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Work Wonders for Wetlands
Revitalize a Wetland Wetlands are Canada’s crown jewels. Call them swamps, sloughs, marshes, potholes, or ponds, these inland and coastal treasures teem with permanent wildlife and migratory species on the move. Like a jewel in a crown, each wetland is priceless in its own way. A salt-marsh, for instance, is a habitat powerhouse full of highly nutritious plants. It nourishes everything from protozoa to spawning fish. Untold avian migrants rest and refuel here between their breeding and wintering grounds. Likewise, inland wetlands, such as prairie potholes, provide food and shelter for some of the richest, most diverse webs of life on the planet. Countless migrants, like Brant and snow geese, journey from one coast to another via these stopovers. The loss of even one of these wetlands means that many migrants may never complete their voyages. Sadly, more than 65 per cent of Maritime salt-marshes, 40 per cent of Prairie wetlands, 70 per cent of southern Ontario and St. Lawrence Valley wetlands, and 70 per cent of Pacific estuary wetlands have already vanished. If there’s a wetland in trouble near you, now’s the time to take action. - Mount a cleanup campaign. Use garbage bags to collect glass, plastic, and metal debris that could harm animals. Tread lightly. Remember, you’re trudging through someone’s home. Leave logs, rocks, and all other natural objects behind as shelter for wetland creatures. Post "No Dumping" signs.
- Restore wetland flora. A good way to salvage wetlands is to transplant native vegetation from healthy donor sites similar to yours. Collaborate with local conservation authorities. Use a shovel to uproot plants in clumps with a few stems and soil surrounding their roots. Do not remove entire bunches. Transplant them to the new site as soon as possible. Dig holes and push the roots about 5 cm below the surface, packing soil around them, so they are firmly anchored.
- Promote wetland-friendly agriculture. Inform landowners that many waterfowl breed on private farmland and that innumerable migratory birds could not survive without rural wetlands as stopover sites. Persuade them to set aside wetlands as protected habitat. Promote techniques that help farmers conserve naturally vegetated banks, preventing the run-off of fertilizers and pesticides into water bodies and minimizing habitat damage. Urge ranchers to fence off wetlands to limit cattle access.
- Monitor the spread of exotic aquatics. Fight invasive species, like purple loosestrife, zebra mussels, Eurasian ruffe, and spiny water fleas. Pamphlets to help you identify invasive species and monitor their spread are available from regional wildlife agencies.
- Make a media event of your project. Sea ducks and sandpipers can’t spread the word about how much their survival depends on wetlands, but you can! Contact a local newspaper or radio or television station about your project.
Aquatic Plants Species | Range | Site Requirements | Conservation Value | Alders | Coast to coast | Moist or swampy ground | Erosion control; vegetation buffer; food and cover for shoreline birds and mammals | Arrowhead | Coast to coast | Areas with a soft substrate, enabling plants to root firmly | Food and cover for birds, mammals, fish, and amphibians | Bladderwort | Y.T., N.W.T., Man., Ont., Que., N.B., N.S., P.E.I., Nfld. | Bogs, ponds, wet meadows, slow streams, and soggy shores | Food and cover for birds, mammals, and fish | Blue flag | Man., Ont., Que., N.B., N.S., P.E.I., Nfld. | Full sun to partial shade; dry to wet conditions | Hummingbird and butterfly nectar source | Bulrush | Coast to coast | Grows along swampy grounds and shallow shores of ponds, lakes, and streams | Food and cover for birds, mammals, fish, and amphibians | Cat-tails | Coast to coast | Usually an emergent plant, but can grow in waterlogged soil | Food and cover for birds, mammals, fish, and amphibians | Pickerelweed | Ont., Que., N.B., N.S., P.E.I., | Usually an emergent plant, but can grow in water a few centimetres deep | Habitat for a wide variety of amphibians and reptiles; food for many wildlife species | Pondweed | Coast to coast | Slow-flowing or still waters | Food source for mammals, waterfowl, and other birds. | Sedge | Coast to coast | Grows in wet meadows and near the shore of ponds, bogs, and lakes | Food and cover for lowland birds, mammals, and fish | Spike rush | Coast to coast | Grows in wet meadows and near the shore of ponds and lakes | Food for moose, beaver, muskrat, elk, deer, bobwhite, grouse, and waterfowl | Water-lily | Coast to coast | Grows in ponds and quiet waters | Food and cover for semiaquatic mammals, fish, and amphibians | Wild rice | Man., Ont., Que., N.B., N.S., P.E.I. | Quiet fresh or brackish waters and muddy shorelines | Food and cover for birds, mammals, and fish |
Whip up a Wetland
Wetlands include, among other waterlogged wonders, swamps, fens, marshes, muskeg, peatbogs, and potholes. Countless species, from mallards to mud puppies, mate, lay eggs, hatch, swim, hunt, and grow in these habitats. Wetlands act as filters by breaking down sewage and harmful contaminants, leaving clean soil and water behind. Common cat-tails and bulrushes absorb toxic metals such as mercury and lead. Wetlands soak up rain and snow like sponges and help to prevent erosion and flooding. Creating a mini-wetland is surprisingly simple. It may be your key to attracting a host of wet and wild creatures. - Choose a likely location. Your property may already have a low-lying soggy spot that never entirely dries up.
- If there are no naturally wet areas on your property, create your own. If possible, pick a spot in partial shade.
