Rehabilitation & Securement
- Rehabilitating and Securing Great Lakes Wetlands
- Wetland Rehabilitation
- Rehabilitation Tools
- Securement Techniques
- Project Showcase
- Map
Rehabilitating and Securing Great Lakes Wetlands
Rehabilitation and securement efforts are underway around the Great Lakes, in both Canada and the United States. Projects range from extensive multi-partnered, long term projects like those at Oshawa Second Marsh and Cootes Paradise in Hamilton, to individual land owners taking the initiative to actively steward, rehabilitate or donate a small wetland on their own property. Both of these scales of undertakings, and everything in between, are essential to the overall conservation of Great Lakes wetlands. Many rehabilitation and securement initiatives are realized under the umbrella of the Great Lakes Wetlands Conservation Action Plan.
Securement is the protection of wetlands through a variety of acquisition and/or private stewardship efforts by land owners, while rehabilitation is the improvement of a wetlands' functions or values through effective management and restoration techniques.
Rehabilitation and Securement Results
- Location maps for rehabilitation and securement project sites
- Hectares of wetland habitat rehabilitated
- Hectares of wetland habitat secured.
Project Showcase
Descriptions of successful wetland rehabilitation and securement projects throughout the Great Lakes basin.
Wetland Rehabilitation
| Funding Program / Agency | Area Completed (ha) |
|---|---|
| * = Area includes riparian and wetland habitat ** = 1999 area | |
| Great Lakes Sustainability Fund (formerly Great Lakes 2000 Cleanup Fund) | 1,410 |
| EcoAction | 15,225* |
| Ducks Unlimited Canada (Eastern Habitat Joint Venture (EHJV))(Ontario Land CARE, beaver pond management etc.) | 9,525** |
| Wetland Habitat Fund (EHJV) | 10,700 |
| Total area rehabilitated as of 2004 | 36,860 |
Rehabilitation Techniques
Concepts
Successful rehabilitation depends upon a great deal of conceptual planning, research and design flexibility. Wetlands are ever-changing systems that have adapted to local conditions over many decades. It is not only important that a rehabilitated wetland looks like a wetland, it must also function as one. There are many things to consider, including:
- the position of the wetland in the surrounding watershed;
- the presence and/or quality of a seedbank, or a natural source in the area that allows for recolonization of vegetation;
- the connection between the wetland and the regional water table;
- the underlying sediment; and,
- the need for water level variability to maintain new wetland vegetation communities.
Innovation and imagination become key components of a coastal wetland rehabilitation. Projects that show innovation often follow the principles of what is known as adaptive resource management (ARM). This is a long-term management technique based on a three-step process of taking action, monitoring its results and adjusting the activity as necessary.
A simple common definition of ARM is "learning from doing" and it brings together resource managers and researchers with a common desire to improve management performance within a reasonable time-scale. The technique is in contrast to conventional management that emphasizes immediate objectives and seeks precise predictions. ARM, on the other hand, promotes long-term objectives and presents the opportunity to uncover a range of possibilities. Unanticipated project requirements are often uncovered and embraced as part of ARM.
Techniques
After an often lengthy planning stage, there is much to be done on the ground (and in the water). Rehabilitation is multi-dimensional - there are often one or more hydrological, biological, and/or chemical rehabilitation components for a given project.
- Hydrological rehabilitation may encompass re-establishing natural water level variability through the use of dykes or creating new channels for directing water through the wetland.
- Biological rehabilitation includes altering existing habitat to encourage the settlement of desirable plants and animals. For example, increasing the ratio of open water to vegetation will increase overall plant diversity and satisfy habitat requirements for the most diverse number of species. Further, by controlling undesirable exotic species such as Purple Loosestrife, more beneficial species are able to thrive.
- Sometimes an excess of nutrients or toxic contaminants impedes a wetland's ability to regenerate. The most effective means of chemical or contaminant rehabilitation involves reduction at the source, such as decreasing fertilizer application to agricultural lands or reducing discharge from a sewage treatment plant. In cases where a point source cannot be located, rehabilitation in the wetland is required. This is referred to as in situ rehabilitation and includes sustainable processes such as capping or carefully removing contaminated sediments.
The Temperate Wetlands Restoration Training Course
The ninth successful Temperate Wetlands Restoration Training Course was held in September 2004. The annual course was developed and continues to be refined and delivered by a consortium of agencies, including Environment Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Trent University, and Ducks Unlimited Canada and is now delivered by the Watershed Science Centre. Over 200 wetland scientists and resource managers have now been through the intensive field training course, which continues to receive enthusiastic responses from its students. The course employs seven wetland rehabilitation case studies in southern Ontario, including marsh, swamp and fen habitats in urban, rural and agricultural settings.
