Burns Bog has a long and fascinating history. The bog was used extensively by Indigenous Peoples for thousands of years as an important source of food and medicinal plants. The bog got its current name from an early owner of the land, Dominic Burns, who used the bog for ranch land. During World War II, the bog became a critical source of peat, which was used to process magnesium for bombs, and the ecosystem was damaged in the process.
Following decades of development proposals for many areas of the wetland, an ecosystem assessment in 1999-2000 determined that most of the bog needed to be preserved to maintain the ecological integrity of the wetland. This finding prompted government to purchase much of the bog in 2004 and designate it as an ecological conservancy area. In 2012, Burns Bog was named a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance. Efforts to restore the bog ecosystem continue to this day, and an extensive research and monitoring program is in place to learn more about this globally unique wetland.
Read on to discover more fascinating history of Burns Bog, including a chronology of events.