Winter Fun at Island Lake
Sharing hot chocolate with friends in a warm ice fishing hut waiting for your next catch, or a lively ski around a wintery woodland, or the sight of a ruffed grouse exploding out of the snow in front of you?....more

Animal Adaptations to Winter
For many residents of the Credit River Watershed, winter is a time of short days and long cold nights. How do our resident wildlife cope with winter?....more

Lorraine Symmes, Pat Mullin, Leslie Adams

That’s right, there is no reason to curb your outdoor enthusiasm this winter when Island Lake can provide a great day for all to enjoy. Our ice fishing program is in full swing and the fish are biting. Staff offer a great service for anglers wishing to try their luck through the ice for an abundance of pike, perch and black crappie. Ice hut rentals are available with heated interiors and ice holes pre-drilled. Visitors can purchase minnows and warm drinks and snacks at our concession. We can also provide a barbeque on weekends in the winter that can help warm angler’s bellies.

If fishing isn’t your thing, we have other opportunities you can embrace. Conditions permitting, we have a skating rink area and a unique skating trail along the lake for all to enjoy. Remember that Island Lake isn’t all about frozen water. The trails available on land are great for cross country skiing and snowshoeing. Ski and snowshoe rentals are available at the concession area.

The month of February is an exciting one at Island Lake. Our annual Ice Fishing Derby lasts the entire month of February and offers many terrific prizes. On February 5th, CVC and visitors supported relief efforts for victims of the Tsunami crisis by donating all gate fees towards the important cause. Those that attended were able to take part in a variety of planned activities that occurred throughout the day including a guided nature hike, a ‘learn to ice fish’ program and a ‘learn to build a quinzee’ (snow shelter) activity. Fun was had by all and CVC would like to thank all those who participated.

Don’t let the winter blues get you down when Island Lake Conservation Area has so much for you to enjoy. We hope to see you paddling, fishing, swimming and hiking in the summer, but in the meantime, we hope to see you having some winter fun with us.

There are three main strategies that wildlife use to survive winter conditions: they migrate, they become dormant, or they keep warm and stay active. Species may be proficient with one strategy, or may use a combination of all three.

Migration (the movement from one locality to another)

Many species migrate south as the winter season approaches. Numerous bird species will fly thousands of kilometers in order to find consistent food supplies and avoid the stresses of winter. In order to do this, they can gain as much as 50 percent of their body weight in fat reserves prior to their departure. Other types of wildlife migrate too, including some bats and insect species, such as the monarch butterfly. Oddly enough some northern species, such as the snowy owl, will migrate from farther north into our watershed, providing a perfect opportunity to see them.

Dormancy (a state of quiet inaction)

Some wildlife species, such as chipmunks and groundhogs, will dramatically lower their body temperature, respiration and heart rate in order to live off of stored fat. This state is called hibernation. Other species, such as black bears, fatten themselves up before the winter, dig a den and sleep for various lengths of time (depending upon their fat stores, and how much their metabolism has slowed). This state of sleep is called torpor, and unlike hibernation, does not involve as extreme of a change in the animal’s physiology. Frogs, snakes and turtles also go through dormant states in the winter. By slowing their metabolism, amphibians and reptiles use just a small amount of their store of body fat and survive for weeks, appearing to be barely alive. They hide away in the winter under stones, logs, in compost heaps, and old mouse burrows – anywhere, that they can escape hungry predators.

Keeping Warm & Staying Active

Birds can often have a “plump” appearance during cold weather. This is because they fluff their feathers to hold more air next to their bodies. The fluffing of feathers insulates them from the cold. Black-capped chickadees actually grow more feathers in the winter in order to stay warm. In addition, they often roost together as a group when severe cold weather approaches. Ducks, geese, and swans keep their feathers dry by waterproofing them with oil from a little sac, called the uropygial gland, which is located near their tails.

Many large mammals will grow a thick coat to keep themselves warm in winter. Deer, fox, and coyote pelts are the thickest in the winter. Often, these mammals will also add layers of fat to their bodies to insulate against the cold and provide a source of energy if food becomes scarce. Some winter-active animals, such as the snowshoe hare, will even change their fur or feather colours to blend into their surroundings.

