AMILY NATURE NOTES FALL 2007 FALL NOTES NATURE AMILY F The Canadian Shield is rich in miner- The Canadian Shield exposed rock, large depressions in the sur- large depressions exposed rock, When tempera- face and very little soil. glaci- began to rise and the massive tures ers melted, water filled these depressions, can still see the lakes that we creating today. ura- nickel, zinc, copper, als such as iron, gold and platinum. As a nium, silver, ritten by Kerryritten by G.Everitt JudieShore illustrations by & Design W ecause the shield stretches a vast distance from north distance from to a vast ecause the shield stretches B etlands, such as marshes and bogs. esult, many thriving mining communities dot the landscape r within this region. the north depending on location. In south, its climate varies of soil is cold and the limited amount are the temperatures The as permafrost. This soil is known for long periods. frozen has soggy soil and many region Bay southern Hudson more w anadian Shield C of the Canadian Shield have shaped our identity have Shield as Canadians. of the Canadian The or generations the rocky outcrops, the rocky or generations wilderness forests and dense blue lakes sparkling F nly a very thin layer of soil covers most of the shield’s nly a very of soil covers thin layer The Canadian Shield is part of the The Canadian Shield O imalayan mountain range in both size and structure. Over and structure. imalayan mountain range in both size lateau, this land mass covers nearly half of lateau, this land mass covers emains of an ancient and very large vol- Whether you call it the Canadian Shield, Whether you or the Laurentian Shield the Precambrian P States Canada, parts of the northern United and nearly all of Greenland. r people believe canic mountain range. Many the present-day that it once resembled H wind and glaciers shaped the land water, millions of years, see today. that we outcrops hills and rocky into the rolling ago, the last ice age, about 15,000 years During bedrock. like a giant bull- glaciers scraped the land. Acting advancing thou- or even pushed hundreds were topsoil and rocks dozer, their original location, leaving from sands of kilometres

Supplement to ON Nature, Fall 2007 arah Webber arah Webber S DTP Inc. or: immy Blackwood immy Blackwood J Edit rinting: P Canadian-Shield Canadian Shield. com/eb/topic-91992/ eviewer: out thes websites: bsite: www.ontarionature.org bsite: www.ontarionature.org wiki/Canadian_Shield Canadian_Shield.html Copy R • http://www.britannica. E-mail: [email protected] encyclopedia_761578439/ We • http://en.wikipedia.org/ • http://encarta.msn.com/ or more information about or more books and articles the about the Canadian Shield, check our local library will also have 201-366 Adelaide St. West, Toronto, West, St. 201-366 Adelaide ON M5V 1R9, Tel: (416) 444-8419, Tel: ON M5V 1R9, F 1 800 440-2366, Fax: (416) 444-9866 Y y hiding your colour samples in put all of your pieces! Your partner, Your put all of your pieces! be a sleuth must now the seeker, of your camou- and try to find all flaged pieces of paper. pieces or has given up, trade places. The seeker is now the hider. the easiest? find? Which were Why would it be an advantage for an animal to be able to cam- ouflage itself in its habitat? play the camouflage game inside. Tr the kitchen (no fair hiding them in or living room the cupboards), bedroom. • Be sure to remember where you where to remember • Be sure • When the seeker has found all the to the hardest • Which pieces were you can still • If it is a rainy day, Visit us on the Web at www.ontarionature.org at Web the on us Visit some small pieces of some small pieces

adapted to the ever-changing environment by using their by using environment ever-changing adapted to the Life is not easy on the Canadian Shield. Many species have on the Canadian Shield. Many Life is not easy ability to blend into their surroundings, a process known as a process into their surroundings, ability to blend other is the “seeker”. The hider other is the “seeker”. begins by trying to match the colour samples to things in the Perhaps there natural surroundings. some bright blue wildflowers are on which you can place your blue paint chip. small squares; two-by-two-cen- small squares; work well. Use squares timetre vibrant colours — purples, blues and oranges — as well as “natur- and al” colours such as greens and your partner will You browns. each need at least one sample of but having two or each colour, of each will make the game three fun! even more the importance to wildlife of blending into the environment. to wildlife of blending into the the importance

