Mer Bleue Bog, Ottawa, Canada
Peter Halsey Platt
Photos Taken April, 24, 2003
East of Ottawa lies almost 5,000 acres of peat bog with the mysterious name of "Mer Bleue" which, in English, means "Blue Sea." How this fascinating spot get it's name?
During the early days of exploration and homesteading east of Ottawa, if the weather was just so, mist gathered and hung like a blanket here in the wetlands. Because of its vastness, the moniker "Mer Bleue" was applied… and stuck. Today it is a wildlife sanctuary and conservation area managed by the National Capital Commission.
The
wetland area is rich in wildlife, particularly waterfowl such as ducks and
geese which must have congregated here in the bog during migration season.
Otter are still found here, as are beaver, coyote, muskrat and deer. Beyond
a shadow of a doubt this would have been a good hunting ground. Because of
the peat in the bog, settlers drained and cut the moss as a source of heat,
just as was done (and still is in some places) in Ireland. As well, cranberries
and blueberries grew plentifully, providing good pickings of fruit that could
be dried, canned or eaten fresh.
Mer Bleue's almost 3,300 hectare (roughly 5,000 acre) wetland represents a
throwback to the eras of the Wisconsin Ice Sheet and the Champlain Sea. Over
9,000 years ago, a southern branch to the Ottawa River coursed through this
area; in fact, at that time the Parliament Buildings would have been submerged
in saline water where whales and seals swam. The two ridges, Dolman and Borthwick,
appeared as islands, being large sand and gravel "bars" created
as the ice withdrew. Approximately eight thousand years ago, the southern
branch to the estuary had disappeared, replaced by a wetland created because
underlying clay prevented the water from escaping. Cattails grew in the algae-rich
waters. Meanwhile, just north of the Mer Bleue wetland, the channel of the
Ottawa River watershed was narrowing as the land rebounded from the weight
of the ice sheet.
