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Jensen's Bush

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Is this not worth preserving ? 

"In the case of wetlands, there is no direct market for services such as clean water, maintenance of biodiversity, and flood control. There is, however, a growing recognition that such natural benefits do have real economic value and that these values need to be included in decision-making processes." Environment Canada

See Harrington Creek for more information on the current local debate regarding wetland conservation versus more development of  aggregate resources.

Photo Album: Check out the seasonal changes in Jensen's wetland/bush : Winter, Spring , Summer, Fall 

Also see Bechards' Paradise for some local wildlife photos

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    Introduction Wetland: Natural Gem         

  

 

 

     Resources : Teachers' guides* 

     Ask an Expert Biologist    If you have a question about wetlands/ wildlife...* 

Environment Canada Putting an Economic Value on Wetlands - Concepts, Methods and Consideration

The Natural Water Cycle

 All About Animals

 

From  Ducks Unlimited :

"Historical data indicate that as much as 70 per cent of wetlands in Canada’s populated areas have disappeared and that land development for agriculture, industry and urbanization prevail over wetland conservation.

The need for increased wetland conservation has been recognized in the reports from formal inquiries into water contamination in Walkerton, Ont., and North Battleford, Sask. Wetlands are part of healthy, functioning watersheds and when teamed with constructed water treatment facilities, they contribute to safeguarding water quality.

To empower wetland protection, we need to be able to equate wetland loss and the accompanying reduction of societal benefit to the expenses that result, be they increased construction of water treatment plants, increased investments in habitat restoration or development of programs to secure a future for endangered wildlife species. "

 

 

From the Canadian Biodiversity- Introduction:

"The Canadian Biodiversity Strategy defines it as "…the variety of species and ecosystems on Earth and the ecological processes of which they are a part". It is often simply used as a catch-all term for nature. No definition is perfect; as with life itself, it's a bit nebulous and there are always exceptions.

 

The Mixedwood Plains extends along the Quebec City-Windsor corridor, including the densely-populated region of southern Ontario.

Climate
Smallest of the ecozones, the Mixedwood Plains is nonetheless home to half of Canada's population. "

 

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FROM Environment Canada

C O N S E R V E  O N T A R I O ’ S  C A R O L I N I A N  F O R E S T S

 

"BENEFITS OF OLD-GROWTH FORESTS

Older woodlands, which are disappearing rapidly in southern Ontario, have special ecological significance. They often support a greater mix of tree and plant species, and habitats at different stages of succession, than younger woodlands. They also offer the diversity of habitats required by Acadian Flycatchers, Hooded Warblers and a suite of area-sensitive forest birds. Mature forests also bring significant economic returns to landowners. Delaying the harvest of 50- to 80- year-old sugar maple trees for another 15 years will increase economic return by up to 400 per cent, because older trees grow in size and accrue superior quality and economic value.

TROUBLE AROUND THE EDGES

Birds nesting in small woodlands are more vulnerable to an array of predators that thrive along forest edges, such as jays, crows, grackles, squirrels, raccoons, foxes and skunks. These predators are far more abundant in fragmented land-scapes, with their higher proportion of edge habitat, than in forest-dominated landscapes. Fragmented habitat is dominated by fields, pastures, orchards and residential areas. Large forests also reduce pressure from Brown-headed Cowbirds. As "brood parasites," cowbirds do not build their own nests. Instead, they lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, which incubate the cowbird eggs and raise the cowbird hatch-lings as their own. As a result, the host parents may raise few or none of their own young. Cowbirds, which flourish in fragmented landscapes, target the nests of many species of songbirds, including Acadian Flycatchers and Hooded Warblers. The amount of edge habitat can be minimized by protecting large wood-lands, increasing the size of individual forests through re-forestation projects, and avoiding further fragmentation of existing forests. In addition, by leaving older seed trees of a variety of species in place, landowners will maintain overall forest stand diversity and health over the long term. The Acadian Flycatcher and Hooded Warbler Recovery Team encourages public agencies who own or manage Carolinian Canada’s remaining wood-lands to manage these properties as old-growth stands. A strong commit-ment from public landowners will greatly enhance the survival of Acadian Flycatchers, Hooded Warblers and other Carolinian species with specialized habitat requirements, and will establish benchmarks for similar stewardship by private landowners."

 

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What's in the Wetlands besides plants and water? Come and discover what neat animals live there at the new Adopt-a-Pond website:  frogs  turtles snakes

 

From Discover Wetlands

FUNCTIONAL IMPORTANCE OF WETLANDS IN THE LANDSCAPE 

Wetlands provide several important natural services to the functioning landscape. They include:

1.
Water Quality and Erosion Control: Wetlands act as natural water filtration systems. They are part of a larger hydrological system that includes oceans, lakes, rivers, groundwater systems and weather-related processes. The three characteristics of wetlands play a role in maintaining water quality throughout a watershed system. Wetlands work to maintain water quality by intercepting surface runoff, nutrient uptake and retention, suspended solid and pollutant uptake and retention, heavy metals uptake and retention, pathogen (sewage) uptake and retention. The hydrophytic plants in a wetland have root systems that support the soil, ultimately reducing erosion of the banks. Wetlands also absorb energy and decrease the velocity of streams or river currents.
2.
Flood Protection and Water Supply: Wetlands act as giant sponges or storage areas for surface runoff. Surplus water overloading a system can be efficiently stored. Wetlands are reservoirs of a watershed. They absorb surface runoff and slowly release the water other water bodies and as groundwater.
3.
Habitat: Wetlands are invaluable habitats for a wide variety of species. The interface of land and water provide critical habitat for innumerable species. Opportune breeding, hibernating and foraging areas are central to wetlands as important habitat areas. 

 

 

 

 

 

Resources

 

 

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