THE WETLANDS OBSERVER
July 2003
Home of the Blanding’s Turtle, Black-billed Cuckoo, and numerous other fascinating species.
Blanding’s
Turtle (Emydoidea blandingii)
The
first distinguishing feature you will notice on the Blanding’s Turtle is
the bright yellow chin and throat. On a closer look, one can see its
beautiful eyes – much larger than the other species in the area, Painted
or Common Snapping Turtle. Its carapace (dome-shaped part of the shell) is
black with yellow or cream colored dots and its plastron (underside) is
primarily yellow with black areas symmetrically arranged. Both the
carapace and the plastron are sculptured in the younger turtles.
The females quite often lay their eggs in the gravel
alongside the highway, and choose to cross the highway that can be fatal.
Watch for these and other turtles, and avoid them if possible. The
Blanding’s turtle nest in June, laying around eight eggs. The hatchlings
appear two months later.
Blanding’s
Turtles live in ponds, marshes, creeks, and the shallow area of lakes with
soft bottoms and lots of aquatic vegetation for food and shelter. Of the
three species of turtles in this area, the Blanding’s Turtle is the only
one that is protected. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife
in Canada – COSEWIC – has designated some populations of this turtle as
threatened. Mashkinonje Provincial Park is at the northern boundary of its
range, so we are lucky to have these beautiful creatures.
Studies
have been conducted for over thirty years in the Kejimkujik National Park
in Nova Scotia regarding the population of Blanding’s Turtles, their age
structure, distribution, habitat selection, movement, hatchling data,
reproduction, nest selection, neonatal behavior, and affects of predation.
Perhaps, one day the Friends of Mashkinonje will be able to conduct
similar or joint studies with this park.
FRIENDS OF MASHKINONJE
OBSERVATIONS
by Angela Martin
2003 is proving to be
an interesting and fun year. We started with the Christmas Bird Count (see
January issue), then we celebrated Earth Day with a hike into the Park
(see Rebecca Klady’s article this issue). We have engaged an
archaeological firm to conduct an investigative dig (see following
article), and we’re going to hold our annual picnic on Sunday, Aug.
17th. Every year,
we are finding new events to celebrate. If anyone has any ideas, we will
welcome them. 2004 is
promising to be a year of change, with many events and construction
commencing in the Park. If
any of you are willing to volunteer to help The Friends of Mashkinonje in
our goals to develop the Park and help educate, please contact anyone of
the directors. We would be happy to hear from you.
MASHKINONJE: A BOUNTY
OF BEAUTY AND WONDER
by
Rebecca
Klady
Northern Ontario, for many, presents the appearance
of an endless landscape filled with beauty and wonder, with so much yet to
be discovered – and to an extent this is true. When we hominids settle in an
area, however, we begin to add pressures on the landscape, on the flora
and fauna that may have brought us, or our ancestors, here in the first
place. These human-induced
pressures are the very reason why land is being set aside, land like the
Mashkinonje Provincial Park.
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On Sunday, May 4, 2003 the event was a hike into the Mashkinonje Provincial Park (soon to receive a management plan) to see the heron rookery, as well as an edifice dubbed by Park members as the ‘Draft Dodger’s Cabin’. About 25 hikers gathered in front of Angela and Gary Martin’s house, also known as The Welcome Lodge. This diverse group of people included members of the Nipissing and Sudbury Naturalist Clubs, and Friends of Mashkinonje. Here we were introduced to several key participants in the organization of the event. |
Harley Lang, our guide for the day, is a member of the Steering Committee for the Park, and has worked in the RCAF and as a pilot for Search and Rescue. We also met Chuck Miller - Park Superintendent, Liz Lang- Secretary Treasurer of ‘The Friends’, Dr. Peter Beckett – Co-Chair of the Steering Committee, and a Plant Ecologist at Laurentian University, and finally our hostess Angela Martin, Co-Chair and President of the Friends of Mashkinonje.
| After the introductions and a brief
description of our planned events, we all piled into vehicles and
drove south on Highway 64 to a yet uncreated park entrance. This is where the fun
really began! The day was sunny, but not too hot, and
Mashkinonje Provincial Park was waiting to be discovered! |
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The trail out to our main attractions was
only very roughly marked, and was in fact being planned as we
walked! This meant that
we had the privilege of seeing some of the considerations involved
in planning park trails, such as avoiding certain features like rare
mosses and other plants, or sensitive habitats like the heron
rookery – but attracting attention to other less sensitive sights,
such as the variety of habitats within the Park boundaries and their
associated flora and fauna (see photo of lichen – Cladonia
stellaris). | |
Our first official stop was along a beaver dam that
allowed a good look at the Great Blue Heron rookery. The term ‘rookery’ essentially
refers to the colonial nature of blue heron nests when rearing their
young. Once we got near the site we were all warned to be very
quiet so as not to disturb the herons while brooding their eggs. Initially
one saw a marsh with some open water and about 15 dead, standing trees.
