Daemon Barry learned a lot about wetland conservation this year at the John E. Poole wetland. For one, he learned people will toss just about anything into the place.
“There was crazy [stuff],” he said, when asked what he and his fellow Bellerose students collected: cigarette butts, candy wrappers, baby toys, a foot-long Spider-Man action figure, chunks of the wetland boardwalk — even open, presumably used, condoms.
This trash is disgusting and unsanitary, and could potentially choke or poison wildlife, Barry said.
“It’s terrible to see stuff like that.”
Barry was one of about 60 people at Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park June 15 for the wind-and-rain-swept opening of the Edmonton Wetland Centre of Excellence — the first centre of its kind in Alberta.
Big Lake Environment Support Society members revealed the centre was coming to St. Albert last February.
Run by Ducks Unlimited, the Wetland Centre of Excellence program sees students explore, promote, and protect wetlands through public education and conservation projects of their own design, said Mariane Bolla, head of national education for Ducks Unlimited Canada. Ducks Unlimited backs their efforts with grants and technical expertise.
“The goal is to get them familiar with their local wetlands, get them to care about local wetlands, and really connect to nature,” she said.
Bolla said Ducks Unlimited chose to launch this program in Alberta at Big Lake as it already had a presence there (the John E. Poole wetland boardwalk).
Student science
Clayton Wowk’s Grade 11 Biology students at Bellerose were the first students to go through the Poole wetland excellence centre program. Wowk said he signed on to the initiative to give students hands-on experience with classroom lessons and get them closer to nature.
Wowk said students designed and implemented conservation projects at the Poole wetland through the program earlier this year. One group planted about a hundred trees for flood mitigation, for example, while another designed bird identification signs which could go up at other wetlands.
Student Renae Maxwell said her group sampled and tested water from Big Lake, Riel Pond, and the Poole wetland to determine its health.
“The water was actually pretty healthy,” Maxwell said, with the wetland water having a pH of around 8 (compared to the typical 7 to 9) and far less turbidity than the Big Lake samples (likely because Big Lake has more moving water to disturb sediment).
Fellow water tester Chloe Byma said the group was concerned population growth and that the nearby expansion of Ray Gibbon Drive could worsen the region’s water quality.
“If something goes wrong with that road, there’s a high chance it’s going to affect that wetland,” she said.
Barry said his group did a clean-up of the wetland after seeing the amount of junk in it, collecting about two large garbage bags of waste and half a bag of recyclables in total. Much of the waste was small, fragmented, and found close to existing trash cans. Pet waste was common, much of which had been bagged and dropped on the ground. He suggested a dedicated cigarette butt disposal can as a way to cut down on trash in the region.
Speaking at the event, Edmonton-Gold Bar MLA and NDP environment critic Marlin Schmidt said wetlands are “the kidneys of the ecosystem,” able to shelter animals, store carbon, and clean water. They are also under threat, with many having been drained or ploughed under as part of Alberta’s settlement.
“We need people like these Bellerose students to be out there in the community advocating for wetland protection,” he said, adding that he hopes this first group of students will become wetland champions.
Barry said this program gave him a new appreciation of the Poole wetland, as he was able see how all the plants and animals in it changed between visits.
“It’s just crazy how alive the wetland and the area really are.”
Wowk said the program will continue next year with a new group of Bellerose students and projects. Grade 12 students who have been through the program will also give elementary kids wetland tours to pass on their knowledge.
Questions on the centre of excellence should go to [email protected].
