Moon River Conservation Reserve (C94) and Lower Moon River Conservation Reserve (C90) Statement of Conservation Interest March 2005 Moon River Conservation Reserve (C94) and Lower Moon River Conservation Reserve (C90) Statement of Conservation Interest Ministry of Natural Resources Parry Sound District Prepared with the assistance of: Meteek & Company Huntsville, Ontario March 2005 i Approval Statement We are pleased to approve this Statement of Conservation Interest for Moon River Conservation Reserve (C94) and Lower Moon River Conservation Reserve (C90). Together these two conservation reserves provide protection for approximately 15 kilometres of diverse habitats along the Moon River, from just west of Highway 400 (formerly Highway 69) to Arnolds Bay and The Massasauga Provincial Park on the Georgian Bay shoreline. Moon River Conservation Reserve (C94) is the upstream component of these two protected areas. It consists of 457 hectares of Crown land, located in southern Freeman Ward in the Area Municipality of Georgian Bay, in the District of Muskoka. The site is approximately seven kilometres southwest of the hamlet of Mactier. At its closest point on the east it is about ½ kilometre west of Highway 400, and it abuts Lower Moon River Conservation Reserve at its west boundary. This conservation reserve, located in Hills’ ecological Site District 5E-7, includes steep rocky slopes and low cliffs on the Moon River. The surrounding uplands support representative sugar maple and old hemlock forests growing on gently sloping hills with shallow sandy soils or bare bedrock. It provides habitat for the nationally threatened eastern Massasauga rattlesnake and the threatened eastern hog- nosed snake. Lower Moon River Conservation Reserve (C90) is a 2723 hectare area of Crown land, located about 10 kilometres due west of the hamlet of Mactier. The northern portions are in Conger Ward in the Township of The Archipelago in the Territorial District of Parry Sound. The southern portions are in Freeman Ward in the Area Municipality of Georgian Bay in the District Municipality of Muskoka. The northern boundary of this conservation reserve extends to the south shores of Healey Lake. To the southeast, it abuts Moon River Conservation Reserve, and to the west, it is within ½ kilometre of The Massasauga Provincial Park. Lower Moon River Conservation Reserve, also located in Hills’ ecological Site District 5E-7, contains a scenic portion of the Moon River between Curtain Chute and Moon Falls, and a large area of upland forests. The southern portions of the conservation reserve, in the vicinity of the Moon River, have been identified as a Muskoka Heritage Area. This area contains a variety of low cliff, bedrock slope and talus slope habitats and diverse shoreline flora, typical of the Georgian Bay landscape. The shoreline contains spawning habitat for muskellunge and walleye. This site protects numerous nationally and provincially rare wildlife and plants. Moon River Conservation Reserve and Lower Moon River Conservation Reserve are two of 378 new protected areas approved through Ontario’s Living Legacy Land Use Strategy, aimed, in part, at completing Ontario’s system of parks and protected areas. They are part of the Great Lakes Heritage Coast, a signature site identified through Ontario’s Living Legacy Land Use Strategy. The Great Lakes Heritage Coast is designed to protect the coastal environment and provide for recreational and tourism opportunities associated with the natural environment. These conservation reserves are within the Georgian Bay Littoral Biosphere Reserve, which was recently designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. This designation “represents a common vision of sustainable development and environmental and cultural conservation” by a wide range of stakeholders of the area (UNESCO, 2004). During the “Lands for Life” planning process, the public was widely consulted and provided valuable input into what became Ontario’s Living Legacy Land Use Strategy. Comments received during that time and during consultation related to the formal Public Lands Act regulation of the boundaries of these conservation reserves, were generally supportive of the protection of these areas. Stakeholders who provided comment during the earlier consultation for these sites were subsequently consulted regarding the draft Statement of Conservation Interest and any comments were considered in the finalization of this document. This Statement of Conservation Interest provides guidance for the management of the two conservation reserves and provides the basis for the ongoing monitoring of activities. More detailed direction is not anticipated at this time. Should more complex resource management or conservation issues arise or ii significant facility development be considered, then a detailed Resource Management Plan will be prepared with full public consultation. Moon River Conservation Reserve and Lower Moon River Conservation Reserve are managed under the direction of the District Manager and the Parry Sound Area Supervisor of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Parry Sound District. Approved by: R. Griffiths Approved by: Ron Running District Manager Regional Director Parry Sound District Southern Region iii Table of Contents APPROVAL STATEMENT.................................................................................................................................. II 1.0 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................... 4 1.1 BACKGROUND INFORMATION: .................................................................................................................... 5 1.2 REPRESENTATION..................................................................................................................................... 5 1.3 SURVEY WORK ......................................................................................................................................... 6 2.0 VALUES TO BE PROTECTED................................................................................................................ 7 2.1 EARTH SCIENCE: ...................................................................................................................................... 7 2.2 LIFE SCIENCE: .......................................................................................................................................... 8 2.3 CULTURAL VALUES: ................................................................................................................................ 15 2.4 RECREATIONAL/AESTHETIC VALUES: ....................................................................................................... 15 3.0 MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES .............................................................................................................. 16 3.1 LAND TENURE:........................................................................................................................................ 16 3.2 DEVELOPMENT:....................................................................................................................................... 18 3.3 RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES:..................................................................................................................... 19 3.4 COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES:........................................................................................................................ 20 3.5 ABORIGINAL INTERESTS: ......................................................................................................................... 21 3.6 NATURAL RESOURCE STEWARDSHIP:....................................................................................................... 21 3.7 CULTURAL RESOURCE STEWARDSHIP:..................................................................................................... 22 3.8 CLIENT SERVICES: .................................................................................................................................. 23 3.9 RESEARCH: ............................................................................................................................................ 23 3.10 MARKETING: ........................................................................................................................................... 23 4.0 IMPLEMENTATION ............................................................................................................................... 24 5.0 REVIEW AND REVISION OF THE STATEMENT OF CONSERVATION INTEREST.......................... 24 6.0 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................................... 25 APPENDICES ................................................................................................................................................... 27 APPENDIX 1 PROCEDURAL GUIDELINE B – LAND USES – TEST OF COMPATIBILITY ........................................... 27 APPENDIX 2 INDICATOR USES FOR CONSERVATION RESERVES:...................................................................... 28 APPENDIX 3 PROCEDURAL GUIDELINE C........................................................................................................ 30 APPENDIX 4 RECREATION CAMP TENURE ...................................................................................................... 31 Table of Figures