A 33-acre (13.3 hectare) parcel of former farmland adjacent to the Kettle Creek Conservation Authority administration office is one of the province’s newest wetland areas. With funding from the province’s Wetlands Conservation Partner Program and in conjunction with Ducks Unlimited, the restored wetland area east of Highbury Avenue was unveiled this morning (Wednesday) by Jeff Yurek, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.
The restoration is part of a five-year, $30 million provincial undertaking involving approximately 60 wetlands.
With less than two per cent wetlands in the Kettle Creek watershed, the restoration showcases the province’s Wetlands Conservation Partner Program. Three cells on the property are designed to capture and filter surface water before it enters Lake Erie. Southwold Mayor Grant Jones adds they also ensure a healthy ecosystem.
Jones is chairman of the Kettle Creek Conservation Authority board of directors.
The restoration is also a partnership with the Elgin Stewardship Council.
Lynette Mader, Manager of Provincial Operations in Ontario for Ducks Unlimited Canada, says a critical component of the wetlands program is working with private landowners.
“Wetlands keep our water safe, and they make our communities more climate change resilient by helping to prevent floods – that’s why protecting these vital areas is such an important part of our Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan,” adds Yurek.
The Wetlands Conservation Partner Program with Ducks Unlimited represents almost 925 hectares of wetland in the province.
