8132 - NPCA SNF Watershed Report.indd - Niagara Peninsula ...

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2004 include an increase of 278 hectares of forest cover, 22kilometres of riparian habitat was re-established, and nearly 8hectares of wetlands were restored. In addition, approximately70 barriers to fish movement of the 200 identified in theAOC were removed; the cleanup of contaminated sediments(‘reefs’) in the Lower Welland River at the Atlas Steels site andthe review and assessment of contaminated sites in the AOCresulting in the identification of Lyons Creek East and Westsite for remediation (Cromie Personal Communication NPCA2007).Although numerous projects and goals have been achieved,projects under the Niagara River RAP are still being carried outand a ten-year review of the RAP Stage 2 Report(1995) was initiated by the lead RAP agencies in 2004. Fromthis review, the status of the beneficial use impairmentsfor the AOC has been updated; new delisting criteria andRAP Recommendations have been developed; and theimplementation frameworks for the new RAP work plan andmonitoring and assessment plan are presently being developed.The Stage 2 Update report is currently being drafted andidentifies priorities for remediation towards delisting the AOC(Cromie Personal Communication NPCA 2007).Natural Heritage ResourcesThe percentage of upland forest cover, wetlands, and riparianhabitat in the South Niagara Falls watershed are recorded inTable 1. These figures will be assessed based on the guidelinesset by Environment Canada (2004c) as part of the restorationstrategies in the watershed plan.All of the natural heritage areas including wetlands, woodlots,Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest and EnvironmentallySensitive/Significant areas are illustrated on Figure 9 and10 respectively, and described below. This information wascompiled as a joint initiative by the Ministry of NaturalResources, Regional Municipality of Niagara, and the NiagaraPeninsula Conservation Authority. Currently the NiagaraPeninsula Conservation Authority is undergoing a NaturalHeritage Areas Inventory and the following information will beupdated to reflect the projects findings.Life Science Areas of Natural andScientific InterestNavy Island Life Science ANSINavy Island is located 5 kilometres upstream from NiagaraFalls in the Niagara River. Measuring 171 hectares, this LifeScience ANSI has been designated provincially significantbecause it presents a good example of oak dominated clay plainforests typical of the Niagara Slough Clay Plain, it is the onlyexample of the restricted riparian features of the upper NiagaraRiver Valley in the region, and it is representative of old growthforest. The extensive wet basin located on Navy Island supportsintermediate aged deciduous forests of pin oak, shagbarkhickory, red ash, and white elm. Local swamp basins of silvermaple forests, dogwood, and speckled alder can also be foundon the Island. The broad clay plain section consists of wet mesicforests of swamp white oak, red ash, shagbark hickory andspicebush. The riverbank contains zones of red oak, white oak,shagbark hickory and black walnut. Old fields have been plantedin the formerly cultivated openings on the island, and the rivershore communities consist of narrow zones of scrubland andmarsh-meadow (MNR 2002).Lyons Creek Floodplain and Wetlands ANSIThe Lyons Creek Floodplain and Wetlands ANSI is a contiguous79 hectare site along Lyons Creek. This site is provinciallysignificant because it presents the best interior wetlandcommunity development recorded for an incised meanderstream basin in the area, and the expression of the meanderstream landforms is very diverse in the vicinity of the area(Macdonald 1980). This ANSI site is characterized by a relativelylarge, diverse wetland swamp scrub and marsh complex locatedin the flooded basin of an incised meander stream basin. Manyof the wetland communities developed following the inundationof the basin during road construction. For example, wetlandcommunities of submergent aquatic meadows; wet meadowsof sedges; marshes of cattail; scrub swamps of buttonbush,meadowsweet, dogwood and willow; swamp forest groves ofgreen ash, silver maple, white willow, as well as other species;and embankment slope grove fringes of red oak and maple arelocated at the site (MNR 2002).Willoughby Clay Plain Muck Basin Forestand Marsh ANSIThe Willoughby Clay Plan Muck Basin Forest and MarshANSI measures 228 hectares and consists of a small organicbasin, which is part of Ussher’s Creek. In addition, the areais characterized by a gently rolling, slough patterned heavyclay plain that supports an extensive forest complex in theeastern section of the Niagara Peninsula. The southern halfof this ANSI is located primarily in the Willoughby MarshConservation Area. This