Lac Seul Research Articles

It’s about time

The boreal forest is a vast region. Therefore, the archaeological record, like anywhere else in the globe, is subject to revision as additional evidence is gathered. By conducting research in the same location over a long period of time, Hyslop was able to alter the methodological approach that he utilized while surveying the shorelines of Lac Seul. His new approach revealed that cultural material existed well into the forested interior away from the water’s edge within the Lac Seul basin in central Canada. This development requires a detailed discussion of the nature of the boreal forest, the manner in which these discoveries were made, and the possible implications for the geographical region. It is important to recognize that this discussion is concerned with the surveying techniques utilized, and not with the excavation techniques.

Delineating demographic units of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in Ontario: cautions and insights

Delineating demographic structure across an organism’s range can reveal the extent to which population dynamics in different geographic areas are driven by local or external factors and can be crucial for effective conservation and management. Obtaining optimal data for such analyses can be time and resource-intensive and impending development and resource extraction pressures may necessitate the examination of existing data, even when they are less than ideal. We analyzed a historic telemetry dataset containing satellite radio-collar locations of 73 forest-dwelling woodland caribou in northern Ontario to determine demographic structure. We applied several clustering methods (i.e., agglomerative, divisive and fuzzy k-means) to median seasonal locations. Results were used to distinguish demographic units and minimum convex polygons and fixed-kernel density estimates were used to delineate unit boundaries and core areas. For areas where sampling was considered representative of the distribution of caribou on the landscape, we assessed demographic distinctness by evaluating intra-individual variation in cluster membership, membership strength and distance between boundaries and core areas of adjacent units. The number and composition of clusters identified was similar among methods and caribou were grouped into 6 general clusters. The distinctions between the three clusters identified in the central portion of the province (i.e., Lac Seul, Wabakimi, Geraldton) and the two clusters identified in the eastern portion of the province (i.e., Cochrane and Cochrane-Quebec) were determined to represent demographic structuring. Additional distinctions in other areas (i.e., between The Red Lake and Lac Seul clusters in the west and between the central and eastern clusters) may just be artifacts of the original sampling effort. Amongst demographic units, there was no evidence of individual flexibility in cluster membership and average membership strength was very high. There was little to no overlap between boundaries and core areas of adjacent units, but distances between adjacent unit boundaries were relatively low. Additional sampling effort is needed to further delineate demographic structure in Ontario caribou.

Building Wi-Fi Networks for Communities: Three Canadian Cases

This paper explores three Canadian wireless network projects that demonstrate that Wi-Fi technologies, like landline telephones, radio, and hydro, can be used to bring services to local communities. It is our position that despite the strengths and weaknesses of Fredericton’s eZone, Montréal’s Île Sans Fil, and the Lac Seul network in Northern Ontario, these three highlighted Wi-Fi networks demonstrate that a public information utilities model is still a useful lens through which to understand the development and implementation of telecommunications in Canada. Through our case studies, we have observed that in order for municipally based and community Wi-Fi networks to successfully take root in a community, it is advantageous to build on existing technological infrastructure. Moreover, municipal and community needs must be considered in the project. Finally, a cohort of interested advocates from the region is needed.

Canada’s “Gulag”: Project #51 Lac Seul (A Tale from the Great Depression)

Single men were particularly vulnerable to unemployment in the Great Depression. In 1932 the federal government established 144 relief work camps across the country. By March 1934 there were 15 camps constructed around Lac Seul in northern Ontario, making Project #51 the largest of the 37 assigned to Ontario. The work of the project — to clear the foreshores of Lac Seul — ran into serious problems including a severe climate, inexperienced personnel, a high turnover rate, disturbances among the men which reflected their discomfort, isolation, and some politics. There were additional problems including relations between camp workers and Indians in the area and between Oriental workers on the project and the others. The major difficulties were that the Lac Seul project was too large and the men were unpaid. After much criticism of the administration and policies of the camps, they became a political liability and in 1936 were closed down.

Evaluation of biotite-garnet geothermometers: application to the English River subprovince, Ontario

In recent years, there have been numerous calibrations of the biotite-garnet Fe-Mg exchange geothermometer. The Eastern Lac Seul region of the English River subprovince, Ontario, provides an excellent field area in which to compare these calibrations.

