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rare Cliffs and Alvars. Burr Oak. Native to North America Slow growing Found outside the forest canopy along waterways Drought resistant due to long tap root. Osprey Nest.
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rare Cliffs and Alvars
Burr Oak • Native to North America • Slow growing • Found outside the forest canopy along waterways • Drought resistant due to long tap root
Osprey Nest • Birds of Prey like Eagles and Osprey come to the confluence (joining) of the Speed and Grand Rivers in Blair to feed on fish • The use of pesticides like DDT severely reduced the populations of Eagles and Osprey in the area as the fish they consumed were contaminated with toxins (bioaccumulation) • Nesting sites have been constructed to encourage population growth • Certain trail sections have been closed during mating times as another population protection measure
Alvars • A sparsely vegetated area based on a limestone plain with thin or no soil • Lichen, mosses, snails, butterflies and many bird species are common in Alvars • This Alvar is part of a Grand River floodplain that floods every spring in some amount • Water also flows from higher ground (ie. Indian Woods, Newman Creek, Cruikston Creek, Bowman Creek) over the alvar and into the Grand River
Grand River Watershed • The Grand River is approximately 300km’s long • Managed by the GRCA (Grand River Conservation Authority) • There are 290 000 cows in the Grand River Watershed… their manure is equivalent to that of 5 000 000 people! Which means in some areas of the river the levels of E. Coli bacteria are excessively high • 93% of the land in the watershed is Agricultural/Rural • There are 29 sewage treatment plants along the Grand River serving 700 000 people • Before there were one-day-a-week restrictions, lawn watering accounted for 5 Billion Litres of water per year!
Wildlife -There are 80 fish species in the Grand River -These account for 58% of all the fish species in Canada -Species at Risk such as Trumpeter Swans and Bald Eagles have been spotted along the river
Forest and Cliffs -The trees in the forest along the river are not as old as those in the Indian woods -The forest is not as complex, there are less plant species along the forest floor, therefore reducing habitat -A large amount of water moves through this forest along the limestone cliffs and through creeks… very damp -Lots of moss can be found in the forest -Several tree species: ash, black cherry, hackberry, sugar and black maple, cedar
Galt Country Club -Golf Course is located along the Grand River in Preston -The GRCA encourages developments like the golf course to have “buffer zones” along the edges between the river and the greens (or whatever the development might be) -Buffer Zones will protect water quality by preventing erosion of soil/sediment into the river as well as help to filter run-off from the land
Question: What is the difference between a Swamp and a Marsh?