Temperate Wetlands Restoration Guidelines were produced based on materials developed for the training course, a 1995 workshop on the best available wetland restoration science, and an extensive review of the "grey" and published scientific literature (combined with practical experience in wetland restoration). The guidelines are applicable to a wide range of wetland conservation activities, including securement, rehabilitation, enhancement, creation and maintenance. They do not advocate any particular set of values, and allow the user to set his or her own goals. They will be useful to regulators and practitioners of wetland restoration science, both now and in the future.
These guidelines are the foundation of the training material for the course. They are available at a cost of $25.00 from Ducks Unlimited Canada. All proceeds from the sale of the guidelines are being re-invested in wetlands restoration projects.
Click this link to learn more about the Temperate Wetlands Restoration Training Course, including how to register.
Methods of Securing Wetlands
A variety of techniques are used to protect wetlands. These range from transferring title for a property to a conservation or government organization to encouraging private stewardship. Each method affords different levels of protection for the land. In most cases, the larger the financial investment in the site, the greater the protection provided.
Rehabilitation and securement efforts are underway around the Great Lakes, in both Canada and the United States. Projects range from extensive multi-partnered, long term projects like those at Oshawa Second Marsh and Cootes Paradise in Hamilton, to individual land owners taking the initiative to actively steward, rehabilitate or donate a small wetland on their own property. Both of these scales of undertakings, and everything in between, are essential to the overall conservation of Great Lakes wetlands. Many rehabilitation and securement initiatives are realized under the umbrella of the Great Lakes Wetlands Conservation Action Plan.
Generally, purchasing wetlands is the most certain method of ensuring protection over the long-term. However, purchasing is not always a viable option: limited funding and high prices may form a barrier for conservation organizations and government agencies interested in protecting wetlands. In some cases, purchasing is not an option because landowners - although they may be interested in preserving the natural features of their land - are not interested in selling their property. Fortunately, there are alternatives to purchasing, each conveying different levels of protection. Beginning with the most secure methods, a number of these options are outlined below.
Security Options
High Security Options
These options are legally binding.
Fee-simple purchase
This option refers to the outright purchase of a property and the transfer of the full title for the land to the purchaser. It is also possible to purchase a partial interest (either a percentage ownership or a conservation easement) in a property.
Right-of-first-refusal
In this case, a property owner may not be interested in selling his or her land at the current time; however, he or she may express an interest in selling at some point in the future. The right-of-first-refusal is a legally binding agreement between the owner of the land and an interested buyer. The landowner agrees to allow the party interested in the land to make the first offer should the land be put up for sale. If the landowner receives an offer to purchase the land from another party, he or she must give the holder of the right-of-first-refusal a chance to match the offer before proceeding with a sale.
Option to purchase
In this case an interested buyer legally commits to purchasing the property and a small payment is made to indicate the legitimacy of the offer. The period in which the property will be purchased may vary, e.g., 30 days to two years.
Donation
In some fortunate instances, wetland owners are interested in protecting their land in the long-term and are in a financial position that allows them to make a gift of their land to a conservation organization or government. Donors may also be able to take advantage of enhanced income tax benefits stemming from donation of certified ecological gifts to a qualified charity or government (individual income tax benefits vary from case to case). Donations of conservation easements (below) are also eligible as ecological gifts.
See the Ecological Gifts Program website for more information on land donation and tax benefits.
Residual Interest
In some cases, a landowner may be willing to sell or donate his or her land, but would like to still be able to use the land during his or her lifetime. In these cases, a donor may create a life estate or enter into a licence agreement with the recipient. In these cases, an estimate is made of the value of the owners interest over his or her life, and this amount is subtracted from the fair market value of the property. The remaining value of the land becomes the purchase price for the land. The previous owner – now a holder of a life estate or licence – will have use of the land, respecting any restrictions in the life-estate agreement or licence. If the residual interest is donated, a tax receipt is issued for the fair market value of the land less the value of the donor's use of the land.
Medium Security Options
As with the high security options these methods are legally binding on the parties entering into the agreement.
Conservation easements
A conservation easement is a legal agreement in which a landowner retains ownership of his or her property but conveys certain specifically identified interests to a land conservation organization or a public body (the 'easement holder'). The interests relinquished are generally those that would allow the owners or future owners to make changes to the property that would detrimentally affect the natural features of the site, i.e., filling wetlands, subdividing the property, cutting trees.
