St. Clair National Wildlife Area EarthCache
St. Clair National Wildlife Area
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This area, known as the St. Clair National Wildlife Area, is a part of the Great Lakes coastal wetlands in Ontario. If this area had not been preserved the wetlands in this area would no longer exist and the wetlands would have reverted to dry 'meadows' with the significant drop in Lake St. Clair water levels in 1998 and would have remained as dry 'marshes'. This would have resulted in the loss of over 1300 acres of aquatic habitat in the southeast corner of Lake St. Clair.
Questions to Answer to claim a find on this Earthcache: 1. At the parking area there are a number of informational signs and a stone with a plaque. According to the plaque on the stone in what year was this project completed? 2. Why is it necessary to draw down the water level in the marsh? 3. Which three agencies were involved in the St. Clair National Wildlife Area conservation project completed in 1980? 4. Did you see a difference in water levels, if so, which side of the berm had the lower water levels? 5. What is the depth of the water at the footbridge located along the berm west of the parking area near the centre of the footbridge. 6. Why is it necessary to preserve the wetlands in this area and what would happen to the marshlands in the area had man not created a system to pump water in and out of the wetlands on each side of berm. Answers to the above questions must be answered in order to claim the find on this Earthcache. In winter, when the water is frozen it is not necessary to determine the depth of the water at the footbridge. Send answers via email using the email address (send email feature) for myself found on my geocaching profile page. Marshes are a specific type of wetland. The St. Clair National Wildlife Area marsh is a non-tidal or inland marsh found in fresh waters. Freshwater marshes obtain most of their water from surface waters, including floodwater and run-off, but may also receive ground water inputs. The marsh at this location is a part of the Great Lakes coastal marshes and is a part of a vast tract of marshland located here and on the northern side of Lake St. Clair near Mitchell's Bay and Walpole Island and into Michigan. Of significance here at the St. Clair National Wildlife Area is the fact that this area has been impacted greatly by man first in draining much of the area and later preserving what is left and managing water levels by pumping water as required to maintain wetland areas. After the last glacier in this area receded some 12,000 years ago, just a short period of time geologically speaking, the Great Lakes area wetlands formed. Marshes typified by an abscence of trees and shrubs developed in areas near the Great Lakes with high water tables. This particular area of the nearby marshland has been preserved and is maintained by the Canadian Wildlife Service as the St. Clair National Wildlife Area. It is open to the public and has a hiking/walking trail. No other access is permissible except on the berm adjacent to the parking area. No watercraft of any kind is permitted and please park in the parking area and do not drive or walk beyond the parking area except on the walking trail located on the berm. Water levels in the marsh will vary as the marsh is a part of the Great Lakes Coastal Marsh ecosystem and water levels do vary within the Great Lakes, both yearly and seasonally and over the longer term. The water level fluctuations are good for the ecosystem although in some cases they may not be welcome by people living near the lakes. Please read the signs near the parking area for more information on marsh water level changes and marshland activities. The St. Clair National Wildlife Area is a diverse, intensely managed wetland, operated by the Canadian Wildlife Service, a part of Environment Canada. The area is situated on the Chatham Flats adjacent to Lake St. Clair. The vegetation of the area prior to Europeans arriving in the area was tall grass prairie with reed marshes in the low spots. Upon the arrival of settlers the land was used for pasture. In 1940 the land was purchased by a private hunting club and converted from pasture to a wetland by adding dykes on four sides and flooding the area. The Canadian Wildlife Service purchased the land in 1974. Much of the surrounding land areas were formerly a part of the marsh wetlands but have been drained and turned into very fertile farmland. Before 1980 the National Wildlife Area was 570 acres of marsh contained by dykes. The northwest portion of the marsh was of lower elevation than that of the southeast portion of the marsh. Historical beach ridges cross the marsh roughly parallel to the current day Lake St. Clair shoreline. These beach ridges and small elevation differences presented by these low ridges presented a challenge to maintaining appropriate water levels across the marsh. As a result of this challenge a decision was made to build a berm running from the southwest corner to the northeast corner of the marsh generally following the course of the most prominent historical beach ridge. Water levels within the marsh (wetlands) are constantly monitored and a large high capacity pump is used to increase/decrease water levels within the marsh. The water levels may vary between the north and south sides of the marsh. A wildlife viewing trail for walking/hiking follows this berm for a distance of 5 kilometres and begins at the parking area. Access to all other areas within the marsh is off-limits to the public so please stay on the trail. A wildlife viewing area is available to the public within the marsh adjacent to the trail. This area is on the James Bay flyway and as a result this location is very important to the Canada Goose, various ducks, Tundra Swans and many other birds. As many as 180 species of birds have been observed at the site and up to 20,000 ducks migrate through the area. In fact, Lake St. Clair itself is the most important staging region for waterfowl in Ontario south of James Bay. Other animals include the Eastern Fox Snake and Blanding's Turtle as well as mink, muskrats and racoons. At present, in 2013, the water level of Lake St. Clair is even lower than in 1998 so the importance of the undertaking here to preserve the wetlands are of even more importance than it was 15 years ago. This area was designated in 1985 as an area of significant International importance as a wetland and recognized by the RAMSAR Convention. http://www.ontgeocaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/ogalink.gif
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