Rithet's Bog is a restored lowland

peat bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muske ...

located in

Saanich, British Columbia Saanich ( ) is a district municipality on the southern end of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada, within the Greater Victoria area. The population was 117,735 at the 2021 census, making it the most populous municipality in the Cap ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. The bog and its surroundings are protected as Rithet's Bog Conservation Area, a municipal park which covers an area of approximately . The land was donated to the District of Saanich by the

Guinness family The Guinness family is an extensive Irish family known for its achievements in brewing, banking, politics, and religious ministry. The brewing branch is particularly well known among the general public for producing the dry stout beer Guinnes ...

in 1994. While the landscape was significantly altered for agricultural use beginning in the late 1800s, extensive restoration efforts have helped the bog ecosystems return.

Ecology

As one of the few remaining bogs in the

Greater Victoria Greater Victoria (also known as the Greater Victoria Region) is located in British Columbia, Canada, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. It is usually defined as the thirteen municipalities of the Capital Regional District (CRD) on V ...

area, with largely urbanized surroundings, Rithet's Bog provides important habitat for numerous species. Several rare plant species are found within the bog and surrounding park. A mature forest stand of

shore pine ''Pinus contorta'', with the common names lodgepole pine and shore pine, and also known as twisted pine, and contorta pine, is a common tree in western North America. It is common near the ocean shore and in dry montane forests to the subalpine, ...

and

western hemlock ''Tsuga heterophylla'', the western hemlock or western hemlock-spruce, is a species of hemlock native to the northwest coast of North America, with its northwestern limit on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, and its southeastern limit in northern ...

is located in the centre.

Recreation

A loop trail travels the perimeter of the park. The area is a popular destination for activities like walking, jogging, and birdwatching. The park does not have facilities, and no cycling or off-leash dogs are permitted on the trails.{{Cite web , title=Rithet's Bog Conservation Area Trail Map , url=https://rithetsbog.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/lib-broc-trail-map.pdf , access-date=June 23, 2024 , website=Rithet's Bog Conservation Society

References

External links

Rithet's Bog Conservation Society
Bogs of Canada Saanich, British Columbia

Ecology

Recreation

See also

References

External links