Essay on Canada´s Mixedwood Plains and Pollution

When analyzing the West region of Canada two groups emerge one being the Prairies of

: Larchwood Lake may not ever be the same again. The story about Larchwood Lake is not that uncommon. Without doing extensive research into possible things that could occur by lowering the lake level, the Larchwood Lake Homeowner’s Association destroyed the very thing they were trying to protect. Carelessness and poor planning are not the only root causes however. There are a number of reasons that led to the degradation of Larchwood Lake that happen to relate to more macro level environmental issues. Those reasons are poorly designed environmental policy created by the E.P.A., poor understanding of lake ecology by the managers of the land, and false confidence in poorly planned ideas. By looking at how these factors contributed to the degradation of the lake, hopefully we will be able to make more ecological sound decisions in the future.

Canada is a country filled with different and diverse ecozones. Two ecozones in Ontario are the Boreal Shield and the Mixedwood Plains. The Boreal Shield covers a large portion of Canada. It has a lot of wooded areas and holds a small amount of Canada’s population. The Mixedwood Plains is Canada’s smallest ecozone. Even though it’s small, it holds much of Canada’s population. The Mixedwood Plains is a better place to live than the Boreal Shield based on its urban population, its more comfortable climate and its strong economic base.

The mixedwood plains ecozone extends along the Quebec City-Windsor corridor, including the densely-populated region of southern Ontario. Toronto is the most populated place in the mixedwood plains ecozone with a population of 5, 203, 600.. Montreal, Quebec, Ottawa, Hamilton, Windsor, London are also some major urban areas in this ecozone. It is also covers the least amount of ground compared to any other ecozone.

It is also important to point out that, unlike the US movement, Canada’s environmental justice

The mixed wood plain is the best Eco zone to live in. This eco zone, is spreading across the south western Ontario , parts of central and north eastern Ontario, is touching the St.Lawrence river across sourthen part of Qubec.

Prairies provinces have common factors; Landscape, agriculture, climate, that represent in similarities compared to the rest of Canada. Landscape defines the Prairie Provinces as a formal region. With the enormous size of flatland, the immense quantities and high qualities of grains can be produced. This result in majority of land being used for agricultural purposes. In addition, the Prairie Provinces have significant harsh cold winters and mild dry summers compared to other provinces. The key differences are the ecosystem and the natural resources the region provide. Each province unique ecosystem allows different kinds of harvest and animal breed. Moreover, these key differences created different industry and job opportunities.

Introduced species are seldom a positive addition to an ecosystem as they cause great stress and harm to the populations of native species. Many introduced species become invasive as they have no natural predators in their new environment, therefore they thrive, and crowd out all other animals. Some examples of invasive species in Ontario waters include the round goby, zebra mussels, eurasian ruffe, goldfish, northern snakehead, rainbow smelt, and rudd, to name a few. A great example to show how destructive an introduced fish can be is the asian carp, this species spreads very aggressively and it is considered the greatest threat to aquatic ecosystems in Ontario. These fish grow to be very large in size, up to 40 kg and 1 meter long. The asian

Manitoba is divided by three of Canada’s seven physiographic regions; Canadian Shield, interior plains, and Hudson Bay Lowland. The Division No. 18 located in the Interior plains. The physical features of the Interior plains are vast areas of low-lying lands with permafrost, vast size treeless tundra and spruce forests. The interior Plains are mainly flat, but the landscape composed of some rolling hills, and deep, wide river valleys. The land slopes in Manitoba gently downward from west to east. In addition, the Plains consist of large sand deposits, freshwater rivers that support tremendously in the biological environment; animals and plants. The surface of the Plains’ landscape is covered with meandering channels of rivers and shallow lakes.

Sea lampreys are a large problem in the Great Lakes. They entered the Great Lakes from the northern and western Atlantic in the 1800s through locks and canals. Sea lampreys are a problem because they prey on large fish, and are one of the major contributors to the decline of species of lake trout and whitefish. They are aggressive predators, and are very parasitic. Only one out of seven fish attacked by sea lampreys will survive.(glcf.org)

Canada's topography is dominated by the Canadian Shield, an ice-scoured area of Precambrian rocks surrounding Hudson Bay and covering half the country. This vast region, with its store of forests, waterpower, and mineral resources, is being increasingly developed. East of the Shield is the maritime area, separated from the rest of Canada by low mountain ranges pierced by plains and river valleys, and including the island of Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island. South and southeast of the Shield are the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence lowlands, a fertile plain in the triangle bounded by the St. Lawrence River, Lake Ontario, and Georgian Bay. West of the Shield are the farmlands and ranching areas of the great central plains, some 1,300 km (800 mi)

What does the zebra do that it became an invasive species? Zoologist Peter Simon Pallas in the Ural, Volga, and Dnieper rivers. However, the zebra mussel has been accidentally introduced to numerous other areas, and has become an invasive species in many countries worldwide. Since the 1980s, they have invaded the Great Lakes and the Hudson River. They are commonly found on the bottom of ships and eat the algae that is food for fish. Inspectors check ships for the mussels before they leave port. Zebra mussels are native to Eastern Europe and Western Russia and were brought over to the Great Lakes in the ballast water of ships. Populations of zebra mussels were first discovered in the Great Lakes in 1988. Impacts: Zebra mussels can be a

Not only are there impacts from the ecological perspective, but also from the economical perspective (Christianson, 2015). Invasive animals for example, such as the Golden apple snail, pose a striking economic impact on the valuable fisheries that they invade (Strayer, 2010). The freshwater mollusk is another good example of an invasive species that has a profound impact on the ecology of the environment which it invades (Strayer, 2010). The freshwater mollusk disrupts the food web from its base, causing imbalance in the freshwater ecosystem it invaded (Strayer,

Zebra mussels pose serious threats because of their potential to foul industrial facilities and plug public water supply intakes that draw from infested waters. Invasive species also can interfere with the operation of locks and dams on rivers or damage boat hulls and engines.

Another population pocket influenced by Canada is the Cordillera of British Columbia. The urban population is concentrated in one small area, the southwestern corner of British Columbia. This population pocket is where 75% of the people in this province live. This region has climate unlike any other part of Canada mild winters and mild summers. Another population cluster is The Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Lowlands region. Some of the most fertile soil found in Canada lies in the Holland Marsh area. The Holland Marsh mostly lies within the valley of the Holland River. This 20 000 acre area contains organic, fertile soil which is ideal for growing market crops for vegtables. Organic matter consists of living plant tissues and organisms found in soil and organic matter improves the physical condition of soil. This area had low lying, wetland terrain. Large amounts of resources in many areas attract many people to this country. The Plains region which stretches down to the Mexican border has many rich resources including large reserves of oil and natural gas that were discovered mainly in Alberta and Saskatchewan. The coast of the Cordillera region, in Britsh Columbia, contains many rich resources mainly a large amount of salmon coming from the North Pacific Ocean, also many immense forests produce large amounts of lumber.