The Rural Voice, 2002-09, Page 54NOT JUST
A BOG HOLE
Instead of being seen as a soggy piece of wasteland,
that wetland on your farm could be a valuable asset
By David Blaney
Jt has become a cliche to say the
landscape has changed in Ontario
since Walkerton. But the real
landscape of southwestern Ontario
began to change long before the
tragedy of tainted water thrust
Walkerton into our consciousness.
The landscape began to change
when the first settlers started to alter
the environment in an attempt to
wrestle a living from the soil of the
woodlands of Ontario. Walkerton
changed our mental landscape by
forcing us to focus on the effects of
our new man-made landscape. A
landscape of paved urban
development and tile -drained farms.
Mike Malhoit, a biologist for the
Ministry of Natural Resources had
some interesting statistics for his
audience at a recent conference held
by the Friends of the Bayfield River.
He informed those in attendance that
50 THE RURAL VOICE
prior to settlement the Bayfield River
watershed would have contained
between 15 and 20 per cent wetlands.
i -ie went on to say that it currently has
approximateiy one per cent.
From a farmer's point of view
wetlands have traditionally been
nothing but a source of problems.
They are the 10 acres where the
tractor sinks into the ground up to its
axles every spring. They are a
breeding ground for mosquitoes and a
hiding place for wildlife that ravages
his crops.
From an environmentalist's point
of view wetlands are an important
part of a .properly functioning
ecosystem. They benefit society by
maintaining the natural health of the
province. They are the habitat for
waterfowl and an amazingly diverse
selection—of plants.
This apparently irresolvable
conflict is changing however. Erin
Dolmage, the healthy watersheds co-
ordinator for the Ausable Bayfield
Conservation Authority commented,
"In the past there used to be a lot of
finger pointing but now the majority
of people want to work together."
She said the recent Friends of the
Bayfield River conference indicated
that people are becoming more open-
minded and really want to know what
can be achieved through co-operative
action.
The practical benefits of wetlands
for society are well known. They
provide a measure of flood control,
help with water conservation, provide
recreational areas and aid in pollution
control.
The direct benefits of an on-farm
wetland to the individual farmer are
more difficult to determine. Rick
Steele a planner for the Maitland
Valley Conservation Authority
acknowledged that a number of the
benefits are either long term or
indirect.
He pointed out that as weather
patterns change and we receive more
of our rain in the form of relatively
short, violent thunderstorms the need
to slow runoff has become even more
important. On-farm wetlands act to
prevent erosion and encourage
ground water recharge according to
Steele.
Both Steele and Wayne McMillan,
supervisor of land resources for the
Grand River Conservation Authority
agree that the water holding
properties of wetlands are important
in maintaining the proper flow in
creeks and rivers in the summer
months. This retention and gradual
release prevents topsoil loss that
reduces productivity.
Dolmage also commented about
the erosion control properties of
wetlands and detailed a dramatic
example of the effects of erosion
when a wetland is drained.
The area inland from the Pinery
near Grand Bend was formerly a
Targe shallow inland lake called Lake
Smith, according to Dolmage. The
soil of the former lakebed is excellent
for vegetable growing and much of
the area has been drained for
agriculture.
These activities have meant that in
the Thedford area some land has lost
as much as .44 inches of soil