portion of the site is characterized bya series of broad wet basins that support a variety of swampforest, scrub and marsh communities. The swamp forests aredominated by very wet willow-ash or by wet silver maple-whiteelm-swamp white oak. The scrublands are primarily comprisedof meadowsweet, arrow wood, elderberry and willow. Adjacentto these basins and extending elsewhere through the site aregently rolling heavy clay plains that contain well developedslough pond landforms and associated community patterns, aswell as a series of clay plain maple-oak forests dominated byred maple, red oak, pin oak, and shagbark hickory (Johnson2005; MNR 2002).Table 1: natural heritage resourcesNATURAL HERITAGE RESOURCE CURRENT % GUIDELINE (MINIMUM)UPLAND FORESTS 26 30WETLANDS 20 10RIPARIAN HABITAT 51 7514
WetlandsThe Ontario Wetland Evaluation System (OWES) is a sciencebasedranking system used by the Ministry of Natural Resourcesto assess wetland functions and societal values. Wetlands areevaluated and assigned a status as “provincially significant”or “locally significant” The Ministry of Natural Resourcesis currently revising the boundaries of existing wetlandsand identifying new wetlands in the Central Welland Riverwatershed. This information will be updated and mapped in theCentral Welland River Watershed Plan as it becomes available.The following wetlands have been designated as ProvinciallySignificant Wetlands in the South Niagara Falls watershed:The Grassy Brook Wetland Complex is a provinciallysignificant wetland complex, made up of two individualwetlands consisting of 77.2 percent swamp and 22.8 percentmarsh. On this 7.9 hectare complex, numerous wetland plantcommunities have been identified by Kwicinski et al. (1988a).Some of these communities include submerged plants suchas coontail and water milfoil; narrow-leaved emergents suchas grasses and sedges; floating plants such as yellow waterlily; herbs such as monkey flower and smartweed; ferns; tallshrubs such as blueberry, black elderberry and buttonbush; anddeciduous trees such as red ash, pin oak, red oak and black gumare found at this wetland complex.The Tee Creek Wetland is 15.8 hectares of provinciallysignificant wetland. This single contiguous wetland comprisesof 53.5 percent swamp and 46.5 percent marsh. Kwicinski andLittleton (1988b) have noted various vegetation communities.For instance, submerged plants such as milfoil and coontail;free-floating plants such as duckweed; emergents such aspickerel-weed and grasses; shrubs such as buttonbush anddogwood; and deciduous such as American elm, black ash andwhite ash have been identified at this site.The Willoughby Marsh Wetland is a provinciallysignificant wetland that straddles the subwatershed boundariesof Tee, Lyons and Usshers Creeks. Portions of this system havealso been designated Willoughby Marsh EnvironmentallySensitive Area and Willoughby Clay Plain Muck BasinForest as previously described. This 592 hectare wetlandis primarily owned by the Niagara Peninsula ConservationAuthority. Adjacent landuse consists of agricultural fields andsuccessional meadows. Maple, Beech and Oak are the dominantspecies; however several other species are present such asBlack and Peach-leaf Willow, Speckled Alder and DomesticApple. The successional areas and ground cover is very dense(Brady 1980).Identified Old GrowthThe Ministry of Natural Resources characterizes an old growthecosystem “by the presence of old trees and their associatedplants, animals, and ecological processes. They show little orno evidence of human disturbance (MNR 1994).” During an oldgrowth forest survey conducted by the Bert Miller Nature Clubduring 2002 and 2003, the definition of an old growth forestused for purposes of their field work was ““a natural communitythat has been continuously forested since before EuropeanSettlement, and that forest’s canopy must be dominated by treeswith ages of 150 years or older. Most old-growth forests have 8or more trees per acre that are 150 years old or greater (BertMiller Nature Club 2003)”.In the South Niagara Falls Watershed, one old growth foresthas been identified during field surveys conducted by theBert Miller Nature Club; the Bowmans Archery Club Black GumWoods. This forest is unique because is contains ultra-ancientblack-gum trees that range in age up to 450 years old, possiblyolder. This site also has white oaks and swamp oaks rangingfrom 160 to 210 years old as well as red maples over 130 yearsold, making this the oldest population of broadleaf trees knownon the Niagara Peninsula (Bert Miller Nature Club 2003).The Black Creek Wetland is a provincially significantcoastal wetland composed of 47.5 percent swamp and 52.5percent marsh (Littleton and Berains 1986). Only a smallportion of this fragmented wetland complex occupies BayersCreek subwatershed, the remainder is