Owned by the University of Waterloo, Spongy Lake is located in Baden, Ontario, and is a unique ecosystem for the Waterloo region. At 39 hectares in size, it is designated as an Environmentally Significant Policy Area (ESPA #14) for its geomorphological significance, hydrological processes, rare ericaceous vegetation, and the birds and insects found here. The kettle hole lake is a nutrient poor fen in early stages of bog succession.
The species that can be found include Kalmia polifolia (bog laurel), Sarracenia purpurea (pitcher plants), Oxycoccus (cranberry), Cyanococcus (blueberry), Acorus calamus (sweet flag). As for birds, Grus canadensis (sandhill cranes) and Meleagris gallopavo(wild turkeys) can often be seen.
Courses such as ENVS 200 (Field Ecology), ENVS 300 (Vascular Plants of S. Ontario), and GEOG 405 (Wetlands) conduct field studies at Spongy Lake.
