Depending on the time of year, you might see mallards, redhead ducks or trumpeter swans at Onondaga Farms in St. George.
Since 2002, the property has been home to a Tim Hortons Foundation camp, welcoming kids from low-income backgrounds for free camp and educational experiences.
But before that, a farmer named Gil Henderson raised award-winning Hereford cattle, grew hay and corn and did what he could to steward his 1,000 acres of land, previously home to a golf course.
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In the late 1960s, this led to a partnership with Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) to improve and care for wetlands on the property.
According to DUC, southern areas of Canada have lost vast quantities of wetlands -- around 70 per cent of them on average, but up to 90 per cent or more in densely populated areas.
These ecosystems of water-saturated soil are crucial environments for waterfowl, but have added environmental benefits, said Nick Krete, a conservation program specialist with DUC.
They're a great "natural sponge," capturing and storing water, which is released in a controlled manner, preventing flooding.
They also help to filter water as it travels to receiving water courses and "ultimately into our lakes and rivers," he said.
The more than 20 wetlands of varying sizes at Onondaga Farms also serve as an educational tool.
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"They act as natural teaching spaces for campers and visiting groups to learn about habitat restoration, native species and ecosystem health," Bradley Hill, the property manager at Onondaga Farms, told The Spectator.
Most of the wetland projects on the property are engineered, meaning they are aided by infrastructure.
Things like berms, which help create the flooded wetland habitat, and water control structures that allow the water levels to fluctuate, Krete said.
These features need scheduled repairs and maintenance and have a "shelf life," meaning they need to be rehabilitated around every 20 to 30 years.
What makes a habitat duck-friendly?
The ultimate environment for ducks is more involved than just "a big pond or a big lake with lots of open water," Krete said.
You want variable water depths, which provide a range of food sources.
Very shallow waters are good for things like cattail and smartweed, "which is great duck food," where deeper areas offer different types of vegetation, he said.
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The size of the space also forms an important function.
Small wetlands of at least half an acre are called "pair habitats." That's where ducks meet up and breed.
From there, the hen -- female duck -- moves to a grassland to lay her eggs.
Once hatched, she'll bring her offspring to a "brood habitat" -- a wetland of five acres or more -- where they are safer and have access to food, Krete said.
The Onondaga Farms property has good examples of both, including the Taylor Pond, which is around 10 acres, he said.
For some ducks, the St. George spot might just be a stopping point for a drink of water, some food and a quick rest before continuing south.
Others might stay on a wetland like that "for weeks or months on end, depending on the conditions of the year," he said.
In the spring and early summer, the farm occasionally sees ducks, geese and swans staying long enough to nest and raise their young, "but this varies year to year," Hill said.
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Ducks aside, the farm makes use of the areas for low-impact recreation like canoeing and fishing.
It also collaborates with other local groups invested in the wetlands.
For instance, Birds Canada has a monitoring station at the centre of the camp to track migratory patterns of birds and bats.
Trumpeter Swan Conservation Ontario brings swans being reintroduced to the wild to the large pond to learn how to fly and bond with "other wild swans that come every year," Hill said.
And over the years, the restored wetlands have become more biodiverse. In addition to supporting waterfowl, they now also see amphibians, pollinators, bald eagles, great horned owls and sandhill cranes, he said.
The farm has been "a fantastic partner in conservation," Krete said.
"We've done a lot of really great work with them. And we look forward to doing more," he said.
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