Nature & Discovery.
Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre, on Tay's western edge, holds one of Canada's continentally significant trumpeter swan populations — a reintroduced species the centre has helped recover since 1988 — alongside breeding black tern and breeding least bittern populations on roughly 3,000 acres of Provincially Significant Wetlands. At the eastern end of the township, Matchedash Bay holds the Ramsar designation and the IBA designation that Wye Marsh shares.
The brief.
Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre is the visitor gateway to the Wye Marsh National Wildlife Area; admission is paid and the site has an interpretive display hall, an observation tower, floating boardwalks, a waterfowl monitoring platform, wildflower gardens, and a bee house. Trails are walkable spring through fall and ski-/snowshoe-able in winter.
Matchedash Bay Provincial Wildlife Area is Crown land co-managed by MTM Conservation, OMNRF, and Ducks Unlimited Canada and sits at the head of Severn Sound at the granitic-shield/limestone contact zone. Spring (April–May) and fall (September–October) are peak waterfowl staging at Matchedash; trumpeter swans are present at Wye Marsh year-round.
2. places.
- 01
Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre
3,000-acre Provincially Significant Wetland and globally Important Bird Area on Tay's western edge; trumpeter swan, black tern, and least bittern; observation tower, floating boardwalks, waterfowl monitoring platform.
- 02
Matchedash Bay Provincial Wildlife Area
Ramsar Site of International Importance (designated 1996) and globally significant Important Bird Area at the head of Severn Sound; >170 bird species recorded; provincially significant spring and fall waterfowl staging area.
Today's read.
Cold but firm — winter-ready conditions · light winds · clean air.
By the book.
- 01Wye Marsh National Wildlife Area visitor access is via Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre with admission and seasonal programming.Source ↗
- 02Matchedash Bay Provincial Wildlife Area is Crown land co-managed by MTM Conservation, OMNRF, and Ducks Unlimited Canada under standard provincial wildlife-area access rules.Source ↗
- 03Wye Marsh is federally designated as a National Wildlife Area under Environment and Climate Change Canada.Source ↗