Issues in the Forest

Landscape Management, Wildlife Habitat and Biodiversity

Something new in forest management?

No way!

This is from "Forest Operations and Silviculture Manual" prepared under the authority of the Crown Forest Sustainability Act, February 20, 1995. Ministry of Natural Resources for Ontario.

Over a decade before Victoria's Secret turned her models loose with chainsaws - in a most derogatory put-down of our forest workers and managers - this is really what was planned for our forests.

page 30 " Considerable work has been done on this subject (Landscape Management, Wildlife Habitat and Biodiversity), resulting in the recommendation of an ecosystem approach to wildlife habitat management rather than a species - by - species approach."

"The featured-species approach to habitat management is being changed to one which strives more explicitly to conserve biodiversity with methods derived from landscape ecology...to provide the vegetative mosaic required by all species in the forest."

"This approach will seek to ensure that wildlife habitat requirements of a broad range of species will be met over the long term across large areas... It will not eliminate the need for site-specific prescriptions and critical habitat elements for some species."

In 1996 the Timber Management Guidelines for the Provision of Pine Martin Habitat were completed.

"The provision of martin habitat has potential to provide habitat for other species that depend on mature and over-mature coniferous forests."

"At the forest level the pine martin guidelines suggest maintaining a minimum proportion of each conifer-dominated forest unit in older post-rotation age classes and those older forest conditions are to be maintained in patches of a minimum size.( Rotation = the planned number of years between the regeneration of a stand and its final cutting at maturity.) These areas would ideally be located beside areas of intermediate-aged stands to create "core habitat areas." Wherever possible, core habitat areas would be connected to each other by riparian reserves or unmerchantable areas etc."

"At the stand level, the guidelines speak to the retention of course woody debris (large downed trees) and snags (standing dead or dying trees) as well as live green trees which are expected to become snags later."

Resource Manuals also exist for : Bats 1984; and Woodland Caribou 1996; Furbearer Habitat etc.

By 2014 we will be seeing an Eastern Cougar Habitat Guideline...I kid you not.

Starting in about 2001 the Environment groups tried to stop all logging in Ontario because we were destroying birdnests.(Previous posts – in Blog …justnaturallyspeakingtheblog.blogspot.com- have gone over that issue) So, let’s see what the Forest Managers were doing way before that.

The Timber Management Guidelines for the Provision of Pileated Woodpecker Habitat , completed 1996.

Forest Level:

"The pileated woodpecker feeds and breeds in a range of forest conditions, but shows a preference for the mature and over-mature stages of forests dominated by tolerant hardwoods and pine."

Stand Level:

The pileated woodpecker requires dead and dying trees and downed woody debris for feeding, nesting and roosting."

Problem # 1 The Occupational Health and Safety Act requires operators to fell standing dead trees.

Problem # 2 Dying trees are removed preferentially in partial cutting systems.

Solutions:

"To address these concerns, current MNR guidelines require that living cavity trees be kept to provide habitat for primary and secondary cavity users in the tolerant hardwood and pine forests of Central Ontario. (They describe the number and dispersion and characteristics of trees to retain.)"

"Since living cavity trees may not meet all the habitat needs of the pileated woodpecker, MNR will continue to work with the Ministry of Labour to find methods to keep dead standing trees without compromising the safety of woods workers."

Resource Manuals also exist for: Osprey 1983; Forest nesting Accipiters, Buteos and Eagles 1984; Cavity nesting birds 1984; Protection of Heronries 1984; Warblers 1984; Birds of Wetlands 1985; Bald Eagle 1987; Golden Eagle 1987; Peregrine Falcon 1987; Waterfowl; Hawk Guide 1991.

Since that time these may have been upgraded and some amalgamated but I wanted to list them here , in their individual state to show that our loggers and pulp cutters weren't just going out and attacking and slaying and destroying the boreal forest and all the creatures that live there. Even the plants -

"Consideration is being given to providing direction on plant management such as protecting the habitat for uncommon species. For forest operations where ginseng is known to exist prescriptions include maintaining dense crown closure around intermittent streams and seeps, limiting the seasons of operation and minimizing the number of points at which streams and seeps are crossed."