- Outline the shape of the wetland you want with a length of twine or garden hose. Any size is worthwhile, depending on space available and the energy of volunteer diggers. Even a small wetland will add surprising wildlife diversity.
- Remove any sod and dig a hole 30 to 90 cm deep.
- Line the hollow with a sturdy plastic sheet. If your area gets a lot of rain, puncture the liner in several places to allow slow drainage. If your site is a naturally soggy one, you needn’t put down plastic at all.
- Layer 5 cm of pebbles on top of the liner, then 5 cm of damp peatmoss and some roughly chopped sod. Make sure the peatmoss feels damp when you open the bag. It won’t work if it’s crumbly and dry.
- Now for the plants. Always use native wetland species. Don’t collect them from the wild unless an area is slated for development. Otherwise, purchase plants from a reputable nursery. Wildflowers that thrive along the edges of moist areas include marsh marigold, cardinal flower, blue flag, pickerel weed, and bottle and closed gentian. You can also plant a moisture-loving shrub or two, such as red-osier dogwood or buttonbush, along the edges of your little wetland.
Be a Vernal Pool Lifeguard Vernal pools are temporary wetlands formed in depressions, thanks to rain and melting spring snow. Some are puddle-sized. Others, like prairie potholes, are relatively large. These short-lived soggy spots last anywhere from a few days to three or four months before drying up. Yet they are critical to the life cycles of many amphibians and invertebrates. The imperilled mountain dusky salamander and great basin spadefoot toad both rely on vernal pools to reproduce. A host of other wildlife, like tiny, transparent fairy shrimp and water striders, also live part-time in vernal pools. As the water dries up, some inhabitants simply move on. With luck, tadpoles will now be tiny toads, ready to hop on to the next stage of their lives. Survival is a race against time for inhabitants of vernal pools. But the absence of predators, such as fish and reptiles found in permanent water bodies, makes the rush worthwhile. To add to the challenge, these critical habitats are being paved over by spreading suburbs. Larger vernal pools, such as prairie potholes, are often considered wasted land and are, therefore, drained and cultivated. Elsewhere, vernal pools are "improved" by dredging and fish-stocking. Cattle and all-terrain vehicles can crush inhabitants and churn up mud, which clogs the gills of salamander larvae and developing tadpoles. Vernal pools are not protected or even acknowledged by the Canadian Wetland Classification System. You can be a huge help to aquatic creatures by educating yourself and the public about these special spots. Ask naturalists and biologists for more information. Visit a vernal pool this spring. Prepare and distribute fact-sheets alerting landowners, developers, schools, and community groups about the importance of these habitats. Sustain Salt-marsh Habitat Salt-marshes are among the most productive habitats on Earth. These coastal wetlands form where nutrient-laden freshwater and salt water blend into a rich biological stew. Plant life thrives in salt-marshes, filtering pollutants from the water and providing food and cover for a plethora of wildlife, from single-celled protozoa to large mammals. These habitats also serve as spawning grounds and nurseries for myriad species of fish and shell-fish. Migratory birds like geese, ducks, and shorebirds are utterly dependent on chains of salt-marshes for stopover points, where they can refuel travelling between their nesting and winter grounds. All these species intermingle in an intricately woven food web. The most vital element in a salt-marsh is plant life. Specialized grasses tolerate high concentrations of salt and the impact of rising and falling tides; their roots bind loose mud into a mass, collecting and holding organic material by forming a network. They also provide many wildlife species with food and cover. Sad to say, they are in trouble — literally losing ground. Natural forces like high waves and tidal surges, human impacts like agriculture and urban and industrial expansion, and rising sea levels due to global warming are killing and uprooting vegetation and wearing away muddy soil. The continuing loss of salt-marshes puts migratory waterfowl and many other species in jeopardy. Since plants play such a critical role in these ecosystems, the best way to help sustain salt-marsh habitat is to provide supplemental planting. Choose native plants adapted to life in the salt-marsh environment — ones that anchor muddy soil while providing ample food and shelter for a variety of species. See Restore an Aquatic Plant Community [link to project] for more information on planting techniques. Your choice of plants will vary from region to region, as indicated in the following chart: Salt-marsh Planting Chart Alkali grasses | East and West Coasts | Arrow-grass | East and West Coasts | Baltic rush | West Coast | Black grass | East and West Coasts | Brass-buttons | East Coast | Cow clover | West Coast | Ditch-grass | East and West Coasts | Dodder | West Coast | Devil's-club | West Coast | Gumweed | West Coast | Hairgrass | West Coast | Hedge-bindweed | East Coast | Inkberry | East Coast | Glasswort | East Coast | Low bulrush | West Coast | Red fescue | East and West Coasts | Redtop | East and West Coasts | Reeds | East and West Coasts | Salt-marsh bulrush | East and West Coasts | Salt-meadow grass | East Coast | Salt rush | West Coast | Salt-water cord-grass | East Coast | Sand-spurrey | East and West Coasts | Sea-blite | East Coast | Seacoast bulrush | East and West Coasts | Sea-lavender | East Coast | Sea-milkwort | East and West Coasts | Seaside gerardia | East Coast | Seaside goldenrod | East Coast | Seaside-plantain | East and West Coasts | Sedges | West Coast | Slough-grass | East and West Coasts | Spearscale | West Coast | Starwort | East and West Coasts | Swamp rose-mallow | East Coast | Western dock | West Coast | Winterberry | East Coast | Wood-sage | East Coast |
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