It is LRWC's goal to become a premier research and education facility for the captive breeding of rare and endangered waterfowl. Not only has the Conservancy developed expertise of the years in the breeding and raising of waterfowl, but it also has the facilities to offer programs to the public, to conduct waterfowl research, and to expand efforts in the field of wetlands conservation.

In 2001, the Conservancy developed a multi-year Master Plan to comply with the American Zoological and Aquarium Association's guidelines for infrastructure improvements. Beginning in 2002, LRWC implemented Phase 1 of the plan - to improve the water quality and habitats of the Conservancy. Eight ponds were dredged and lined with boulders to prevent in-filling from sediments. An additional five pools were built, each with its own independent water source.

In 2003, a new fence was constructed to enclose the entire perimeter of the ponds and out-buildings, thereby enhancing the security for both the birds and visitors. A new pole barn was constructed to provide wintering shelter for the more cold-sensitive birds, a facility much used in subsequent winters.

In 2004, fifteen off-exhibit breeding enclosures were added to facilitate selective breeding among the core species and to permit separation of breeding pairs of other species. Each pen has its own water supply and is maintained in a natural vegetation state to add much-needed privacy.

In 2005, four ponds were encircled with interior fencing to improve the management of swans and geese. These new separate enclosures will reduce the amount of aggression between swan pairs and prevent unwanted pairing of geese during the breeding season. These enclosures will be utilized to improve breeding efforts with Trumpeter Swans, Bewick Swans, Pink-footed Geese (a species becoming exceedingly rare in captivity) and Swan Geese.

In 2006, a new aviary was constructed to promote parent rearing of goslings and provide more natural vegetation that goslings can graze on. Two additional ponds were encircled with interior fencing to further improve the management of swans and geese. Vegetative plantings were added to several aviaries to provide additional areas for feeding and security for nesting. Ramps were added to a number of ponds to promote easier access for ducks. Lastly, in order to comply with American Zoo and Aquarium (AZA) Facility Guidelines, all electric wiring was updated and replaced in our quarantine facility.

 

LRWC manages its waterfowl collection in accordance with a Collection Plan. This Plan outlines the reasoning for each species being represented at the Conservancy. Because of limited space, priority is placed on species that are in danger in the wild, but status in captivity is also considered when making a final evaluation. In addition, species compatibility with winter temperatures, other waterfowl and LRWC enclosures is taken into consideration. The Collection Plan is updated annually to accommodate for any changes in species status in the wild, potential LRWC involvement in a field conservation program and infrastructure changes at the Conservancy

 

The Livingston Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy has developed two outreach education programs targeted towards elementary and middle school students.

Our 1st program, entitled "An Introduction to Waterfowl and Their Conservation", provides educational information on the different waterfowl types, adaptations, feeding habits, migration and wetland conservation. The program includes a PowerPoint presentation, interpretive classroom materials, homework assignment and a class group visit to the Conservancy.

Our 2nd program is geared towards children learning about waterfowl eggs, incubation, hatching and rearing. LRWC will provide a participating class an incubator, eggs, egg candler, heat lamp, rearing brooder and accessories. LRWC staff will be responsible for classroom setup logistics and addressing teacher educational needs throughout the program. LRWC staff will conduct 2 classroom presentations over a 4- week period to discuss eggs, incubation, hatching and growth development. Hatched ducklings can be reared in a classroom in brooders provided by LRWC. Once reared, ducklings will be returned to LRWC and be integrated into our waterfowl collection. Upon completion of the class program, classes are encouraged to visit LRWC.

Weekend guided tours of the Conservancy are regularly scheduled in May, June, July, September and October. Visitors learn about waterfowl, captive husbandry, incubation parameters, rearing of young and breeding techniques. Tour groups also visit our waterfowl rearing center, covered aviaries, renovated ponds and wetland areas to view the waterfowl collection.

Tours for special interest groups and during other times of the year, can be scheduled upon request. All tours required pre-registration, please call 860-567-1691 for further information.

The Livingston Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy is in the developmental stage of its first field conservation project: the reintroduction of the Swan Goose in Amur Region of Siberia, Russia. Until the mid 1950's, this species was abundant throughout Russia. However, human pressures, including hunting, drainage of wetlands, intentionally-set grass fires, disturbance of breeding grounds, and the general lack of environmental understanding at the local level, have decimated the wild population in the region.

LRWC, in partnership with Eurasia's Swan Goose Task Force, the Moscow Zoo and conservation authorities from Muraviovka Park, a vast 13,000-acre wetland located in the Amur River Basin, are in the process of developing a reintroduction program to re-establish a wild population of Swan Geese in the region. The first step will involve the transfer of pure-blooded Swan Geese and eggs from the Moscow Zoo to the Conservancy to develop a captive breeding program.

Other elements of the program will include the development of an education program geared towards local communities, the collection of baseline data on existing wild population, and construction of a breeding facility in Muraviovka Park where the long-term the breeding program will be located. LRWC will also provide guidance in the development of the breeding program at the Park, train Park employees in waterfowl husbandry at the Conservancy and recruit conservation dollars to help support the reintroduction program.

In 2006, to create awareness of this endangered species in the Amur Region, LRWC provided funds to Muraviovka Park's Education Program to organize a "Swan Geese Educational and Art Contest" in 21 school districts in the Amur Region. Media support was provided by the Department of Education of the Amur Region, the Russian Service on Nature Inspection and The Amur Regional TV Company. Over 450 children participated and submitted paintings, essays and poems on Swan Geese. Artwork was exhibited at Muraviovka Park's Nature Center and in regional libraries of the Amur Region.

