i Recommended Citation: Jalava, J.V. 2008. Alvars of the Bruce Peninsula: A Consolidated Summary of Ecological Surveys. Prepared for Parks Canada, Bruce Peninsula National Park, Tobermory, Ontario. iv + 350 pp + appendices. Cover design: Scott Currie Cover photos: background by Don Wilkes; Lakeside Daisy by Scott Currie All other photographs by J. Jalava (2004-2006) ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author would like to thank Frank Burrows and Scott Parker (Parks Canada, Bruce Peninsula National Park / Fathom Five National Marine Park) for administering this project, as well as for logistical support, accommodations, information, report review and other assistance. Josh Keitel (Parks Canada), Jeff Truscott (Parks Canada), Cathy Darevic (Parks Canada) and Paul Jurjans (Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Midhurst District) are thanked for GIS and mapping support. Wasyl Bakowsky and Rosita Jones of the Ontario Natural Heritage Information Centre (NHIC) (Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Peterborough) are thanked for substantial assistance with data provision and mapping. Rosita Jones also assisted with fieldwork in 2006 as a private consultant. Rick and Wendy Roman are thanked for their kind hospitality during fieldwork, and Tina and Graham of the Harvest Moon Bakery are thanked for generous provisions of delectable treats. Funding for this project were provided (in part) by the Parks Canada Agency Species at Risk Fund. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements iii I. Introduction 1 II. Evaluation 12 III. Site Summaries 32 Ecodistrict 6E-14 (includes map) 1 - Bear’s Rump Island 40 2 - Cabot Head 52 3- Cape Hurd - Baptist Harbour (Meta-site) 56 4 - Corisande Bay 83 5 - Cove Island 93 6 - Dorcas Bay – Pendall Lake (Meta-site) 103 7 - Dorcas Bay Road – Sideroad Creek (Meta-site) 118 8 - Driftwood Cove 127 9 - Dyer’s Bay Road & Highway 6 (Meta-site) 133 10 - Eagle Point / Eagle Harbour 152 11 - George Lake / Emmett Lake Road (Meta-site) 157 12 - Greenough Harbour – Bradley Harbour (Meta-site) 176 13 - Hopkins Point 188 14 – Niibin and West of Highway 6 (Meta-site) 193 15 - North of Shouldice Lake 201 16 - Pine Tree Point – Scugog Lake (Meta-site) 207 17 - Smoky Head – Cape Chin (Meta-site) 225 18 - Spring Creek 234 19 - Sunset Park and Long Point 241 20 - Zinkan Island Cove 247 23 - Garden Island 255 24 - Lyal Island 262 Ecodistrict 6E-4 (includes map for Ecodistricts 6E-2 and 6E-4) 271 21 - Barrier Island 272 22 - Cape Croker (Meta-site) 279 25 - Pike Bay 291 26 - Shoal Cove 299 29 - St. Jean’s Point / Sucker Creek 305 Ecodistrict 6E-2 313 27 - Chief’s Point 313 28 - Fishing Islands (Meta-site) 321 IV. Conservation Strategy for Alvars on the Bruce Peninsula 339 V. References 345 Appendix 1. Conservation Ranking Definitions 351 Appendix 2. 2007 Fieldwork Update 354 iv FIGURES Figure 1. The threatened Lakeside Daisy is abundant in this open alvar near George Lake 2 Figure 2. Creeping Juniper and the provincially rare Northern Dropseed dominate this alvar community on the northern Bruce Peninsula 2 Figure 3. Alvar locations on the Bruce Peninsula 4 Figure 4. Moist alvar grassland dominated by Tufted Bulrush at Corisande Bay 13 Figure 5. 2006 Non-alvar Lakeside Daisy populations on the Bruce Peninsula 21 Figure 6. The globally rare Great Lakes endemic Dwarf Lake Iris in bloom in a treed alvar at Corisande Bay 23 Figure 7. The globally rare, provincially threatened Hill’s Thistle at Lyal Island 23 Figure 8. Lakeside Daisy locations surveyed by Bruce Peninsula National Park staff in 2006 25 Note: Additional figures are included in individual site summaries (Section 2) TABLES Table 1. Crosswalk between the various ecological classifications for alvar types occurring on the Bruce Peninsula 9 Table 2. Representation and Condition Matrix for Alvar Sites in Ecodistrict 6E-14 15 Table 3. Representation and Condition Matrix for Alvar Sites in Ecodistrict 6E-4 and 6E-2 17 Table 4. Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Taxa of Bruce Peninsula alvars 20 Table 5. 2006 Non-alvar Lakeside Daisy populations on the Bruce Peninsula 24 Table 6. Diversity, Rare Species and Other Special Features of Alvar Sites in Ecodistrict 6E-14 27 Table 7. Diversity, Rare Species and Other Special Features of Alvar Sites in Ecodistrict 6E-4 and 6E-2 31 v I. INTRODUCTION "Alvar" is a Swedish word, originally denoting the shallow-soiled grasslands on the limestone islands of Öland and Göteland in the Baltic Sea. The word is now applied to naturally open ecosystems found on shallow soils over relatively flat, glaciated limestone (or marble) bedrock, with less than 60% tree canopy cover (Reschke et al. 1999, Brownell and Riley 2000, Jones and Jalava 2005). The alvars of the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island regions in Ontario are internationally-recognized for their rarity, their distinct ecological character, and because they are home to an exceptional variety of globally and provincially rare vegetation community types and species (Figures 1 and 2). Indeed, at least 22 vascular plant species, 4 species of lichens, 5 