1. Project Title: Lower Don River Demonstration Wetland Habitat
2. Contact
David Stonehouse
Task Force To Bring Back The Don, Toronto City Hall, 20th Floor, East Tower, Toronto, Ontario M5H 2N2
Tel.: (416) 392-1255; FAX: (416) 392-0071
3. Agencies Involved
Other members of the project's Implementation Steering Committee will be:
City of Toronto Departments
Public Works and the Environment
Planning and Development
Metropolitan Toronto Parks and Property Department
Metropolitan Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
4. Restoration Goal
To create a viable wetland habitat in the Lower Don Valley.
5. Project Type
Modification of existing landform, creation of ponds, and planting of native wetland plant species.
6. Background and Rationale
The Don is one of Toronto's largest and most significant open spaces. Its restoration is key to creating a more livable city. Wetlands were once a common feature in the Don. The creation of new wetlands in degraded areas of the river valley is key to restoring the Don.
The wetland habitat that the Task Force to Bring Back the Don is planning will provide much needed habitat for birds and animals. We expect that the wetland also will serve a much needed educational function giving Toronto residents opportunity to learn about the essential roles of wetlands and naturalized landscapes. The wetland may also provide some water quality benefits.
The wetland will be consistent with evolving plans for the Don by:
the Waterfront Regeneration Trust's Lower Don Lands Strategy team;
the MTRCA's Don Watershed Task Force;
the Metro Parks and Property Department.
Implementation of the project will begin in the early spring of 1995.
7. Regulatory Considerations
Approval from the following agencies was required:
a) Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Energy
b) Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
c) local conservation authority - Metro Toronto Regional Conservation Authority
d) City of Toronto
e) Metro Toronto
8. Criteria
The wetland has been designed so as to attract three target species:
1. Wood duck
2. Northern pike
3. Bull frog
The design phase of the project involved a comprehensive public consultation process. The target species, site selection, and final design emerged as a result of this public process.
9. Project Design
The design phase of the project has identified a site for the wetland that is just south of the Bloor Street viaduct. The wetland area is approximately 2.88 ha in size. The consulting team, led by Glenn Harrington of Harrington and Hoyle Limited, has proposed a wetland with a variety of habitats including wet meadow, wet woods, and marsh. There will also be related upland forest habitat created and bank stabilization work done. The wetland will feature two distinct areas - one on the east side of the Don and one on the west. The area on the west side will be protected, providing excellent habitat. The area on the east side will be accessible to the public; it will provide for education and viewing opportunities. The wetland is expected to attract wood ducks, red-tailed hawks, salamanders, and wood frogs. The wetland will be adjacent to the river but will not receive direct flow except during flood events.
10. Implementation
The consulting team is in the process of completing final construction drawings for agency review and approvals. All approvals, from regulatory and land owning agencies such as the Metropolitan Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and Metro Parks and Property, are expected by the end of 1994.
All grading and heavy construction will start in March of 1995. Planting will start in April and May of 1995. In the spring planting season we will concentrate on trees and shrubs as well as foundation aquatic plants including bulrushes and cattails which will help stabilize the wetland and protect against unwanted invasive species. Bank stabilization along the related portion of the main channel of the Don will also commence in April and May 1995. Throughout the summer of 1995, we will mantain and monitor the site. The proposed trails system with a mix of paths and board walks and educational signage will be completed in 1995. Planting will resume in the spring of 1996 when the focus will be on increasing ecosystem diversity with an extensive collection of aquatic plants. Throughout the summer of 1996, we will again mantain and monitor the site.
Some of the construction and maintenance and monitoring will be undertaken by volunteers who have been involved with the Bring Back the Don project and by members of the general public who will be encouraged to become involved in our communications materials.
The Task Force will be developing a plan for maintenance and monitoring. The plan will provide for maintenance plantings over the first years of the life of the wetland. Volunteers will plant each spring and fall to increase ecosystem diversity. The emphasis over the maintenance period will be on using harvested seeds and cuttings for replanting. The plan will also provide for monitoring of target species (such as amphibians) as well as water quality. Any decisions about the maintenance and monitoring of the wetland beyond the first years will be made in the future by the land managing agency, Metro Parks and Property, in consultation with the other affected agencies.
A portion of the wetland site is an old landfill area. The soil in this landfill area contains old garbage and ash; the restoration of this kind of area will provide lessons for rehabilitating similar kinds of areas.
11. Degree of Environmental Intervention
The project will involve extensive intervention with respect to the environment during the initial spring 1995 construction period; bulldozers, tractors and trucks will be utilized. Once the initial construction period is over, during planting, maintenance and monitoring, intervenion will be kept to a minimum. Measures, such as sediment control measures, will be taken to minimize any impact on the environment. The degree of environmental intervention can be justified because the site is so degraded and because it supports so little wildlife at present.
12. Costs
The budget for the design phase was $40 ,000 for site selection, design, and agency approvals (everything up to "shovel in the ground"). The design phase was funded by a number of public and private sources including the Great Lakes Cleanup Fund and Canada Trust's Friends of the Environment Foundation.
The estimated implementation budget for the project is $360 ,000. For:
Construction Contracting and Materials
Professional Fees
Path System and Signage
Maintenance
Monitoring
Volunteer Management
Communications
The implementation phase of the project will be funded by the Great Lakes Cleanup Fund and the Canada-Ontario Infrastructure Program.
13. Biological Assessment
We are now undertaking a baseline inventory. We will monitor during
construction and for a
number of years after the project has been completed.
14. Measures of Success
We will measure success by attempting to gauge:
1. The extent to which the target species have been attracted;
2. The extent to which other species have been attracted;
3. Public interest in the wetland;
4. The success of our public involvement and education programs.
Success Rating: 1
15. Key References
Bringing Back the Don, Task Force to Bring Back the Don, Toronto, Ontario, 1991.
Regeneration, The Royal Commission on the Future of the Toronto Waterfront, Toronto, Ontario, 1992.
Correct citation for this contribution:
Stonehouse, D. 1995. Lower Don River demonstration wetland habitat, p. 64-68. In J.R.M. Kelso and J.H. Hartig [editors]. Methods of modifying habitat to benefit the Great Lakes ecosystem. CISTI (Can. Inst. Sci. Tech. Inf.) Occas. Pap. No. 1.