In its heyday, Delta Marsh attracted people from all over the world and from all walks of life. Generations of farmers, fishermen, hunters and trappers who lived close to the marsh found themselves in the company of the British royal family, and later, movie stars, television personalities and even astronauts. Today the marsh is just as famous but it has seriously deteriorated since the 1960s due to the effects of unfavourable water levels, a destructive fish species, overgrowth by cattails, and contamination from sewage, agricultural fertilizers and pesticides.

Delta Marsh is designated officially as a Wetland of International Significance, a Heritage Marsh, and an Important Bird Area. As such, many people and organizations are keenly interested in restoring the marsh to its former magnificence. By making people aware of the rich history and cultural importance of the area, we believe that support for conservation of Delta Marsh, and other similarly degraded wetlands throughout the province, will grow. The Delta Marsh story, as part of the heritage of all Manitobans, must be preserved for the benefit of future generations.

A group of people who share an interest in the area, the Delta Marsh History Initiative, is preparing to write a book. This book will include histories of the prominent people and organizations of the marsh, encompassing a full range of views from cottage and lodge owners, hunters, fishers, trappers, birdwatchers, beach-goers, scientists, tourists, and others. Following an enthusiastic initial meeting at Mallard Lodge, a steering committee was formed in May 2001 to oversee the collection of historical information, the publication of a book, and the deposition of collected materials in an appropriate historical archive for use by future generations.

Work of the Delta Marsh History Initiative is supported by Manitoba Conservation and the Delta Marsh Field Station (University of Manitoba).

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Metadata

Field Value
Title Delta Marsh History Initiative
Publication general type report
Project Name
Keyword Vocabulary Polar Data Catalogue
Keyword Vocabulary URL https://www.polardata.ca/pdcinput/public/keywordlibrary
Theme Freshwater
Version 1.0
Publisher Delta Marsh Field Station
Date Published 2022
DOI
Language English
Field Value
Authors
Authors 1
Author Name
Delta Marsh Field Station
Type of Name
Organizational
Email
Affiliation
Delta Marsh
ORCID ID
Field Value
License Name Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Licence Type Open
Licence Schema Name SPDX
Licence URL https://spdx.org/licenses
Field Value
Awards