Canadian, U.S Partners Protect Parcel
Along Wild and Historic Lake Superior Tributary
Ontario—May 18, 2005—Some 750 acres (304 hectares) along the Pigeon River, a key undeveloped tributary of Lake Superior, will be added to Ontario’s protected areas system, establishing a corridor from the Pigeon River Provincial Park west to La Verendrye Provincial Park. The effort safeguards the last seven unprotected miles (11 kilometers) of shoreline along the 90-mile Pigeon River (145 kilometers). The partners in the project are the Nature Conservancy of Canada, Ontario Parks and The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota.
“Linking two existing provincial parks and establishing 90 contiguous protected miles (145 kilometers) along the Pigeon ensures wildlife habitat for future generations,” said Ron Nargang, State Director of The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota. “Horne Falls was truly the hole in the conservation doughnut.”
“By working with the Nature Conservancy in Minnesota and the Nature Conservancy of Canada to protect this beautiful and biologically rich area, we are safeguarding the province’s natural heritage,” said Ontario’s Natural Resources Minister, David Ramsay.
Located some 30 miles (48 kilometers) southwest of Thunder Bay, the Pigeon River flows through canyons and cascades and over a series of waterfalls before emptying into the northern portions of Lake Superior. The property, known as Horne Falls, and the river provide extensive habitat for a wide variety of wildlife species, including lynx, coaster brook trout, lake sturgeon and the rare Extra-striped Snaketail Dragonfly.
"The Pigeon River is one of the last undeveloped coastal streams in western Lake Superior. Other than a small portion at the old border crossing, the Horne Falls property is the last link in protected riverfront on the Pigeon River and border waters from Quetico Provincial Park to Lake Superior," said Ilka Milne, Nature Conservancy of Canada’s Northwestern Ontario Program Manager.
Under the terms of the agreement, The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota purchased Horne Falls in 2002. The Conservancy worked with the Nature Conservancy of Canada to raise some $319,000 to complete to acquisition and then transferred ownership and management responsibilities to Ontario Parks. The funds were provided under the Ontario Parks / Nature Conservancy of Canada Legacy Program, a partnership initiative focused on land acquisition to further complete Ontario’s protected areas system.
Threats to the Pigeon River include potential impacts from future development such as sewage run-off, road construction and dams, which change water velocity and temperature and could alter aquatic habitats.
The area will be added to La Verendyre Provincial Park, a waterway class park. Development and management will support recreational use of the waterway and may include activities such as interior camping, viewing and hiking. Forestry, mining and other industrial uses will not be permitted.
|
