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Are our marshes in trouble?
By Harold Merton >The marshes of the Great Lakes play an important role in our lives, yetfew people know it. They filter dirt and toxins out of our water, storethe water during times of drought and flood and house and feed a myriadof wildlife species. The Marsh Monitoring Program (MMP) with the help ofhundreds of volunteers, monitors marshes and the birds and amphibiansthey are home to, all around the Great Lakes basin.A recent report from the MMP revealed some startling trends about thisextremely valuable, yet vulnerable part of our world. Preliminaryresults suggests that some well known and well loved marsh birds andamphibians are in decline. The MMP offers everyone from amateur naturalists to professionalbiologists, a unique rewarding opportunity to help learn about andconserve Great Lakes amphibians and marsh birds and their threatenedhabitat. People who are interested in assisting should contact Kathy Jonestoll-free at 1-888-448-2473 or aqsurvey@bsc-eoc.org or visit the websiteat www.bsc-eoc.org The MMP provides training materials and helps volunteers polish theiridentification skills. Learning to identify calling frogs and toads isrelatively straightforward, however bird surveyors need to be able toidentify by sight and song, most of the common marsh bird species. Thereis no charge to participate. The MMP is managed by Bird Studies Canada in partnership withEnvironment Canada and has developed and expanded through additionalsupport of theU.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Great Lakes Protect Fund.The MPP depends on the commitment of individuals, foundations,governments and non governmental organizations, that together form astrong partnership working towards effective conservation of wetlandsand their inhabitants. |