Geography

by Bernadette Zubrisky, Sierra Club of Canada, Durham Chapter

The geography of the North Pickering area is rich and unique.  Diverse ecosystems exist as pockets, and are largely connected, because the land has been left to grow while under speculation over the last few decades. Carolinian Forest meets Great Lakes Lowland species. Some of the last significant wetlands and habitat left in the GTA are found in these parts.  It is the source of aquifers and recharge areas for many rivers flowing through these lands and on to the rest of the GTA and Lake Ontario. Migrating waterfowl and songbirds find refuge, respite and nesting grounds here and it can be said that this aspect alone is of global significance.

Human intervention has always been a part of this landscape. First Nations groups actively cultivated fields and grew a huge variety of just corn alone. Evidence of ancient aboriginal gardening is found along the watersheds of Duffins Creek. Spots of sunflowers may have been part of a garden planted by someone hundreds of years ago. Villages were moved when soils became depleted of nutrients and left to become forest again. Sustainable land management is part of this land’s history and success.

Before this was the time of the glaciers.  The Oak Ridges Moraine was left as piles of sorted rubble, creating a hilly and undulating landscape and topography in the northern areas. Drumlins and clay cliffs, deep ravines and farm fields all make up the rest of the environment that is the land - which is needed by all creatures much more than an airport! Glaciation is responsible for creating some of the finest soils in both Canada and in the world. Glaciers gouged out depressions and then filled them in with topsoil accumulated on their journeys.  Immense pressure and the crushing of rocks released minerals to create highly fertile soil.

Aggregate extraction has been part of the history of land use.  Deposits of sand and gravel left by glaciation have been mined in the past and give more reason to protect what's left. Aggregate extraction leaves large scars on the landscape and interferes with groundwater hydrology.

Whether as a National Park, Land Trust or Agricultural and Forest Friendly Cooperative, somehow the best way for the future includes these options, in order to be both economically and environmentally sustainable. The important factor is that the geography needs to remain intact to be working, naturally. The future needs to have the lightest footprint possible as the area is being impacted by rapid development along the edges. More development is planned and these impacts have yet to be studied on the watershed of Duffins Creek, The Rouge and the remaining habitat.