DOCSLIB.ORG

Ballantrae-Musselman Lake and Environs Environmental Management Strategy

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Ballantrae-Musselman Lake and Environs Environmental Management Strategy DRAFT Ballantrae-Musselman Lake and Environs Environmental Management Strategy Prepared for: The Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville 37 Sandiford Drive, 4th Floor Stouffville, ON L4A 7X5 Project No. 1252 Date: November 2011 Ballantrae-Musselman Lake and Environs Environmental Management Strategy Project Team Staff Role David Stephenson Senior Biologist, Project Advisor Katharina Walton Terrestrial and Wetland Biologist, Project Manager Pat Deacon Terrestrial and Wetland Biologist Report submitted on November 24, 2011 Katharina Walton, Project Manager Head Office: 225 Labrador Drive, Waterloo, Ontario, N2K 4M8 Tel: (519) 725-2227 Fax: (519) 725-2575 Web: www.nrsi.on.ca Email: [email protected] TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1 2.0 Study Methods ...................................................................................................... 3 3.0 Existing Conditions ............................................................................................... 4 3.1 Surficial Geology and Drainage ............................................................................ 4 3.2 Designated Natural Areas ..................................................................................... 7 3.3 Vegetation ............................................................................................................ 9 3.3.1 Vascular Flora ............................................................................................ 9 3.3.2 Vegetation Communities ............................................................................ 9 4.0 Wildlife ................................................................................................................ 13 4.1 Birds ................................................................................................................... 13 4.2 Herpetofauna ...................................................................................................... 15 4.3 Mammals ............................................................................................................ 15 4.4 Fish .................................................................................................................... 15 5.0 Natural Heritage System ..................................................................................... 18 5.1 What is a Natural Heritage System? ................................................................... 18 5.2 How was the Study Area Natural Heritage System Developed? ......................... 18 5.3 Establishment of Buffers ..................................................................................... 19 5.4 The Natural Heritage System .............................................................................. 20 6.0 References ......................................................................................................... 25 List of Figures Figure 1. Study Area ...................................................................................................... 2 Figure 2. Designated Natural Areas ............................................................................... 5 Figure 3. Municipal and Watershed Boundary Map ........................................................ 6 Figure 4. Vegetation Communities ............................................................................... 12 Figure 5. Natural Heritage System ............................................................................... 21 Figure 6. Natural Heritage System Establishment ........................................................ 22 List of Tables Table 1. Significant Plants Reported From the Study Area Vicinity ............................... 10 Table 2. Significant Bird Species Known from the Vicinity of the Study Area ................ 13 Table 3. Herpetofaunal Species at Risk Reported From the Study Area ....................... 16 Table 4. Fish Species Known From the Study Area...................................................... 17 Table 5. Natural Heritage System Establishment ......................................................... 