From Manitoba Merv to World Wetlands Day, a Groundhog Day forecast with a deeper message

Hope you weren’t getting too comfortable with the idea of spring because all eyes were on Oak Hammock Marsh Monday, as Manitoba Merv popped out, saw his shadow, and called for six more weeks of winter on a day that also puts a spotlight on Manitoba’s wetlands.

Manitoba Merv’s Groundhog Day appearance is a familiar winter tradition, but at Oak Hammock Marsh, the event also has a different purpose.

“This whole groundhog thing is because of World Wetlands Day, which happens to fall on February second when half the wetlands in the world are frozen, so we do a fun thing to attract attention to the importance of wetlands,” said Jacques Bourgeois, marketing and communications at Oak Hammock Marsh.

Wetlands help manage floods and drought, improve water quality, and support wildlife. And those benefits are now being highlighted on a global stage through an international documentary with deep Manitoba connections.

“I’ve studied wetlands for over 10 years, and I’ve never been in a pristine wetland, so that’s when I realized if we want people to protect wetlands, we need to show them what they are like in a pristine state,” said Anni Kornelsen, a wetland scientist at Mission to Marsh.

German couple Anni and Alex Kornelsen, a wetland scientist and filmmaker, spent months travelling across the Americas, documenting wetlands from Canada to South America. Their film, Mission to Marsh, focuses on conservation, restoration, and the importance of protecting these ecosystems.

“It’s also a love story; we met on this trip, and we fell in love with each other and the wetlands, so people will experience a whole road trip but learn something as well,” said Alex.

Oak Hammock Marsh became a key stop in their journey, showcasing how wetlands can be restored and protected.

“It was very amazing for them to see this place come back to life, so they are trying to incorporate that message into the movie as well, that things can be done to help the wetlands,” said Bourgeois.

Anni added, “We want to bring that back to Germany to tell people how restoration works and how amazing nature recovers if we give it a chance.”

While the documentary premiered at Oak Hammock Marsh on Monday, it will be available to watch online for free as part of World Wetlands Day programming.