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Home , Amherst Island, Lake Simcoe, Manitoulin Island, Matchedash Bay, Minesing Wetlands, Wye Marsh

MANITOULIN- SIMCOE (#134)

The Manitoulin- ecoregion stretches from the of northern , through southcentral , to the eastern end of . The climate and biodiversity of this ecoregion is highly influenced by the Great . The and several areas with hilly landscapes are the dominant landform features, along with the coast. This ecoregion provides habitat for over 75 species at risk, and includes several species of global conservation concern that are restricted in their range to the coasts of the Great Lakes. This ecoregion includes several large cities and areas that are intensively farmed. Almost 40% of this ecoregion remains in natural cover and only 1.9% is within conserved/protected areas.

LOCATION The ecoregion extends eastward across southcentral Ontario, from Man- itoulin to the Frontenac Arch at the east end of Lake Ontario. The northern edge is marked by the edge of the Shield. In the U.S., this ecoregion is part of the eastern Great Lakes and extends into northern . CLIMATE/GEOLOGY The climate in this ecoregion is characterized by warm summers and mild winters. The mean annual temperature is approximately 6⁰C. The mean annual summer temperature is 16.5⁰C and the mean winter temperature is -4.5⁰C. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 750 to 1,000 millime- tres. Precipitation is generally evenly distributed throughout the year. The ecoregion is characterized by flat to rolling topography. The most prominent landform features include the Niagara Escarpment and several areas with hills that resulted from glacial deposits (such as the ). The ecoregion also has areas of dry sandy soils, limestone bed- rock plains and dozens of Great Lakes islands, including , the largest freshwater island in the world. VEGETATION The Manitoulin-Lake Simcoe ecoregion was once dominated by vast mixed forests interspersed with , oak savannahs and limestone barrens. The dominant forests are characterized by sugar maple (Acer saccharum), American beech (Fagus grandifolia), eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), northern red oak (Quercus rubra) and American basswood (Tilia americana). Pioneer species that establish in disturbed sites include eastern white pine (Pinus strobus), paper birch (Betula papyrifera) and trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides). Wetter sites are characterized by silver maple (Acer sacchari- num), balsam fir (Abies balsamea), black ash (Fraxinus nigra) and northern (eastern) white cedar (Thuja occidentalis). Drier sites contain (northern) red oak, eastern white pine and red pine (Pinus resinosa). Open limestone and dolostone barrens — called — can be characterized by mosses, grass- es or low shrubs. This ecoregion also includes sand barrens, inland and , and coastal marshes. Historically, most of the forests were old-growth, and disturbances were lim- ited to gaps from large trees falling, tornadoes, ice storms and by large flocks of passenger pigeons (Ectopistes migratorius; now extinct). Fire and flooding also played a role in many vegetation communities, including alvars. Indige- nous Peoples managed some vegetation types by creating forest openings for agriculture and maintaining open canopies in oak savannahs through fire.

1 Ranking categories for biodiversity threat and conserved/protected area are relative to other ecoregions in the southern study area (5=highest, 4=higher, 3=high, 2=low, 1=lower, 0=lowest). The lowest score for conserved/protected area is 1. For biodiversity and threat, the highest category based on measures and criteria approach is used. * Including the waters of the Great Lakes. Photo by NCC Kyle Marquardt MANITOULIN-LAKE SIMCOE (#134)

