‘A beautifully working machine of restoration’: ALUS Norfolk celebrates Trillium grant

Following the work of her parents, Elaine Gosnell and husband Dave turned a former soybean field into a proof-of-concept trial for the ALUS program, where they planted tallgrass prairie. The field now acts as a rest stop for migrating birds, who can fuel up on the grass seeds. In the photo are the Gosnells with Elaine’s parents Liz and Bill Hurkmans. ~ Luke Edwards photo

By Luke Edwards

Normally during a formal presentation, a cacophony of sound drowning out the speakers would be considered an unwelcome distraction. But at an event held in Haldimand last month it was celebrated as a sign of progress.

As community members continue the work to create their own Haldimand ALUS program, local conservationists, politicians, farmers and ALUS Norfolk representatives celebrated some of the work that’s already been done in the county. That work - creating prairie grasslands on otherwise marginal farmland - has led to a significant reintroduction of several bird species in Haldimand. And those birds were out in full force during the event.

“The birdsong that is surrounding us is absolutely amazing,” said Melissa Collver, member of the Ontario Trillium Foundation grant review team as she stood by a field that formerly grew soybeans but now has tallgrass prairie growing in it. It’s also a hub for the Haldimand Bird Observatory.

Turning the seven-acre field into prairie grass resulted in a rapid increase in bird counts from observatory members. They banded 88 song sparrows between 2021 and 2022 when the field was soybeans. After converting it to prairie grass they banded 1,445 birds over three years from 2023 to 2025.

Over the same two time periods swamp sparrow banding went from 108 to 1,138.

And then there were the bobolinks. HBO members didn’t see any of the birds in the soybean era or the first year of prairie grass. However, in 2024 they banded 88 bobolinks, and with the help of audio lures banded 186 last year. This year they were nearing 400 total with a couple weeks to go.

HBO’s Rick Ludkin told attendees that areas with prairie grass are vital for many bird species.

“When birds are migrating, they have to be able to have fuel and a field like this makes a huge difference,” he said.

“The reason this (increasing bird numbers) is happening is because prairie grass provides seeds.”

The dream to turn the field into a safe haven for birds came from property owners Dave and Elaine Gosnell, as well as Elaine’s parents Liz and Bill Hurkmans before them. There were issues with its use as a soybean field, Elaine said.

“When it rained and in the spring, we would have erosion and runoff from the field,” she said. Their property backs onto the Grand River.

But with the prairie grass, Elaine said the improved root structure keeps things in place and soaks up the water. They also have the benefit of cutting and baling the hay, which they sell to a neighbouring beef farmer.

It’s also a test case for ALUS Haldimand, a proposed local group of the national organization that provides farmers payments for turning marginal farmland into restored natural zones.

“There’s a great need for it here in Haldimand. Every time it rains the water turns brown,” said Cathy Blott, a member of the Haldimand Stewardship Council who is one of the people leading the push to create an ALUS Haldimand group. They’ve developed a local steering committee and are in the process of finding a legal entity through which the group can function.

As they develop the Haldimand group, their neighbours in Norfolk have been lending support. It was through ALUS Norfolk - the oldest continually running ALUS program in Canada - that the Gosnell project took place, and it came with the help of a $257,000, three-year grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The grant runs through to the spring of 2028.

“It’s a beautifully working machine of restoration,” Blott said.

Program director Stephanie Giles said Haldimand has a unique need for the kind of projects the Gosnells undertook.

“With extra funding, and seeing the drive of the folks in Haldimand, we decided to move forward,” she said, adding there are programs that support tree planting in the county, but not as much for grassland restoration.

However, with 17 acres restored and 15 more in the queue, Giles said they’re well on their way to achieving the goal of converting 30 acres of marginal farmland into wildlife-friendly grasslands.

For more information on ALUS, visit alus.ca.