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Why all the Fuss? Why does it Matter?



By now, you may be asking yourself, "So why is everyone going nuts over this moraine?" The main reason is... (drumroll please?) WATER!

You may not be aware that the Moraine provides clean water for over 1 million people! HOW? The Moraine is filled with till (sand, gravel etc.), which acts like a water filter. When precipitation gets absorbed into the till, it flows underground. We call this precipitation groundwater, because this water is underground! The sand and gravel remove dirt particles, then the filtered groundwater flows out into many bodies of water. How much water, and how clean the water is, in these major waterways, depends on the Moraine's natural water filter system. Without the Moraine, our drinking water would not be as clean as it is now. If we are drinking dirty water, our health will be at risk! Thus, the overall quality of life in ALL of Ontario will go down the drain!

Headwaters are where a river originates, and where it gets its water from. It is the source of the rivers water. Many headwaters within the Greater Toronto Area are located in the Oak Ridges Moraine. Basically, this means that many significant bodies of water were created by the Moraine. Hence, if we destroy the Moraine, we will be destroying large lakes and rivers. such as the Rouge River, and the Humber River. Rick Smith, the executive director of Environmental Defence Canada quotes, "This is a massive development that will change rural land into urban land... These headwaters are exactly the type of environmentally sensative land that the Ontario government has promised to protect."

Watersheds are ridges of land that divide bodies of water into smaller lakes or streams. The headwaters are divided by the watersheds. We end up with many lakes and streams, which the Moraine filters. This water becomes our drinking water!

As you know, the Moraine filters water, and sends it out to rivers and streams. This helps prevent floods, because the water is constanly moving, instead of piling up in one area. The Oak Ridges Moraine also created the drainage divide (a ridge) between Lake Simcoe and Lake Ontario. If it was not there, the Lakes would probably combine into one lake.


Wildlife
This piece of land is amongst the last few forests in southern Ontario. Without its forests, we could lose many different species of birds, plants, like the red trillium, and animals, such as the leopard frog. Many of these birds, fish, amphibians, insects, and plants have originated from the Moraine. As we destroy the Moraine, all of these plants and animals go with it! Many animals, which are rarely found anywhere but the Oak Ridges Moraine, are endangered of becoming extinct! When we lose these endangered species, they will never come back.
The people who live in the Moraine are so multicultured and diverse. That's what makes Canada unique. But, we can't forget about all the other living things around us: the plants and animals. We should let them keep their diversity also. Let' sstart by keeping the Oak Ridges Moraine alive!


Natural Resources
We not only get water and food from the Moraine, but we also use the deposits of sand, gravel, etc. for construction on buildings and such. These materials are very valuable in the construction zone.


History
If we destroy the Moraine, we will also be destroying a part of Canada's history. An archaeological site, located in Rouge Park, Toronto, was the home to an Iroqouis tribe in the 13th century. Archaeologists have even found some human remains of the Iroquois in this park! It would be very disrespectful to simply pave over the real founders of our land.


Fun Fun Fun!
The Moraine is also used for many recreational activities, such as boating, hiking, bird watching, etc. What would we be without this gorgeous piece of land?




MORAINE DESTRUCTION IS SELF-DESTRUCTION!





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