Epidemiology of the Spruce Budworm in Western Ontario: A Discussion

Spruce budworm outbreaks for the past two centuries in western Ontario occurred in two main sectors, the Lake Nipigon and the Lac Seul sectors. Some were common to both sectors, while others were specific to one or the other. Intervals between infestations within sectors averaged about 60 years. For western Ontario, budworm populations oscillated at irregular intervals ranging from 15 to 60 years. Infestations generally originated in the boreal forest in centers with high concentrations of fir, and then appeared in areas with lower volumes of fir. Fir content and the susceptibility to budworm attack of forests in western Ontario are compared with conditions prevailing in Quebec and the Maritimes. There are new outbreaks in western Ontario, and their future behavior could clarify some aspects of budworm epidemiology. Key words: Spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana; Balsam fir, Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.; Epidemiology.

Oxygen-isotope geochemistry of Archean granitoid gneisses and related rocks in the English River Subprovince, northwestern Ontario

Whole-rock δ 18O values for Archean granitoid gneisses from the southern domain of the English River Subprovince, northwestern Ontario, increase from an average of +6.5 for 3000 Ma old tonalites in the eastern Lac Seul area to an average of +7.9 for 2750–2800 Ma old tonalites, trondhjemites and granodiorites that occur in the Kenora and eastern Lac Seul areas. Still younger granitoid plutons and dykes (2660-2560 Ma) that intrude the older gneisses also have average δ 18O = +7.9. These values lie towards the low end of the range known for normal granitoid rocks. Oxygen-isotope data for minerals from the granitoid rocks indicate minor isotopic disequilibrium, but no evidence exists for large-scale depletion in 18O subsequent to granitoid formation. Rocks rich in 18O are abundant only in the northern domain of the English River Subprovince, which is dominated by paragneiss and metasedimentary migmatite (δ 18O +9−12). Within the Kenora area of the southern domain, however, a remnant supracrustal sequence characterized by a thin metachert/iron formation unit (δ 18O = +8−10) has been recognized. The low whole-rock oxygen-isotope values indicate that pre-existing 18O-rich supracrustal rocks were not involved in the genesis of the 3000 Ma old gneisses and have made only limited, if any, contribution to the magmas that formed the younger units. This conclusion is supported by the low initial Sr-isotope ratios of these rocks (0.7009-0.7027). The oxygen- and strontium-isotope data require that most of the granitoid rocks in the southern domain of the English River Subprovince comprise juvenile or near-juvenile additions to the continental crust.

MULTIPLE USE RESERVOIR PLANNING APPROACHES: LAC SEUL, NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO

Preparation of alternative resource management strategies for Lac Seul required a novel planning approach to deal with interdependence and competition among resource uses and users. Competition between regulation for power generation on the one hand, and fisheries, recreation, amenities and wild rice on the other, was of particular concern. Four alternative strategies were developed wich would allow government and public to consider the question, resource development with what broad policy objective and for whose benefit? Problems limiting the effectiveness and acceptability of the planning approach are reviewed, and planning and management directions applicable to multiple use reservoirs as well as to other multiple use land and water areas are suggested.

FISHERIES PRODUCTIVITY AND WATER LEVEL FLUCTUATIONS IN LAC SEUL, NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO

Lac Seul, located in the English River watershed in northwestern Ontario, has been regulated for power production since 1935. The lake supports a sports and commercial fishery, with yellow pickerel (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum), northern pike (Esox lucius), lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis), tullibee (Coregonus artedii), and coarse fish dominating the harvest. Commercial harvest records date to 1924, and sports anglers have been sampled on several occasions since 1960.An in depth analysis of water levels and fisheries productivity revealed a number of relationships. First, significant increases in the yields of yellow pickerel and northern pike were associated with the initial flooding. Second, changes in water level regulation patterns appear to have had short term negative impacts on productivity; however, the fishery has adapted to the new regimes with little long term effect. Third, correlations between annual fish yields and minimum spring water levels as well as seasonal water level variation...

Aerial-Visibility Bias and Survey Techniques for Nesting Bald Eagles in Northwestern Ontario

