Crews work to control invasive plant taking over Tiny Marsh
An effort is underway to remove and control an invasive, robust weed in the Tiny Marsh.
The Marl Lake-Tiny Marsh-Matchedash Bay Conservation Association hired a company from the Windsor area to help remove the aggressive Phragmites.
David Hawke is spearheading the removal work and says Phragmites is the number one invasive plant in southern Ontario.
"If left unchecked, it's going to literally take over the wetland," explains Hawke.
He adds Phragmites is so thick and tall in the Marsh it crowds out natural vegetation and becomes a hazard for wildlife.
"Turtles can't come up on the shoreline, ducks can't bring their ducklings out, and it will just become the only plant growing here," Hawke says.
Experts say eradication is nearly impossible, but controlling the spread is possible.
Chuck Simpson, with the Invasive Phragmites Control Centre out of Langton, Ont., says the plant is covering roughly 10 per cent of the Marsh right now.
"We're using two amphibious vehicles, one to cut it right at the floor of the Marsh, that will eventually drown the plant. Little piles will be left in the water to act as a safe habitat for wildlife," he says.
Crews are done working in the Marsh this week but will be back for a couple of days next week.
They plan to return next summer to pick up where they left off.
The project is expected to take three years to complete.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.