Douglas Hagedorn and Nicole Timoshenko

2 - Study Area

The study area in focus for this research encompasses the entire central landmass of the Manitoulin Island archipelago [See Figure 2-1], found within Lake Huron in the Lower Great Lakes region of Ontario, Canada.  More specifically, this study site is located within UTM Zone 17N and is positioned at an approximate latitude of 45° 45' North and longitude of 82° 21' West.  Manitoulin Island has a total surface area of 2,765 km2 (Atlas of Canada 2006), and is topographically characterized by varied forest vegetation, numerous freshwater lakes (Putnam 1947), sparse yet diverse vegetation (Conserving Great Lakes Alvars, 1999), and small clustered human settlements.  For the most part, the barren and rocky surface of the island is functionally non-porous and even at the island's best quality soil sites, only a few meters of a fine sandy loam can be found (Putnam 1947).  This particularly alkaline soil is not suitable for many of the more common species of Canadian Shield vegetation and consequently a number of the plants adapted to survive within the island's biosphere, such as the Manitoulin Hawberry and the Gold Thistle, are particularly unique to the region and may even be considered rare world-wide (Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources 1999).  As such, it is not surprising that the fauna that has adapted to the survive on the island also includes a variety of unique and rare species, including several types of rare birds and butterflies.             Geographically, Manitoulin Island exists in relative isolation, with only a single provincial highway – Hwy 6 - providing automobile access to the northeastern shore, a seasonal ferry running between the town of South Baymouth on the southeastern shore and the northern tip of the mainland Bruce Peninsula, a few marinas, and two local airports available to small private aircraft.  As a result of these minimal transportation links, the island has not yet experienced considerable permanent development.   Existing development on the island today consists of the few local communities, sporadic agricultural facilities, six native reservations and the basic island-wide road network.  In 2001 the total reported permanent population was roughly 12,600 individuals, although strong seasonal tourist flows cause significant population increases during the summer months.  Literature suggests that the island has long been considered a popular recreational destination for boating and outdoor enthusiasts (Putnam, 1947) and tourism remains a significant contributor to the island's economy, in addition to local agricultural activities and small business and manufacturing ventures.  Given the role that the tourism industry plays on this island along with the existing potential for growth in this sector, Manitoulin is likely to be increasingly affected by the impacts associated with tourism development experienced in other Canadian Regions (Ethos Environmental Inc., 1998).  For this reason, conservation opportunities to protect the island's unique limestone Alvar biosphere sites, will be most pressing in the very near future, before development intensifies through attempts to capitalize on tourism.             The Alvar land cover features found on Manitoulin island are generally located within a relatively short distance of the shores of Lake Huron and are, for the most part, aggregated towards the northern and western areas of the island.  A number of Alvar sites found on Manitoulin island have been studied and cataloged by Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources ( MNR NHIC, 2007) and various non-governmental conservation agencies.  These sites are depicted in Figure 2-2.  Because the Alvar land cover is relatively barren and requires little manual clearing, some Alvar sites have experenced disturbance as a result of new development.  One instance of this is the Foxy - Gore Bay Airport- Rozel's Alvar Complex in the north central area of the island, which has been developed to include landing strips and airport infrastructure near the town of Gore Bay.  As a result of human activities such as this, some Alvar sites have become degraded, however, many sites in more remote portions of the island remain relatively untouched.