The Annual Hamilton Marsh Tour is taking place on April 27.
It is the final event of the Brant Wildlife Festival. It is held later as organizers wait for the weather to warm up a bit before conducting the tours, offered between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
The Hamilton Marsh is three kilometres long and a half-kilometre wide, nestled within 360 hectares of forest wetlands 36 hectares in size that contribute water to two watersheds in the region and supports an wide array of biodiversity.
It is located on Hilliers Road South, five minutes away from the Town of Qualicum Beach.
The Hamilton Wetlands & Forest Society, Arrowsmith Naturalists, Ducks Unlimited Canada, North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre, Friends of French Creek Society, and the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region (MABR) will provide displays onsite and the Arrowsmith Naturalists will guide visitors down to the dock with nature-informative tours.
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The Arrowsmith Independent School will provide an educational display of pond creatures that are carefully housed in containers, then placed back in the marsh.
With adult supervision, children will be invited to dip provided nets into the marsh from the dock to see what they may find and learn about. Their safety and that of the pond critters is emphasized.
The tour has been hosted by the Hamilton Wetlands & Forest Society since 2005 during the Brant Wildlife Festival and has the support of Mosaic Forest Management.