B.Brill essay

Virgin Falls Dam

Virgin Falls

from the Nipigon Historical Museum Archives

" In 1924, a survey of the proposed damsite was completed.  In 1926, the Commission built a control dam at Virgin Falls, at the outlet of Lake Nipigon, creating the largest storage reservoir in existence at that time, with a capacity of 6,700,000 acre feet. "

"Order-in-Council dated April 25, 1930, approved construction of control dam to maintain Lake Nipigon level of 855; approved amount $486,884.26. The control dam consisted of a concrete pier and stop-log structure (nine sluices, 15 feet deep, 5 feet freeboard) across the main channel together with an additional three sluice ways located in the left bank diversion channel. Total design discharge for the structure was 10,000 cfs (cubic feet per second) at minimum lake level."

"The gravity wall section, right abutment is founded on rock with a top width of 24 inches and downstream batter of 7 and a half to 12. The gravity wall section between channels is also founded on rock, with a 12 inch top width, 7 and a half to 12 downstream batter, with the deeper sections back filled on the downstream side by rock fill ( one and a half to one slope)"

"The Pine Portage project assumed control of Lake Nipigon and all stoplogs were removed from the Virgin Falls dam. During demolition proceedings on the deck, one of the piers was demolished and the structure is no longer in an operational condition."

"Note: License of Occupation 7785 dated November 1, 1963 grants Ontario Hydro the right to occupy and maintain the damsite areas at Virgin Falls and Black Sturgeon in order to regulate the Lake Nipigon level up to  elevation 855 feet. Land involved at Virgin Falls is 5.1 acres and at Black Sturgeon 13.63 acres."

Ogoki Diversion and Nipigon River Dams

"Through a 1940 agreement with the United States, approval was given to Canada " to utilize immediately for the increase in power output at Niagara for war purposes, an additional flow of water equivalent to that which will be added to the Great Lakes as a result of diverting water from portions of the Albany Watershed..."  (HEPC, 1941). This led to the construction of the Ogoki River Diversion which sent water south into Lake Nipigon. In 1942, the Hydro Electric Power Commission promised the diversion "will increase the power resources of Southern Ontario and Quebec and improve levels of the Great Lakes for the benefit of Canada and the United States."

"The diversion increased flows into the Little Jackfish River by 113 cubic metres per second and this minor stream turned into an excavated soft, wide channel. It is estimated that 30 million cubic yards of sediment were released from the Little Jackfish River between 1943 and 1972. This resulted in 9 metres of sediment being deposited near the river mouth in Ombabika Bay, (Holmes, 1976)."

"The completion of the Pine Portage Dam in 1950 raised the water level on the Nipigon River by 31 metres, (100 feet) and flooded out almost 16 km of white water, rapids and waterfalls, including: the White Chutes, Victoria, Canal, Devil, Rabbit and Miner's Rapids. Lake Emma and Hannah were both flooded out and the whole area renamed Forgan Lake. The Pine Portage Dam raised Lake Nipigon water level by 12 cm, flooding over the Virgin Falls Dam."

"Until 1990, the dams on the river were operated by Ontario Hydro for the sole purpose of generating electricity, restricted by only their legal flooding rights. In 1990, when it was demonstrated that fluctuating water levels on the Nipigon River and excessive drawdown was killing developing Brook Trout in the spawning beds, an interim flow agreement was reached."

"In May 1991, in response to an April 1990 landslide on the Nipigon River, Ontario Hydro put further restrictions on their rate of flow reductions ensuring that flows were reduced in stages to reduce scouring of the river banks, (Atria, 1993)"

"By 1994, a long-term Nipigon River Water Management Strategy was developed. From this strategy, an Operating Plan to guide the day to day dam operations was released to the public in 2001."

Taken from: Water Resources, Limnology and Power Generation on the Lake Nipigon Basin, The Nipigon River and the Black Sturgeon River System, R. Swainson, 2001 (in preparation) OMNR

Used by The Lake Nipigon Signature Site  background document June 2001.

In 1920 Cameron Falls Dam raised 23 metres of water to eliminate the Narrows, Lake Jesse was backed up over  Lake Maria and Split Rapids and created a pond 19 km long up to White Chutes.

Alexander Dam in 1930 raised the river 18.5 metres and eliminated 2.5 km of waterfalls and rapids up to Cameron Falls.

So, when the HEPC made a statement in 1927 to"... enable the total flow of the Nipigon River to be utilized for power development as the land requires it." ...they were quite prophetic.

