Friday, October 03, 2008

New Wetland Under Construction


View of the wetland. Compare this view to a picture I took last November. You can use the two spruce in the middle of the picture as a reference.

About a year ago I reported on a new wetland proposal in Taylor Creek Park between Victoria Park Avenue and Dawes Road. Not much happened until about a month ago when they brought in construction equipment to start excavating.

The difference between now and year ago is striking. Before, this used to be a soggy meadow choked with cattails. Now it is a pond up to 1m deep. I expect the cattails to regrow in places but the potential for better quality habitat is enormous. Most of the water comes from ground water which is very close to the surface in this area. The hillslope behind is wet in places and there might be some runoff contained here. It should be interesting to see how much the water level fluctuates now that it is exposed to evaporation.


A lookout on the marsh will give visitors a bird's eye view of the site.


Wetland Design Plan

The design is pretty close to the proposal (see above) . There is a winding path and viewing stand in the front with most of the wetland at the base of the slope. The ground is still very wet when not on the path so this should deter most people from nosing around. There is still some planting to be done but I expect that the marsh should be officially opened in the Spring of 2009.


Bundled maple trees waiting to be planted

No comments: