Pinery Provincial Park
| Pinery Provincial Park | |
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IUCN Category II (National Park)
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 Park Entrance Sign on Highway 21 |
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| Location | Ontario, Canada |
| Nearest city | Grand Bend, Ontario |
| Coordinates | 43°15′36″N 81°49′40″W / 43.259958°N 81.827821°WCoordinates: 43°15′36″N 81°49′40″W / 43.259958°N 81.827821°W |
| Area | 2532 ha (6,330 acres) |
| Visitors | Greater than 500,000 |
| Governing body | Ontario Parks |
The Pinery Provincial Park is a park located on Lake Huron near Grand Bend, Ontario. It occupies an area of 25.32 square kilometres (6,330 acres).
The park features the largest area of Oak Savanna in Ontario. To preserve this habitat, a population control program for White-tailed Deer has been implemented. During the early 1960s, because the value of the native savanna was not recognized, large numbers of Red and White pine trees were planted in the park, displacing the native vegetation. That is also how the park got its name.
The Old Ausable Channel is a wide, slow-moving river which flows through the park. It was separated from the main Ausable River when two channels were excavated at Port Franks and Grand Bend at the end of the 19th century.
Juniper trees growing in the dunes are constantly shifting with the sands. Fallen junipers are eventually re-buried, with main branches becoming new trees, so that distant trees are genetically identical, and sometimes still connected below ground. The oak trees are also critical to this habitat. Oaks are one of the few trees that will share the water it draws from deep underground with the surface plants that surround it, a critical element in this dry sandy ecosystem. Many of the plant species in the park depend on fire to reproduce. In recent years controlled burning has been attempted to try and restore some of the original flora and fauna.
In 1966, the park saw a 433-acre addition, adding 200 campsites to the park's existing 1,075 to accommodate the growth of the park patronage, which had reached peaks of 1,500 campers per day, causing many to be packed into overflow areas.[1]
As part of a Government of Ontario pilot program, visitors to Pinery Provincial Park will be able to access free wireless internet until November 2011, after which the program will be re-evaluated. [2]
To ensure that the water at public beaches is safe for swimming, the Community Health Services Department regularly conducts sampling for beach water quality. Ontario beaches are posted with warnings of possible health risks when elevated E. coli levels are detected. Storm water runoff, combined with sewer overflows, sewage treatment plant by-passes, agricultural runoff, faulty septic systems, and large populations of waterfowl which colonize a beach or the surrounding area all contribute to water pollution which can result in beach postings.
[edit] References
- ^ Iden, Ralph (May 10, 1966). "Roberts Outlines Growth Details". The Windsor Star. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=czc_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=q1EMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2097,1481923&dq=pinery-provincial-park&hl=en. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- ^ Boisson, Lily (Posted: Aug 7, 2011 6:47 AM PT). "More provincial parks embracing wireless internet". CBC.ca. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/08/02/f-parks-internet-wifi.html. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
[edit] External links
- Pinery Provincial Park, Official Web Site
- Friends of Pinery Park
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