An experiment was conducted during April and June 1978 to estimate aerial-visibility bias in searches for bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) nests in northwestern Ontario, Canada. Randomly selected quadrats were searched independently by 2 separate teams of pilots and observers. Using either joint binomial probabilities or Petersen Index calculations, we estimated that approximately 76% of the nests or 85% of the breeding areas were found on a single search of shoreline. There were no differences (P > 0.05) in visibility due to season or observer, although undetected differences among observers may exist (i.e., type-II error). Aerial surveys of this type can be hazardous; 1 aircraft crashed during the project. Recommendations for standardized searches, and suggestions to improve safety are given. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 45(1):83-92 In spite of the large, bulky appearance of most bald eagle nests and the large size of the birds, they may be overlooked easily during surveys. The nests are usually below the crowns of the trees and dispersed over vast expanses of forested shoreline. Birds or nests that are present but not seen are difficult to count. They create a visibility bias in population estimates, a common, if not universal, problem in aerial surveys (Caughley 1974). Attempts to estimate the bias include regression of visibility against several survey factors for African mammals (Caughley 1974, and others cited by him), the use of visibility indices for waterfowl (Diem and Lu 1960) and ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) (Henny et al. 1977), an extensive experiment performed with moose (Alces alces) (LeResche and Rausch 1974), and the use of group-size information for white-tailed deer (Odocoil us virginianus) and moose (Cook and Jacobson 1979). Earlier aerial surv ys of bald eagles in the Canadian shield region indicated that a real visibility bias exists for both eagles and their nests (Whitfield et al. 1974, Grier 1977). The only estimate of the size of this bias (29% of all breeding areas and 19% of active breeding areas not seen) (Leighton et al. 1979) was based on a small sample of known nests counted from the ground. Because factors such as type and speed of aircraft, pilot, observer, season, and habitat type might influence such visibility bias, we conducted an experiment using 2 independent searches of randomly selected quadrats to estimate the bias during spring and summer 1978 in northwestern Ontario. We thank J. C. Williamson, Fish and Wildlife Coordinator for the West Patricia Land Use Plan, for his advice, encouragement, and administrative assistance. T. Hanaway and R. Rienhold, owners of Lac Seul Airways and Northern Waters Air Service, respectively, provided the aircraft. We are especially indebted to R. Buckler, of Loon Air, for leasing an additional airplane to North'This study was conducted as a part of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources West Patricia Land Use Plan. 2 Present address: Wildlife Service, Government of the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife, N.W.T., Canada. J. Wildl. Manage. 45(1):1981 83 This content downloaded from 157.55.39.158 on Fri, 18 Nov 2016 04:13:46 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 84 BIAS IN SURVEYS OF NESTING EAGLES * Grier et al.

A Rb–Sr isotopic study of the Archean rocks of the eastern Lac Seul region, English River subprovince, northwestern Ontario

Rb–Sr whole-rock data for the gneissic and granitic rocks of the eastern Lac Seul region, when combined with the U–Pb zircon dating of Krogh, document a history of multiple intrusion for the area. The oldest rocks are the Sen Bay plutonic complex gneisses which have complex Rb–Sr systematics. Interpretation of the Rb–Sr data yields model ages of 3000–3100 Ma which are in good agreement with a zircon age of 3040 Ma. The next oldest rocks are trondhjemitic–granodioritic gneisses with a Rb–Sr age of 2780 ± 90 Ma. The initial Sr ratio (I) of 0.7009 ± 4 for these rocks suggests that this age approximates the time of intrusion and that the magma was derived from lower crustal rocks with a very short residence lime in the crust. Following a period of deformation and metamorphism, granodioritic to granitic dikes, sills, and small plutons were intruded between 2660 and 2560 Ma ago. I values for these racks range from 0.7019–0.7027. If the I values of these rocks represent the source region for the granitic magmas, then one explanation for the I values would be that the magmas were derived from a source region of mixed lithology and age. The Sen Bay plutonic complex is considered to represent an earlier cycle of crustal formation which is distinct from a later 2800–2550 Ma old cycle which dominates much of the Superior Province.

High-resolution ion-microprobe measurement of lead isotopes: Variations within single zircons from Lac Seul, northwestern Ontario

Selected-area measurements of lead-isotope ratios in zircons have been made at high mass resolution using a modified A.E.I. IM20 ion-microprobe. At a working resolution of 3200 it is shown that the important interfering molecular peaks generated from the zircon matrix may be separated from atomic lead peaks. Corrections for overlapping peaks, which are necessary in measurements of lead isotopes at low mass resolution, are then only required for 208Pb. Measurements on N.B.S. standards show no isotope discrimination within counting statistics. Determination of 207Pb/ 206Pb on 29 single zircon grains from a tonalite gneiss and a granite from Lac Seul, northwestern Ontario, give very variable ratios with mean values close to those of bulk separates. Peaks in the distribution of 207/206 ratios obtained from the tonalite gneiss may be interpreted as evidence for two stages of lead loss. High 207/206 ratios are shown to be significant for at least two zircons and probably record a minimum age of formation of 3.3 ± 0.1 b.y. for the gneiss.

