Featured Park - Charleston Lake

Ontario Parks Insider

No time to travel north and experience places like Algonquin or Quetico? Then why not visit southeastern Ontario’s Charleston Lake Provincial Park. It has the same slabs of granite and stands of conifers that exist further north due to a geological feature known at the Frontenac Arch. The Frontenac Arch is the southern extension of the Canadian Shield. For many years visitors have come to marvel at these one-billion-year-old rock slabs, more reminiscent of Northern Ontario. As far back as the 1860s, Charleston Lake was a well-known retreat for outdoor recreation for visitors from Ottawa, Toronto and Upper New York State.

The park itself was created after Professor A.J. E. Child, a strong member of the Federation of Ontario Naturalists, offered to sell his land to develop a provincial wilderness recreational area in 1962. Thankfully so, since the Frontenac Arch happens to be the most southern part of the Canadian Shield and creates what biologists call a “transition zone.”

Here, a large selection of plants and animals occur either beyond the normal southern or northern extent of their range. A rare collection of showy orchids grows at the base of mature hemlock. Pitch pine also grows here, one of Canada’s most scarce tree species. And Charleston’s unofficial mascot is the Gray Rat Snake (formerly called the Black Rat Snake) – a harmless, but impressively large, 2-metre long tree-climbing constrictor that, when startled, will flatten out its neck and vibrate its tail.

Nearby & Natural

  • If you are travelling from the west via highway #401, duck out at Gananoque to experience the 1000 Islands of the St. Lawrence River.
  • Take a scenic drive through rolling fields and small villages over to Westport. Once there you will find a great lakeside picnic spot and a welcoming downtown full of distinctive shops displaying art, crafts, jewelery, clothing and furnishings.
  • A few minutes east of Charleston Lake along highway 401 is the city of Brockville. This is another great spot to explore the 1000 Islands along with the city’s rich arts and culture.

Invasion of the Dog-Strangling Vines

Ontario Parks Insider

What is worse than a two-metre-high plant that is nearly invincible and will choke off any plant in its path? Not much in the world of invasive plant species. The villains in question are the dog-strangling vines and many are warning that they have the potential to cause more damage than purple loosestrife.

Native to parts of Europe, the two dog-strangling vines which are considered invasive in Ontario are Pale Swallow-wort (Cynanchum rossicum) and Black Swallow-wort (Cynanchum louiseae). Two additional species are occasional garden escapees in the southern part of the province. Originally brought to North America for ornamental reasons, these plants were also grown for their fluffy and prolific seeds as possible filler for life jackets during the Second World War.

Here is why it is such a dangerous threat
It all starts with just one or two plants. They will not be that noticeable, just another weed. The next year each of these will spread to a small patch and there will be several other single plants around. Over the next few years, these patches will grow together choking out everything else. Later in the season, there will be a cloud of seeds spreading the infestation even further. They can climb 1 to 2 metres high, forming dense mats that cover shrubs, small trees, and everything else. Once the plant has become well-established it can be very difficult and costly to eradicate.

Beyond the devastation dog-strangling vines cause to native plants, it has also been known to directly affect other species. Monarch butterflies have been confused by dog-strangling vine’s likeness to milkweed and have laid eggs on the plant. Any hatching larvae inevitably die. The presence of C. rossicum has also been correlated with decreased numbers of breeding grassland birds such as Meadowlark and Bobolink.

Description
Leaves are dark, shiny green, opposite, oval to oblong in shape, 5-10 cm long, with rounded bases and pointed tips. Flowering begins in late June as clusters of small pink, red-brown or maroon flowers are produced at stem tips and upper branches. Fruit are thin, 4-6 cm long pods that split open to release several fluffy white seeds similar to native milkweed. An extensive rooting system allows these plants to re-sprout after above-ground shoots have been cut.

Distribution and Habitat
Dog-strangling vine can grow in a wide range of habitats. It prefers open sunny areas but will grow very well in filtered shade, e.g. within pine plantations. It grows along fence lines, travel and utility corridors, and other unmanaged areas including sunny rock outcrops in mature forests, riparian zones and rare alvars. It is a perennial plant that reproduces by seed and by underground rhizomes.

