Temporary exemption proposed for farmers in threatened Bobolink areas

Friday, May 6, 2011

A three-year exemption from restrictions under the Endangered Species Act is in the works for normal farming practices in areas where the Bobolink is struggling to survive

by DON STONEMAN

Farmers taking their first cut of hay this year shouldn't have to worry much that they will be charged under the provincial Endangered Species Act for destroying Bobolink habitat.

Farm and conservancy groups have proposed that farmers performing normal farm practices be granted a three-year exemption under the Endangered Species Act with respect to Bobolink habitat. Normal farm practices include early cutting of hay, which coincides with the nesting season for the grassland bird.

The proposal is "going through the bureaucratic process," according to Richard Horn, policy advisor to the Ontario Cattlemen's Association (OCA). The ministries of environment and natural resources are involved. "(Agriculture Minister) Carol Mitchell is aware," Horn says.

"We are working on a solution that works for both farmers and the Bobolink and ensures that farm operations can continue to operate profitably and sustainably," says Jolanta Kowalski, senior media relations officer with the Ministry of Natural Resources.

The Bobolink was designated as "threatened" in Ontario in 2010, thus protecting the species and its habitat under the provincial Endangered Species Act of 2007.

In Ontario, species that may be risk are reviewed by a team of experts known as the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario. A species is classified as threatened if the numbers are diminishing and it is headed towards either extirpation or extinction. Extirpation means the species doesn't exist in the province anymore.

Extinction means it doesn't exist anywhere. (Other once common species classified as threatened in Ontario include the Monarch butterfly and snapping turtles.)

According to Nature Ontario, the population of Bobolinks has dwindled by about 65 per cent since 1968, with a dramatic year-over-year decline of more than seven per cent annually between 1998 and 2008. According to an Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association press release, there are only about 400,000 Bobolinks left in the province of Ontario, about half what there was a decade ago.

Haying can kill birds and removes their habitat, leaving them exposed to predators. But delaying haying threatens the livelihood of the owners of the property. Development also threatens Bobolink habitat. So, ironically, does tree planting, Horn notes.

The Bobolink's territory is a belt of land stretching from Huron County to Renfrew mostly used by beef farmers. Horn asserts that the decline in numbers of Bobolinks matches a decline in small farms devoted to cow-calf production, although some dairy and sheep operations are affected.

Nature Ontario is the leading conservancy group on side with the OCA and other farm groups.

Horn says the exemption to regulations likely won't be there for the first day of haying, but the anticipation is that regulations won't be enforced, for bona fide farmers anyway. "We are not talking about developers," he stresses.

Anne Bell, director of conservation and education for Nature Ontario, says the proposal for the temporary exemption calls for it to be "coupled with a voluntary stewardship and research program." The proposal calls for dedicated and targeted funding for stewardship incentives for Bobolink and other grassland bird species. It goes so far as to recommend recognition for outstanding grassland stewardship through a Premier's Award for Agri-Food Excellence.

The proposal has been endorsed by dairy beef and sheep organizations, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association, Bird Studies Canada, Carolinian Canada Coalition and Norfolk ALUS (Alternative Land Use Services).

The Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario has had good relations with Nature Ontario, says general manager John Clement. Federation members have identified the Bobolink's 'threatened' designation as one of a few of the examples of regulations that are also threatening their livelihoods.

"My experience is that Nature Ontario has taken some efforts to work constructively with agriculture," Clement says. He cites the ALUS projects in particular. The Christian Farmers haven't attended the Bobolink talks because of scheduling difficulties, he says. BF