Easements provide long-term protection of natural features because the restrictions placed on the land by the easement are attached to the deed for the property. The easement holder is responsible for monitoring compliance with the terms of the agreement. Monitoring often takes the form of yearly inspections. If the terms of the easement are breached, the organization holding the easement has the right to enforce the restrictions and require restoration of the property to its prior condition. Conservation easements may be purchased or donated, and can also qualify for enhanced tax benefits as ecological gifts.
Leases, i.e., long-term, lease-to-own, lease-for-life, lease-back
Conservation agencies or governments may lease land from property owners in order to protect significant wetlands over a specific time period. Leases may be used if the owner is unwilling to sell, if the purchase price is too high, or as an interim measure if the conservation organization is trying to raise sufficient funds to purchase the property.
Management agreements
Some conservation organizations will enter into written agreements with willing landowners that guide the management of a property for a set term, usually for 10 years or longer. The agreement is binding but not registered on the title.
Restrictive covenants
The option of placing a restrictive covenant on a property under common law has been available much longer than the conservation easement option. Restrictive covenants are similar to conservation easements created under provincial statutes, but are used less frequently because they require the conservation organization to own an "anchor" property adjacent to the property for which the covenant is sought. As with conservation easements, restrictive covenants can be purchased or donated.
Low-Security Options
These options are not legally binding on the parties involved.
Handshake or verbal agreement
These agreements involve providing information about the importance of wetlands to landowners and encouraging them to conserve wetlands on their property. Some of the programs provide awards or certificates recognizing the participant's conservation efforts. A number of landowner stewardship programs use these informal agreements, including the Wetland Habitat Fund. The Wetland Habitat Fund has been involved in over 711 projects, involving the enhancement of approximately 17,000 hectares of wetland habitat.
Project Showcase
From the Cornwall Waterfront to Sarnia's Centre By The Bay, projects are spread across the lower Great Lakes area. In each place goals vary. For example, at Wainfleet Bog near the eastern end of Lake Erie, 890 hectares of the most southerly large bog in Canada have been protected; at Rondeau Bay at the western end of Lake Erie, a watershed approach is being taken by the community to coordinate land-use activities with land management programs; while at Oshawa Second Marsh on Lake Ontario, the focus is on increasing the amount and variety of natural habitat. In each place, cooperation among partners - local citizens, corporate sector, governments and non-government organizations - is critical to the success of the project.
Rehabilitation Projects
Oshawa Second Marsh – Update on the Second Phase
Located in the city of Oshawa, Ontario on the north shore of Lake Ontario, the 123-hectare Oshawa Second Marsh was once a healthy, well-vegetated barrier beach wetland, with a robust and diverse wildlife community.
The story of the degradation and subsequent rehabilitation of Oshawa Second Marsh is long and ongoing. By the 1970s, a combination of upstream agriculture and urbanization resulting in sedimentation, alteration of the original wetland outlet, dredgeate dumping, carp arrival, and direct sewage discharges had seriously degraded the wetland. The final damaging events began in 1974, when the Oshawa Harbour Commission blocked the western outlet to the lake in order to raise water levels in the marsh, and allow heavy equipment to drill boreholes in preparation for harbour expansion. The following spring, large clumps of vegetation floated out to Lake Ontario through a new eastern outlet during record high water levels. This vegetation loss continued and, by the 1980s, vegetation was reduced to a narrow fringe of cattail.
An adaptive resource management approach to rehabilitation was initially led by Environment Canada from 1994 to 1996. A key component of these efforts, local citizens' group the Second Marsh Defence Association (now Friends of Second Marsh) helped coordinate the wetland rehabilitation. The goal was to restore, as much as possible, the wetland community of plants and animals that had existed prior to 1970. Efforts included:
- reopening of the western channel through the barrier beach;
- creation of four deflector islands used to restore historic water flow patterns through deflection of water;
- attempts to exclude carp through various means including a link fence, log barriers and protective cells made of discarded Christmas trees;
- creation of 11 habitat islands, including one that unexpectedly fostered a Common Tern colony; and,
- construction of trails, bridges, viewing towers and boardwalks to encourage community appreciation for the marsh.
Each effort had variable successess and challenges. Valuable lessons were learned about coastal wetland rehabilitation that could be applied elsewhere around the Great Lakes. However, it seemed that a more intensive approach might be required to restore the original functions and values of Second Marsh.
Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is leading a second phase of marsh rehabilitation. In 2001, DUC began a project to divert the sediment-laden Harmony Creek around Second Marsh to the lake in order to alleviate further sedimentation of the wetland and decrease turbidity. Construction of an earthen dyke on the eastern bank of the channel in the winter of 2001/2002 used natural channel design for the lower portion of the creek below the historic inflow to the wetland. A fishway was also constructed through the dyke between the diverted Harmony Creek and the marsh, allowing marsh access for most fish but excluding large carp that destroy submerged vegetation and cause increased turbidity. In addition, marsh water levels will be managed to promote vegetation regeneration using a pump located at the barrier beach.
The rehabilitation efforts appear to be working already. In summer of 2002 and 2003, turbidity levels dropped significantly in Second Marsh as a result of rerouting watershed runoff from entering the marsh. The resulting improvement in water clarity has increased diversity and growth of submerged plants. During summer of 2004, the wetland underwent a complete drawdown to expose sediments and encourage aquatic vegetation propagation from the seedbank. The results were highly successful. Vegetation coverage and diversity increased significantly throughout the wetland, and is likely to result in improved habitat for waterfowl and breeding birds in the coming years.
The Second Marsh Project is an exceptional example of the effectiveness of partnerships and cooperative action. Key partners in the overall project include the City of Oshawa, Friends of Second Marsh, Environment Canada (Canadian Wildlife Service), Ducks Unlimited Canada, and numerous other partners that have supported the project over the years. Visit the Second Marsh website to learn more about the marsh, its wildlife and restoration efforts.
Atocas Bay
In the spring of 2001, EHJV partners including Environment Canada, MNR and DUC, purchased a 648-hectare property fronting on the Ottawa River, known as Atocas Bay. The area is approximately 50 kilometres east of Ottawa and is a significant wetland pothole complex containing over 200 individual wetland basins. Unfortunately, land use practices, including agricultural drainage, have resulted in the loss of up to 90 percent of the wetlands in the area.
Since acquisition, DUC has begun to restore many of these wetland basins for the benefit of waterfowl, other wildlife, and people. The use of simple earthen plugs, small dykes and water-management structures has restored hydrology and resulted in the return of aquatic vegetation to the wetlands.
In addition, the property is used to demonstrate to local landowners and resource agencies the functions and values of wetlands, and benefits of land conservation practices. Conservation-oriented agricultural land use practices will be critical to enhancing the surrounding area.
Although the Atocas Bay property is relatively contiguous, there are a few private land parcels that break up the area and as such do not allow the restoration and management to be carried out to its full potential. DUC staff have identified four key properties that would consolidate the project. Two of these landowners have confirmed an interest in securing their lands (excluding their residences and immediate area).
This project has great potential to benefit breeding waterfowl and also to have significant and positive impacts on the local attitudes and future activities of land managers and resource organizations towards wetlands.
Ontario landowners restoring wetlands via the Wetland Habitat Fund
Ontario's wetlands are mostly privately owned, so their longterm health depends on the actions of thousands of private landowners. The Ontario Wetland Habitat Fund (WHF) was created in 1997 to support landowners who conserve, enhance or restore wetland habitat. The WHF provides technical advice and financial assistance (50 percent of costs up to $5,000) for projects that improve the ecological integrity of wetlands. Landowners develop wetland conservation plans, provide matching funds and resources, and carry out and maintain their projects. Landowners further demonstrate their commitment by signing 10-year conservation agreements.
WHF field staff help landowners devise practical, cost-effective habitat projects, including planting or protecting vegetated buffers around wetlands, creating small water control structures to restore wetland hydrology, restricting livestock access, creating alternative watering systems and rehabilitating degraded wetlands by managing vegetation or runoff.
As of January 2004, more than 700 private landowners have received WHF support. The average project costs about $9,500, with WHF contributing about $2,500 to each. These projects have enhanced over 17,000 hectares of wetlands and 12,000 hectares of associated upland habitats throughout southern Ontario. About half of the projects are on farm properties; the remainder involve non-farm rural landowners.
The WHF is a core program of the Ontario Eastern Habitat Joint Venture. It is sponsored by Wildlife Habitat Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment Canada, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and is delivered with help from Conservation Ontario, Stewardship Ontario, the Landowner Resource Centre, and other conservation groups.
Securement Projects
Alfred Bog
At 4,200 hectares, Alfred Bog is the largest and highest-quality bog remaining in southern Ontario. It is located between Ottawa and Montreal south of the Ottawa River and includes three types of wetlands: bog (83 percent), swamp (13 percent) and marsh (4 percent). The domed bog contains peat atop a layer of impermeable clay formed under marine conditions over 9,000 years ago. Peat depths range from a metre to over seven metres in the interior.
Alfred Bog is home to many nationally, provincially and regionally rare and endangered plants and animals. These include the Bog Elfin Butterfly, Fletcher's Dragonfly, Spotted Turtle, Red-shouldered Hawk, Golden Eagle, White Fringed Orchid, Atlantic Sedge and Rhodora. It is also home to Moose. The bog has been designated by the Ministry of Natural Resources as a Provincially Significant Wetland and an Area of Natural and Scientific Interest, and is also a candidate to be recognized under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance.
The main stresses on the hydrology and ecology of the bog are peat mining and direct drainage. In 1988, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) purchased approximately 1,600 hectares of Alfred Bog from private landowners to initiate the protection of this valuable wetland.
In October 2001, a further 1,261-hectare area of the wetland became available amid debate over its protection under the United Counties of Prescott and Russell’s recently implemented Official Plan. The NCC with contributions from the provincial government, the private sector, and Environment Canada through the Eastern Habitat Joint Venture and the Habitat Stewardship Program, purchased this area in November 2002. Over 70 percent of the core bog area is now protected. Ontario Parks holds title to the purchased property and will manage the entire protected area as a nature reserve.
Big Sandy Bay
The protection of Big Sandy Bay is one of the many success stories of the first phase of the Great Lakes Wetlands Conservation Action Plan (GLWCAP). Located at the southwestern end of Wolfe Island on the eastern end of Lake Ontario, Big Sandy Bay is a large wetland complex which has been nominated as a globally significant Important Bird Area due to its significance for migratory waterfowl, particularly Canada Goose, Greater Scaup and Canvasback. Fifty-six hectares of this combined provincially and privately owned wetland was purchased by GLWCAP partners, including the Canadian Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy of Canada, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Ducks Unlimited Canada. Through this securement, Big Sandy Bay will retain its important role in bird migration across eastern Lake Ontario.
Securing MacGregor Point for Future Generations
In the summer of 2001, GLWCAP partners and other interested local parties purchased portions of the provincially significant MacGregor Point Wetland Complex, including 800 metres of Lake Huron shoreline and 166 hectares of wetland and associated upland. The wetland complex is made up of 71 individual wetlands that include approximately 82 percent swamp, 14 percent fen, and four percent marsh. This area is one of the largest remaining undeveloped parcels along the southern Lake Huron shoreline.
Located between Kincardine and Port Elgin and adjoining MacGregor Point Provincial Park, this area faces increased pressures from seasonal tourism and recreation. Despite the encroaching stresses, the shoreline is a major migration route for birds and boasts areas of sand dunes, mature cedar forests and wetlands.
Over 100 breeding bird species use this area, including the Great Egret, and also the Red-shouldered Hawk – a provincially vulnerable and national species of special concern. The property is traditional roosting habitat for the provincially endangered Bald Eagle. It is an active feeding area for the Black-crowned Night-Heron and is home to 15 to 20 species of warblers. The area is used for feeding by Great Blue Herons and is home to the regionally significant Four-toed Salamander and Ring-necked Snake.
The Province of Ontario holds the title to the lands and Ontario Parks will manage the property. All partners recognized that securing the property is only the beginning of its long-term protection and that the natural ecosystems need protection and management. Habitat stewardship activities under consideration include:
- development and implementation of a management plan in conjunction with MacGregor Point Provincial Park to integrate complementary public access trail use, habitat restoration and interpretive viewpoints;
- collaboration with Friends of MacGregor Point Provincial Park to enhance public education in the expanded park;
- annual monitoring and evaluation of the site to contribute to the scientific knowledge of the species that it supports; and,
- signage to designate the property boundaries as per regulations.
Wetland Creation, Rehabilitation and Securement Projects in the Lower Great Lakes Basin
Wetlands in the Great Lakes basin have received increased attention over the past number of years as rehabilitation and securement opportunities arise and are embraced by governments and non-government organizations. More than 9,600 hectares of wetland have been secured and over 30,000 hectares rehabilitated through Environment Canada programs and partnerships with organizations such as Ducks Unlimited Canada and the Nature Conservancy of Canada. Some projects result from an assessment of priority sites, while others are initiated as new opportunities arise. The maps show the location of some of the on-the-ground work of the Great Lakes Wetlands Conservation Action Plan (GLWCAP), the Eastern Habitat Joint Venture (EHJV) and their partners over the past decade.
Wetland Securement Sites (GLWCAP and EHJV) and Ecological Gift Donations Containing Wetlands
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