LRWC also funded a Swan Geese genetic study conducted by Dr. Marina Kholova at Moscow State University. Dr. Kholova examined genetic diversity and relationships among wild breeding populations of Swan Geese from two geographic regions in Russia, the Chita and Khabarovsk regions, as well as captive Swan Geese from LRWC and the Moscow Zoo. Results of this study will aid LRWC efforts to develop a genetically diverse Swan Goose captive breeding population at Muraviovka Park, the offspring of which will be released in Muraviovka Park.

Please visit Muraviovka Park for additional information. If you would like to order a T-shirt to support the research work being conducted at Muraviovka Park, please visit our online store.

The recovery of wild Trumpeter Swan populations in midwest North America is one of the outstanding conservation success stories of the 20th century. Trumpeter Swans were on the brink of extinction in the early 1900's due to a combination of indiscriminate hunting and excessive disturbance to breeding grounds. As recently as 1932, there were fewer 70 Trumpeter Swans in the continental United States and Canada. Through coordinated captive breeding programs and reintroduction programs overseen by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and managed through state wildlife agencies. Since the mid 1980's successful reintroduction programs have occurred in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio and Iowa.

In 2006, LRWC became a Conservation Partner to the Iowa Restoration Project. One pair of LRWC Trumpeter Swans were transferred to this program and will serve as captive surrogate parents to Trumpeter Swan cygnets destined to be released. In the years to come, LRWC intends to provide additional Trumpeter Swans hatched at the Conservancy to this successful program.

The sea duck group, which includes the Eider species, has always been underrepresented in captivity because of their specialized requirements in water quality and temperature. Sea ducks are also more prone than other waterfowl to diseases such as aspergilosis. The captive population of Common Eider has continually been lower than most other duck species because of these issues. In recent years the number in captivity has declined even further because of low reproductive rates and a lack of readily available surplus birds.

In 2004, the International Wild Waterfowl Association conducted a survey of private waterfowl breeders in the United States and discovered that a mere 19 males and 20 females were maintained in surveyed collections. In the spring of 2005 the International Species Information System (ISIS) had records of only four males and five females in accredited American zoological collections.

After a thorough search of private and zoological waterfowl collections in North America, few Atlantic Common Eider (Somateria m. dresseri) were found to be available to revitalize the captive Common Eider population at the Livingston Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy. As a result, LRWC secured a permit from the State of Maine and USFWS to collect Eider eggs from islands in East Casco Bay, Maine.

With assistance from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, eggs from the field were successfully collected, artificially incubated to hatching, and hand-reared at the LRWC. The methods of hand-rearing proved successful, and all twenty-four ducklings were fledged. These Eiders form the backbone of an Eider breeding program at the LRWC, which will provide genetically diverse Atlantic Common Eiders to those organizations in need of new bloodlines. Such a breeding program will help to ensure that a healthy population of Atlantic Common Eiders is sustained in captivity for education and research purposes.

The LRWC offers significant opportunities for a variety of research projects by students and scholars. Examples of current projects include a study by Andy Martin (Fordham University) to investigate the effects of urbanization on invasive wetland plants and their associated insect communities. The goal of this study is to see if wetlands will support a greater diversity of insects in less disturbed rural environments.

Patricia Brennan (Yale University) is investigating post copulatory sexual selection in 5 species of North American waterfowl. Results of this comparative study will provide insight on how waterfowl mating strategies affect the mechanisms and evolution of sperm morphology. In addition, LRWC continues to work with the Smithsonian Institution, Yale University and University of Denver on the scientific advancement of waterfowl phylogeny.

LRWC has developed an international research partnership with Moscow State University and funded a research project to examine the genetic diversity among wild breeding populations of Swan Geese, an endangered species endemic to Russia. The results of this study will facilitate LRWC efforts to develop a genetically diverse Swan Goose captive breeding population whose eggs and offspring maybe able to be transferred to Russia's Muraviovka Park to assist in reintroduction efforts of this endangered species in Siberia.

In conjunction with Connecticut's Department of Environmental Protection, LRWC now serves as 1 of 8 sites this State Department uses to band wild mallards on a yearly basis. Information gained from this program will assist the Department of Environmental Protection in monitoring wild mallard population sex and age structure, distribution range and potential presence of avian influenza in Connecticut.

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In 2006, LRWC initiated a Wood Duck and Hooded Merganser nest box project in an attempt to increase potential breeding sites for these local species. Torrington Home Depot and students from Wamogo and Litchfield High School joined LRWC staff to participate in this project. Home Depot donated the lumber and the students built the nest boxes to LRWC specifications. The students then worked with LRWC to place nest boxes around the Conservancy's ponds and nearby wetland areas to enhance breeding of wild populations of Wood Ducks and Hooded Mergansers.

During the fall, students examined nest boxes and recorded productivity of each nest box. During this time, old nests were removed and used bedding was replaced with new pine shavings in preparation for the 2007 breeding season. LRWC intends to organize this survey on a yearly basis to determine which nest sites are preferred over time and monitor Wood Duck and Hooded Merganser populations in local areas.

The nest box program not only provides nest sites for local species of waterfowl, it also provides the opportunity for participants to experience waterfowl conservation. Through nest box placement and the annual recording of nest success data, participants become involved with waterfowl conservation and take part in collecting scientific data.

Students, special interest groups and landowners who are interested in participating in the nest box program are encouraged to contact LRWC at 860-567-2062 for further information.