23 List of Appendices Appendix I Bird Species Reported From the Study Area Appendix II Herpetofaunal Species Reported From the Study Area Appendix III Mammal Species Reported From the Study Area 1.0 Introduction The Ballantrae‐Musselman Lake and Environs Secondary Plan Area is a unique community focused on the Ballantrae settlement area which includes a residential golf course community, and the hamlet of Musselman Lake. Surrounding these areas are rural and environmental lands, including estate lot subdivisions and residential strips. In addition, the community is located on the Oak Ridges Moraine with a range of environmental features. The Ballantrae‐Musselman Lake and Environs Secondary Plan was adopted in 1994. It has been amended a number of times, but has never been subject to a comprehensive review. A number of significant issues have led to the need for a review. These include concerns which impede development in Ballantrae. There is also the need to consider the connectivity of the natural heritage/open space system. Natural Resource Solutions Inc. (NRSI), together with a consulting team led by Macaulay Shiomi Howson Ltd. (MSH), was retained in June 2011 to review the Secondary Plan. The Town of Whitchurch‐Stouffville has identified the preparation of a comprehensive Environmental Management Strategy as an objective of this study. NRSI was retained specifically to prepare the Environmental Management Strategy for the area covered in the Ballantrae‐Musselman Lake and Environs Secondary Plan (see Figure 1). This Strategy will play an important role in many other aspects of the study such as identification of opportunities and constraints, as well as servicing. The assessment of the accuracy and relevance of the existing Natural Feature Conservation Areas designated in the existing Secondary Plan is also a study requirement. Key aspects of this assessment are: • Accuracy of the characterization of the natural features and functions in the planning area. • Connectivity within, as well as to areas outside of, the study area. • Consistency with existing policies/guidelines at the provincial, Conservation Authority, and Regional levels. Natural Resource Solutions Inc. 1 Ballantrae-Musselman Lake - Environmental Management Strategy Ninth Line Highway 48 York/Durham Line York/Durham Aurora Road Aurora Road Highway 48 Ninth Line Vandorf Sideroad Hillsdale Drive Line York/Durham Figure 1 Legend Secondary Plan Study Area Secondary Plan Boundary 0 250 500 1,000 m Municipal Boundary Ballantrae-Musselman Lake and LSRCA Watercourse © 2011 The Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville © 2011 The Regional Municipality of York Environs Secondary Plan Review Produced using information under License with the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority October 2011 © Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority, 2011 © First Base Solutions Inc., 2009 Orthophotography 2.0 Study Methods Background information on the natural environmental features within the study area was gathered from the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA), the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) Aurora District, and the Natural Heritage Information Centre (NHIC) Biodiversity Explorer website. Several studies have been completed that overlap with the study area. The following studies were reviewed: • East Holland River Subwatershed Plan (LSRCA 2010) • Musselman’s Lake Subwatershed Assessment and Stewardship Opportunities Report (LSRCA 2009) • Natural Heritage System for the Lake Simcoe Watershed – Phase 1: Components and Policy Templates (Beacon and LSRCA 2007) • Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan (2002) • Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville Official Plan, Section 11.0 Ballantrae-Musselman Lake and Environs Secondary Plan (1994) • Whitchurch-Stouffville Natural Features & Greenlands Study (Gartner Lee 2000) Initial species lists were compiled to provide information on species reported from the local vicinity (10x10km survey squares) using various atlases including the Ontario Mammal Atlas (Dobbyn 1994), Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas (OBBA) squares 17PJ37 and 17PJ47 (BSC et al. 2006), and the Ontario Herpetofaunal Summary Atlas (Oldham and Weller 2000). The Natural Heritage Information Centre Biodiversity Explorer Database was searched for provincially rare species (NHIC 2011). All wildlife species identified as nationally significant (COSEWIC 2011) or provincially significant (MNR 2011) were cross-referenced with species and habitats known to occur within the study area. On August 30, 2011, biologists from NRSI conducted reconnaissance level surveys during which Ecological Land Classification (ELC) data provided by the LSRCA from the Natural Heritage System for the Lake Simcoe Watershed project (Beacon and LSRCA 2007) was reviewed and refined. The Natural Heritage System was mapped through field confirmation, review of oblique aerial photography taken from the study area by Brook McIlroy on August 11, 2011, review of Google Earth images dated September 1, 2009, mapping from the Secondary Plan, LSRCA’s ELC mapping, and natural area mapping provided by the MNR. Natural Resource Solutions Inc. 3 Ballantrae-Musselman Lake - Environmental Management Strategy 3.0 Existing Conditions 3.1 Surficial Geology and Drainage The study area falls within Ontario’s Greenbelt Plan area and the Oak Rides Moraine, which consists of knobby hills between 290 and 373m above
