Activities
Habitat Stewardship
Recognizing the necessity of preserving habitats which support rare,
endangered or uncommon life forms, Alderville First Nation has initiated
projects with The Species at Risk Program of Environment Canada
to ensure that its Black Oak savanna/prairie is maintained in the
best condition possible. With our other partners, we are removing
invasive alien weeds and promoting prairie and savanna plants. We
plan to restore the scars of gravel pits left from earlier times
and to reseed them with appropriate plants. An abandoned vehicle
wrecking yard has been cleaned up and the junk removed. That area
is already returning to prairie vegetation. We are collecting seeds
from existing native plants on the site and using them to help restore
these areas as well as reclaiming former agricultural lands within
the site.
Our restoration and management plan focuses on the next ten years,
wherein we will be monitoring the hoped for improvements in the
quality and appearance of our site. Prescribed burns, weeding and
reseeding will help us in this process. We have erected 14 bluebird
nesting boxes which are now being used by this formerly uncommon
species. We are clearing brush from areas that have become overgrown
and are seeing a dramatic return of savanna species in them and
we are identifying and recording every species we observe in the
site. We are also purchasing adjacent Savanna/Prairie lands within
Alderville First Nation’s boundaries and offering them protection
and management.
We are encouraged that our partners support our efforts with funds
and expertise. We are grateful to the many volunteers from the Willow
Beach Field Naturalists, The Federation of Ontario Naturalists,
The Nature Legacy Foundation, Tallgrass Ontario, The Nature Conservancy
of Canada and our community who assist our efforts. Without their
enthusiastic participation our task would be daunting.
We feel such commitments to preservation will go far in making an
already special place that much more remarkable. We hope that the
results of our efforts will stand among the best demonstrations
of sound and sustainable land use practises. We invite your participation.
Species at
Risk
The Alderville Black Oak Savanna/Prairie counts among its inhabitants
several provincially rare or uncommon species of plants, including
Prairie Buttercup, Bicknell’s Frostweed, Sharp-leaved Goldenrod,
and Long-stalked and White-haired Panic Grasses. Many more are just
as special. We are currently developing an inventory of savanna-dependant
species which historically were found here. Among them would be
included Red-headed Woodpeckers, Eastern Loggerhead Shrikes, Eastern
Hognose Snakes and Upland Plovers. They may once again return to
our site in the future.
The Karner
Blue Butterfly
The Karner Blue Butterfly is a species found only in oak/pine savannas
in North America. It depends exclusively on Perennial Blue Lupines
as its larval food source. The Karner Blue butterfly has been extirpated
from Canada since 1989 due to a disappearance of its habitat. The
butterfly, however, still exists in the United States. Alderville
First Nation is attempting to create habitat for this species within
its savanna by planting blue lupines and ensuring that adequate
nectar sources are present for the adult butterflies. If we are
successful, we will become partners in its reintroduction to Canada
from the United States through an innovative program of captive
rearing by the Metro Toronto Zoo which will distribute the species
to suitable sites within Canada.
To this end, for the last two years, we have been collecting seed
from remnant populations remaining in the Rice Lake Plains area
and rearing them in plug trays. To date we have planted out 4,000
blue lupine plugs in our savanna and are monitoring their growth
and development.
Visitors to our site may have the absolute delight of seeing Karner
Blue butterflies in the wild once again.
Trail Construction
Recognizing the necessity for reaching the various habitats for
study through trail construction, we soon came to realize the value
of an accessible site as a teaching resource for school students
and nature enthusiasts. To this end we have constructed over three
kilometers of cleared and maintained trails in the various habitats
found within the site. We now have two portable, maintained washrooms
to serve our visitors, staff and community members.
Registered guests and community residents may now visit all four
of the habitats and associated flora and fauna found within the
site via these trails. They include: savanna, prairie, old fields
and woodlands. The companion publication “To Know This Place”
is an excellent and informative guide to these walking trails.
Recreation
Every community needs natural spaces for recreation, contemplation,
study and exercise. A place where body and soul are nourished. Alderville
First Nation’s establishment of the Black Oak Savanna/ Tallgrass
Prairie as a cultural and heritage preserve invites such enjoyment
by people. We feel that appropriate activities within the site include
non-motorized travel. The trails we have constructed are excellent
for walking, birdwatching, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing
and will afford every kind of opportunity to experience the rich,
natural wealth of this preserve. We encourage this and offer guided
tours of the area for those who would like to make their stroll
an informative one.
|
