Freshwater habitat is scarce along Burrard Inlet. When the Conservation Area was established in 1993, renowned landscape architect Patrick Mooney designed a series of three ponds connected by channels in the 30 ha upland portion of Maplewood Flats.
![](https://i0.wp.com/wildbirdtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Park-Street-Marsh_spring-2019_Chloe-Hartley-scaled.jpg?fit=3264%2C2448&ssl=1)
![](https://i0.wp.com/wildbirdtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Hooded-Merganser-are-back-to-West-Pond-Rob-Alexander.jpg?fit=2434%2C1156&ssl=1)
Over the years, these wetlands have developed into hotspots of species diversity, supporting an array of birds, amphibians, mammals, insects and plants.