Wellers Bay National Wildlife Area Management Plan: chapter 4

3 Management challenges & threats

3.1 Unexploded explosive ordnance (UXO) hazards and risks

There is an ongoing risk to visitors due to UXO on the National Wildlife Area (NWA). The risks are low in frequency of occurrence but very high in potential severity. Mitigation of risks of UXO are difficult at Wellers Bay NWA because of the dynamic nature of the sand spit, due to wind and water action, which results in the constant migration of UXO to the surface and subsurface of the beach. An exhaustive clearance of UXO would entail severe disruption to the ecology of the NWA, including destruction of habitat and destabilization of dune systems. Even an exhaustive clearance would not completely remove the UXO hazard. The site will continue to require UXO surface clearance sweeps to safely remove and monitor UXO, public education and communications. Authorized visitors (e.g., ECCC- Canadian Wildlife Services (CWS) and Department of National Defence (DND) staff) are subject to mandatory UXO briefings and health and safety protocols.

3.2 Restoration and management of important habitats and Wellers Bay coastal sand spit

The physical setting of the Wellers Bay NWA, its fragile dune ecosystem and the presence of UXO, presents management challenges, particularly for the restoration and management of habitats used by wildlife in the nearshore beach and dunes (including species at risk). The sand beach and dunes are fragile ecosystems that may be degraded or destroyed when subjected to all but very light human activity. It is a challenge to balance the need for site visits (i.e., biological surveys and monitoring, site management, UXO detection, monitoring and clearance, mitigation of health and safety risks and enforcement), with the need to prevent and limit human disturbance of the vegetation, wildlife and habitats. The fragile beach and dune ecosystem, combined with the presence of UXO, limit management options to maintain, improve and protect wildlife habitat. This includes the ability to monitor lake-wide threats such as the incidence of botulism, disease, non-native and invasive species (terrestrial and aquatic), extreme weather, non-point source pollution, and toxic chemicals on migratory birds and their habitat. These threats will have an impact on wildlife and habitat at Wellers Bay NWA, as they do throughout the lower Great Lakes.

In addition, signs used to convey NWA boundaries, prohibit access and UXO warning are subject to wind and weather and are often lost or damaged during extreme storm events.

3.3 Unauthorized public access

Unauthorized public access and use is a significant health and safety concern, undermines the conservation goals for the NWA, and creates additional pressures on resources to prevent prohibited activities and mitigate the impacts. This includes increased demands on ECCC-CWS as well as Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Wildlife Enforcement Directorate staff (ECCC-WED).

Public access has always been prohibited at the Wellers Bay NWA because of the safety risks associated with the presence of UXO on the NWA. It was a condition of the land transfer from DND to CWS. The condition is also appropriate to protect the fragile beach and dune ecosystem and wildlife from disturbance, and in line with the purpose of NWAs under the CWA.

Since the NWA was established, the population in nearby urban centres and public recreation in Lake Ontario have increased considerably. As the population of southeastern Ontario continues to grow, it is expected that development pressures, tourism and associated recreation activities will also increase. Protected areas are regularly promoted as destinations by external interests, often without a full understanding of the health and safety risks for visitors, sensitivities of wildlife and habitats to human disturbance, restrictions on public access and use, and regulations by which the area is protected. For example, visits to beaches (e.g., Baldhead Beach in Wellers Bay NWA) are among the listed attractions in tourism promotional and online materials. This type of information may inadvertently promote illegal access and activities in the NWA. Visitors to eastern Lake Ontario and Wellers Bay come from a large geographic area, making compliance promotion materials and information difficult to tailor and deliver to various audiences. The incidence of illegal access (visitors without authorization or permits) to the NWA and prohibited activities in the NWA are frequent, particularly in the summer. Examples of illegal access and prohibited activities in the Wellers Bay NWA include access to the beach and dunes by foot, boat or ATV, removal of and damage to signs, hiking, picnicking, livestock grazing, horseback riding, fires, volleyball net posts staked in the ground, and garbage dumping. The beaches on both sides of the peninsula are regularly used by swimmers and sunbathers, and paths across the middle and extending from the mainland into the NWA exist from frequent unauthorized use. Use impacts include damage and loss of dune vegetation to the increased erosion.

