World Wetlands Day

Food Charter Meeting Postponed

Date moved to:

Thurs., Feb. 24
7 to 9 p.m.

Featuring Lauren Baker of the Toronto Food Policy Council speaking on "So you have a Food Charter: What Next?"

Facilitated by Paul Young of Public Space Workshop.

The focus of the evening will be a presentation and discussion of the second draft of a Food Charter for the City of Kawartha Lakes, celebrate local food, and develop next steps.

No registration is necessary.

Refreshments and snacks from local food producers will be on provided.

Order tree seedlings now for pickup in April

Low-cost tree seedlings are available in bulk to rural landowners. There are 13 species to choose from, including White Pine, European Larch and White Cedar.

Planting trees is a great way to create windbreaks, shelter belts and wildlife habitat. They can also provide soil and stream bank stability, and help filter water, recharge acquifers, and clean the air.

Order form and information

World Wetlands Day

McLaren Wetland in Ken Reid Conservation Area

McLaren Creek Wetland, Ken Reid Conservation Area

To mark World Wetland Day today, we are highlighting the importance of local wetlands, a key environmental feature in our region. We've also set up a webpage at kawarthaconservation.com/wetlands that features a new, online animation released today by Conservation Ontario, a new series of factsheets produced by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, and a presentation recently provided at the Lindsay Gallery.

Wetlands were once regarded by many as wasteland, and drained and filled in to allow for more development and farmland. According to a report from Ducks Unlimited, about 1.5 million hectares of wetlands were lost between 1800 and 2002 in Southern Ontario, with some areas losing as much as 90%. In Victoria County (City of Kawartha Lakes), 40% were lost between 1800 and 2002. In the Township of Scugog, the loss is 30%.

In the Kawartha Conservation watershed, which includes large parts of the City of Kawartha Lakes and Scugog, 34,000 hectares of wetlands remain. This represents about 13.5% of the 2,500 square kilometre watershed area, and includes 57 provincially significant wetlands that provide benefits over wide areas, and 48 locally significant wetlands that contribute to more localized watershed health. These wetlands provide the following essential environmental services.

Wetland plants absorb a lot of nutrients from the water to support plant growth within the wetland itself. This reduces the nutrients that drain into lakes, greatly reducing the amount of unwanted aquatic plants. Wetland plants are also good at filtering sediments, pathogens and a variety of chemicals. In effect, they are filters for our lakes and rivers.

Wetlands also act like a sponge by holding back peak water flows when water levels are high, and then releasing the water gradually. This protects downstream property owners from flooding.

In addition to retaining and purifying water, groundwater recharge is another service provided by many wetlands. The surface water that collects in them percolates down through the soil and rock to the groundwater. This groundwater is important for supplying drinking water to nearby wells, and also supplying water to streams during dry periods.

It is not a coincidence that areas that have drained most of their wetlands and have the least amount of forest cover also experience flash flooding and depleted water tables. These natural features provide many environmental services and need continued protection.

Locally, Kawartha Conservation helps protect them by guiding development within and near wetland areas through the Development, Interference with Wetlands and Alterations to Shorelines and Watercourses regulation (O. Reg. 182/06). This helps ensure that new development does not negatively impact wetlands and is protected from flooding, while preventing new flooding hazards from being created downstream.

There are also ways you can help protect wetlands. You can support or volunteer for a group such as Ducks Unlimited, Bird Studies Canada (Marsh Monitoring Program) or the Kawartha Turtle Trauma Center. Another way is to protect any wetlands on your property, even small ones, and be aware of planning policies when undertaking any development near wetlands and waterways.