Filling the sloughs – with water

One of the earliest participants in the Wetland Restoration Incentive Program (WRIP) was Fred Sharpe. Not only one of the first, this project was also one of the largest that MHHC has done to date. The aim of the WRIP is to capture carbon and reduce Manitoba’s greenhouse gas emissions. This year was the first time MHHC had a chance to see how its restoration projects are working, and they working perfectly.

In 2009, 28 acres of wetlands were restored on Fred Sharpe’s property. As the wetlands began to fill this spring with snowmelt and rain water, they also began storing carbon. The carbon storage provided by these wetlands will offset all the annual carbon emissions from 14 mid-sized cars for the next 50 years. The carbon storage provided by these wetlands is a prime example of an “ecological good and service” that is provided by prairie wetlands and the producers that are keeping and restoring them. The Sharpe family has long ties to land with his son and daughter being the fifth generation of Sharpes to live in the Minnedosa area. By participating in the wetland restoration incentive program the family will leave their mark on the landscape in new and innovative ways.