Thursday is World Water Day, and the Nature Conservancy of Canada has announced two new conservation projects on the Bruce Peninsula.
One is the Dwarf Lake Iris Nature Reserve, which will help protect a rare flower, the Dwarf Lake Iris. The other is the Cape Hurd Fens and Forests, which is a significant waterfowl breeding ground.
NCC Ontario Communications Manager Nicole Senyi says these two areas will be protected using federal funding that was received a couple weeks ago.
"These areas are actually protected with the help of the Government of Canada, through the Natural Areas Conservation Program, which is our old program that is in its final year," she says. "Obviously, we're hoping that the federal money will continue to help us protect areas like this."
Senyi says wetlands are crucial for so many reasons.
"Wetlands provide so many important benefits to us, such as flood control, water filtration, fish habitats as well as recreation," she says. "Up to 70% of Ontario's wetlands have already been converted to alternative uses since European settlement."
The NCC is looking into a number of new projects in Midwestern Ontario, and all across Canada, to continue to preserve and protect natural wetlands in the country.