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26 THE RURAL VOICE
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is also s,mack in the middle of
farmland.
Like huge sponges, wetlands such
as Greenock and Bognor hold water,
releasing it slowly into surrounding
lands, feeding the streams and riven
that provide water for agriculture.
tourism, and residents. When drought
hits, the.y're last to be affected.
Wetlands lower risks of flooding,
conserving soil and protecting
downstream waters. One of their
most important functions is filtering
— similar to human kidneys —
removing and absorbing minerals.
nutrients, even pollutants. Up to 90
per cent of bacteria can be filtered
from water passing through a healthy
wetland. But simply comparing the
cost of equivalent water -filtration
plants won't truly value wetlands.
either.
Supposing your farm is partly
wetland, what are the benefits of
keeping it that way? Besides the
long-term. broader -scope stewardship
of being "good for the environment'.
and the productivity mentioned
above, soil and water conservation.
and stress -relieving recreation.
Where streams or ditches
cross agricultural land.
buffer zones with trees and
long -rooted plants hold crop -growing
soil out of watercourses. The
watercourse in turn remains cleaner
and more habitable. Both stream and
buffer areas invite taking a few
moments off the tractor seat for
relaxing.
Concerns with insect -borne
disease lessen with healthy wetlands
where frogs and insect -eating birds
reduce populations of mosquitoes.
Since the mosquito species that
carries West Nile Virus favors urban
standing water, worries about
outbreaks needn't burden farmers.
But do clean out water troughs
weekly, and eliminate catchments
such as barnyard puddles.
How to balance the needs of
maximum production and
conservation? Several funded
programs aim to help realize
stewardship goals. For example, the
Wildlife Habitat Fund [WHF] .has
partnered in 900 projects across
southern Ontario since 1997. Area
representative Doug van Hemessen
says Grey/Bruce/northern Huron