Time: 2:00 p.m.
Date: Monday, October 10, 2022
Temperature: 14 °C (autumn weather)
Latitude: 43.6410
Longitude: -79.4669
Description:
I have chosen to conduct my study at Grenadier Pond—a natural, 35-acre pond at the southwestern end of High Park, a municipal park comprising deciduous temperate ravine, oak savanna, and manicured grounds in Toronto, Ontario. The pond runs between Wendigo Creek (now largely underground) and Lake Ontario, and is surrounded by ravine, natural wetland, and wetland which has been reclaimed and naturalized from previously manicured grounds/concrete barriers. As such, the pond is an intriguing study both in the ecology of natural urban wetlands in this biome and in wetland reclamation.
Three questions that could provide the basis of a research project are:
(1) How is plant/animal species ecology/diversity impacted by reclamation/naturalization (i.e. how does it differ between the reclaimed/naturalized areas of the pond’s shore and the natural shoreline)?
(2) Some have suggested that naturalization of the previously manicured grounds have reduced the harmful density of Canada geese by the shore of the pond? Can this claim supported by observational evidence?
(3) Invasive phragmites are a common problem in urban wetlands because of their impact on species diversity and competition with native species (e.g. cattails). What is the extent/impact of phragmites on the wetland ecology of Grenadier Pond?