mosses, four species of reptiles, 7 mollusks, numerous insects and 4 reptile species found on the alvars of the Bruce Peninsula are globally or provincially rare. These include one plant species designated Endangered, 4 plants and 2 reptiles designated as Threatened, and 1 plant and 2 reptiles designated as Special Concern in Canada and Ontario by Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR). Additionally, alvar species such as Houghton’s Goldenrod (Solidago houghtonii), Lakeside Daisy (Hymenoxis herbacea), Dwarf Lake Iris (Iris lacustris) and Hill’s Thistle (Cirsium hillii) are endemic to the Great Lakes basin, and with the majority of the populations of the first three species occurring in Ontario. Alvar habitats are increasingly threatened by a variety of human activities. Based on available background information (Brownell and Riley 2000, NHIC 2006, Brodribb and Oldham 2000, Canne-Hilliker 1988, 1998, Makkay 2003, Oldham and Kraus 2002, Jalava 2004, 2005, Jones and Jalava 2005), the principal human impacts affecting alvar habitats are: building and road construction; quarrying; off-road vehicle traffic; livestock grazing; activities associated with logging in adjacent forests; ornamental stone removal; bonsai and orchid collecting; and trampling by pedestrians (Jones and Jalava 2005). Invasion by exotic species often occurs as a result of these types of human disturbance. Additional indirect threats to recovery of alvars and their component species include lack of public awareness of the ecological significance of alvars, and knowledge gaps relating to the biological needs of alvar species at risk (Jones and Jalava 2005). The long-term persistence of some open alvar communities may also be affected by processes such as natural succession. Fire-suppression in particular may result in the reduction of open alvar habitat, as it is evident that many of the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin region alvars have experienced fire in the past 150 years (Jones and Jalava 2005). Air photo analysis indicates increases in forest cover and reduction of open alvar in some of these areas (Schaefer 1996c, Schaefer and Larson 1997, Parker pers. comm. 2005). Changes in Lake Huron water levels, whether due to natural cycles or human causes, could also hypothetically reduce (or increase) the extent of near-shore alvars. 1 Figure 1. The threatened Lakeside Daisy is abundant in this open alvar near George Lake Figure 2. Creeping Juniper (foreground) and the provincially rare Northern Dropseed (background) dominate this alvar community on the northern Bruce Peninsula 2 An Ecosystem-based Recovery Strategy To ensure their continued survival, the Bruce Peninsula – Manitoulin Island Alvar Ecosystem Recovery Team (RT) was formed in 2004, with the overall objective of developing an ecosystem-based recovery strategy for imperiled alvar species and their globally significant alvar habitats. The RT includes membership from various non- government and government agencies, the academic research community and the private sector. The RT’s “ecosystem approach” to recovery recognizes the links between species, communities, and the biophysical processes that support them. Its objective is to maintain or enhance the natural ecological factors that sustain the alvar communities through managing the impacts of human activities that occur on the landscape within and around the alvars. The RT recognized in its earliest stages the importance of compiling all existing information and filling inventory gaps relating to Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island alvars in order to be able to strategize conservation activities in an effective manner. Standardized information and completion of inventory were therefore identified as the top initial priorities in the “Recovery Strategy for Alvar Ecosystems of the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island Regions in Ontario” (Jones and Jalava 2005). Meeting this objective will allow for updated information on the abundance, distribution and habitat quality of the five featured plant species of the RT and the numerous other species-at-risk that share their habitat. The five species are: 1. Gattinger’s Agalinis (Agalinis gattingeri) 2. Lakeside Daisy (Hymenoxys herbacea) 3. Houghton’s Goldenrod (Solidago houghtonii) 4. Hill’s Thistle (Cirsium hillii) 5. Dwarf Lake Iris (Iris lacustris) Most of the alvars in the Bruce Peninsula region occur within the Greater Park Ecosystem (GPE) of the Bruce Peninsula – Fathom Five Marine National Park. In 2005, Parks Canada made it a priority to provide the funding and in-kind support necessary to fill many of the information gaps for alvar ecosystems on the Bruce Peninsula. This report endeavours to summarize the results of this effort in a user-friendly format. General locations of alvars on the Bruce Peninsula are presented in Figure 3. 3 Figure 3. Alvar locations on the Bruce Peninsula 4 Bruce Peninsula Alvar Studies High quality alvar inventory work has been completed on the Bruce Peninsula to date, much of it in cooperation with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR).