Welcome to this talk on wetlands, followed by a short question period. It is a Zoom recording that will, eventually, be lightly edited.
This video is mostly for people who live in eastern Ontario, particularly Lanark County and the Mississippi River watershed, and it mostly describes wetlands in this region. (If you are interested in wetlands in general, then you might prefer another talk, such as A General Framework for Wetland Science and Restoration.)
The presentation starts, of course, with a brief introduction to wetlands: What are they? What kinds are there? Why are they important? What is a “Provincially Significant Wetland”? Paul then explores three wetland habitats that occur in this region. (1) There are the swamps and marshes along the Mississippi River (examples include the Innisville Wetlands on Mississippi Lake and the Appleton Silver Maple Swamp). (2) There are bogs and fens, which are relatively uncommon in this region, but which support many kinds of rare species (examples include the Purdon Fen and the Maberly Bog). (3) There are beaver pond wetland complexes that occur in rocky landscapes (examples include Pakenham Mountain and Wolf Grove). Along the way, we will meet some wild species such as spring peepers, Blanding’s turtles, wood ducks, spotted salamanders, beavers, otters, and tree frogs. Paul concludes the talk with a list of important, practical, local projects for naturalists and conservationists — projects that will help protect our local wetlands for future generations.
If you want to learn more about the natural environment of Lanark County, you may also enjoy this 2021 video presentation on the wild places of Lanark County.
If you would like to learn more about wetland ecology, Dr. Keddy’s book on wetland ecology is avialable here. It is used around the world, and even has a Chinese edition.
Paul Keddy, Ph.D. 