riding mountain E c o s y s t e m Community Atlas © 2004 Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) CPAWS gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Canada's Voluntary Sector Initiative, through the Parks Canada Agency, and the in-kind support of ESRI Canada. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Government of Canada. To view electronic versions of the four atlases produced in this project, please visit: <www.cpaws.org/community-atlas> For more information on the Riding Mountain atlas, contact: CPAWS Manitoba P.O. Box 344 Winnipeg, MB R3C 2H6 Tel: (204) 949-0782 / Email: [email protected] Cover photo credits: Ian Ward (Deep Lake, Riding Mountain National Park), Paul Pratt, UBC (barred owl), Parks Canada (black bear and field outside Riding Mountain boundary) Printed on 100% post consumer stock table of contents INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. i Section 5.0 WATER 5.1 Drainage ..........................................................................23 Ian Ward Section 1.0 RIDING MOUNTAIN GREATER ECOSYSTEM 5.2 Wetlands of the Riding Mountain Biosphere Reserve ...........23 1.1 The Riding Mountain Biosphere Reserve ............................. 1 The prairie pothole region .............................................24 Section 2.0 PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY Stewardship and conservation of riparian areas .............25 2.1 Glacial History ................................................................... 3 Section 6.0 NATURAL HISTORY: THE FLORA AND FAUNA 2.2 Climate ............................................................................. 3 6.1 The Flora .........................................................................27 2.3 Topography and Geology .................................................... 4 6.2 The Fauna ........................................................................30 2.4 Soils .................................................................................. 5 Species of conservation concern .....................................30 2.5 Ecologically Distinct Areas of the Biosphere Reserve ............ 5 Cooperative beaver management ................................... 31 Donna Danyluk Section 3.0 HUMAN HISTORY Proven Lake Marsh, Important Bird Area .......................32 3.1 History of the Indigenous Nations of Riding Mountain ......... 7 6.3 Provincial and Federal Regulations Concerning Wildlife ..... 33 3.2 European Settlement and Expansion ................................... 8 Section 7.0 ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT: A COMPLEX TASK 3.3 Impacts on First Nations .................................................... 9 7.1 First Nations Involvement .................................................35 3.4 Population Change ............................................................ 11 7.2 Future Directions ..............................................................35 Section 4.0 THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE Conservation initiatives ................................................35 4.1 The Present-day Biosphere Reserve: People, Land Use of GIS in conservation-based planning .....................36 Management and Economics .............................................13 Conservation agreements ..............................................37 Wilson Creek Project ................................................... 14 7.3 The Role of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Ian Ward The impact of bovine tuberculosis and other Manitoba Chapter (CPAWS Manitoba) ................................37 transmittable diseases ................................................. 15 LITERATURE CITED 4.2 Ecological Change .............................................................16 Habitat fragmentation and development .......................16 MAPS & TABLES (see over for complete list) Wolves in the Riding Mountain Biosphere Reserve ..........17 Fire as a natural disturbance ........................................19 Appendix 1: Supplementary information to accompany selected maps and tables Climate change ............................................................21 4.3 The Challenge of Maintaining Ecological Integrity ..............22 Appendix 2: Organizations and agencies working in the Biosphere Reserve RIDING MOUNTAIN Ecosystem Community Atlas MAPS & TABLEs Map 1 Regional Ecozones, Ecoregions and Ecodistricts Map 15 Classification of Recreational Capability of the Biosphere COSEWIC Species Distributions: Reserve Map 2 The Riding Mountain Biosphere Reserve in Relation to Map 32 Northern leopard frog (see also Appendix 1: Supplementary Information) Federal Ecozones, Ecoregions and Ecodistricts Map 33 Red-headed woodpecker Map 16 Occurrences of Bovine Tuberculosis in the