that’s preciscly what it appears to be. In an interview before he died last year, Hochbaum told writer Nikiforuk that the reason for Ducks Unlimited's colossal failure is to be found in the fact that 98 per cent of prairie duck nesting takes place in small potholes, sloughs and ponds. The huge, engineered marshes put up by Ducks Unlimited are really only Just “) pear sede AUD doesn’t friends and faces. suitable for wading and photography. As it turns out, the two per cent of the ducks who are hatched in such manmade settings is roughly equal to the number that die every year from lead poisoning after swallowing spent shotgun pellets. There is another reason for the decline of the ducks, of course. According to Dave Hall, a special agent with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the stark re- ality is that duck hunters are an unsporting lot who routinely kill more ducks than their licences allow. Their attitude seems to be that they sent money to Ducks Un- limited, so why shouldn't they take what they want, and to hell with conservation, For every million ducks legally shot, another four million are kill- ed illegally, according to special agent Hall. “‘IHegal’’ kills are marked by the use of pump or semi-automatic shotguns containing more than three shells, baiting duck feeding areas with corn, hunting out of season and taking more than the allowable bag limit. Ducks Unlimited has, as you might expect, consistently denied the significance of illegal hunting, has fought against any hunting restrictions at all, and has reckless- ly poured its money into largely useless wetland megaprojects. If that’s your shining example of market forces at work protecting the environment, Dr. Block, God help us all @® bs Fesries) begpie gS mean you're Year! .. News photographer. Mike Wakefield . caaght . Brien: and Rachel toasting each other with a glass of ginger ale on today’s. front cover. Best wishes for 2 safe, happy New Year from all of us at the North Shore News,- ~~ NURSING _& ~ ~ HOME: CARE*. CARING EXPER!ENCED STAFF * RNs ‘ * LPNs * Aides * Homemakers * Live-ins 24 HOURS A DAY | DRAKE MEDOX 987-0861 | HEALTH SERVICES” because you're retired... out of circulation! Not All North Shore News carriers are young. Some are retirees who want to stay young. A NEWS paper route is an ideal part-time job. Most routes can be completed in about an HOUR — you'll get your exercise and keep in touch with your neighbors. If you're on a fixed income, the extra money is an added bonus that just might make life a little more comfortable. Most important, you can get involved in a meaningful, worthwhile activity that can acquaint you with new — j 4% , Me Faico peregrinus analum RSs: You can help too. gt For more intomanon contact =< Canadian Wildlife Federation To find out how you can join our team and get involved again, call... Tet VOICE 1H NOWTH AND WEST VANCOUVER Pukey Distribution 986-1337 SUNDAY © WEDNESDAY © TMIDAY 1673 Carling Avenue Ottawa, Onlano K2A 321 (613) 725-2194