Total fall of river = 77 m

Total fall developed = 72.5 m

Total fall not developed = 4.5 m

Blackflies

Controlling Black Flies 1948 - mid 1960's

A major pest for the people living at Cameron Falls was the Black Fly. A Black Fly control program consisted of dripping D.D.T. directly into any creek within 8 km (5 miles) of the community. This was done twice a week during the Black Fly season. Small creeks had one station, larger ones had more: eg. Frazer Creek had three stations in order to get a specific concentration of D.D.T. in the water.

In the late 50's and early 60's aerial spraying (probably D.D.T.) was conducted near the Cameron Falls Colony.

H.E.P.C. (Hydro Electric Power Commission) was reported (1967) to be evaluating the use of organo-phosphorous compounds as an alternative larvicide - but no evidence has been found that they ever used it on the Nipigon.

Personal reminiscence of Mr N.: (2006 N.H.M.)

"I played Broomball and Baseball for the Cameron Falls Rebels, and I played for them for quite a few years, which was made up of a combination of Nipigon people and people who worked for Hydro. I played in Cameron Falls a lot and I remember the flies were really bad and in those days the thing was to spray the mosquitoes. They had these "foggers" which they used in the Colony so we used to get one of our guys to go and get the fogger from Hydro. In between, when the flies got really bad, they would go out into the field and there would be a fog hanging over us all. It was made up of D.D.T....and all our kids used to run in behind the fogging machine as little toddlers."

What Men Did For a Living

Mr. N. continued:

"So for the Hydro Forestry crew, our job was to basically run around and cut down any dangerous trees along the way from Terrace Bay to Dorion, all the rural and high-tension lines. I've walked all along those lines."

"In the summertime we sprayed 2-4-D on the lines - that was our job - and then 2-4-5-T which is all banned. Those are sprays that they are suing for now in the camps in Nova Scotia through the military where they sprayed."

"In the summer when we sprayed it was hot. We had a swamp buggy with a trailer which had booms on each side. K. would be on one end and I would be on the other end and we sprayed in the air and would be soaked from sweat because it was so hot outside. They had defoliants in them like the ones they used in the Vietnamese war and that was the same thing."

"At lunchtime the flies were bad. We always carried a can of D.D.T. and would spray it all around so the flies didn't bug us."

"Now there are a lot of suits going around and I got  a letter last fall from Hydro inquiring whether or not I had any side effects from the spray."

"I can actually say I'm fine!"

Black Fly Control from page 23  Nipigon Bay RAP Technical Report Series, The Nipigon River: A Retrospective Summary of Information about the Fish Community, North Shore of Lake Superior Remedial Action Plans  A Report to:OMNR, Nipigon District Division of Fish and Wildlife  prepared by Mary Ellen MacCallum March 1989

Unless It Is Cherished...

"Unless it is cherished, the glory of the Nipigon may fade and the story of its marvelous attractions may become a tradition of the past"

This cry of alarm came from an American Fisherman named McDonough in 1888.

Yet, if you check out PEW's "Forest of Blue" document  wherein they discovered all our wonderful water in the Canadian Boreal Forest, you will see they have relegated Lake Nipigon to a reservoir and our river barely discernible!!

Our Living Heritage, the Glory of the Nipigon, the book, shows how that call was and still is being answered.

The Nipigon Bay Remedial Action Plan Public Advisory Committee had this book put together by John M. Kelso and James W. Demers in 1993. It shows that throughout the past century ..."there was ample evidence that the glory of the Nipigon and its abundant life were cherished by those who lived near her, those who put the great river to the service of man and those who found her sporting charms irresistible."

" This is a success story. The story of a people, of industry, of science, of government who have answered the call to be guardians of one of the world's richest treasures. It tells of our first people, reflects the birth and growth of a nation, and offers the world a model of man and nature serving and affecting on another."

And PEW calls us a reservoir!

We have three power dams on the Nipigon River. They do use the water from Lake Nipigon. The Ogoki Diversion dam sends water to Lake Nipigon that would have gone to Hudson's Bay. 

The Nipigon River System

"The Nipigon River drains Lake Nipigon, with its large tertiary watershed; 32,129 square kilometres of land and water surface including the Ogoki Diversion." (1943).

" The River flows south for about 51 kilometres (32 miles) from Lake Nipigon to Lake Superior, through a gorge that follows a geological fault. Along its course the river drops 75 meters (250 feet) in elevation, cutting through Precambrian red sandstones, with their flat caps of volcanic diabase, in its precipitous descent."

