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Bordelais Bog to become nature park
Anne Sutherland
The Gazette
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Linda Glasgow (left) and Sofia Fuge walk through bog. Natasha Fillion, The Gazette
What began as a dream for St. Lazare residents like Heidi Wright will become reality this fall. The Bordelais Bog, a five-acre parcel of land with rare plants and some endangered amphibians, will become a nature park complete with elevated boardwalks to keep enthusiasts out of the muck.
A fence has been erected to keep the curious out while 670 metres of pathways are cleared and levelled.
The bog serves an important function as it is full of absorbent moss, which turns to peat when it decomposes. This peat acts as a filter for rain and snow, keeping pollution and impurities out of the underground water supply.
Construction on the boardwalks is continuing and the interpretive panels are still being made, but for Wright, who describes the area as a “jewel,” the wait will be well worth it.
“Opening this 8,000-year-old bog to citizens and students will be great,” she said. “I can’t wait to show my children the frogs and different aquatic plants.”
The town of St. Lazare got a much needed boost for the nature project when the Fondation Hydro-Québec pour l’environment gave a grant of $150,000 early this year.
That represents half of the estimated $300,000 to open the park, said Sofia Fuge of the town of St. Lazare.
“The Hydro money went towards the purchase of wood and other materials, and St. Lazare is providing the workforce,” Fuge said.
“This bog is important because it is the only one in close proximity to Montreal. Anyone with an interest in what wetlands can bring to the community can learn a lot here.”
The new park will be called Parc-naturel-de-la-Tourbière-du-Bordelais.