The students at Elmvale District High School are excited to be a part of the School Malaise Trap Program. Our rural high school is in Elmvale, a small town north of Barrie, ON. We are lucky enough to have a stretch of the Wye River meander through school property, found close to the headwaters of the river. The river ultimately passes though the Wye Marsh in Midland and enters Georgian Bay. Last year, students in the environmental science class began the Wye River Rehabilitation project. During the semester, the students cleaned out the river. The planted trees and shrubs to stabilize the river banks and add important trees to the riparian ecosystem. The students also planted wildflower and native grasses to help improve the biodiversity along the river.
This year, the Grade 11 Biology class has set up the Malaise trap in a field above the river. This area is frequented by flying insects that travel along the river. We are excited to see what the trap catches. We are eager to contribute to the scientific knowledge that be acquired from the project. We cannot wait to see what the University of Guelph does with our collected insects.