Another adaptation for many plants and animals is to take advantage of the snow itself. Small mammals such as mice and voles will remain active, using the snow as an insulating blanket. These species create networks of tunnels under the snow, in which they can search for food. The temperature in these tunnels rarely falls below freezing, and any heat that is generated through an animal’s activities is trapped in a warm “igloo”.

Adaptation is defined as any trait (behavioural or physiological) that allows an animal to live successfully in its environment. Animals have learned to adapt to winter conditions over many thousands of years. Since most of us can’t avoid the winter by taking a long vacation in the tropics, we could benefit by trying some adaptations ourselves. Make an effort this winter to explore the outdoors of your own sanctuary, and enjoy the wildlife. Some of our conservation areas have programs specifically tailored for the winter season.

You may think that CVC watershed monitoring staff spend the winter months inside writing up reports and analyzing piles of data collected from the summer, but this is not the case. Aside from report writing and data analysis, staff are busy throughout the entire year collecting various types of environmental data.

One of the staff's winter activities involves collecting snow data for the Ministry of Natural Resources, Snow Survey Program. Twice a month, from November to May each year, we visit several of our Conservation Areas (Meadowvale, Terra Cotta and Island Lake) to record information about soil conditions and snow cover. We measure the depth of snow, the condition of ground (frozen, dry or wet), and the snow weight (measure of how much water is in the snow).

Why is it important to measure the amount and condition of snow on the ground? Findings will help to predict how much run-off (which is the water moving from the land and into the creeks and rivers) we can expect in the spring. This information enables us to plan ahead for ice break-up, flooding potential and public safety. It also provides us with yearly data on weather and climate changes, which we can compare over time to see how conditions change. All of CVC’s data is combined and modeled with other Conservation Authorities, as well as with the MNR, and many Hydro companies’ (especially in Northern Ontario). By comparing our findings to past data, we are able to track long-term climate changes, predict snow cover quantities, and determine when snow packs will melt and cause the rivers to rise.

The CVC Board of Directors recently hosted a visiting delegation of several Municipal Presidents from the Ayuquila Watershed. It provided the Mexican Presidents with a better understanding of how a conservation authority like CVC functions.

The Ayuquila River Watershed covers almost 9, 800 square km of the States of Jalisco and Colima in Mexico and its socio-economic and political conditions show a similar complexity to the Watershed's environmental state. The Presidents (the Canadian equivalent of our Municipal Mayors) from eight municipalities within the Ayuquila Watershed in south-central Mexico looked to CVC as an example of inter-municipal cooperation in watershed management. The Mayors viewed the watershed concept and the Conservation Authority model as the basis for developing effective partnerships to work together to solve many of the environmental problems that they face. This was a very productive tour and training opportunity which enhanced the partnership between the municipalities within the watershed.

The visiting delegation met at the CVC offices for an overview of CVC which was followed by a tour of some key sites within our watershed. They ended their day with a visit with the Town of Erin Mayor, Rod Finnie. It was a very lively and interesting discussion with the Mayor presenting an overview of the Town of Erin’s Official Plan and how the two rivers affect the overall plan. The Mexican Mayors were very interested in how the Town of Erin addressed urban development and its implications on the watershed.

Municipal Presidents
•Antonio Mendoza Olivares, Alcalde de El Grullo
•Carlos Meillón Johnston, Alcalde de Autlán,
•Joel Llamas Uribe, Alcalde de Unión de Tula,
•Armando Corona, Alcalde de Tonaya,
•Jaime Almaraz Garibay, Alcalde de Tuxcacuexco,
•Daniel Ramírez Sánchez, Alcalde de El Limón,
•Leónides Gómez Cevallos, Alcalde de Tolimán
•Rogelio Nava Magaña, Alcalde de Zapotitlán de Vadillo,

Mississauga Students Monitor the Health of Sawmill Creek

Students at The Woodlands High School are setting an example in their community by taking environmental action through tracking the health of a local creek. Grade 10 science students at the Mississauga school conducted water quality monitoring on Sawmill Creek, a tributary of the Credit River. Monitoring was done using benthic macroinvertebrates, which are the little “bugs” that live on the bottom of streams. These organisms can tell us about the health of an aquatic ecosystem as certain bugs are tolerant of pollution, while others are more sensitive to such stress. While conducting their field work, the students observed features within the creek and its surrounding areas. This included the type of vegetation present and the type of substrate found on the creek bottom. They also took note of possible stressors to the environment such as engineered banks and the presence of garbage. The students participated in all aspects of the monitoring, from the collecting of the data to the analysis and interpretation of their results.