FRESH WATER AND COASTS The ecoregion is within the Great Lakes drainage (Atlantic Ocean basin) and includes the sections of the Lake Ontario and Lake Huron drainage. Major rivers include the Saugeen, Maitland, Trent and Moria rivers, and the headwaters of the Grand River (Figure 1). In addition to the Great Lakes, this ecoregion includes hundreds of inland lakes. These cover approximately 5% of the land portion of the ecoregion. The largest of these include Lake Simcoe, Lake Scugog, Rice Lake and Gull Lake. Wetlands, primarily treed , occur across the ecoregion. Large coastal wetlands occur in some of the sheltered bays of , river mouths and around Prince Edward County. Wetlands cover approximately 5.6% of the ecoregion. This ecoregion includes over 4,300 kilometres of Great Lakes coast. Common coastal habitats in the ecoregion include low rocky shores, cliffs, cobble beaches, bluffs and sand beaches. AT-RISK VEGETATION COMMUNITIES Mike Dembeck Rare vegetation communities have not been well-documented from this ecoregion. Photo by Lorne Associations that are of potential global conservation concern include: • white spruce - northern white cedar - common juniper/dwarf lake iris - bristleleaf sedge shrubland • creeping juniper - shrubby cinquefoil/little bluestem - Richardson’s sedge dwarf-shrubland • bur oak/poverty oatgrass - (prairie-smoke) limestone open woodland • bluejoint - little green sedge - smooth sawgrass - Ontario lobelia • northern white cedar - jack pine/shrubby cinquefoil/limestone calamint wooded grassland WILDLIFE Characteristic wildlife includes white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus), coyote (Canis latrans), eastern gray and red squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) and eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus). Bird species include wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina), (Megascops asio), mourning dove (Zenaida macroura), great blue heron (Ardea herodias), pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) and (Anas platyrhynchos).

Several species of large mammals are now extirpated from this ecoregion, including cougar (Puma concolor) and gray wolf (Canis lupus). Other species, such as fisher (Pekania pennant), North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) and American beaver (Castor canadensis), were once extirpated, but have now returned to much of the ecoregion. AT-RISK PLANTS AND ANIMALS There There are over 75 national species at risk in the Manitoulin-Lake Simcoe ecoregion. Areas with higher numbers of national species at risk include , along the Grand River, Peninsula and the area in and around Prince Ed- ward County in eastern Ontario. In addition, there are 40 species of global conservation concern, with the highest number associat- ed with alvars and coastal areas of the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island (Figure 2). Species at risk include:

• Jefferson salamander (Ambystoma jeffersonianum) • eastern pondmussel (Ligumia nasuta) • Hine’s emerald (Somatochlora hineana)* • northern map turtle (Graptemys geographica) • piping plover (Charadrius melodus)* • massasauga - Great Lakes/St. Lawrence population (Sistrurus catenatus pop. 1)* • eastern loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) • Hill’s thistle (Cirsium hillii)* • (Clinostomus elongatus)* • small white lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium candidum) • upper Great Lakes kiyi (Coregonus kiyi kiyi) • lakeside daisy (Tetraneuris herbacea)* • pale-bellied frost lichen (Physconia subpallida) *nationally and globally at risk (NatureServe)

Photo by NCC MANITOULIN-LAKE SIMCOE (#134)

LAND USE Agriculture and urban areas are the predominant land uses, occupying approximately 52% and 9% of the ecoregion respectively (not including the waters of the Great Lakes) (Figure 3). Major crops include corn, soybeans and forage crops. This ecoregion experienced a moderate rate of land conversion (2000-2010) (Table 1). The largest driver is expanding urban areas. In some areas of the region, forests are being converted to urban areas and agriculture, and in others marginal farmlands have been reverting back into forest. Major urban centres include Kingston, Belleville, Peterborough, Oshawa, Kitchener-Waterloo, and Owen Sound. The total population is 2,828,114 (2016), with a growth of just over 26% in the last 20 years. CONSERVATION CONCERNS The Manitoulin-Lake Simcoe ecoregion is very diverse in its biodiversity, land use and threats. There is significant pressure from urban expansion in the south, and in some of the northern areas there is growing demand for recreational properties and second homes. The Manitoulin-Lake Simcoe ecoregion has experienced high historic rates of conversion of natural habitats to agriculture and urban areas. These have generally stabilized for the ecoregion as a whole, although there are still significant land use change pressures in some areas.

High-ranking threats identified from the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) Natural Area Conservation Plans (NACPs) in this ecoregion include invasive species and habitat conversion. Savannah and systems are threatened by the encroachment of woody vegetation, and some species (particularly reptiles) are threatened by roads.

The forests have been significantly impacted by introduced forest pests and pathogens, including Dutch elm disease and emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis).

