Hydro Marsh is a 30 hectare ( 75 acre) provincially significant wetland located in Frenchman’s Bay Watershed. Hydro Marsh is part of the property of land seeded to Ontario Power Generation and is managed by them as an important natural heritage feature of Alex Robertson Park. Volunteers from the community of Pickering are restoring this site for future generations of people and wildlife.
Canadian Wetlands are divided into two categories, Organic and Mineral wetlands, subdivided into five classes.
Organic Wetlands
Bogs: are peat covered wetlands, also called peatlands. They are characterized by spongy peat deposits and the water is typically acidic covered by thick sphagnum moss. Bogs generally received most of their water from precipitation as they are not normally connected to a system of streams.
Fens: are peatlands with a high water table, but slow internal drainage by seepage. Fens are slow flowing water systems, either small lakes and streams. According to Ducks Unlimited, in a fen, “water sources have been in contact with nutrient-rich surface and/or groundwater making fens more productive and diverse than bogs”
Mineral Wetlands
Marshes: are a type of wetland that has standing or slowly moving water rich in nutrients. While mostly wet, marshes are typically shallow and may have well-decomposed peat. When adjacent to lakes, marshes are subject to gravitational water table and may flood during high water events, but mostly remain shallow with well-rooted plants including reeds, rushes or sedges, however, will remain absent of any deep-rooted woody vegetation or trees.
Swamps: are considered to be wetlands where standing or gently moving water will occur seasonally or persist for longer periods of time, leaving a subsurface that is continuously waterlogged.
Shallow open water wetlands: sometimes called ponds or sloughs, these are a type of wetland that typically have small bodies of standing water, and often form a transition stage between a marsh and a lake.
Water Flow or discharge is the volumetric flow rate of water that is transported through a given cross-sectional area and may include any suspended solids or sediments in addition to the water itself.
Logging Requirements
To Log this Earthcache
Please send me your answers within 4 days of posting your found log. If there is more than one cacher in your party, include the names in your group. Only one person needs to send me the group answers. No spoiler photo's please. Found logs posted without proof you visited the site will be deleted.
Questions
Waypoint # 1: Posted coordinates
- From the information sign, which two prominent wetland types are represented in the Frenchmans Bay Watershed?
- Wetlands improve water quality by absorbing and filtering out _______________ and ____________ in water? ( two words)
- According to the sign, which bird are you sure to find when you visit this wetland?
Waypoint # 2
- From this location, you are able to see where Krosno creek empties into the wetland. Based on your observation, do you feel that the creek provides a minimal, moderate or significant discharge into the wetland? Consider the flow rate and depth of the water at the time of your visit.
- Mandatory: Take a photo of you or a personal item with the wetland in the background. You do not need to show your face. Bonus points if you capture any wildlife in the background.