Biosphere Map 3 Detailed Topography and Gross Watershed Units of the Reserve to September 2004 Map 34 Sprague’s pipit Biosphere Reserve Map 17 1948 Landscape Classification of the Biosphere Reserve Map 35 Monarch butterfly Map 4 Agricultural Capability of the Biosphere Reserve (see also Appendix 1: Supplementary Information) Map 18 Expected Change in Annual Temperature by 2040-2060 Map 36 Yellow rail Map 5 Soil Associations of the Biosphere Reserve Map 19 Expected Change in Winter Temperature by 2040-2060 Map 37 Anatum peregrine falcon Map 6 Soil Drainage Classes of the Biosphere Reserve Map 20 Expected Change in Summer Temperature by 2040-2060 Map 38 Short-eared owl (see also Appendix 1: Supplementary Information) Map 21 Expected Change in Winter Precipitation by 2040-2060 Map 39 Prairie loggerhead shrike Map 7 Surficial Texture of the Biosphere Reserve Map 22 Expected Change in Annual Precipitation by 2040-2060 Map 40 Chestnut lamprey (see also Appendix 1: Supplementary Information) Map 23 Expected Change in Summer Precipitation by 2040-2060 Map 41 Silver chub Map 8 Slope Classes of the Biosphere Reserve Map 24 Major Drainage Systems, Drainage Basins and Gross Map 9 Irrigation Suitability of the Biosphere Reserve Watershed Units of the Prairie Provinces Table 1 Soil Summary Statistics for each Rural Municipality in the Map 10 Potential Environmental Impact Under Irrigation for the Map 25 Detailed Drainage of the Biosphere Reserve Biosphere Reserve Biosphere Reserve (see also Appendix 1: Supplementary Information) Map 26 Detailed Hydrography of the Biosphere Reserve Table 2 2001 Community Profile Summary Statistics for Rural Map 11 Water Erosion Risk of the Biosphere Reserve Map 27 Waterfowl Habitat Classification of the Biosphere Reserve (non-urban) Populations in the Biosphere Reserve (see also Appendix 1: Supplementary Information) Map 12 Attributes of Soil Landscapes of the Biosphere Reserve Table 3 Wetland Summary Statistics for each Rural Municipality (see also Appendix 1: Supplementary Information) Map 28 Forest Classification of the Biosphere Reserve in the Biosphere Reserve Map 13 Jurisdictional Boundaries and Conservation Lands of the Map 29 Plant and Animal Species of Conservation Concern in the Table 4 Plant and Animal Species of Conservation Concern in the Biosphere Reserve Biosphere Reserve Biosphere Reserve Map 14 1993 Landscape Classification of the Biosphere Reserve Map 30 Ungulate Habitat Classification of the Biosphere Reserve (see also Appendix 1: Supplementary Information) (see also Appendix 1: Supplementary Information) (see also Appendix 1: Supplementary Information) Scientific Names of Plant Species Referenced in Text Map 31 Important Bird Areas of the Prairie Provinces CPAWS – MANITOBA chapter introduction What is this atlas for? The Community Atlas Project project has been much more than a GIS project. It has been about working collaboratively to determine what information is needed This atlas presents information about the “greater park ecosystem” From 2002 to 2004, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society to manage the landscape around a national park in a way that is of Riding Mountain National Park. A greater park ecosystem is the embarked on an exciting project working with local groups, supportive of healthy park ecosystems and healthy communities. It landscape around a park that influences the wildlife and ecological individuals and agencies involved in land management around four has been about involving people who live in the greater ecosystems systems inside the park. The objectives of this atlas are to transform of Canada’s national parks: St. Lawrence Islands National Park and of national parks and ensuring complex data into usable information, and to make this information Bruce Peninsula National Park in Ontario, that the atlases meet the needs available to everyone involved or interested in local decisions that Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba, of the individuals, agencies and affect the greater ecosystem. This shared information should give us and Gulf Islands National Park Reserve in The basis of good planning and management organizations who will use it in some common ground and help us all make better decisions that will British Columbia. Our objective was to gather is good information. their work and their voluntary benefit people, wildlife and the community. information about the regions surrounding the activities. national parks, to compile this information Section 1 introduces the Riding Mountain Biosphere Reserve, into community conservation atlases, and to present these atlases in With this in mind, we involved local groups, agencies and which represents the boundaries under study in this atlas. Section a way that will contribute to local policy development and