Nestled at the mouth of Gorge Creek and the Gorge Waterway lies Esquimalt Gorge Park’s salt marsh ecosystem, a critical but exceedingly rare habitat for a semi-urban area. With distinct brackish conditions, created by the flow of freshwater from the creek into the saline Gorge Waterway, the salt marsh houses unique vegetative species like the sea asparagus/sea pickle (Salicornia virgicina) and gumweed (Grindelia squarrosa). Strolling across the Sioux Place wooden bridge offers a centre-stage perspective of the many charismatic birds that visit the salt marsh, solidifying its status as a hotspot in the Victoria Migratory Bird Sanctuary map.

The salt marsh ecosystem and Gorge Creek are key sites of restoration focus for GWAS, as the area’s history has included culverts, weirs, and a chlorinated swimming pool. The western side of the salt marsh has undergone restoration treatments since 2022, including the planting of native, brackish-tolerant vegetative species and removing invasive biomass. Improving biodiversity and bank stabilization will be key foci for 2024, along with the instigation of restoration treatments on the eastern side of the salt marsh. GWAS will introduce shoreline and riparian-compatible trees to the site, which through their provision of vital shade, leaf litter, and insects to the creek, will support habitat and food availability for fish.

Salt marsh ecosystems are especially vulnerable to future projections of our changing climate. Though endangered to its effects, salt marshes provide significant mitigations to climate change through services such as carbon sequestration, and coastal protection with a rising sea level and more intense storms. Further services include water purification and crucial habitat. Visit the salt marsh to view migratory birds in the spring and fall, such as the American wigeon (Mareca americana) and the Northern pintail (Anas acuta), or year-round to appreciate our resident Great blue heron (Ardea herodias).