The County of Vermilion River (CVR) hosted Wetland Adventure Days at Lindsay Evans Park on August 28, and Hazeldine Campground on August 29. Families had fun exploring and learning about the different plant and animal species around them, followed by hotdogs and refreshments.
“Wetland and riparian areas are important for a variety of reasons; aside from providing a habitat, they provide water management in the countryside by holding water and releasing it into creeks or groundwater mitigating floods. From the agricultural side, we want to show the value of wetlands, and that they are not just a waste of space in the cropland,” said CVR Agriculture Director. “People often go to the beach but it’s an environment that people don’t always know a lot about. The vegetation can include bullrushes, cattails, different grasses, and emergent plants that grow out into the lake providing habitats for invertebrates and pull nutrients out of the water; especially the nitrogen.”
Seagulls, sandpipers, and barn swallows visited the beach, and she noted that ducks, geese, insects, smaller rodents, deer, coyotes, and even a black bear have been in and out of the day-use area recently.
Using dipping nets and magnifying glasses, children identified water bugs and had the opportunity to play several educational games. Activity bags included a scavenger hunt and take-home colouring pages.
ALUS Coordinator, Chris Elder, noted that the interactive stations allowed families to touch and learn, answering trivia while playing Plinko, etc. The casual atmosphere gave them a chance to play in the water and get dirty.
“It’s very convenient having somewhere so close to home with little kids. We would have never come or known Lindsay Evans Park was here if it wasn’t for this event,” said Lucynda Sellen.