Timeline: 2021 onwards
In 2021, the Town of Ajax was successful in securing a grant from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP): COVID-19 Resiliency Fund for the Kerrison Wetland Project. The wetland restoration project, located within the Carruthers Creek watershed north of Kingston Road East, will be implemented using $250,000 and $500,000 ICIP funding from Town of Ajax and Durham Region, respectively.
An additional $80,000 has been contributed to the project by Ducks Unlimited Canada that has been matched by TRCA and Town of Ajax. This project will begin implementation in 2022 and will create and enhance approximately 2.5 hectares (6 acres) of wetland and 6 hectares (15 acres) of riparian plantings. The project will be substantially completed by the end of 2022.
2022 Update:
In 2022, the township secured $910,000 in federal and provincial funding to complete the project. The Town of Ajax, in partnership with the Region of Durham, Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), completed the Kerrison Wetland Restoration Project and associated Carruthers Creek Trail realignment and reconstruction this year.
Role of wetlands in carbon sequestration:
All wetlands sequester carbon from the atmosphere through plant photosynthesis and by acting as sediment traps for runoff. Carbon is held in the living vegetation as well as in litter, peats, organic soils, and sediments that have built up, in some instances, over thousands of years. Wetlands play a key role in regulating greenhouse gases and buffering the impacts of climate change.
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Municipality: Ajax, Durham Region
Action: Ecosystem Protection and Restoration
Category: Agriculture Forest and Other Land Use (AFOLU)