Rattray Marsh Conservation Area

Rattray Marsh Conservation Area encompasses 94 acres of environmentally sensitive wetland situated along the shore of Lake Ontario in Canada. It is located to the south of Jack Darling Memorial Park in the city of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, within the Regional Municipality of Peel. It is the last remaining lakefront marsh on the western end of Lake Ontario and is owned and managed by Credit Valley Conservation. It has been designated an Area of Natural and Scientific Interest, an Environmentally Significant Area, and a Provincially Significant Wetland since it was recognized internationally in an Important Biological Program in 1969. The marsh provides a protected environment for many species of plants, birds, mammals, reptiles, and fish. It is a stopover for many migrating waterfowl. The diversity of the marsh also attracts many migrating songbirds. It features a shingle beach and a pedestrian boardwalk overlooking the natural wetland. The marsh is named after Major James Rattray, whose estate was on the property. Upon his death in 1959, the future of the 148-acre property was debated between conservationists and developers. After 16 years of citizen activism for its preservation and support from various conservation groups and individuals, the marsh was officially opened as a conservation area in 1975.