A conservation group in Montreal is confused and frustrated after a field of shrubs, flowers and, importantly, milkweed was mowed down, threatening local bird populations and Monarch butterflies.
The pristine Monarch Fields northwest of Trudeau Airport were demolished this week, and Technoparc Oiseaux wants to know why and whether the act violates the Canada-US Migratory Bird Treaty
“We were horrified to find that the fields had been mowed in the middle of the nesting season,” Tehcnoparc said in a statement. “We know, thanks to eBird and our own observations, that 150 species of birds may inhabit the Champ des Monarques and Golf Dorval.”
Environment and Climate Change Canada says the migratory birds’ nests are protected year-round and that “it is prohibited to damage, destroy or remove an inactive nest without a permit or permit.”
The eBird website and app allows hobbyist and professional birders to log and track sightings by location. Montreal’s Technoparc is a popular spot with birders who catch common and rare species daily.
Woodpeckers, swifts, swallows and deer are seen, as well as falcons, kestrels and herons. The site attracted dozens of eager birders with binoculars and cameras this fall when a scissor flycatcher appeared far from its usual home in Texas.
Technoparc Oiseaux says more than 4,000 milkweed plants have been cut on 19 hectares of abandoned federal land north of the Dorval golf course leased by ADM (Aeroports de Montreal).
ADM did not respond to a request for comment from CTV News about why the field was mowed.
The land in question has been left untouched and undeveloped since 2012 and is an “invaluable ecological environment for both field fauna and flora and for its association with patches of forested wetlands,” the group said.
Milkweeds are especially important to the survival of Monarch butterflies.
Monarch caterpillars eat milkweed and lay eggs.
The group points out that other species of birds, snakes, mice, earthworms and insects also live in the field.
In 2019, the city of Montreal became the first Canadian city to receive monarch-friendly GOLD status, and Technoparc Oiseaux wants to know why an area like Monarch Fields isn’t protected.
“We must act now to ensure our green spaces are protected to ensure a healthy future for our children, our fauna and our flora,” the group said.
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