Populations of grassland birds and aerial insectivores that breed in this ecoregion have been rapidly declining. CURRENT CONSERVATION STATUS The Manitoulin-Lake Simcoe ecoregion includes some of the most developed and most wild landscapes in Ontario, south of the Cana- dian Shield. Almost 40% of this ecoregion remains in natural cover, but this is generally concentrated in the northern areas. In much of the south, important habitats and species are now restricted to small, isolated habitats. In other areas, such as the Bruce Peninsula, Manitoulin Island and the fringe along the southern edge of the Canadian Shield, there is an opportunity to protect wild- life and ecological functions within large, intact habitat blocks. There are several large-scale linkages remaining in the ecoregion that provide connectivity, including the Niagara Escarpment, Oak Ridges Moraine and Napanee Plain (Figure 4). Only 1.9% of this ecoregion is in conserved/protected areas (Figure 5). The largest protected areas include Bruce Peninsula National Park and several provincial parks. NCC’s properties on Cockburn Island now represent the third-largest protected area in the ecoregion. The diversity of landform features in this ecoregion is poorly represented in the current system of protected areas. Conservation designations in this ecoregion include two Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance ( Provincial Wildlife Area, ). Most of the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve occurs in this ecoregion, and a small area of the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve occurs at the eastern end. The ecoregion has over 20 Key Biodiversity Areas that protect important landbird, shorebird, waterbird and waterfowl habitats pri- marily associated with Great Lakes coasts. These include , Cabot Head, Manitoulin Island North Shore, Pigeon Island, Presqu’ile, Prince Edward Point, The Cousins, The Watchers, Wildwood Gull Roost, , Lake Huron/Quarry Bay, Owen Channel, Spring Bay, Wye , Chantry Island, Luther Marsh, Napanee Limestone Plain, Nottawasawa Island, St. Mary’s River Complex (Echo Bay), Tiny Marsh, Matchedash Bay and Carden Plain. NCC has eight NACPs2 that cover 23.1% of the ecoregion: Carden Alvar, Eastern Lake Ontario Coast, Happy Valley Forest-Pottageville , Manitoulin Island Archipelago, Minesing Wetlands, Napanee Plain, Rice Lake Plains and Saugeen Bruce Peninsula. NCC has completed over 100 land securement projects in the ecoregion, protecting over 18,960 hectares (more than 46,800 acres). Key proper- ties include Cockburn Island, Hazel Bird Nature Reserve and properties in the Happy Valley Forest. Several land trusts are helping to protect key areas in this ecoregion, including Couchiching Conservancy, Kawartha Land Trust and the Mississippi Madawaska Land Trust.

2 NACPs that cover >5% of the ecoregion as of December 31, 2017. MANITOULIN-LAKE SIMCOE (#134)

POTENTIAL CONSERVATION STRATEGIES There are significant opportunities in the Manitoulin-Lake Simcoe ecoregion for large-scale conservation that maintains ecological processes and habitat for wide-ranging species. At the same time, there are important and irreplaceable sites in the southern portion where competing land uses are greatest. Potential conservation strategies for this ecoregion include: 1. Maintain natural cover at approximately 40% over the next 10 years, with a focus on large, intact landscapes, major ecological corridors, areas with high concentrations of species at risk and Great Lakes coasts. 2. Increase the amount of conserved lands to 17% (national Target 1 goal) in the next 10 years. This is one of the few ecoregions in southern Canada where this goal can be met in the next 10 years. This goal should include the accounting of conservation authority lands and other public lands. LARGEST 3. Work with municipal and provincial governments to develop land severance CONSERVED policies that facilitate land conservation and to promote the retention of remaining natural corridors across the landscape. AREAS 4. Develop and implement a connectivity plan. Focus on maintaining (TOP 10, BY SIZE) connectivity throughout the ecoregion, connectivity to the Canadian Shield and linking to areas in the Lowland ecoregion. This connectivity 1. Bruce Peninsula plan could incorporate shifting ranges of species as a result of climate change. National Park of Canada There are several protected areas with opportunities to conserve adjacent (12,520 hectares/30,938 acres)* lands to create buffers and enhance connectivity, and important wildlife corridors along the Niagara Escarpment) and in eastern Ontario. There also 2. Fathom Five National may be opportunities to support Indigenous-led conservation efforts. Marine Park of Canada (11,350 hectares/28,046 acres) 5. Identify and implement focal areas for species-at-risk recovery and the protection and restoration of habitats of global conservation concern. This 3. Huron Timber could include updating the 1999 gap analysis of alvar conservation needs. (9,579 hectares/23,670 acres) 6. Significantly expand open country habitats associated with savannahs and 4. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother alvars to support grassland birds and other species. Mnidoo Mnising Provincial Park (6,530 hectares/16,136 acres)* 7. Develop and implement strategies to link conservation to water security and climate change adaptation. Natural areas in the southern portions ecoregion 5. Cabot Head Provincial Park are linked to major urban areas. There may be opportunities to leverage the (4,514 hectares/11,154 acres)* growing interest in “green infrastructure” with municipalities and to protect key areas. 6. (2,915 hectares/7,203 acres) 7. Carden Alvar Provincial Park (1,917 hectares/4,737 acres)* 8. Provincial Park (1,844 hectares/4,557 acres) 9. Sandbanks Provincial Park (1,551 hectares/3,833 acres) 10. Macgregor Point Provincial Park (1,204 hectares/2,975 acres) * Regulated protected areas that include lands secured by NCC and transferred to parks agencies.

