rare Cliffs and Alvars

Burr Oak Native to North America Slow growing Found outside the forest canopy along waterways Drought resistant due to long tap root

Osprey Nest Birds of Prey like Eagles and Osprey come to the confluence (joining) of the Speed and Grand Rivers in Blair to feed on fish The use of pesticides like DDT severely reduced the populations of Eagles and Osprey in the area as the fish they consumed were contaminated with toxins (bioaccumulation) Nesting sites have been constructed to encourage population growth Certain trail sections have been closed during mating times as another population protection measure

Alvars A sparsely vegetated area based on a limestone plain with thin or no soil Lichen, mosses, snails, butterflies and many bird species are common in Alvars This Alvar is part of a Grand River floodplain that floods every spring in some amount Water also flows from higher ground (ie. Indian Woods, Newman Creek, Cruikston Creek, Bowman Creek) over the alvar and into the Grand River

Grand River Watershed The Grand River is approximately 300km’s long Managed by the GRCA (Grand River Conservation Authority) There are 290 000 cows in the Grand River Watershed… their manure is equivalent to that of 5 000 000 people! Which means in some areas of the river the levels of E. Coli bacteria are excessively high 93% of the land in the watershed is Agricultural/Rural There are 29 sewage treatment plants along the Grand River serving 700 000 people Before there were one-day-a-week restrictions, lawn watering accounted for 5 Billion Litres of water per year!

Wildlife -There are 80 fish species in the Grand River -These account for 58% of all the fish species in Canada -Species at Risk such as Trumpeter Swans and Bald Eagles have been spotted along the river

Forest and Cliffs -The trees in the forest along the river are not as old as those in the Indian woods -The forest is not as complex, there are less plant species along the forest floor, therefore reducing habitat -A large amount of water moves through this forest along the limestone cliffs and through creeks… very damp -Lots of moss can be found in the forest -Several tree species: ash, black cherry, hackberry, sugar and black maple, cedar

Limestone Cliff and Moss – Up close

Galt Country Club -Golf Course is located along the Grand River in Preston -The GRCA encourages developments like the golf course to have “buffer zones” along the edges between the river and the greens (or whatever the development might be) -Buffer Zones will protect water quality by preventing erosion of soil/sediment into the river as well as help to filter run-off from the land

What is the difference between a Swamp and a Marsh? Question: What is the difference between a Swamp and a Marsh? A swamp is a wetland featuring temporary or permanent inundation of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a substantial number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation.[2] The two main types of swamp are "true" or and "transitional" or shrub swamps. The water of a swamp may be fresh water, brackish water or seawater. By contrast, a marsh in North America is a wetland without woody vegetation, or elsewhere, a wetland without woody vegetation which is shallower and has less open water surface than a swamp. A mire (or quagmire) is a low-lying wetland of deep, soft soil or mud that sinks underfoot with large algae covering the water's surface.