"At one time falls and rapids punctuated 16 kilometres (10 miles) of its route. The river is now characterized by lakes that alternate with turbulent stretches. The largest of the lakes, Lake Helen, differs in that it is not formed (or re-formed) by a dam. The river flows through only the southern corner of the lake, which extends northward as a cul-de-sac."

'The Nipigon River is the largest tributary, in terms of discharge, of Lake Superior. Along with the lake's other major tributaries, the shallow near-shore areas, which in this case are in Nipigon Bay, and the mouth of the river play important roles in the lake's ecosystem. These areas are biologically productive, support a different complex of species than the deeper, colder waters of the open lake, provide important sources of nutrients, and are essential nursery and spawning habitat for a range of fish species. "

"The river has been noted for its abundant fishing as far back as we can trace. This abundance is more properly attributed to seasonal concentrations of spawning or migrating fish than to the intrinsic productivity of the river. The number of species that made up the early (pre-1890) fish communities of the Nipigon River would have been fewer than today, and they would have been determined by two major factors: post-glacial colonization and habitat suitability."

"Descriptions from the late 1800's focus on brook trout and their favourite food, the cockatouch (commonly called sculpins today); they also refer to lake trout, whitefish, and northern pike in all the major sections of the river" - Hewitt, E.R.  1948  A trout and salmon fisherman for seventy-five years. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York , 33pp

"By 1902 walleye (or pickerel) and suckers, in addition to northern pike were being removed as nuisance fish." - Fourth Annual Report of the Fisheries Branch of the Province of Ontario for 1902

"Other species are known to have occurred in the system below Alexander Falls. These include burbot and lake sturgeon, which were common in Steamboat Bay (Lake Helen) until the 1920's and tullibee and "blue pickerel" (probably sauger)." - Wilson, L. 1991  Nipigon Walleye Historical Review.

• 1930 Walleye = the most abundant fish on the river
• 1950 Local residents report excellent walleye fishing
• 1956 Thousands of walleye noted in the lower Nipigon during May; 1000 tagged
• 1957 Estimated walleye population in the Nipigon River spring spawning run to be 22,000 individuals; fall estimate in Nipigon Bay was 41,000.
• 1958 During 1955 - 1958, 2200 walleye were tagged with 397 recaptured indicating the possible migration routes and spawning locations.
• 1959 Walleye were common but not abundant enough to provide numbers for tagging.
• 1961 Walleye were scarce on the Nipigon River spawning grounds.
• 1965 Crash of Black Bay Walleye population.
• 1975 Compared with peak years the commercial walleye catch in Lake Superior is down 88 -100% (Schneider and Leach, 1977)
• 1978 An attempt to re-introduce walleye began with the deposition of walleye eggs into the Jackfish River.
• 1984 Commercial fishing of walleye was closed in Nipigon Bay.
• 1986 Adult walleye stocking program began in Nipigon Bay.
• 1989 The Nipigon Bay, the Nipigon River, and the Jackfish River were closed to walleye angling year round to assist rehabilitation efforts.

Adapted from A Chronological Review of the Stresses Affecting the Fisheries in Nipigon Bay, Lake Superior: Wilson 1991

That was the timeline of Hate turning to Love.

Today , 2012, the Nipigon Bay RAP,PAC is busy rehabilitating spawning grounds threatened by fluctuating water levels  and putting the meander back in some streams straightened by the CPR and or CNR.

B. Brill, 2012 essay

PIC continued

Road Map

Ontario, Nipigon to Marathon portion along Lake Superior and north to Nakina.

 

 

Showing Heron Bay and the Pic River.

Blue circle is destination of Mckirdy crew.

 

 

Jack Mckirdy as a young man.

 

Jack McKirdy's buddy Joe Salt

 

Jack 's father William McKirdy in front of their store in Nipigon.

 

McKirdy on the Pic, 1910

Freighting Supplies up the Pic River 1910

William McKirdy (of Nipigon)  contract with Canadian Northern Railway

John G. (Jack) McKirdy made notes before taping stories for his three grand children in England between 1969 and 1971.  Also involved were exchanges with his two grand daughters in Edmonton.  The notes were transcribed and edited by his son, John G. M. McKirdy.

When I was quite young, your great grandad [William McKirdy] took a contract to supply and deliver four tons of provisions for the engineers locating the Canadian Northern Ry. North line east of Nakina.  This was to be an exciting job for me.  I figured I was an experienced canoe-man.  My faithful Joe Salt, “Sheeptogan”, was in charge of the party with Paul Cameron, my canoe partner and myself.

