Lake Erie North Shore Watershed Plan - Niagara Peninsula ...

LAKE ERIE NORTH SHORE WATERSHED PLAN
The Emerson Road Woodlot/ Lowbanks Backshore Provincially Significant
Wetland Complex is over 32 hectares of provincially significant wetland made up of 85
individual wetland pockets. These pockets are composed 7.2 percent swamp and 28
percent marsh (Thomas and Knoll 1986). Thomas and Knoll (1986) have noted
numerous vegetation communities including for example; robust emergents such as
cattails and bulrush; broad-leaved emergents such as water plantain; low shrubs such
as swamp rose, dogwood, and winterberry; and deciduous trees such as red maple,
swamp white oak and white elm.
Only a small portion of The Burnaby Wainfleet Airport Wetlands has been designated
as a provincially significant wetland. This area has not undergone a complete evaluation
to date, so it is possible that in the future as the evaluation is complete a larger tract of
land will be given a designation of provincially significant.
The Cement Plant Road Quarry is a provincially significant wetland composed of 8
percent swamp and 92 percent marsh (Kwicinski and Littleton 1989). Numerous wetland
communities have been identified by Kwicinski and Littleton (1989) including
submergents such as water milfoil; low shrubs such as dogwood and poplar; and tall
shrubs such as willow.
The Nickel Beach Marsh and Woodlot is 47 hectares of provincially significant wetland
and woodlot. This area is a continuation of the Lake Erie shoreline dune complex. The
area behind the dunes is flat and relatively dry except in the western section. The soils
vary from Eastport Sand on the dunes to Muck and Jeddo clay in the areas behind the
dunes (Brady 1980). Vegetation has been noted as mature and numerous species
identified including for example, trembling and largetooth aspen; black and peachleaf
willow; butternut walnut; and Allegheny serviceberry (Brady 1980).
The Beaver Dam Creek Wetland Complex is a provincially significant wetland complex
composed of 6 individual wetlands totalling 136 hectares. This wetland complex is
located behind the Lake Erie Sand Dunes and is in part an organic backshore basin.
Several terrestrial linkages are present such as hedgerows, abandoned agricultural
fields and meadows. Other important linkages include Lake Erie to the south and
Humberstone Marsh to the north (MNR 2009b).
The Point Abino Wetland Complex is a provincially significant coastal wetland complex
comprised of three individual wetlands consisting of 97 percent swamp and 3 percent
marsh (Moraal and Smith 1984a). Numerous wetland vegetation communities have
been noted by Moraal and Smith (1984a), including for example, robust emergents such
as cattails; free-floating plants such as duckweed; tall shrubs such as dogwood; and
deciduous trees such as maple, ash and willow.
The Humberstone Marsh is 381 hectares of provincially significant wetland that
straddles the borders of the Black Creek and Beaver Dam Creek subwatersheds. A
portion of this system has also been designated Humberstone Muck Basin Swamp
Forest ANSI, as previously described. According to a report done by Brady (1980) the
vegetation species composition varies in each of the sections of marsh. Brady noted that
the vegetation of the eastern section included for example, pin oak, white and red oak
and shagbark hickory; the central section consisted of trembling aspen and black cherry;
and the western section was dominated by species such as red and black maple and
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