Load more

Recommended publications
  • State of the Wetlands in the Lake Simcoe Watershed Ontario Streams Technical Report No
    July 2018 State of the Wetlands in the Lake Simcoe Watershed Ontario Streams Technical Report No. 2018-01 Alexander Kissel, Habitat Technician & Alice Choi, GIS Technician, Ontario Streams ontariostreams.ca Summary Wetlands in the Lake Simcoe Watershed are critical to the health of the Lake and its surrounding ecosystem. They cover 18.4% of the surface area around the Lake or 52 847 hectares (ha). About 62.4% of these wetlands have been evaluated using the Ontario Wetland Evaluation System (OWES) Southern Manual. The distribution of wetlands vary with fewer and smaller wetlands on the Oak Ridges Moraine (7.1% of surface area), the Schomberg Clay Plains (5.5%) and the uplands west of the the Lake (10.9 to 12.7%), contrasting with the larger valley and shoreline wetlands in the lowlands around the Lake (25.7%). Small wetlands play an important role particularly in the landscapes where they make up a large portion of the wetlands. A high resolution (15 centimetre pixel) analysis of aerial imagery from 1999/2002 to 2013/2016 for the Lake Simcoe Watershed has shown that many small wetland losses, and the occasional larger ones, add up over this time period to a loss of almost eight square kilometres or 773 ha (1.5% of the total wetland area). This loss is higher than previous estimates using lower resolution (30-metre pixel) satellite imagery which cannot pick out the smaller losses that have a large cumulative impact. The highest losses have been from agriculture (46.4% of all losses), following in descending order by residential (10.5%), peat extraction (10.4%), canals (9.6%), highways/roads (6.6%), industrial/commercial (5.7%), fill (4.6%), dug-out ponds (4.3%), recreation (1.6%) and aggregates (0.3%).
    [Show full text]
  • 1668667-Tm-Rev0-Stouffville Natural Environment-16May2018.Docx
    TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM DATE May 16, 2018 PROJECT No. 1668667 TO Kevin Brown, Senior Municipal Engineer - Project Manager The Municipal Infrastructure Group Ltd. CC Heather Melcher, M.Sc. FROM Gwendolyn Weeks, H.B.Sc.Env. EMAIL [email protected] NATURAL ENVIRONMENT EXISTING CONDITIONS BRIEF, SCHEDULE B MUNICIPAL CLASS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT, WATER SYSTEM UPGRADES, WHITCHURCH-STOUFFVILLE, ONTARIO Background & Summary The Municipal Infrastructure Group (TMIG) retained Golder Associates Ltd. (Golder) to prepare a Natural Environment Existing Conditions technical memorandum as part of a Schedule B Class Environmental Assessment (EA) for water system upgrades in the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville, Regional Municipality of York, Ontario (the Study Area) (Figure 1; Attachment A). The purpose of this memo is to identify the known significant natural features in the Study Area that may pose a constraint to the project. The natural features considered in this memo are those listed in the Provincial Policy Statement (MMA, 2014), including: Significant wetlands (PSW) and coastal wetlands; Significant woodlands; Significant valleylands; Significant wildlife habitat; Significant areas of natural and scientific interest (ANSI); Fish habitat; and Habitat of endangered and threatened species and threatened species. Also considered are the natural heritage features as listed in the Greenbelt Plan (Ontario, 2017a) and the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan (ORMCP) (MMA, 2017b). Golder Associates Ltd. 1931 Robertson Road, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K2H 5B7 Tel: +1 (613) 592 9600 Fax: +1 (613) 592 9601 www.golder.com Golder Associates: Operations in Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, North America and South America Golder, Golder Associates and the GA globe design are trademarks of Golder Associates Corporation.
