Minesing Wetlands, previously known as Minesing Swamp, is a
Ramsar boreal
wetland
A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...
in central
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
stretching from the western periphery of
Barrie to
Georgian Bay. It was identified and classified through the
International Biological Program. It is "the largest and best example of fen bog in southern Ontario", one of the "most diverse undisturbed wetland tracts in Canada" and is a provincially significant
Area of Natural and Scientific Interest. The term ''minesing'' is of
Ojibwe
The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...
origin and means "island", referring to an island located within Lake Edenvale, which encompassed the present-day wetlands and surrounding areas.
The swamp's hydrology "provides for an interconnected network of
swamp
A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...
s,
fens,
bog
A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and musk ...
s and
marsh
In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in genera ...
es". It acts as a
reservoir
A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation.
Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...
that absorbs floodwater during spring thaw, from which a slow and steady flow is released throughout the summer into the
Nottawasaga River system. This also prevents spring flooding of
Wasaga Beach.
Approximately of the is owned or managed by the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority. The remainder is owned by the
Ministry of Natural Resources, the
Simcoe County
Simcoe County is a county and census division located in the central region of Ontario, Canada. The county is located north of the Greater Toronto Area, and forms the north western edge of the Golden Horseshoe. The county seat is located in Mi ...
, and private landowners. It straddles the three
townships of
Clearview,
Essa and
Springwater.
It provides habitat to over 400 plant species, of which 11 are provincially rare. Minesing Wetlands is an important staging area for thousands of migratory waterfowl, and is the largest wintering ground for
white-tailed deer
The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known Common name, commonly as the whitetail and the Virginia deer, is a medium-sized species of deer native to North America, North, Central America, Central and South America. It is the ...
. It supports numerous plant species which are at the extremities of their natural range, including those
indigenous to the arctic
tundra
In physical geography, a tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. There are three regions and associated types of tundra: #Arctic, Arctic, Alpine tundra, Alpine, and #Antarctic ...
in the north and the
Carolinian forests to the south, and is home to the "largest pure stand of silver maple in the province". Provincially rare birds indigenous to the swamp include the
blue-winged warbler,
prothonotary warbler,
cerulean warbler,
golden-winged warbler and the
blue-grey gnatcatcher.
Minesing Wetlands is a popular recreation area which draws many tourists.
Canoe
A canoe is a lightweight, narrow watercraft, water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using paddles.
In British English, the term ' ...
ing is a common activity in the area, though inexperienced canoeists should be wary of spring flooding.
Research
A number of research projects are conducted throughout Minesing Wetlands. An analysis of the hydrology of wetland systems in the swamp began in the mid-1990s, with primary goals to "characterize the water balance of a selected plot within the fen" and to examine "the correlations between vegetation and hydrology".
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
History of Minesing
{{coord, 44.3833, N, 80.8667, W, source:wikidata, display=title
Landforms of Simcoe County
Ramsar sites in Ontario
Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest
Wetlands of Ontario
Protected areas of Simcoe County