in the Black Creeksubwatershed. Numerous wetland communities have beenidentified by Littleton and Berains (1986). Some of thesecommunities include emergents such as blueflag, cattail, grassesand sedges; ground cover consists of mixed herbs; low shrubssuch as dogwood and buttonbush are present; tall shrubs suchas hawthorn; and deciduous such as Red Ash, Basswood andWhite Oak.The Lyons Creek Floodplain Wetlands is a provinciallysignificant wetland. It extends from the Welland Canal tothe mouth of Lyons Creek at Welland River. A portion of thissystem has also been designated Lyons Creek Floodplain andWetlands ANSI as previously described. Several rare specieshave been documented in this significant wetland by variousorganizations. In addition, threatened species and species ofspecial concern as designated under the Committee on theStatus of Endangered Species in Canada (COSEWIC) have beendocumented in the Lyons Creek Floodplain Wetlands. Adjacentlanduse consists of agricultural and abandoned fields andseveral roads crossing the wetland, including the QEW.15
Page 10 and 11: Watershed ObjectivesEach watershed
Page 12 and 13: Figure 3: TopogRaphy6
Page 14: Figure 5: Geology8
Page 17 and 18: Town of Fort Erie. Some sections of
Page 19: Figure 8: Niagara River Area of Con
Page 23 and 24: The following descriptions of the r
Page 25 and 26: The Old Lincoln Street Woodlot is a
Page 27 and 28: Aquatic HabitatFish Community Studi
Page 29 and 30: Table 2: FISH SPECIES IN THE SOUTH
Page 31 and 32: Figure 13: MUNICIPAL DRAINS25
Page 33 and 34: Figure 14: WATER QUALITY AND POTENT
Page 35 and 36: Groundwater ResourcesA Groundwater
Page 37 and 38: Niagara Falls watershed, the roads
Page 39 and 40: Municipal Drain MaintenanceSeveral
Page 42 and 43: Water Quality Best Management Pract
Page 44 and 45: and site alteration shall not be pe
Page 46 and 47: table 6: provincially rare species
Page 48 and 49: Figure 16: natural heritage system
Page 50 and 51: Figure 18: wetland suitability mapp
Page 52: Grassy Brook Restoration StrategyGr
Page 55 and 56: table 7: Grassy brook subwatershed
Page 57 and 58: Hunters Drain Restoration StrategyH
Page 59 and 60: table 8: hunters drain subwatershed
Page 61 and 62: Tee Creek Restoration StrategyThe m
Page 63 and 64: table 9: tee creek subwatershed res
Page 69 and 70: Lyons Creek Restoration StrategyThe
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Table 10: Lyons Creek Subwatershed
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Table 11: Usshers Creek Subwatershe
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portion of the subwatershed, and a
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Table 12: Bayers Creek Subwatershed
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Table 12: Bayers Creek Subwatershed
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Table 13: Niagara River 9 Subwaters
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Table 13: Niagara River 9 Subwaters
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WATERSHED PLANOBJECTIVESWATER RESOU
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WATERSHED PLANOBJECTIVESNATURAL HER
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The recommended actions have also b
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Environment Canada. 2004b. Best Man
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GlossaryArea of Concern: An area is
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South Niagara FallsAPPENDICES
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Land Management Issues and Concerns
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BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND RESTO
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Scoring Descriptions for Stream Vis
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APPENDIX bINSECT/INVERTEBRATE HABIT
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APPENDIX bSuspected Causes ofObserv
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BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES MENUAPPEN
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APPENDIX DSOUTH NIAGARA FALLS WETLA
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APPENDIX ESPECIES REFERENCE LISTSCI
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APPENDIX F
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APPENDIX FHABITAT: WETLANDCRITERIA:
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APPENDIX F
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APPENDIX F
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APPENDIX F
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APPENDIX F
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8132 - NPCA SNF Watershed Report.indd - Niagara Peninsula ...

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