Today when I read the Scarborough Current there was an article headlined “Wetlands preserve proposed.” I read the article.

The first part goes something like this: “RJ Grondin and Sons is proposing to build a ‘wetlands bank’ on 290 acres it owns in west Scarborough, where the company will create natural habitat from what today is gravel and clay pits. The approximately 50 acres of wetlands that are proposed for construction will be sold to developers who need to make up for wetlands they fill or disturb during building projects…”

Something is not quite right. Why disturb the wetlands in the first place? They provide many useful functions such as flood control and water purification. There are also millions of creatures who live there from tiny little microscopic plants to the birds and even other mammals. They are also homes to threatened and endangered species.

If you destroy the wetland habitat, where are they going to go? The salamanders and tadpoles can’t just pick up and move to the manmade wetlands. The tadpoles can’t even leave the water until they become frogs or toads. Also, did you know that salamanders always lay their eggs in the same place that they were hatched? If we destroy the wetlands they’ll stop laying their eggs and they might even become endangered.

Manmade wetlands are just going to end up being a mosquito breeding ground. When those builders fill in those wetlands they are going to kill all the life in it too. I’ve included my sources for this e-mail below. You might want to take a look at them and find out just how important wetlands really are.

http://www.panda.org/news_facts/education/middle_school/habitats/freshwater_wetlands.cfm

http://www.cdli.ca/CITE/ecowetlands.htm

http://www.on.ec.gc.ca/wildlife/factsheets/fs_amphibians-e.html

A teenager who is upset that the wetlands are being destroyed,

Rebecca Scammon

Scarborough