    [Show full text]
  • Keith Bridge ERA Ad
    The history of transportation in Newmarket is now on display through eight bronzed plaques installed along the Keith Bridge on Davis Drive. Be sure to take a moment this summer to walk along the Keith Bridge on Davis Drive, view the public art and learn about the rich history of our Town. The newly installed plaques are a key part of the Town’s ongoing Canada 150 celebrations and were created by Artist Hans Honegger and sculptor Carolyn Butts of Bon Eco Design. This project was made possible by the expansion of the Keith Bridge to accommodate the Viva Rapid Transit system. For more information about the Keith Bridge, please visit newmarket.ca PLAQUE PLAQUE Ten thousand years ago families The river that flows under this of hunters were regularly passing bridge once carried canoes through this area in pursuit of laden with trade goods. big game animals. The landscape would have felt much For thousands of years First like the Arctic tundra of today. Nations peoples travelled through and made camp in The retreat of the Laurentide Ice this area. The East Holland Sheet at the end of the last ice River became the gateway of age revealed a ribbon of gravel the canoe route to the Upper known as the Oak Ridges Great Lakes and the northern Moraine. Present-day Newmarket sits on the north face of this moraine woods. A network of footpaths passed through present-day and on the shoreline of what was once an enormous glacial lake. This moraine served as a corridor for both migrating animals and Paleo Newmarket and followed the Rouge, Don and Humber Rivers, Indians.
    [Show full text]
  • FINAL DRAFT MUSSELMAN’S LAKE SUBWATERSHED ASSESSMENT and STEWARDSHIP OPPORTUNITIES REPORT Table of Contents
    March 31, 2009 FINAL DRAFT MUSSELMAN’S LAKE SUBWATERSHED ASSESSMENT AND STEWARDSHIP OPPORTUNITIES REPORT Table of Contents Table of Contents Executive Summary...............................................................................................................Page 1 1.0 Background......................................................................................................................Page 9 1.1 Description of Musselman’s Lake Subwatershed.......................................................Page 9 1.2 What is a Subwatershed Assessment and Stewardship Opportunities Report? ........Page 14 2.0 Development of Stewardship Opportunities Report ..................................................Page 16 3.0 Community Input ..........................................................................................................Page 17 3.1 Workshop Summaries...............................................................................................Page 17 3.2 Resident Survey Summary........................................................................................Page 18 4.0 State of the Subwatershed and Resource Goals..........................................................Page 21 4.1 Natural Heritage........................................................................................................Page 22 4.1.1 Groundwater....................................................................................................Page 22 4.1.2 Surface water...................................................................................................Page
    [Show full text]
  • COMMITTEE of ADJUSTMENT AGENDA Wednesday December 11, 2019 2:00 PM
    TOWN OF WHITCHURCH - STOUFFVILLE COMMITTEE OF ADJUSTMENT AGENDA Wednesday December 11, 2019 2:00 PM Council Chambers 111 SANDIFORD DRIVE Please ensure cell phones are turned off or set to be silent. Chair: Joanne Burnett Page 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. INTRODUCTION OF ADDENDUM ITEMS 3. CONFIRMATION OF AGENDA 4. DECLARATIONS 5. ADOPTION OF MINUTES 2 - 7 1. November 13, 2019 Minutes 6. CONSIDERATION OF ITEMS 8 - 28 1. Application for Minor Variance Part Lot 15, Concession 6 14499 Kennedy Rd., Whitchurch-Stouffville Application File CA-19-30 7. CORRESPONDENCE 8. OTHER BUSINESS 9. MOTION TO ADJOURN TOWN OF WHITCHURCH-STOUFFVILLE COMMITTEE OF ADJUSTMENT MINUTES Wednesday, November 13, 2019 2:00 p.m. Council Chambers 111 Sandiford Drive, Stouffville Chair: Joanne Burnett The meeting of the Committee of Adjustment was held on the above date and time. Members Present: Carin Bacher, Joanne Burnett, Dean Horner, Lori Doner Jones, Ken Wilson. Members Absent: Staff Present: Casandra Bagin, Kitty Bavington, Kathryn Jones, Hena Kabir and Kristina Soolepp 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. APPOINTMENT The Chair asked for nominations for a Secretary-Treasurer to the Committee for this meeting. Moved by Ken Wilson Seconded by Lori Doner Jones That Kitty Bavington be appointed Secretary-Treasurer to the Committee. Carried 3. INTRODUCTION OF ADDENDUM ITEMS 1 Memorandum from Committee Coordinator, re: Minutes of September 11, 2019 Meeting 2 Item 1 - Memorandum from Committee Coordinator. re: Staff Report for CA-19-28 November 13, 2019 Minutes Page 2 of 28 Committee of Adjustment Minutes November 13, 2019 4. CONFIRMATION OF AGENDA Moved by Carin Bacher Seconded by Dean Horner That the Committee of Adjustment confirm the agenda, as amended; and That a new category named “Other Business” be added following “Correspondence” on all future agendas.