To learn more about this ecoregion and NCC’s conservation assessment for southern Canada, visit Photo by Bill Macintyre natureconservancy.ca/casc. MANITOULIN-LAKE SIMCOE (#134)

KEY REFERENCES

Ecological Stratification Working Group. 1995. A National Ecological Framework for Canada. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Research Branch, Centre for Land and Biological Resources Research and Environment Canada, State of the Environment Directorate, Ecozone Analysis Branch, /Hull. Report and national map at 1:7500 000 scale. Reschke, C.; R. Reid, J. Jones, T. Feeney& H. Potter. 1999. Conserving Great Lakes Alvars: Final Technical Report of the International Alvar Conservation Initiative. Chicago, IL.: Alvar Working Group, The Nature Conservancy. Ricketts, T., E. Dinerstein, D. Olson, C. Loucks, W. Eichbaum, K. Kavanagh, . . . W. Walters. 1999. Ecoregions of North America: A Conservation Assessment. Washington DC: Island Press.

Suggested citation: Nature Conservancy of Canada. 2019. Ecoregional summary – Manitoulin-Lake Simcoe. Nature Conservancy of Canada, . Last updated: data (August 2017); text (December 2019) MANITOULIN-LAKE SIMCOE (#134)

Figure 1: Context of the Ecoregion. This map shows towns, roads, elevation, rivers, lakes and watersheds. MANITOULIN-LAKE SIMCOE (#134)

Figure 2: Species of Conservation Concern (COSEWIC and global). These maps show the number of different Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC)-assessed and globally rare species. The information is current to 2015. Some areas of the ecoregion may be data deficient, and higher numbers of species of conservation concern may occur. MANITOULIN-LAKE SIMCOE (#134)

Figure 3: Land Use & Human Footprint. These maps show the dominant land uses and the human influence on the land- scape. Agriculture and urban areas dominate the southern portion of the ecoregion. The human footprint map does not show some stresses that may occur, such as invasive species. MANITOULIN-LAKE SIMCOE (#134)

Figure 4: Connectivity. These maps show connectivity between protected/conserved areas and large blocks of intact habi- tat. The bottom map depicts those regions (green) that have a higher probability of being connected within the ecoregion. MANITOULIN-LAKE SIMCOE (#134)

Figure 5: Protected/Conserved Areas. This map shows protected/conserved areas in the ecoregion, including publicly protected areas (such as national and provincial parks), properties conserved by NCC and other non-governmental organizations (private). The map also shows biodiversity designations, such as Key Biodiversity Areas (primarily Important Bird Areas). These designations only highlight important areas and are not protected or do not have legal status unless they are also within a protect- ed/conserved area. The map also shows the boundaries of NCC Natural Area Conservation Plans. MANITOULIN-LAKE SIMCOE (#134)

Table 1: Change in Land Use, 2000-2010