WC146 JanFeb 2026 - Magazine - Page 28
CONSERVATION
Birds of a Feather
Partnership leads to 15 newly
constructed wetlands in Ontario
BY MONICA SEIDEL AND CLAIRE FORAN
S WE ENTER the snowy season, many
ecosystems seem to freeze in time, but
nature is always hard at work. Ontario
wetlands are no exception. Through
winter, they continue to store carbon,
provide habitat for wildlife, and quietly prepare
for their busiest season: spring migration.
As the ice begins to thaw, millions of migratory ducks start their return to Canada through
Ontario, traveling along the Atlantic and Mississippi flyways. During this season, the wetlands
are shallow and the ice melts fast, creating an
influx of diverse new life, from invertebrates to
vegetation. For mallards, wood ducks, and other
migrants, these wetlands offer exactly what they
need: a place to refuel, feed, form breeding pairs,
and prepare for nesting. Fortunately for these
birds, landowners in Central-Eastern Ontario
took action in 2025 to ensure more wetland
stopovers were available ahead of their spring
2026 migration.
Over the summer and fall, 15 new wetlands
were created thanks to a partnership between
Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and Watersheds Canada. To start, DUC connected with
local landowners to identify potential wetland
Monica Seidel is a communications
and fundraising manager at
Watersheds Canada.
Claire Foran is a
communications specialist at
Ducks Unlimited Canada.
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WATER C AN ADA • JANUARY/ FEBRUARY 2026
restoration sites. Once the project design was
complete, the ground was dug, and water was
brought back to the landscape. Watersheds Canada teams then delivered their flagship program,
The Natural Edge, and further enhanced the
ecological benefits of each site by collaborating
with the landowners to design custom shoreline
renaturalization plans. In total, 13,500 native
plant species including dogwoods, elderberry,
meadowsweet, birches, cranberries, and tamaracks were added to the shores of the constructed
wetlands.
Other landowners further west in the Crowe
Valley watershed also took action by restoring
their water’s edge with native plants through a
new partnership between Watersheds Canada
and Crowe Valley Conservation Authority. All
of these different restoration projects were made
Simon Lunn, Watersheds Canada
A
WAT E R C A N A D A . N E T