A special information sharing session held at The Woodlands High School on November 25 2004, gave the students an opportunity to present their findings to parents and the community. Students presented their project both orally and through creative displays that featured the various stages of their endeavour, which included information about the use of macroinvertebrates in water quality monitoring, the final results of their monitoring, and recommended action plans. The students concluded that Sawmill Creek is an impaired system, due to its urban location. They also found that the creek is vulnerable to pollution such as garbage, fertilizers, and pesticides commonly associated with urbanized settings. The students suggest public education as an important step in protecting the health of Sawmill Creek. Findings also inspired students to initiate a stewardship project, with the involvement of CVC.

Each year, CVC monitors the benthic invertebrate community at over 40 stations within the watershed. The students’ project had great timing as CVC was planning to set up a new station in Sawmill Creek where both the fish and benthic invertebrate communities would be monitored. The information collected by the students will be useful preliminary data for CVC as they establish a new monitoring site.

Community and Volunteer Monitoring

Community and volunteer monitoring is becoming increasingly common, especially through programs such as Citizens’ Environment Watch (CEW). CEW is a nonprofit organization that promotes volunteer monitoring of local ecosystems. They provide assistance to community members in the form of education and equipment to make it possible for interested groups to become involved in monitoring both air and water quality in their own community. CEW assisted the students at Woodlands in their initiative to investigate the health of Sawmill Creek. Volunteer monitoring allows citizens to become aware of the health of their local environments and empowers them to make a difference in their community.

Shrove Tuesday

On February 8 th, 2005, CVC staff broke from their busy Tuesday morning schedules to gather in the Office lunchroom for a much needed pancake feast.

Though no excuse to shovel down pancakes is ever needed, the occasion justifying this indulgence was Shrove Tuesday.

Organized by CVC's Social Committee, this event was the third annual Pancake Tuesday feeding frenzy enjoyed at CVC. Making this one particularly memorable was the management team's expertise in pancake flipping and fashionable choices in apron-wear. As a testament to their culinary skills, not one pancake was dropped. The aprons, however, are another story…

The goal of the Ken Whillan Wetland Restoration project is to enhance an existing wetland by restoring watertable elevations and the length of time water is retained on-site. This will help reduce downstream flood peaks and increase recharge and subsequent baseflow discharge to the Credit River. It will also benefit amphibians, reptiles and birds which consider the wetland home. A local source of peat, which may be brought to the site, will help to increase the amount of nutrients, that in turn helps with vegetation growth. The project components to be implemented this year include changes to the wetland outlet, importing of peat, creation of a pit and mound topography, vegetation planting and installation of habitat structures. Monitoring will also be done to provide a comparison of before and after conditions.

Rattray Marsh Carp Exclosure Project

One of the options being considered during the development of the restoration plan for Rattray Marsh, is the exclusion of common carp. This fish may limit the spread of aquatic plants in the marsh and could be responsible for the continuously turbid water. Excluding carp from very small areas of the marsh will help to identify the impact of a complete exclusion. A series of t-bar and wire fence exclosures will be constructed in the spring at various places throughout the marsh. These exclosures will be periodically monitored to assess plant growth, water clarity and benthic invertebrate communities and then compared to a control area. If you would like to help out with this project contact Jon Clayton at (905) 670-1615 ext. 241.

Island Lake Conservation Area Creel Survey

In addition to the biological data being collected in 2005, a sound management direction towards the creation of a fisheries management plan at Island Lake cannot be provided without knowing the needs and attitudes of the anglers that will use the resource. To that end, a creel survey (a creel is the name of the wicker basket anglers historically kept their catch in) is being conducted throughout the 2005 angling season. The creel survey will provide information on what is being caught, what people like and do not like about the angling experience, and what people want to see in the future. Some of the future management ideas include managing the lake as a trophy bass fishery or as a catch and release fishery. Surveys are available at the bait shop and CVC staff will periodically be conducting interviews during the ice and open water seasons. Once completed, your comments will help to make fishing at Island Lake even better.

To obtain more information about any of the above projects, please contact Jon Clayton at (905) 670-1615 ext. 241.