Oak Hammock Marsh:
The latest issue of 'The Conservator', the public organ of 'Ducks Unlimited', has a great two page article by the eponymous title 'Oak Hammock Marsh'. OHM is a conservation area about 20 minutes north of Winnipeg. It is a marshy area that began as roughly 47,000 hectares, was reduced to 60 hectares and, through reclamation efforts, has now grown to about 3,600 hectares. On a given day during the fall migrations it may play host to up to 400,000 waterfowl. Over 300 bird species have been identified at this site. The site contains an extensive interpretation centre and is the headquarters of Ducks Unlimited Canada.
The author of the article, John Geary, claims that the Oak Hammock site "topped" most places in BC and Algonquin Park in Ontario "in terms of variety and diversity in a close proximity, while providing an opportunity to get up close to birds in their natural habitat".
More on Ducks Unlimited can be found at their website at http://www.ducks.ca . More on the Oak Hammock Marsh can be found at http://www.oakhammockmarsh.ca .
Molly
Showing posts with label Ducks Unlimited. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ducks Unlimited. Show all posts
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
More On Avian Influenza:
Lest some might think that the article mentioned before on 'Bird Flu' from 'The Conservator' might be a case of an organization, Ducks Unlimited, making a special case for its own interests I went back in Science magazine to look up the topic a bit more thoroughly. The April 21 edition (312, issue 5772, pp 379- 399) has a special topic section on this virus.
The various articles in this section cover a number of different topics from a general overview, through vaccine development, manufacture of anti viral drugs, development of viral resistance to same, preparedness in the event of an outbreak and host species barriers to cross infection. The article that is relevant to what was previously mentioned is titled 'Global Patters of Influenza A Virus in Wild Birds' by B. Olsen et al. The article discusses the epidemiology of influenza A viruses in various wild bird species and their potential as a source for human epidemics.
The basic question of the source of H5N1 outbreaks to date, whether it is connected to wild bird migration or to the international poultry trade can best be summed up by the following paragraph,
"With our current limited knowledge on HPAI (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza- Molly) in wild birds, there is no solid basis for including wild birds in control strategies beyond the physical separation of poultry from wild birds. Even in areas with significant outbreaks in poultry virus prevalence in wild birds is low, and the role of wild birds in spreading the disease is unclear. It is clear that the H5N1 problem originated from outbreaks in poultry and that the outbreaks and their geographical spread probably cannot be stopped without implementation of proper control measures in the global poultry industry. However, there is at present no scientific basis for culling wild birds to control the outbreaks and their spread, and this further highly undesirable from a conservationist perspective."
Lest some might think that the article mentioned before on 'Bird Flu' from 'The Conservator' might be a case of an organization, Ducks Unlimited, making a special case for its own interests I went back in Science magazine to look up the topic a bit more thoroughly. The April 21 edition (312, issue 5772, pp 379- 399) has a special topic section on this virus.
The various articles in this section cover a number of different topics from a general overview, through vaccine development, manufacture of anti viral drugs, development of viral resistance to same, preparedness in the event of an outbreak and host species barriers to cross infection. The article that is relevant to what was previously mentioned is titled 'Global Patters of Influenza A Virus in Wild Birds' by B. Olsen et al. The article discusses the epidemiology of influenza A viruses in various wild bird species and their potential as a source for human epidemics.
The basic question of the source of H5N1 outbreaks to date, whether it is connected to wild bird migration or to the international poultry trade can best be summed up by the following paragraph,
"With our current limited knowledge on HPAI (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza- Molly) in wild birds, there is no solid basis for including wild birds in control strategies beyond the physical separation of poultry from wild birds. Even in areas with significant outbreaks in poultry virus prevalence in wild birds is low, and the role of wild birds in spreading the disease is unclear. It is clear that the H5N1 problem originated from outbreaks in poultry and that the outbreaks and their geographical spread probably cannot be stopped without implementation of proper control measures in the global poultry industry. However, there is at present no scientific basis for culling wild birds to control the outbreaks and their spread, and this further highly undesirable from a conservationist perspective."
Saturday, September 23, 2006
"Achoo!!- I Mean "Croak".
There's an interesting article in the latest 'Conservator', the publication of "Ducks Unlimited Canada'. It's entitled 'What We Know: Avian Influenza and Wild Bird Populations", and its written by Catherine Soos of Environment Canada and the University of Saskatchewan and Jane Parmley of the Centre for Coastal Health in BC. Both are research oriented veterinarians.
Every once in a while the media reports a "scare" about discovery of influenza viruses in Canadian birds. This article puts this in perspective. Influenza viruses are ubiquitous in the avian population, and the media hardly does the public any service by dredging for a story on the usual "slow day". The authors also note the role of the international poultry trade, as opposed to migratory birds, in the spread of the H5N1 virus. They say,
"...most scientists now agree that wild birds could play a role in the spread of the disease, at least for short distances (!- Molly). However, most also agree that the poultry industry and movement of birds and bird products (legal or illegal) have likely been the predominant routes of spread, given that many outbreaks in poultry appeared to have followed roads, railway systems and international boundaries, and did not correspond to migratory bird routes or timing of migration".
There's an interesting article in the latest 'Conservator', the publication of "Ducks Unlimited Canada'. It's entitled 'What We Know: Avian Influenza and Wild Bird Populations", and its written by Catherine Soos of Environment Canada and the University of Saskatchewan and Jane Parmley of the Centre for Coastal Health in BC. Both are research oriented veterinarians.
Every once in a while the media reports a "scare" about discovery of influenza viruses in Canadian birds. This article puts this in perspective. Influenza viruses are ubiquitous in the avian population, and the media hardly does the public any service by dredging for a story on the usual "slow day". The authors also note the role of the international poultry trade, as opposed to migratory birds, in the spread of the H5N1 virus. They say,
"...most scientists now agree that wild birds could play a role in the spread of the disease, at least for short distances (!- Molly). However, most also agree that the poultry industry and movement of birds and bird products (legal or illegal) have likely been the predominant routes of spread, given that many outbreaks in poultry appeared to have followed roads, railway systems and international boundaries, and did not correspond to migratory bird routes or timing of migration".
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