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For a cold, northern landscape Minesing supports an extremely high biodiversity as a home to hundreds of species of plants and animals, including globally rare vegetation communities, 225 bird species, regionally rare wetland types, and many provincially and/or globally rare species. Weaving a canoe or kayak among the Minesing’s water loving silver maples is a great recreational pleasure. However, habitat shifting and alteration due to a changing climate threaten Minesing.

Unpredictable variations in rainfall, evapotranspiration and overall water availability could lower the water table and place significant stresses on deciduous and coniferous swamp forests, a major recreational attraction. Since 1953, Minesing has lost about 37% of its forest cover, mainly silver maple trees, largely due to longer and more variable periods of inundation. Hurricane Hazel in 1954 and Dutch Elm disease exacerbated these long-term climate related stresses.

Visit and donate: The Nature Conservancy, which owns property in Minesing, is working with the Friends of Minesing Wetlands and the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority to implement a recently developed biodiversity conservation plan. https://minesingwetlands.ca and https://www.nvca.on.ca.