1. Project Title: MacDonald Park Habitat Enhancement Demonstration Project
2. Contact
Don Hector, Project Coordinator
Bret Colman, Project Facilitator
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), 1023 Richmond St. West,
Chatham, Ontario N7M 5J5
P.O. Box 1168 N7M 5L8
Tel. (519) 354-7340; FAX: (519) 354-0313
3. Agencies Involved
Eastern Habitat Joint Venture
Ducks Unlimited
Great Lakes Cleanup Fund
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
St. Clair Parkway Commission
Farmers and Friends Conservation Club
4. Restoration Goal
Demonstration Project - Enhance the manicured landscape to an area that incorporates wildlife and fish rehabilitation.
5. Project Type
Demonstration Project - spawning channel creation, spawning shoal, shoreline sloping, pond excavation.
6. Background and Rationale
MacDonald Park is a day use park owned and operated by the St. Clair Parkway Commission. It is located at Lot A, Concession 3, of Chatham Township. The park consists of a manicured upland with a parking lot and two dredged canals approximately 100 m in length cutting into the park perpendicular to the Chenal Ecarte. The canals are approximately 30 m in width with a mean depth of 2.5 m. A public boat launch and associated parking lots are located on the southern canal.
An agricultural field is located immediately south of the park. This field has a low elevation and is drained by an internal ditch and pump. An artificial dyke separates the Chenal Ecarte from the field. A small strip of wetland vegetation exists immediately on the river side of the dyke as this area is relatively shallow and is conducive to the growth of emergent vegetation. The shoreline of the park is a mix of natural vegetated shore, old wooden breakwall and rip rap shoreline. The agricultural field is privately owned and is currently used for cash crop production.
MacDonald Park provides ample opportunity to enhance fish and wildlife habitat through a variety of rehabilitation techniques while simultaneously furnishing an excellent demonstration project.
Expected Date of Implementation: December 1994 - January 1995.
7. Regulatory Considerations
Process on-going (the last of the required approvals anticipated Feb. 24, 1995):
1. Environmental Assessment: Provincial Class EA Planning Procedure;
Federal Environmental Assessment Review Process, because we were using federal funds (Environment Canada's Great Lakes Cleanup Fund);
2. Fisheries Act: approval from Department of Fisheries and Oceans, this project should be deemed mitigable, no compensation necessary;
3. Navigable Waters Protection Act: approval from Canadian Cost Guard required and expected by Feb. 24, 1995;
4. Flood and Fill Regulations: SCRCA (St. Clair Region Conservation Authority) presently reviewing (Feb. 24, 1995, deadline), future request for work permit;
5. Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Recreation: archeological concerns have been addressed.
8. Criteria
The canal shorelines will be sculptured to achieve a sloped profile
of approximately 3:1. The two adjacent canals will be connected
with a meandering spawning channel which would
sustain a depth of 0.9 to 1.2 m. The spawning channel will be
composed of a sand and gravel combination. The inlet and outlet
of this channel should be partially blocked with logs and stumps
at both mouths to prevent boat access which may disturb spawning
substrate and spawning activity.
An excavated pond will have a mean depth of 0.6 to 0.9 m bearing an organic substrate attained through sedimentation. An interspersion of vegetation/open water at a ratio of 1:1 will be maintained in the pond.
The agricultural field south of the park should be incorporated into the plan to provide wetland areas. A dyke should be built along the southern boundary of the field to prevent flooding of the adjacent residential area. The dyke should then be breached along its length in three places to allow the water from Chenal Ecarte to infiltrate the low lying areas of the field and thereby establish a wetland. Another option would be to backflood this area prior to dyke breaching and allowing wetland vegetation to establish under controlled conditions. The dykes would then be breached to allow fish access. The upland areas of this agricultural field would be vegetated in dense nesting cover and shrubs.
9. Project Design
Concept drawings for this project have been completed by the London MNR with final plans and specifications pending.
10. Implementation
Shoreline sloping and spawning channel/pond excavation will be carried out by private contractors adhering to the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority flood and fill regulations. A small expanse of wooden breakwall would have to be removed to allow for shoreline sloping. Work will be completed following MOE guidelines for fill removal. All mitigation techniques are based on and will comply with the Environmental Assessment Act.
11. Degree of Environmental Protection
This project will require the use of heavy machinery such as a backhoe and drag-line. Gravel and rock will be purchased to facilitate the completion of the spawning channel and the spawning shoal. Dyke construction would be handled by private contractors in the event that the agricultural land could be incorporated into the project.
12. Cost
Acquisition of the agricultural field will add substantially to the cost of the project. Initial capital outlay may be reduced by exploring alternative securement methods for this field. The St. Clair Parkway Commission is a government subsidized organization and therefore the park land could remain in their ownership which would eliminate the need for acquisition.
A total project cost is estimated at $50 ,000.
13. Biological Assessment
Amphibian call count monitoring, reptile inventory, electrofishing, and bird counts are intended for what would be a diverse ecosystem. The canals and channel can also be monitored by local scuba divers for fish use.
14. Measures of Success
Success Rating: 1
This project would be given an "assessment incomplete" rating.
15. Key References
Ministry of Natural Resources, 1994, draft version, "Survey of Candidate Sites on the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers for Potential Habitat Rehabilitation/Enhancement".
St. Clair River RAP Ministry of Natural Resources, Rural Lambton Stewardship Network, 1994, draft version, "St. Clair/Sydenham River Regional Habitat Management Plan".
Correct citation for this contribution:
Hector, D., and Colman B. 1995. MacDonald Park habitat enhancement demonstration project, p. 164-167. In J.R.M. Kelso and J.H. Hartig [editors]. Methods of modifying habitat to benefit the Great Lakes ecosystem. CISTI (Can. Inst. Sci. Tech. Inf.) Occas. Pap. No. 1.