    [Show full text]
  • Newmarket's History
    A Brief History of the Town of Newmarket In June, 1800, Timothy Rogers, a Vermont Quaker, explored the area around the Holland River and up to Lake Simcoe to find a suitable location for a contemplated Quaker settlement. The Quakers were disturbed as a result of difficulties encountered when this peaceful sect refused to take part in the rioting and bloodshed of the American Revolutionists. In 1801, Rogers, leading several Quaker families, left their homes in Vermont and Pennsylvania and secured land grants of 8,000 acres located at the east end of lots 93, 94, and 95 along Yonge Street in the former Townships of Whitchurch and King. It was easy for them to see the potential in these fertile rolling lands, through which flowed the Holland River, an important trading artery for both aboriginals and fur traders. Having arrived in the spring, these first Quaker settlers immediately began the arduous task of clearing the land for their homes and farms. Indeed, By Christmas of 1801, Joseph Hill had constructed a mill on the Holland River at what is now Fairy Lake, around which the settlement to be known as Newmarket sprouted. Over the years, Mr. Hill Hill Trading Post, also built a tannery and the first store and house, as well Main and Water Streets, as additional mills. It is unfortunate that this enterprising 1801 man, embittered over the terms of an 1804 sale of the north half of lot 93 to Elisha Beman, returned saddened and disappointed to the United States in 1812. Elisha Beman, through his marriage to Esther Sayre Robinson, the widow of Christopher Robinson, a distinguished United Empire Loyalist and member of the Legislative Assembly, gained an entree to the establishment and preferential treatment through the Family Compact.
    [Show full text]
  • Geomorphological Assessment of the Water Reclamation Centre Discharge on the East Holland River
    Upper York Sewage Solutions Environmental Assessment Geomorphological Assessment of the Water Reclamation Centre Discharge on the East Holland River Prepared for: The Regional Municipality of York Prepared by: Conestoga-Rovers & Associates DECEMBER, 2013 REF. NO. 050278 (104) 1195 Stellar Drive, Unit 1 YORK REGION NO. 74270 Newmarket, Ontario L3Y 7B8 Geomorphological Assessment of the Water Reclamation Centre Discharge on the East Holland River Upper York Sewage Solutions EA Executive Summary The main objectives of the Geomorphological Assessment of the Water Reclamation Centre Discharge on the East Holland River are: . To investigate the extent and magnitude of potential impacts of the proposed Water Reclamation Centre clean treated water discharge on erosion and sedimentation processes in the East Holland River and the Queensville drainage ditch1, a tributary of the East Holland River. To identify the probable implications of the proposed Water Reclamation Centre clean treated water discharge on channel morphology and channel processes. Study Area The study area considered for the geomorphological assessment (referred to as the Receiving Water Assessment Area) includes the lower portion of Queensville drainage ditch, from the proposed Water Reclamation Centre Outfall location (referred to as to as the proposed Queensville Sideroad Outfall Discharge Location) to the outlet at East Holland River, the portion of the East Holland River downstream to the confluence with the West Holland River, and the main branch of the Holland River to the confluence with Cook's Bay in Lake Simcoe. This is the area considered for the proposed Water Reclamation Centre clean treated water discharge location and/or the area potentially affected by the proposed Water Reclamation Centre clean treated water discharge.