Aeromagnetic anomaly pattern in the English River gneiss belt, Superior Province

Aeromagnetic mapping of the English River gneissic belt (northwestern Ontario) reveals a pattern of sinuous east–west trending anomalies that help distinguish the gneissic belt from the more typical Archean metavolcanic–plutonic terrain. To study the significance of the pattern, a ground follow-up study was made where Lac Seul provides good access and outcrop. Field work consisted of (1) magnetometer profiling on the lake; (2) detailed searching for outcrop of anomaly-causing material and sampling; and (3) regional geological mapping and sampling. Thin section studies and physical property measurements were made in the laboratory as well as an interpretative study of the aeromagnetics using an "apparent susceptibility" data transformation.The main results are: (1) metamorphism is in upper amphibolite to granulite facies; (2) on average, rocks of the area have higher susceptibilities than are typical of the metavolcanic–plutonic regions; (3) the aeromagnetic anomalies are caused by bands of pyroxene–amphibolite gneiss; (4) the study area may be interpreted as a volcanic and sedimentary sequence deformed into a large, east–west striking, nearly isoclinal fold structure which has been intruded and highly metamorphosed; and (5) aeromagnetic data can be used to extend and complete geological mapping in the area.

Paragneisses in the Pakwash Lake area, English River Gneiss Belt, Northwest Ontario

A 4000 to 7000 m sequence of amphibolite-facies Archean layered gneisses in the Pakwash Lake – Lac Seul area of Northwest Ontario has been examined to determine its origin. The micaceous, relatively fine grained gneisses are concluded to be metasedimentary rocks. They were probably deposited from aqueous suspension as graded beds. The provenance of the detrital material was dacitic volcanics. Apparently there was little chemical alteration prior to metamorphism. An unmetamorphosed analog for these deposits is the volcaniclastic Eocene Ohanapecosh Formation in the Mt. Rainier area of Washington, U.S.A. Seventeen new chemical analyses are used to describe the rocks and decipher their origin.Similar rocks occur for at least 100 km east and west from the area of detailed study, suggesting a major sedimentary basin or series of basins in the area of the present English River Gneiss Belt.

Archean rocks from the eastern Lac Seul region of the English River Gneiss Belt, northwestern Ontario, part 1. Petrology, chemistry, and metamorphism

The eastern Lac Seul region of the English River Gneiss Belt is divided into two domains defined by contrasting petrology and structure. The northern domain is underlain by east-trending, steeply south-dipping, migmatized metasediments, intruded by occasional granite sills, and the southern domain by gneissic tonalite and trondhjemite, with abundant amphibolite inclusions, intruded by granite dykes and diapirs: this domain has a complex structure with gently east-plunging open folds of about 5 km wavelength. Field evidence suggests that metasediments of the northern domain have been deposited on the tonalite trondhjemite basement, which was subsequently mobilized, thereby producing the steeply dipping paragneiss belt of the northern domain.The grade of metamorphism throughout the region lies in the upper amphibolite facies, rising locally to the granulite facies. Within 15 km of the southern margin of the gneiss belt, the metamorphic grade decreases to the greenschist facies.U–Pb dating of zircons indicates that the tonalite gneiss was emplaced at least 3040 m.y. ago, and the granite plutons at 2660 m.y., coeval with migmatization and upper amphibolite facies metamorphism. Late pegmatites were emplaced at 2560 m.y.

Archean rocks from the eastern Lac Seul region of the English River Gneiss Belt, northwestern Ontario, part 2. Geochronology

The region is divided into two domains, which are defined by their contrasting petrology, structure, and aeromagnetic anomaly pattern. The northern domain is underlain by east-trending, steeply south-dipping, migmatized garnet–biotite paragneiss. The southern domain is underlain by gneissic tonalite and trondhjemite, intruded by granite plutons, and with abundant amphibolite inclusions.Twelve U–Pb isotopic age determinations of zircons from two gneisses and four granite bodies from the eastern Lac Seul region of the English River Gneiss Belt indicate the following sequence of events. The tonalite gneiss of the southern domain was emplaced definitely more than 3008 m.y. ago and probably more than 3040 ± 40 m.y. ago. Local anatexis or injection associated with regional metamorphism produced a local pegmatite leucosome in the paragneiss 2681 ± 20 m.y. ago. Late- or post-orogenic granites, which invade both the paragneiss and the tonalite, were emplaced 2660 ± 20 m.y. ago, after the major metamorphism in the region. The youngest rock in the area, a cross-cutting pegmatitic granite, was emplaced 2560 ± 40 m.y. ago.

A HISTORY OF RECENT INFESTATIONS OF THE SPRUCE BUDWORM IN NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO, AND AN ESTIMATE OF RESULTANT TIMBER LOSSES

The build-up and course of severe infestations of the spruce budworm in the Lac Seul and Lake Nipigon regions of northwestern Ontario is traced from recorded data between 1937 and 1955; the forest cover of the areas is described in general terms; and it is estimated that some 17 million cords of pulpwood were destroyed. The methods employed in this study allow deductions to be made which indicate that the first severe defoliation within the epicenters of the infestations probably occurred in 1939 in the Lac Seul region and in 1937 or 1938 in the Lake Nipigon region; that expansion beyond the epicenters did not occur until the mortality of balsam fir had commenced; and that the increase of the budworm population to the infestation level occurred abruptly. It is also shown that the relatively small and scattered representation of the primary hosts gave no protection from severe damage, and that the potential for future losses within the areas affected by 1955 is almost double the amount destroyed.

Spruce Budworm Parasite Studies in Northwestern Ontario

The extensive coniferous stands in northwestern Ontario have been subjected to repeated widespread outbreaks of the spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.) (5). About 1939 two such outbreaks originated almost simultaneously, one on the west shores of Lake Nipigon and the other south of Lac Seul approximately 180 miles farther west. Each outbreak eventually covered thousands of square miles and was responsible for the destruction of hundreds of square miles of balsam fir forest. Studies of the parasite complex attacking the spruce budworm in northwestern Ontario and the assessment of its general influence on budworm population trends were initiated in the Lake Nipigon outbreak in 1946 by Professor N. R. Brown, now of the University of New Brunswick, and were further developed by the senior author from 1947 to 1950. Similar investigations were initiated by the junior author in the Lac Seul outbreak in 1950 and continued until 1954. Studies in both areas were continued on a limited basis until 1956 through the co-operation of several research officers.

Rules of Residence and Ecology Among the Northern Ojibwa1

IN DEALING with societies at or near the subsistence level of economic production, Steward proposed hypothesis the size of the band and the extent of the territory utilized are determined largely by ecological factors (1936:343). In testing his hypothesis on historical data from the Basin-Plateau Shoshoni and Paiute groups, he found the concept of band and land ownership too rigid to hold but his data validated the thesis of the interdependence of ecology with the demographic form and social system (1938). Moreover, Hallowell has called for dynamic analysis of the social system in terms of factors, including noncultural ones, beyond those of ... cultural description, the of geographic distribution and problems of historical depth and continuity (1949:36). My purpose in entering the discussion is to present some current ethnographic data which concur with Steward's ecological hypothesis, and to carry the analysis further in the direction called for by Hallowell, i.e. a type of investigation which goes beyond the bare ethnographic facts (1949:44). Residence rules are an important sociological aspect of society, particularly in societies such as the northeastern Algonkian groups in which linearity is only minimally expressed. That is to say, this type of social system, often lacking gens organization, does not express much unilinearity in its descent group structure beyond of the normal domestic group based on kinship. Moreover, if explicit structural linearity is lacking, greater emphasis might normally be placed on other social institutions, one of which is residence rules. The ethnographic literature of the northeastern Algonkian region presents an apparently conflicting view of residence patterns. Only Strong (1929:286) stated explicitly (of the Naskapi) it was impossible to generalize about rules of residence. Skinner, speaking of the Ojibwa groups in the area of the English River (including Lac Seul, Fort Hope, and Osnaburgh Bands), suggests since some persons reside matrilocally and others patrilocally, the only rule is of neolocal residence (1911). Speck says of the Temiskaming Ojibwa residence was definitely patrilocal (1915). Landes says of the Emo Ojibwa that . .. apparently individual preferences or exigencies are the deciding factor. Where marriage was endogamous in the village, questions of matrilocality or patrilocality of course did not arise. Often there was an initial temporary matrilocal residence, followed by temporary patrilocal residence, followed by independent residence, possibly neighboring either the paternal or maternal home (1937:76). More recently Leacock (1955), speaking of the

The Recurrence of Spruce Budworm Infestations in the Past Century in the Lac Seul Area of Northwestern Ontario

EcologyVolume 35, Issue 1 p. 62-71 Article The Recurrence of Spruce Budworm Infestations in the Past Century in the Lac Seul Area of Northwestern Ontario J. R. Blais, J. R. BlaisSearch for more papers by this author J. R. Blais, J. R. BlaisSearch for more papers by this author First published: 01 January 1954 https://doi.org/10.2307/1931405Citations: 34AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume35, Issue1January 1954Pages 62-71 RelatedInformation