ERCA working with Caldwell First Nation to create wetland habitat

The Essex Region Conservation Authority is finalizing plans to work with the Caldwell First Nation to restore a coastal wetland habitat in Leamington.

The action comes as environmentalists around the globe mark World Wetlands Day on Feb. 2.

Nearly 95 per cent of the Essex Region's original wetlands have been lost to settlement, according ERCA.

The project with Caldwell at LeboCreek will provide a wetland habitat, along with an area to research innovations in filtering phosphorous.

"Many amphibians, birds and reptiles utilize wetlands for resting, feeding and breeding," explainedKathryn Arthur, restoration biologist for ERCA."We encourage landowners who are interested in creating these or other types of native habitat features like tallgrass prairie, meadow or Carolinian forests on their property and are willing to restore a minimum of one acre of new habitat to contact ERCA and inquire about project and funding opportunities."