    [Show full text]
  • Rouge River Rouge River
    Rouge River State of the Watershed Report Groundwater Quantity and Quality Goal: Groundwater of sufficient quantity and quality to support ecological functions, aquatic habitats, native fish communities, and sustainable human needs, including drinking water, agricultural, industrial, and commercial uses. Groundwater Quantity and Quality Key Findings: • New hydrogeologic data and modelling tools are now available as a result of the York- Peel-Durham-Toronto Conservation Authorities Moraine Coalition (YPDT-CAMC) Groundwater Management Study. • TRCA and its partners have identified and mapped three major regional aquifer systems across the watershed, namely the Oak Ridges (Upper Aquifer), Thorncliffe (Middle Aquifer), and Scarborough (Lower Aquifer). • Significant recharge and discharge zones as predicted by numerical modelling have been mapped and linked to baseflow measurements and coldwater stream habitats. • Baseline recharge targets have been established to guide future development design and approvals such that the protection of recharge functions can be assured. • Key regional recharge areas for the Rouge River watershed are located in the East Holland River watershed in the northeast and the Humber River watershed in the northwest. • Other elevated recharge areas are associated with the Oak Ridges Moraine in the upper most part of the watershed and Lake Iroquois sand plain in the lower Rouge. • Groundwater discharge is greatest in the middle reaches near Elgin Mills Road and 19 th Avenue where the Oak Ridges Aquifer is close to ground surface, and around Finch Avenue, where the Thorncliffe Aquifer is exposed in the floodplain. • Significant local recharge and discharge associated with a shallow aquifer system is especially important in supporting aquatic habitat on Upper Main Rouge River, Bruce Creek, Upper Robinson Creek, Upper Morningside Creek and Little Rouge River • Water use across the watershed has been mapped.
    [Show full text]
  • Thermal Effects of the Water Reclamation Centre Discharge on the East Holland River
    Upper York Sewage Solutions Environmental Assessment Thermal Effects of the Water Reclamation Centre Discharge on the East Holland River Prepared for: The Regional Municipality of York Prepared by: Conestoga-Rovers & Associates DECEMBER 2013 REF. NO. 050278 (87) 1195 Stellar Drive, Unit 1 ORK EGION O Newmarket, Ontario L3Y 7B8 Y R N . 74270 050278 (87) Page 1 York Region No. 74270 Thermal Effects of the Water Reclamation Centre Discharge on the East Holland River Upper York Sewage Solutions EA Executive Summary The main objectives of the Thermal Effects of the Water Reclamation Centre Discharge on the East Holland River study are: . To investigate the effects of the Water Reclamation Centre discharge on the thermal regime of the East Holland River . To study the effects of the Water Reclamation Centre discharge on the river ice regime in the East Holland River Study Area The stretch of the East Holland River (study area) considered for the thermal study includes the lower portion of the East Holland River from Holland Landing to the confluence with the West Holland River and the main branch of the Holland River from the confluence to Cook's Bay/Lake Simcoe. Given the preferred location for the Water Reclamation Centre outfall is the south side of Queensville Sideroad at the East Holland River. The area potentially affected by the Water Reclamation Centre discharge will be the lower portion of the East Holland River. For purposes of this study, the lower portion of the East Holland River and the main branch of the Holland River are referred to as the "East Holland River".
    [Show full text]
  • THE CORPORATION of the TOWN of WHITCHURCH-STOUFFVILLE BY
    THE CORPORATION of the TOWN OF WHITCHURCH-STOUFFVILLE BY-LAW NUMBER 2014-006-0P BEING A BY-LAW TO ADOPT OFFICIAL PLAN AMENDMENT NO. 136 TO THE OFFICIAL PLAN FOR THE TOWN OF WHITCHURCH-STOUFFVILLE PLANNING AREA WHICH, ON THE 1ST DAY OF JANUARY, 1971 COMPRISED ALL THE LANDS WITHIN THE MUNICIPAL BOUNDARY OF THE AREA MUNICIPALITY OF THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF WHITCHURCHSTOUFFVILLE. The Council of the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville, in accordance with the provisions of the Planning Act, hereby enacts as follows: 1. Amendment No. 136 to the Official Plan for the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville Planning Area which, on the 1st day of January, 1971 comprised all the lands within the municipal boundary of the Area Municipality of The Corporation of the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville, forms Attachment 1 hereto of this By-law, is hereby adopted. 2. That the Corporation of the Town ofWhitchurch-Stouffville make application to the Regional Municipality of York for approval of said Amendment No. 136 to the Official Plan of the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville. 3. That the Mayor and Clerk be and they are hereby authorized and empowered to execute the said Amendment No. 136 to the Official Plan on behalf of this Corporation and to affix thereto the Corporate Seal and to make or cause to be made on behalf of this Corporation such application as may be necessary to the Regional Municipality of York for approval of said Amendment No. 136 to the Official Plan and to execute under the Corporate Seal such documents as may be required for the above purposes.