ou will need Hiding inplainsight camouflage. Play this modified game of hide and seek to show this modified game of hide camouflage. Play • One player is the “hider” and the Y • Cut the paint chips or paper into paper of different colours (paint chips paper of different and a natural work well), a friend or park. field such as a forest, area The rocky ground and thin soil make painters, such as the famous Group of for poor agriculture on the Canadian Seven, and writers for centuries. Shield, but provide the ideal conditions Vacationers are attracted to the many for a thick coniferous and mixed-wood secluded lakes and rivers — the perfect Aboriginal People Northern goshawk forest, the boreal forest. Spruce, pine, fir spot for cottages and resorts. The Athapaskan or Dene people, such as the Chipewyan, and Algonquians, such and birch trees can be found through- The shield’s unique and varied land- as the Ojibwe, Cree, Naskapi, Ottawa, Algonquin, Innu and Montagnais were out much of the shield. As a result, scape provides ideal habitat for many forestry is one of the largest primary the original inhabitants of the Canadian Shield. different plants and animals. The glacial industries (a primary industry is one lakes and wetlands are home to fish Like the birds and mammals of the forest, many of these people moved to the that is based on natural resource extrac- such as largemouth bass, muskellunge, more southern reaches during the most inhospitable months and travelled in tion) on the shield. The boreal forest of (better known as muskie), sturgeon, search of caribou, moose or other sources of food. Canada is nearly six million square kilo- rock bass and northern pike. Loons, Although food was not always abundant for the Aboriginal people, with a lit- metres in size, approximately the same turtles, salamanders, newts, otters, tle ingenuity they made do with a variety of food from different sources. They size as the Amazon rain forest! muskrats, herons, beavers and moose hunted and speared large mammals such as deer and caribou, and snared smaller One of the largest cities on the are also attracted to the watery mammals such as hares. The Ojibwe built fences of sticks and brush and placed Canadian Shield is Sudbury, habitats found on the shield. them across a stream. These traps allowed water but not large fish to pass Ontario, home of the big The boreal forest provides through. The women would dry and pound the fish meat and mix it with oil. nickel — a nine-metre habitat for wolves, caribou, Winter This nutritious mixture, which stayed fresh for several months, was a winter sta- high replica Canadian bears, deer and numerous ple when food was scarce. nickel. This area is other mammal species, as on the Shield The Iroquois and the Algonquin planted corn and pumpkins, and harvested believed to be the site The winters on the Canadian Shield are well as birds. wild rice, blueberries, choke cherries, sumac and wintergreen in some of the where an asteroid that long, cold and harsh. Many species Unlike many lakes in southern areas of the Canadian Shield, where small pockets of soil occur. crashed to earth nearly have adapted to the changing seasons southern Ontario, those two billion years in unique ways. You probably only eat blueberries in your pancakes or muffins, but young found on the Canadian ago. Nickel, copper Snowshoe hares and ermine use camou- Ojibwe and Cree children also used blueberries for medicinal purposes. The Shield are often crystal clear. The sur- and platinum are the main flage — changing colours to blend into leaves were made into a tea to help cure headaches, and crushed leaves could be rounding granite rock is very hard and minerals found in asteroids, their surroundings — to hide from applied to wounds to help speed healing. does not dissolve easily in water. As a The Boreal and this chance collision has predators. During the warmer months, result, bacteria, algae and plankton can- For travelling in the shield region, which had countless rivers, the Aboriginal made Sudbury one of the these creatures are brown and so are dif- not thrive because of a lack of nutrients, people made canoes made from birch trees. They created a wooden frame from Forest largest nickel producers in the world. ficult to see against a background of making the lakes sparkling clear. the lightweight wood and then stretched birchbark, which is pliable yet strong, Reach into your pocket and pull out a grasses and vegetation. In the winter, Did you know … portions of over the frame. To waterproof the seams between pieces of bark, these people nickel; you are holding “alien” money! Did you know … fossils of bacteria any brown creature would stand out the Canadian Shield formed used either a “glue” they obtained from the bladder of the sturgeon, heated Nature abounds on the shield and and algae that are over two billion against the snow, but then these species nearly 4 billion years ago, which means spruce gum or grease from one of the many mammals they hunted for attracts both adventurers and tourists. years old have been found on the are ghostly white. that it contains some of the world’s food. The result was a lightweight but strong canoe that Its rolling landscape and picturesque Canadian Shield. oldest rocks. To escape the cold, many birds could be hoisted overhead and carried when the lakes and forests have inspired poets, migrate to warmer climates during the rivers were blocked or became unnavigable. If winter. Many boreal mammals, amphib- damaged, the canoe could easily be repaired Northern Pike ians, reptiles and insects hibernate, or using materials readily available in the forest. sleep through the cold winter months. The northern pike is the largest and most fearsome predator in the waters of the Canadian Shield. Most northern pike are Over the winter, these creatures Canoeists and adventurers today have between 45 and 75 centimetres long, but 120-centimetre-long specimens have been found. These giants are long and live in burrows, dens, under tree the Aboriginal people to thank not only hefty, and can weigh in at up to a whopping 18 kilograms! bark or in other sheltered places. for the canoe, but also for introducing them to the tumpline. A tumpline is a sling Since it is the top carnivore in its food The snow that falls in the winter for carrying a load on the back, with a strap chain, this predator usually acts like a blanket, keeping the that passes around the forehead, making the lives about 12 years, sleeping creatures warm and snug and out of the cold, bitter wind. load more stable and therefore easier to but some have been carry. found to be 26 years old! Did you know … species such The colour of the northern pike varies greatly as hares and shrews have a By the 1700s, the abundance of furs, minerals and forests in Canada attracted depending on where on the Canadian Shield it lives. higher survival rate in the win- the attention of many Europeans. Three hundred years later, the plentiful nat- Generally, though, this fish is greenish olive or brown on the top, and whitish or yellow on the ters when snow is abundant! It not ural resources of Canada’s largest landform still drive the economy of the area. underbelly, and has gold-tipped scales. Its body is sleek and streamlined, and its eyes are bright only functions like a blanket, keeping Wild landscapes characterize the Canadian Shield, and it is home to intriguing yellow. The pike’s strong jaw and sharp, inward-facing teeth make it a formidable creature. This vicious predator feeds on frogs, ducklings, them warm, but also hides their bur- mammals, birds, plants and insects. We must make sure that this wildness area mice, muskrats and many species of fish. rows from predators such as foxes and remains a part of our protected natural heritage. wolves.