Crawford Lake Conservation Area
Encyclopedia
Crawford Lake Conservation Area is a conservation area
owned and operated by the Conservation Halton
near the community of Campbellville
in Milton
, Regional Municipality of Halton, Ontario
, Canada
. It is a Regionally Environmentally Sensitive Area, an Ontario Area of Natural and Scientific Interest
, and part of the Niagara Escarpment
World Biosphere Reserve. The conservation area contains Crawford Lake
, a meromictic
lake that makes this lake a prime site for archeological and geochemical studies. The site was first discovered in 1971 after a study of sediment of Crawford Lake. Using pollen analysis
, reconstruction of the history of the area over several hundred years was possible.
The lake was named after the Crawford family, who originally lived there. Their house was still there until a bunch of teenagers burnt it down, all that remained were the cement front porch although photos of the original house and the Crawford family is available. The Crawford family also owned a cedar tree farm on the other side of the lake.
The pollen analysis revealed the agricultural history of the native Iroquois Indians
and the presence of a village. The Wendat village has been reconstructed in the conservation area
based on many years of work by archaeologists. Moreover, geochemical analysis of sediment cores has allowed for the reconstruction of the pollution history of the area. This analysis revealed the trends and sources of air pollution over approximately 150 years. The reconstructed 15th century Iroquoian Village is open seasonally and for special events. The site offers interpretive programs of Iroquoian life and culture.
The conservation area also has 19 kilometres (12 mi) of hiking and cross-country skiing and snowshoeing trails with connections to Bruce Trail
.
Conservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
owned and operated by the Conservation Halton
Conservation Halton
Conservation Halton , legally known as the Halton Region Conservation Authority , is a conservation authority established under the Conservation Authorities Act of Ontario...
near the community of Campbellville
Campbellville, Ontario
Campbellville, Ontario, Canada is a community in the geographic township of Nassagaweya in the Town of Milton, Halton Region on the Niagara Escarpment and is a tourist destination for residents of the Greater Toronto Area...
in Milton
Milton, Ontario
Milton is a town in Southern Ontario, Canada, and part of the Halton Region in the Greater Toronto Area. Milton received a tremendous amount of awareness following the release of the results of the 2006 Census, which indicated that Milton is the fastest growing municipality in the Greater Golden...
, Regional Municipality of Halton, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is a Regionally Environmentally Sensitive Area, an Ontario Area of Natural and Scientific Interest
Area of Natural and Scientific Interest
An Area of Natural and Scientific Interest is an official designation by the provincial Government of Ontario in Canada applied to contiguous geographical regions within the province that have geological or ecological features which are significantly representative provincially or regionally...
, and part of the Niagara Escarpment
Niagara Escarpment
The Niagara Escarpment is a long escarpment, or cuesta, in the United States and Canada that runs westward from New York State, through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois...
World Biosphere Reserve. The conservation area contains Crawford Lake
Crawford Lake (Halton Region, Ontario)
Crawford Lake is a lake near the community of Campbellville, in the town of Milton, Regional Municipality of Halton, Ontario, Canada. It is located within Crawford Lake Conservation Area, a Regionally Environmentally Sensitive Area, an Ontario Area of Natural and Scientific Interest, and part of...
, a meromictic
Meromictic
A meromictic lake has layers of water that do not intermix. In ordinary, "holomictic" lakes, at least once each year there is a physical mixing of the surface and the deep waters...
lake that makes this lake a prime site for archeological and geochemical studies. The site was first discovered in 1971 after a study of sediment of Crawford Lake. Using pollen analysis
Pollen analysis
Analysis of the distribution of pollen grains of various species contained in surface layer deposits, especially peat bogs and lake sediments, from which a record of past climate may be inferred. Because the lake sediments accumulate over time, a core of the mud will show that the mud at the bottom...
, reconstruction of the history of the area over several hundred years was possible.
The lake was named after the Crawford family, who originally lived there. Their house was still there until a bunch of teenagers burnt it down, all that remained were the cement front porch although photos of the original house and the Crawford family is available. The Crawford family also owned a cedar tree farm on the other side of the lake.
The pollen analysis revealed the agricultural history of the native Iroquois Indians
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
and the presence of a village. The Wendat village has been reconstructed in the conservation area
Conservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
based on many years of work by archaeologists. Moreover, geochemical analysis of sediment cores has allowed for the reconstruction of the pollution history of the area. This analysis revealed the trends and sources of air pollution over approximately 150 years. The reconstructed 15th century Iroquoian Village is open seasonally and for special events. The site offers interpretive programs of Iroquoian life and culture.
The conservation area also has 19 kilometres (12 mi) of hiking and cross-country skiing and snowshoeing trails with connections to Bruce Trail
Bruce Trail
The Bruce Trail is a hiking trail in southern and central Ontario, Canada.-General:The trail follows the edge of the Niagara Escarpment, one of the thirteen UNESCO World Biosphere Reserves in Canada, for almost...
.
See also
- Conservation authority
- Rattlesnake PointRattlesnake Point (Canada)Rattlesnake Point is an eco-tourism area located in Milton, Ontario, Canada and is owned and operated by Conservation Halton. Spanning roughly one-hundred square kilometres across and near the Niagara Escarpment in Halton Region, the Rattlesnake Point area is home to many golf courses, country...