Then came the shock - 7 or more very large stick nests near the
tops of those dead, standing trees! If I had never before seen such a
sight, it would have been difficult to keep quiet, but the peacefulness
and tranquillity of the location helped. I really felt I could have spent
hours there.
We moved on and up to higher ground so as
not to disturb the heron parents. At this point some people opted to sit
beneath the shade of some mature pine trees to eat lunch and observe the
rookery from afar. The rest
of us moved on to the Draft Dodger’s Cabin.
The cabin was used by
a fellow who came up from the United States during the Second World War,
in order to avoid conscription.
The cabin itself was located by Cranberry Pond, and was quite
small, with only one very short door and a tiny space for a window. This was done to minimise light
escaping from the cabin that could give away the location to U.S.
authorities. The story goes that a local priest would bring out supplies,
and sometimes the fellow would help some of the local farmers harvest
their crops. Today
there is not much left of the cabin but some weathered old logs standing
as four rough walls.
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After eating our lunches in this historic and
beautiful setting, with birds singing, frogs calling, and a gentle
breeze cooling the sun-warmed rocks and mosses, we returned to the
rest of the group and headed home. This was truly a lovely
day. What a wonderful
introduction to a wonderful park! Many thanks go out to the
main organiser of this event. Thanks Angela!!
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ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIG
Before we start excavation for the
parking lots in the park, it is a requirement that we do an archaeological
dig to see if there are any buried traces of our past. One of the proposed
parking lots along Hwy 64 could be a likely site. It is within one mile of
the water with rock to the north and west for shelter. The Friends of Mashkinonje have
engaged Dr. David Slattery of Horizon Archaeology, North Bay to conduct
this dig. It will take
place over three weekends beginning September 13th. Dr. Slattery needs up to fifteen
volunteers per day, so if you would like to get some first hand
experience in archaeology, contact one of our directors. You can take part
for a day, a weekend, or whatever length of time you like. This could be
more fun than a lottery! You never
know what surprises are in store, and you can learn at the same time!
DID YOU KNOW. . .
. . . how fast some birds fly?
House Sparrow…………… 10 to 20 mph.
American Robin………………. 20 to 30 mph.
Herring Gull…………………… 20 to 40 mph.
American Crow……………….. 31 to 45 mph.
Humming Bird………………… 30 to 47 mph.
Ducks………………………….. 44 to 59 mph.
Swift…………………………… 60 to 200 mph.
Peregrine Falcon………………. 150 to 200 mph.
August 12…………. Perseid Meteor Shower peaks
August 27…………. 2 hours after sunset, Mars will be as close to the earth as it will be for another decade
September 24……… 45 minutes before sunrise, Mercury, Jupiter, and the moon will be in conjunction.
October 16………… 5 hours after sunset, Saturn will be below the moon
November 25……… Just after sunset, Venus and Mercury will be to the right of the moon.
Monarchs: We hope you have
noticed all the Monarch Butterflies around this year. They have been scarce here since a frost hit them
in Mexico a few years ago. It is nice to see more of them back.
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We
hope you enjoyed our winter newsletter! If by some
chance or
contact us at: |
WELCOME NEW FRIENDS, Norm and
Donna Lang
MASHKINONJE PROVINCIAL PARK
by Chuck Miller
Park
Superintendent, Mashkinonje / Ontario Parks
The public
consultation on the Preliminary Park Management Plan is complete. The Approved Park Management Plan
is being completed. The
consulting firm BDO Dunwoody has been engaged to complete a financial
feasibility study; the first phase of this report will be complete this
summer. The archaeologist has
been engaged which will provide an educational experience for those who
want to get involved. Ontario
Parks has completed a report on the proposed Facility Development Plan,
including design for access points, viewing areas, signage and
trails. Each step is being
carefully considered to ensure that the Mashkinonje Provincial Park is the
best it can be.
| What is
this? |
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Friends of
Mashkinonje- Annual General Meeting
The Friends of Mashkinonje are invited
to attend our Annual General Meeting. It will take place prior to the
picnic at the picnic site at 11am. We will review the past year, our
financial statements, nominate and elect next year’s directors. We have a few vacant positions on
the Board of Directors. If you are interested in volunteering and you are
a Friend of Mashkinonje, please join us.
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Nature provides us
with a bounty of knowledge and experiences. All we have to do is be open
to it. Awaken your child-like
curiosity and enjoy the beauty that surrounds you. The Friends of
Mashkinonje aim to make all of this easier with trails and interpretive
information. Thank you for helping us make Mashkinonje Provincial Park
possible.
Thank you
for being a Friend of Mashkinonje