Durham Region Coastal Wetland Monitoring Project

Durham Region Coastal Wetland Monitoring Project
Annual Newsletter
2014
Durham Region Coastal Wetland Monitoring Project
Wetland in Focus:
Bowmanville Marsh
The Durham Region Coastal Wetland Monitoring Project (DRCWMP) was put in place to monitor the health of coastal wetland
communities, identify the sources and levels of impacts affecting these wetlands, and direct management and restoration
activities. The Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA) has been monitoring 15 coastal wetlands since 2002 and an
additional 3 wetlands since 2007 as part of the DRCWMP.
Bowmanville Marsh is a 33-hectare
drowned river-mouth coastal wetland
located on the shores of Lake Ontario in
the Municipality of Clarington and lies
within the 66 ha Bowmanville/Westside
Marshes Conservation Area. This
wetland has a large watershed that has
a mixture of primarily agricultural and
natural land use. Land use adjacent to
Data Collection 2014
the marsh reflects that which is
The year 2014 marked the 13th year of data collection.
commonly found along urbanized
Activities in 2014 included the monitoring of the bird, amphibian, fish, aquatic macroinvertebrate,
portions of Lake Ontario (industrial,
and submerged aquatic vegetation communities, as well as water quality. Indices have been
transportation, utilities, residential,
developed to assess these conditions, and long –term monitoring allows for the completion of
marina and a port). Activities such as
trend analysis to evaluate changes over time. Additional monitoring included water levels,
boating, fishing, hiking, photography,
Ecological Land Classification, visual surveys for turtles, and winter muskrat house surveys. All of
birdwatching, wildlife observation, and
the data that has been collected is available from the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority
nature appreciation all occur at
(CLOCA).
Bowmanville Marsh. The Conservation
Area has a 1.5 Km looping trail around
the upland area between Bowmanville
Marsh and Westside Marsh. A raised
Monitoring to Management – Making the Connection
viewing mound that is integrated with
Since the DRCWMP was initiated, there have been a number of documents written and published describing this project and its
the trail gives visitors to the area good
components. However, there has not yet been a report which highlights ecological conditions and trends guiding future
views into the wetland.
management and restoration opportunities for each of the coastal wetlands. A report entitled
Monitoring data have shown water
DRCWMP: Conditions and Management Report, which includes all of these details, is now being
quality to be in a degraded condition
completed for several marshes. This report is divided into modules specific to each wetland and
and there to be a lack of vegetation
includes an introduction describing the information included in each wetland module. Each
cover and diversity. The
wetland module is divided into four sections: Attributes, Threats, Condition and Trends, and
macroinvertebrate, amphibian, bird and
Management and Restoration. The Management and Restoration section of each module
fish communities are in poor to fair
includes a list of the management and restoration options that are recommended for each
condition with low species diversity.
marsh. Listed with each option are recommendations for specific actions that could be, or have
Current threats to the health of this
been, implemented to aid in achieving these options. Also included are the wetland conditions
marsh include pollution, invasive
that are targeted for improvement, and the threats which may be mitigated through the
species, shoreline modification, waterimplementation of each action.
level regulation, as well as impacts
The completion of these modules is a necessary step to be able to evaluate the condition of coastal wetlands, observe changes in
associated with recreational motor
health over time, and to use this information effectively to provide recommendations for management and restoration.
boats, fishing, and traffic on the
Consistently making the connection between monitoring results and management recommendations is essential to ensure that
adjacent roadway. The DRCWMP:
when changes are observed or threats identified, adaptive management can be used to achieve a higher probability of success.
Conditions and Management Report has
been completed for this wetland which
includes recommendations for
Project Partners
management and restoration actions to
Canadian Wildlife Service - Environment Canada
address these threats and improve
Durham Region
marsh conditions. The first phase of
Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority
restoration is now underway with the
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
installation of fish habitat structures to
be completed in 2015. Continued
Volunteers
monitoring will be essential to evaluate The DRCWMP would not be possible without volunteers to assist with bird and amphibian population monitoring. We would like to
changes in wetland condition, assess the thank this year's volunteers for their continued support.
success of restoration efforts, and
James Kamstra
adaptively manage this wetland into the
Allan Chapman
future.
Ellen McRae
John Brett
Contact Info
To report sightings of rare species, or if you would like further information about the project or to become a volunteer please contact:
Heather Pankhurst
Wetland Biologist
Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority
905-579-0411 ext. 138
[email protected]

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