Second Marsh

Located on the north shore of Lake Ontario, Second Marsh is a 137-hectare coastal wetland in Oshawa, adjacent to McLaughlin Bay Wildlife Reserve and Darlington Provincial Park. It is one of the largest publicly accessible waterfront spaces in the Greater Toronto Area, connecting people with nature and being the largest remaining wetland between the Niagara Peninsula and Presqu’ile.

The Second Marsh is home to a marsh, swamp, wet meadows, barrier beach, and woodlot habitats. At the north end of the marsh, a swamp and wet forest known as the Ghost Road Bush provides food and cover for over 380 plant species, 305 bird species, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and insects.

The marsh on Lake Ontario has a rich history, with the north shore being a seasonal home for Indigenous people for thousands of years. The area near Oshawa Harbour marks the southern end of the Scugog Carrying Place Trail, an ancient portage route connecting Lake Ontario to other lakes and defining early settlement locations. In the early 1800s, settlers gradually increased, leading to saw and grist mill construction, shipping infrastructure, and the exportation of products. Local businessmen, such as the Farewell brothers, dammed creeks and the harbour to build mills, asheries, and tanneries.

The Second Marsh and its surrounding land played a significant role in the development of Oshawa, similar to the influence of Lakeview Park and the Harbour area. Over the past century, Second Marsh has been impacted by human activities, including land clearing, agriculture, and construction, leading to increased erosion, sedimentation, and habitat loss, ultimately resulting in the barrier beach.

From 1952 to 1971, Harmony Creek Water Treatment Plant was directed into the marsh, leading to Oshawa Harbour Commission’s deep-water port dredge. In 1970, despite objections from the Oshawa Fish and Wildlife Advisory Committee (OFWAC), the City transferred 90 hectares of wetland to the Commission for one dollar.

Since 1976, the Second Marsh Defense Association (SMDA), now known as Friends of Second Marsh (FSM), was formed to preserve the marsh, leading to Environment Canada conducting extensive studies on its ecosystem, health, and wildlife in 1983. The Second Marsh Management Committee, comprising Friends of Second Marsh, City of Oshawa, Ducks Unlimited Canada, and the Central Lake Ontario Conversion (CLOCA), manages the marsh’s care and feeding.

Around 500 community participants and volunteers annually engage in FSM’s events and programs. Numbers dropped as a result of the COVID pandemic but now have been increasing.

With sources from:

Second Marsh via: https://www.secondmarsh.ca/

Second Marsh Heritage Research Report via: https://www.oshawa.ca/en/parks-recreation-and-culture/resources/Documents/Heritage-Research-Rpt-Second-Marsh-Main-Report.pdf