Valleycliffe Elementary School’s playground is home to the usual colourful play structures found at most schools, but it is also home to a newly created wetland.
“It was truly like a dream creating… a wetland, something that will provide a home for 1,000s of species of plants and animals,” said Rhonda O’Grady, who spearheaded the project with the Squamish River Watershed Society.
Three years ago, as part of the Valleycliffe Elementary living classroom project, a small seasonal wetland was constructed on the site, but without a liner underneath it, O’Grady explained.
Without the liner the wetland naturally dried up as spring moved into late summer, “holding water long enough to support amphibian populations, but not fish or the invasive bullfrog,” O’Grady said.
But after the first year the wetland stopped holding water altogether so it was time to rethink the project.
With the support of students from Quest University and British Columbia Institute of Technology, Squamish River Watershed Society volunteers and a donated liner, from Western Tank and Liner, a new wetland was created on Nov. 4.
The project will not only be a welcome place for various species of plants and animals, but is a great teaching tool, O’Grady said.
“Within steps of the school, teachers can bring their students to learn hands-on about ecology, biology, the water cycle, stewardship, geology and so much more. Something that will help replace some of the wetlands that have been lost beneath new developments before they were even realized, something wonderful and natural and real,” she said.
Third year Quest University student Ariel Leger helped out with the project.
He described placing the 600-pound pond liner over the expanded wetland as “an intricate ballet involving eight people and two wheelbarrows.”
“It was nice to be able to contribute to the expansion of this wetland as so many wetlands are being drained, dug up and destroyed in the area… It was nice to learn, connect with other folks interested in ecological restoration, and help build a worthy project.”
O’Grady said the “newborn” wetland needs loving care, so asks that visitors don’t disturb it.