Part of the management challenge at Wellers Bay NWA is a public misconception that the UXO risks are low. Risk to the public is low when based on no public access and with the implementation of DND’s risk management measures (DND, 2011). It does not account for the current rate and number of trespassing events. The potential severity of risk to the public from UXO remains very high. As such, public access will remain a prohibited activity at Wellers Bay NWA.

3.4 Non-native and invasive plants

A number of non-native and invasive plant species occur within the NWA (e.g., Tartarian Honeysuckle [Lonicera tatarica], Common Buckthorn [Rhamnus cathartica], White/Silver Poplar, non-native Phragmites/Common Reed and Purple Loosestrife). However, the distribution and abundance of non-native and invasive plants within the NWA have not been studied.

Two species of particular concern within the NWA are non-native Phragmites and White/Silver Poplar, because these species can spread rapidly, outcompete native species and decrease biodiversity, and can be difficult to remove or control once established. Phragmites is established in the NWA at the north end of Baldhead Peninsula and appears to be expanding. Regular monitoring is required to track and manage the expansion of these species. Management may be successful if implemented while the stands are still relatively small.

Developing and implementing effective management options to reduce the impacts of non-native and invasive plant species is often hampered by limited knowledge of the species and the ability of many of these species to adapt to growing conditions in Ontario.

3.5 Non-native, invasive and overabundant wildlife and feral and domestic animals

Non-native, invasive, and overabundant wildlife and feral and domestic animals that can pose challenges for management of the NWA include birds such as Mute Swans, Double-crested Cormorants and wildlife such as skunks, raccoons and coyotes, feral cats and dogs, and domestic livestock and horses.

While the number of non-native, invasive and feral and domestic animals on the NWA is likely small and infrequent, these animals disrupt natural habitats through soil disturbance and contamination, trampling of vegetation on the beaches and dunes, increasing erosion of dunes, and spreading non-native and invasive plants (e.g., livestock and horses transport on hooves and in manure). In addition, some animals (e.g., raccoons and feral cats) can exert significant predation pressure on native wildlife through nest destruction and eating eggs and individuals (i.e., birds and turtles), as well as transfer disease and pathogens to wild animals. Ongoing monitoring and active management may be required. 

3.6 Motorized watercrafts

The waters surrounding Wellers Bay NWA are popular for recreational boating, fishing and waterfowl hunting. Boating impacts on lakeshore ecology include wake effects, wildlife disturbance, noise and pollution. Many animals respond to human disruptions by altering their behavior and location. Wave action and noise from boats and jet skis, and human presence on shore and in the nearshore (1.5 km from shore), are a significant concern during the spring and summer, particularly for birds and turtles that use the sand beach and dunes for nesting. Such disturbance may cause adult birds to flush off their nest or, in some cases, abandon nests, eggs and young, increasing vulnerability from predation. A high wake can swamp nests, destroying or damaging nests and eggs. The presence of humans and domestic dogs may cause turtles to delay nesting or abandon nests. Adult turtles and hatchlings are also vulnerable to injury and fatality due to strikes from boat propellers.

3.7 Climate variability and projected climate change

Fluctuations in climate, over seasons and years, influence the growth and structure of habitat communities available for wildlife on the NWA. In addition, current climate change models predict that long-term continuous change to average weather conditions will lead to warmer air temperatures, lower lake levels and warmer water temperatures due to a decrease in winter ice cover and subsequent increased evaporation. Although the impacts of climate change on the habitats and wildlife on the NWA are unknown, it is expected that there will be changes in the distribution, range and breeding behaviours of migratory birds and wildlife using the NWA.