    [Show full text]
  • Environmental Setting
    City of Vaughan Official Plan Archaeology and First Nations Policy Study Page 6 The nature and potential magnitude of the threat that continued landscape change posed to a finite and non-renewable archaeological feature base between 1951 and 1991 is staggering; it is possible that more than 10,000 sites were destroyed during that period of which 25% represented significant archaeological features that merited some degree of archaeological investigation, since they could have contributed meaningfully to our understanding of the past (Coleman and Williamson 1994: Tables 2 and 3). It can be assumed that the reduction of the archaeological feature base of the City of Vaughan also took place at a serious rate. Archaeological sites also face a less direct, but equally serious form of threat, in which man-made changes to the landscape inadvertently alter or intensify destructive natural processes in adjoining regions. Increased run-off of surface water in the wake of forest clearance, for example, or hydrological fluctuations associated with industrial and transportation development may result in intensified rates of erosion on certain sites due to processes such as inundation. The amount of land (and hence the potential number of archaeological sites) which has been subjected to these destructive forces is impossible to quantify, but is likely to be considerable. While there has recently been a marked reduction in the rate of archaeological site destruction throughout much of the province, since certain municipalities adopted progressive planning policies concerning archaeological site conservation, the potential for the loss of archaeological resources in the future remains great, due to continuing growth and development.
    [Show full text]
  • The Canal and Mitchell Lakes, Talbot River and Whites Creek Subwatershed Plan 2016
    The Canal and Mitchell Lakes, Talbot River and Whites Creek Subwatershed Plan 2016 The Canal and Mitchell Lakes, Talbot River, and Whites Creek Subwatershed Plan 2016 This project has received funding support from the Government of Ontario. Such support does not indicate endorsement by the Government of Ontario of the contents of this material. Acknowledgements The Canal and Mitchell Lakes, Talbot River, and Whites Creek Subwatershed Plan was completed with the assistance of many participants. The report was prepared by staff of the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority and Kawartha Conservation, with input from the Talbot River, Whites Creek, Canal and Mitchell Lakes Subwatershed Plan Working Group, the members of which are listed below. We would like to express our appreciation to all who contributed. Ben Longstaff – General Manager, Integrated Watershed Management, LSRCA Phil Davies - Manager of Stewardship and Forestry, LSRCA Andrea Gynan - Stewardship Technician, LSRCA Shelly Cuddy, Hydrogeologist, LSRCA Christina Sisson, Supervisor of Development Engineering, City of Kawartha Lakes Nick Colucci, Director of Public Works, Township of Brock Frank Corker, Trent Matters David Jewell, local resident Dale Leadbeater, local resident Tim Krsul - Senior Program Advisor, Lake Simcoe Project, MOECC Danielle Aulenback, Partnership Specialist, MNRF Tim Brook - Water Management Engineer, OMAFRA Beth McEachern, Realty Manager, Ontario Waterways Dorthea Hangaard, Project Manager, Couchiching Conservancy The Canal and Mitchell Lakes, Talbot River, and Whites Creek Subwatershed Plan (2016) Executive Summary WHAT IS A SUBWATERSHED PLAN? Subwatershed planning is a process whereby the components of the environmental system are characterized, the stresses and demands on that system are identified, and actions are recommended to guide the management of the subwatershed.
    [Show full text]