Native Orchid Conservation Inc

To : Darrell Ouimet

Manitoba Conservation

Our organization Native Orchid Conservation Inc. works to protect native orchid species and their habitat. Since most Manitoba orchids grow in wetlands we are very interested in seeing these areas protected. Wetlands provide important orchid habitat but they also contribute to ecosystem biodiversity and stability.

The wetlands in Hecla/Grindstone Provincial Park are particularly important because they are extremely biodiverse and because of their proximity to Lake Winnipeg. Dozens of orchid species have been found in this park including several rare species such as grass pink and ragged fringed orchid. It is a wonderful home for birds and animals too but the Hay Point area on the western shore of Lake Winnipeg is particularly important to the lake itself. This bog holds water from melting snow and rain and helps to prevent flooding and ensures aquifer replenishment. As it slowly releases this water it purifies it before it eventually runs off into Lake Winnipeg. This helps to prevent excessive algal growth and ensures the water is a good habitat for fish and suitable for recreational use. During high lake levels the bog helps to prevent erosion of the shoreline and deterioration of the underlying limestone. This erosion will likely be much increased when the area is stripped of trees, shrubs and moss.

Living trees and moss fix carbon but when the trees are cut and the moss is harvested this carbon is released back into the atmosphere. This will add to greenhouse gas emissions not to mention the emissions from the trucks and moss machines used in harvesting. Peatmoss mining even when carefully done is known to affect water quality. Research in northern Minnesota reveals that peat moss mining increased water temperature, suspended sediment, specific conductance and concentrations of acidity, iron, sodium and nitrogen. (Quality of Runoff from Minnesota Peatlands II: A Method for Assessing Mining Impacts by John C. Clausen and Kenneth N. Brooks. Journal of American Water Resources Assoc.October 1983.) We know that excessive nutrient loading of Lake Winnipeg from both point source and nonpoint source pollution is already of prime concern. Peat moss mining on the shores of the lake will only make things worse. There have been some experiments with restoring wetlands but the limited success involves replacing a 10,000-year-old bog ecosystem with a monoculture such as a cranberry farm or a tree farm in five to twenty-five years. It is clear that this will not be able to take the place of the old bog that was lost.

In conclusion Hecla/Grindstone Provincial Park is a small (1000sq km.) and fragile area comprised of rock, gravel and wetlands with much biodiversity. We should not disturb this unique and sensitive ecosystem just to harvest horticultural peat moss, which is plentiful elsewhere. Instead let us protect this Ice Age legacy for the plants and animals that live there and for the enjoyment of future generations of Manitobans.

Doris Ames

President- Native Orchid Conservation Inc.