Revitalize a Wetland

Wetlands are Canada's crown jewels. Call them swamps, sloughs, marshes, potholes, or ponds, these inland and coastal treasures teem with permanent wildlife and migratory species on the move. Like a jewel in a crown, each wetland is priceless in its own way.

A salt-marsh, for instance, is a habitat powerhouse full of highly nutritious plants. It nourishes everything from proto­zoa to spawning fish. Untold avian migrants rest and refuel here between their breeding and wintering grounds.

Likewise, inland wetlands, such as prairie potholes, pro­vide food and shelter for some of the richest, most diverse webs of life on the planet. Countless migrants, like Brant and snow geese, journey from one coast to another via these stopovers.

The loss of even one of these wetlands means that many migrants may never complete their voyages. Sadly, our wetlands are disappearing quickly; up to 70 percent of wetlands have disappeared in settled areas of Canada.

If there's a wetland in trouble near you, now's the time to take action:

• Mount a cleanup campaign. Use garbage bags to col­lect glass, plastic, and metal debris that could harm animals. Tread lightly. Remember, you're trudging through someone's home. Leave logs, rocks, and all other natural objects behind as shelter for wetland creatures. Post "No Dumping" signs.
• Restore wetland flora. A good way to salvage wetlands is to transplant native vegetation from healthy donor sites similar to yours. Collaborate with local conservation authorities. Use a shovel to uproot plants in clumps with a few stems and soil surrounding their roots. Do not remove entire bunches. Transplant them to the new site as soon as pos­sible. Dig holes and push the roots about 5 cm below the surface, pack­ing soil around them, so they are firmly anchored.
• Promote wetland-friendly agriculture. Inform landowners that many waterfowl breed on private farm­land and that innumerable migratory birds could not sur­vive without rural wetlands as stopover sites. Persuade them to set aside wetlands as protected habitat. Promote techniques that help farmers conserve naturally vegetat­ed banks, preventing the run-off of fertilizers and pesti­cides into water bodies and minimizing habitat damage. Urge ranchers to fence off wetlands to limit cattle access.
• Monitor the spread of exotic aquatics. Fight invasive species, like purple loosestrife, zebra mussels, Eurasian ruffe, and spiny water fleas. Pamphlets to help you iden­tify invasive species and monitor their spread are avail­able from regional wildlife agencies.
• Make a media event of your project. Sea ducks and sandpipers can't spread the word about how much their survival depends on wetlands, but you can! Contact a local newspaper or radio or television station about your project.