trophy birds in many areas of the Province. The local breed- 

 ing populations of giant Canada geese on the St, Lawrence 

 Management Unit continued to increase and larger numbers 

 of migrants used the St. Lawrence area. Goose huntmg in 

 the eastern counties continues to improve with each pass- 

 ing year. 



Leg-banding of waterfowl continues to be an important 

 management technique in following trends and popula- 

 tions, where, unlike western Canada, aerial and ground sur- 

 veys cannot provide good information on important forest 

 nesting species such as the black and wood duck. Almost 

 9,000 ducks and 283 Canada geese were banded by the 

 Department of Lands and Forests in association with private 

 co-operators at 35 banding stations across the Province in 

 1968. 



Few Canada geese nest in southern Ontario. A program to 

 establish the giant Canada goose, a southern-breeding race, 

 in southern Ontario was begun in 1968 in association with 

 the Ontario Waterfowl Research Foundation at Guelph. 

 Over 200 goslings were reared in 1968, and most will be 

 released when they are two and three years of age in a 

 special pilot study area comprising Wellington and Water- 

 loo Counties and five adjoining Townships in Grey, Duft'erin 

 and Brant Counties. Larger numbers of geese will be raised 

 in the next few years. If the establishment program meets 

 with success, it is expected that releases of breeding stock 

 will be extended to include other areas of the Province. 



PROVINCIAL HUNTING AREAS 



In the Provincial Hunting Area program, the primary goal is 

 to provide a place to hunt in areas where hunting opportun- 

 ities have become most restricted and the need for public 

 hunting ground is most urgent. A high-quality hunting ex- 

 perience is another goal. A third objective is to create a 

 public awareness of the value of wildlife in modern society. 



The need for public hunting grounds is greatest within 

 day-use range of the major centres of population in southern 

 Ontario. There are lands better suited for wildlife manage- 

 ment than other uses within the range of these centres, but 

 in southwestern Ontario there is a minimum of public land 

 with public access assured for the future. 



Marshlands are among the most productive lands suit- 

 able for wildlife. Through proper habitat manipulation tech- 

 niques, the productivity and attractiveness of wetlands can 

 be improved for waterfowl, furbearers and other aquatic 

 bird and animal life. At the same time, opportunities for the 

 general public to view wild creatures in their native environ- 

 ment can be provided in such habitat. 



Acquisition of marshlands in southern Ontario is an 

 important program; as indicated in the accompanying 

 table, ten of the 21 land acquisitions are wetlands. 



LANDS ACQUIRED FOR WILDLIFE 

 PURPOSES, 1962-9 



Area 



County 



Acres 



Acres 

 1968-9 



150 



40 

 194 



Tiny Marsh * Simcoe 2,246 



Angle Ditch Marsh ... * Bruce 200 



Luther Marsh ' Dufferin 919 



Wye Marsh * Simcoe 925 



Johnston Harbour . . . Bruce 4,204 



Dept. Highways — various 1,062 

 Transfer 



Aylmer Airport Elgin 555 



Fingal Airport Elgin 780 



Duclos Point * York 188 



Holland Marsh * Simcoe 375 



Brighton Northumberland 622 



Kendal Durham 650 



Murray Marsh * Northumberland 1,598 



Charlottenburg Stormont 258 



Millbrook Durham 188 



Dalton Victoria 100 



Gananoque Leeds 1,046 



Winchester Bog * Dundas 3,600 



Long Point * Norfolk 90 



Nonquon River * Ontario 2,138 



MacCauley Twp Muskoka 1,220 



TOTAL 23,064 1,162 



'Wetland Projects 



PHEASANT HUNTING AREAS 



Pheasants were released in good cover in numbers accord- 

 ing to demand on five hunting units in Provincial Parks this 

 year. In 1968, 3,049 man-days of pheasant hunting were 

 enjoyed in the field. This program has provided hunting in 

 areas where normally this recreational pastime would not 

 occur since four of the five units are outside the native 

 pheasant range. 



Of the 6,066 pheasants released at five Provincial Parks 

 and the Gananoque Provincial Hunting Area, a limited num- 



375 



72 



188 



100 



43 



11 



