Birdwatchers in Callander upset after being locked out of bird sanctuary

The Nipissing Naturalists Club, based out of the North Bay area, is calling on Callander’s municipal council to allow members access to the Callander sewage lagoons so they can observe the various migrating bird species.

The club, which monitors and observes nature, was recently denied access to the sewage lagoons, which are also a bird sanctuary.

From the singing Red-Winged Blackbird to nesting Canadian Geese, more than 150 migrating species use the large area as a channel when flying north and south for seasonal migration.

"The sewage lagoons are a very important source of scientific data,” said club president Rick Tripp. “Birders don't just count birds and go home. That data is compiled for scientists all across North America."

Tripp went to council May 24 in hopes of convincing them to reconsider the matter. He said the club was allowed access for 40 years to observe and document the birds. The club tracks the health of the birds and shares the information with Nipissing University and other research groups.

In that time, there were no safety issues because birdwatchers knew where to walk and kept a respectable distance away from the animals.

However, in 2018, the gates to the area were locked by the municipality, which cited safety, liability and insurance concerns.

That didn't sit well with Tripp.

"Walking around a lagoon is safer than crossing a busy road," he said.

Tripp said the site is crucial to learning more about bird behaviour, nesting patterns and population count.

For its part, the municipality said the club has never been given official access to the area and that it remains restricted to the public.

"If we do allow them access and others see them in there … I’m just worried that other people will get in there, particularly young people," said Callander Coun. Daryl Vaillancourt.

Vaillancourt said the municipality’s insurance rates are “high enough already,” noting there was an 11 per cent increase in 2021.

“It’s not a very safe place for anybody to be -- a naturalists club or otherwise. It’s a sewage lagoon,” he said.

Tripp said the club’s insurance provider, Ontario Nature, has informed members they would be covered when on site.

Last year, council passed a resolution to issue trespass notices to anyone entering the property.

Vaillancourt said he hopes they can find a common ground with the club. It proposed building a platform along the perimeter fence so birdwatchers can see into the lagoons.

“We’d like to find a solution that’s good for both of us,” said Vaillancourt. “But getting on the other side of the fence is just not going to work.”

The group wasn't too keen on the idea. Tripp said he would support having an identification key card system in place to allow only club members to enter.

A solution is still being worked on.