WC141 MarApr 2025 - Magazine - Page 34
CONSERVATION
Back in Ajax, the work came together quickly once the plan was
set, with the initial phase completed in six to nine months. Besides
planning and design, TRCA organizes construction and planting
teams, overseeing the projects. Meanwhile, Richardson and his
small team of three at the Town of Ajax managed the project
municipally. “It’s a real team effort across departments, starting at
Council with the approval of budgets,” says Richardson.
Sta昀昀 from Ducks Unlimited Canada and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority pose for a group photo during their February 2024 visit to the Brocklands
Headwater Wetland restoration site in the City of Ajax.
However, urban areas are increasingly affected, as water has fewer
places to go—a reality many GTA residents have likely observed
through news coverage of flooding along Toronto’s Don River.
This is where DUC’s Berga says wetland creation can help, by
absorbing this extra water and releasing it slowly. “When you get
a big rain event, that wetland stores all that water for a period of
time and then allows it to be released gradually as it infiltrates back
into the area.”
Another ray of sunshine? Wetlands are quick to return once
the conditions are right. “Within a year, you’ll get amphibians
and waterfowl coming back,” says Stille. “Wetlands want to be
wetlands, and so you see benefits right away.” TRCA monitors
restoration sites for five years, returning to ensure projects are
on track. “We go back in year one, three, and five, identify how
things are performing from a vegetation or even from a wetland
standpoint: Is it holding the water we want it to hold? Are we
seeing the species that we want to see? If there are any deficiencies,
we adaptively manage for that,” says Stille.
Rewarded and ready to go again
By far the biggest restoration project that the Town of Ajax has
ever undertaken, the project was already approved in principle
as part of the Carruthers Creek Watershed Management Plan.
However, with limited funding available in the Ajax capital
budget, the biggest challenge was first understanding the true
costs of the project (the total was in the range of $1.6 million) and
then securing funding, which came from the Province of Ontario’s
Wetlands Conservation Partner Program and DUC through the
Nature Force climate resilience initiative. Richardson sees these
wetland restoration projects as both a success and a learning
experience and is now enthusiastic to keep going: his sights are
already set on another wetland restoration for a former golf course.
Stille is also enthusiastic about the scale and scope of these
projects. “What we’re doing is ambitious, but we’re achieving it. I
think this year was such a great year for wetland deliverables. We
were successful at getting big gains in a short amount of time, and
that couldn’t have been achieved without multi-agency support
and partnerships,” he says.
Berga says DUC is also enthusiastic to join in wherever and
whenever their expertise is useful, whether it be for municipalities
or even private homeowners. “When it comes to conservation of
wetlands, working together in these collaborative partnerships
makes it easier to find win-win solutions for wildlife and
communities.”
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WATER C AN ADA • M ARCH/APRIL 2025
WAT E R C A N A D A . N E T
