Beginning in the fall of 2025, we will be restoring over 4 acres of our property to a native wetland. Previous owners have had the rear of the property has been in hay for decades, but the water level has prevented any significant production. To combat the water, a headway (the start of a watercourse) was dug to drain into the existing wetland behind the property. These efforts been minimally successful as the land strives to return to its wetland state.
With the help of Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA), we will be converting the back 4 acres into two separate wetlands, one treed (swamp) and one grassland (marsh), for maximum biodiversity. In the fall of 2025, a contractor with DUC will re-grade our land to design the wetlands, in accordance with the proposed design below. After grading has been completed, we will seed the wetlands with local native seeds that we will be provided by Origin Native Plants. In the spring of 2026, the Grand River Conservation Authority will assist us in planting of trees in the forested wetland.
We will provide updates as the project progresses, as well as into the future as we document the return of native flora and fauna to our backyard.