Local group developing bog walk

Cool but sunny weather greeted a group of local naturalists earlier this month as they converged on a bog as part of an ongoing project to protect one of nature’s water filters.
The Rainy River Valley Field Naturalists, in co-operation with Alberton Township, have been developing a bog walk at the west end of Whitmore Road over the past year in an effort to protect the valuable wetland.
On Oct. 4, the group was at the location to distribute five yards of gravel throughout the site—donated by the township—to improve the trail and create a small parking area at the trailhead.
The Bog Walk Interpretive Trail is a fledgling project.
This spring, the group put up a permanent sign at the trailhead. On Saturday, they did the trail work. But there still is a lot to be accomplished.
“It is a slow process,” said RRVFN president Bill Morgenstern.
The goal of the group is to create a tourism-worthy interpretive trail with some boardwalks—to help keep feet dry—and an observation deck for viewing wildlife and the scenery.
There will be interpretive signs with information about the area, about bogs, and about the flora and fauna one might come across.
There eventually also will be a triangular boardwalk loop out over the pond at the trailhead and through a wooded area adjacent to the bog. Part of this loop would be wheelchair accessible.
“The importance of the bog walk is, hopefully, it will be an interpretive trail used to increase the awareness of the importance of wetlands,” Morgenstern said. “Some people don’t realize how this wetland area affects them directly.
“Again that’s part of the educational value.”
Morgenstern said a big issue these days is groundwater pollution. “That’s why wetlands are important. They control that [pollution] like the kidneys in the body.”
The group has been given permission by Alberton Township to use a road right-of-way that extends west from the end of Whitmore Road to the boundary of Alberton and La Vallee townships.
“We have had good support from the municipality of Alberton,” Morgenstern said. “They have passed a resolution to support us in what we’re doing.”
Along the northern boundary of this right-of-way is the peat bog. It is located on Crown land, as is most of the wetland area north and west of the right-of-way.
The portion of the bog that is immediately accessible from the trailhead has been undisturbed for roughly 50 years. In it is a wide variety of plant and animal life, but more importantly, it is a unique example of the effects of peat extraction on a bog and how it can effect the environment.
One of the primary goals of the group is to open up the bog for educational purposes, especially for local schools. “[We want it] used as an educational tool so people can see what wetlands are all about,” Morgenstern said.
“It will show what happens when peat extraction takes place,” he added. “People can see how long it takes to regenerate.”
As an added bonus, it was determined during an environmental assessment of the area by Northern Bioscience of Thunder Bay in July that part of the bog to the west of the trailhead is untouched—and so is more than likely home to provincially-significant and rare plant and animal species.
“One of the things Northern Bioscience said when it did the environmental assessment was there is a potential for it to have provincial significance,” noted Morgenstern.
“The other thing they felt made this an important site is that there is easy access to a population base.
“It’s a unique site,” he added, saying the bog looks different than most in the area. “It reminds me of what you’d see along the James Bay coast.”
The RRVFN currently is in the process of jointly applying for a Trillium grant for funding to develop the bog site as an educational and tourism site. Its partners in the application process, though nothing is signed as yet, are the Rainy Lake Conservancy and the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
The club had passed a resolution at its September meeting to work with any group interested in preserving the wetland. Both of these ones have shown strong interest.
“The Rainy Lake Conservancy, in collaboration with the Rainy River Valley Field Naturalists and the Nature Conservancy of Canada, is applying for an Ontario Trillium grant to fund the construction of a boardwalk/interpretive trail and kiosk to display educational materials to the public,” noted Phyllis Callaghan, president of the Rainy Lake Conservancy.
“The interpretive bog walk will be part of a larger initiative by the group and other local partners to identify and conserve the unique natural heritage features of Northwestern Ontario.”
“We’re just waiting for the draft copy [of the application] to make input on it,” Morgenstern added.
There is some urgency to begin the development of the site—one of the reasons for Saturday’s work bee—because a company has begun eyeing the peat in the bog for extraction.
Morgenstern said Rainy River Peatlands Inc. has approached the RRVFN for a copy of their environmental assessment, and has begun looking for private land to locate a peat processing plant and extraction pit.
He even indicated the company originally was eyeing a portion of the bog walk site for peat storage and processing.
The last discussions between Rainy River Peatlands Inc. and the RRVFN were several months ago. The status of its operation is unknown at present.
Morgenstern said the company’s plan to extract peat from the area includes a 30-year timetable and will see water levels slowly lowered.
“If they do indeed extract peat and follow their plan to draw down water, what it’s going to do is affect the hydrology of the system,” Morgenstern warned.
He explained that to extract the peat, the water must slowly be drained and then as the peat dries, it is extracted. There’s an estimated six metres of peat in the richest areas.
Morgenstern said the lowering of water levels won’t just affect the surrounding sensitive wetlands.
“It’s going to affect people’s wells in the area,” he said, adding that the water system is connected from Highway 11 south to River Road. “Those are the things to look out for. Everything is connected.”
He hopes significant progress can be made in developing the site so that these issues can be avoided—and a significant tourist attraction can be created.
“If people are interested, I don’t mind taking them for a walk in the bog,” he offered, adding, “We have people here in our community that are consulted by Trillium if a grant application is to proceed.
“I would like to see those people come see the site.”