This was an exciting job for me.

While I thought I was an experienced canoe-man by this time, it was on this trip that I graduated.

[Dad (Jack) would have been 19. JGMM]

Dad [William] figured out the supplies for the delivery crew on the trip, with instructions we were not to touch any of the contracted supplies.  The supplies, eleven Indians, and myself with six canoes, three birch bark canoes and three all wooden chestnut canoes, canvas came later, landed at Heron Bay on the C.P.Ry. the 30^th of September, 1910.  The supplies were to be cached at Pagwachawan Lake, at least 400 miles [643km] from Heron Bay. [Very windy river, less than 300 km as the crow flies.]

Starting up the Pic River, we knew there were 26 portages. The supplies had to be packed on our backs with head-straps [tump lines] . The average load was 250 pounds.[ 113 kilograms] The head-strap was about 12 feet long, [3.65 meters], widened to three inches [7.62 cm] at the middle. It was placed over the top of your head with the load on your back. At one level portage, about an eighth of a mile long , the crew started a competition. One Indian would take 400 pounds, the next  500 , then Sheeptogan, Joe Salt,  the main Indian Boss on the trip, loaded six, 100 pound bags of flour, two tied to the strap the other four piled on top. I followed him with the same load of 600 pounds.  When I dropped the load at the end of the portage I thought I was going to float up into the air. We held the record. That is the most I have ever carried on my back.  You have to practice and build yourself up to carry a load like that.

[ 400 pounds = 181 kilograms; 500 pounds = 226 kgs; 100 pounds = 45kgs; 600 pounds = 272kgs]

On the road a week and we were out of sugar, syrup, jam etc..  It was a tough deal packing sugar and not being able to use it.

On Cranberry Portage Jerry Morriseau and I were packing a heavy freight canoe when I kicked a can, it was rusty but wasn’t empty.  We let the canoe down, it was a five pound can of corn syrup.  Jerry and I sat there, cleaned up on it and not a word to the rest of the crew.

Near the end of the trip, in the canoe ahead of Paul and I, Joe Salt called a muskrat that was on the bank. He swam over to the canoe. Joe conked him with a pole.  In that stretch of fast water we all used poles instead of paddles.  By the time we camped that night, Joe had picked up nine muskrats, for cooking as a stew in a couple of our big pails.  The muskrat, “bouwal”, that night was beyond description. Joe and some of the others could turn out food fit for kings.

The final portage was six miles long over the height of land and it took three days to pack the supplies into Pagwatchewan Lake.  Twelve days out we landed at the lake, spent two days to build a log building to store the supplies to keep them dry and so animals could not get at the supplies.

[On the current, 2017, road map the lake is spelled Pagwachuan.]

 The last night on Pagwatchewan Lake , ‘Wazogo’, Michael Daba, shot a couple loons.  This called for a celebration. After supper, the loons were cut up, adding lake trout, salt pork, white beans, rice, dried potatoes and onion, then boiled in our biggest pail for two or three hours as a stew, “anabobecon”. I caught the lake trout, they were so plentiful I caught one on every cast. We sat around and one at a time they told stories,  all in Indian.  Finally the pail came off the fire, then each of us with a cup, drank the broth, ate the fish, then the loon.  Loon is about the toughest bird that flies, but they consider the loon to be a real treat.  It is tough and you can chew it like chewing gum. The best of the party was the stories they told,  their experiences with animals and trapping and travelling.  The loon was tough, alright, but I never will forget that party.  My recipe for loon would be to place the loon in a pot with a rock and when the rock can be pierced with a fork you know the loon is cooked and ready to eat.

At all of these portages there were rapids, on the way back we ran some of them with the canoes.  It was late in the fall when we made this trip and on the way back there were small lakes where we had to go through that were covered with ice.  We broke the ice with a heavy  poplar pole.  With the delay, we ran out of food for three days.  We lived on a fish diet and an odd partridge, but I had cached five pounds of flour in the bottom of my packsack.  We had this, with a rabbit I snared the last night before we landed at Heron Bay.  One of the canoes with Joe Salt went on to Heron Bay, travelled almost all night and when the rest of us reached the bridge the next day, a real meal was all set out for us as we came in.  We loaded everything on the train, landing in Nipigon early in the morning.  Mother had breakfast all ready and I ate everything that she had cooked.

Revised by John G.M. McKirdy  to Oct. 2016.