Control
The best control is to catch this plant early before it spreads. Plants must be dug out, making sure to get all of the root system. Beyond that the primary method for control is with herbicide application and several treatments are needed. Pulling the plants is very difficult due to the deep root system and abundant seed production. Currently there are no biological controls that have been developed.

What is happening in parks?

The two invasive Cynanchum species are very likely to be found provincial parks in southern Ontario.  The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources is supporting research on biocontrols led by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Lethbridge Research Centre and promotes best management practices for land owners and land managers.

Healthy Parks Healthy People

Ontario Parks Insider

Imagine you held a secret that could keep people more active and healthy with reduced risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes, that could captivate people to be connected to the natural environment rather than the virtual world and that could deliver clean water and fresh air for cities to embrace.

As an Insider, you do hold that secret – it’s a park.

Any visit to a quality, well maintained park can deliver these benefits and there is an initiative afoot to let the world in on our secret.

Healthy Parks Healthy People, is an initiative pioneered in Australia that emphasizes the vital link between the health of people and the health of our planet. The program promotes the fact that the world’s parks contain the landforms, plants, animals and ecosystems that are crucial to our wellbeing. Parks support the health of the planet and they give us room to breathe, to connect with others, and to pursue a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.

There is little doubt that protection of biodiversity, and maintenance of ecological integrity are among the most important challenges of our time and that conservation of protected areas is one of the most important strategies for achieving that end.

Visitors to Ontario Parks are well aware of benefits these protected places provide to people, the community and the environment. It’s now our job to help the rest of the population understand the health benefits of a hiking trail, the stress reducing value of a silent lake-side evening or the connection between healthy forests and clean air.

The Canadian Parks Council has adopted the Healthy Parks Healthy People concept and created its own strategy called Healthy by Nature. The key messages are:

PARKS: for your health - Parks offer a full range of physical activities in the great outdoors. Hiking, canoeing, skiing are all part of a healthier life.

PARKS: for your family - Parks are the very best settings in which to share memorable family experiences and strengthen relationships. Imagine the joy of storytelling
around the campfire or the thrill of your child catching a fish for the first time.

PARKS: for your soul - Parks are the special places to rekindle your sense of wonder and solitude. Restore some balance – wake up to a bird’s song or quietly watch a deer and her fawn graze in a nearby meadow.

PARKS: for your community - Parks are in fact small communities unto themselves where all your neighbours have a pride in nature. And, when you visit these communities you’re also contributing to the economic well-being of nearby villages, towns and cities.

PARKS: for your environment - Parks protect wildlife habitat and ensure ecological diversity. You’ll see, feel and learn firsthand, the importance of cleaner air, water and soil. By helping with the health of the environment, you can help your own health.

So how can you make the personal connection between your health and parks? Visit your favourite park and spend as little as a half hour on some type of physical activity whether it be hiking, swimming, biking or canoeing. Spend time with family and friends recharging your batteries in a calm, peaceful setting away from the pressures of daily routine. It’s as simple as that!

ThermaCELL Mosquito Repellant

Ontario Parks Insider

Take back the outdoors with ThermaCELL Mosquito Repellent, the most effective area repellent on the market. ThermaCELL is up to 98% effective against mosquitoes, providing a 15 x 15 sq. ft. mosquito free zone - an area the size of an average deck or patio, and larger than a campsite or average boat. ThermaCELL is ideal for a wide range of outdoor activities including camping, fishing, hunting, boating, gardening, picnics – even watching your kids at their sports events.

ThermaCELL is small, portable, silent, and virtually odour free. ThermaCELL uses a repellent called allethrin, a chemical copy of a naturally occurring repellent found in a member of the chrysanthemum family. ThermaCELL is PRMA (and EPA) approved and tested by the US Army. This summer, instead of applying messy and smelly lotions or sprays, simply turn on your ThermaCELL and in minutes enjoy protection from mosquitoes.

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