Minesing Swamp

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Minesing Swamp is a Ramsar boreal wetland in central Ontario, Canada, identified and classified through the International Biological Program. It is "the largest and best example of fen bog in southern Ontario",^[1] one of the "most diverse undisturbed wetland tracts in Canada" ^[2] and is a provincially-significant Area of Natural and Scientific Interest.^[3] "The swamp’s hydrology provides for an interconnected network of swamps, fens, bogs and marshes".^[4]

It provides habitat to over 400 plant species, of which 11 are provincially rare.^[2] Minesing Swamp is an important staging area for thousands of migratory waterfowl^[4], and is the largest wintering ground for white-tailed deer.^[4] It supports numerous plant species which are at the extremities of their natural range, including those indigenous to the arctic tundra in the north and the Carolinian forests to the south, and is home to the "largest pure stand of silver maple in the province".^[4] Provincially-rare birds indigenous to the swamp include the Blue-winged Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, Golden-winged Warbler and the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.^[5]

Minesing Swamp is a popular recreation area which draws many tourists. Canoeing is a common activity in the area, though inexperienced canoeists should be wary of spring flooding.

[edit] Research

A number of research projects are conducted throughout Minesing Swamp. An analysis of the hydrology of wetland systems in the swamp began in the mid-1990s, with primary goals to "characterize the water balance of a selected plot within the fen" and to examine "the correlations between vegetation and hydrology"^[6]