Bonheur River Kame Provincial Park Management Statement

1985 Government of Ontario

Additional copies of this publication are available from the Ignace District Office, Box 448, Hwy. #599, Ignace, Ontario POT 1TO

February, 1986

Regional Director’s Approval Statement

This Interim Management Statement will provide interim direction for the management of the Bonheur River Kame Provincial Nature Reserve until a comprehensive Park Management Plan is prepared.

This statement will provide the basis for the subsequent preparation of the Park Management Plan.

I am pleased to approve this Interim Management Statement for the Bonheur River Kame Provincial Nature Reserve.

Signed by:

D.R. Johnston
Regional Director
Northwest Region

Introduction

The purpose of this Interim Management Statement is to identify:

1. park values which are to be protected;
2. resource management prescriptions necessary to protect these values; and
3. restrictions on use of natural resources within the park.

This Interim Management Statement is not intended to replace a Park Management Plan. Rather it is intended to guide the use of natural resources and related activities within the park until such a time as a Park Management Plan is prepared.

The guidelines that have been developed are based on information contained in the Ignace District Land Use Guidelines.

Background Information:

Background Information for Bonheur River Kame Provincial Nature Reserve

Name	Bonheur River Kame
Proposed Class	Nature Reserve
M.N.R. District	Ignace
M.N.R. Region	Northwestern
Total Area (ha)	800
Land	N/A
Water	N/A
Site Region	3W-Lake Nipigon
Site District	3W-2
Date in Regulation	85.01.24

Bonheur River Kame Regional Setting Map

Targets

1. Life Science Representation

Site Type/Landscape Unit	Species/Communities
Landscape Unit 30 - Raven Lake Outwash Plain	Southern Boreal Forest Region and associated vegetation communities.

2. Earth Science Representation

Geological Theme	Feature
Timiskaming Interstadial	Unmodified "textbook" quality kame

3. Cultural Resource Representation

Theme	Theme Segment
N/A	N/A

4. Recreation Opportunities

Day Use	Car Camping	Wilderness/Back Country
N/A	N/A	N/A

5. Inventories

Level/Type	Earth Science	Life Science	Cultural	Recreational	Other
Reconnaissance Completion Date	1979	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Detailed Completion Date	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

I Land Tenure

There are presently no alienated lands within the park boundary.

Guideline

Requests for any form of Crown land disposition will not be considered.

II Land Acquistion/Disposition

There are no patented properties located within the park boundary. In addition, the park is completely surrounded by Crown land.

Guideline

The disposition of Crown-owned lands within the park will not be considered.

III Existing/Proposed Development

There are no existing facilities or developments within the park.

Guideline:

Proposals for park development will not be considered pending the completion of the park management plan. Park development will be limited to trails, necessary signage and interpretive facilities for research and educational purposes.

IV Recreation Activities

There are presently no recreational activities occurring within the park due largely to the inaccessibility of the area.

Guideline:

The Ignace District Land Use Guidelines indicate that wildlife viewing is an acceptable activity within the park. Sport hunting is not permitted.

V Commercial Activities

A portion of two traplines are included within the park area.

The park is surrounded by the Great Lakes Forest Products English River Forest Management Agreement area.

Guideline

Trapping is not permitted within the park. Existing trapline boundaries will be amended to exclude the park area.

Timber harvesting operations are not permitted within the park. The park has been excluded from the English River Forest Management Agreement.

In summary, no commercial activities will be permitted to occur within the park pending the completion of the park management plan.

VI Native Interests

There are no known Native interests in the park area.

VII Natural Resources

The primary natural resource value of the park is a distinctive, unmodified Kame deposit rising some 80 m above the surrounding landscape. Management efforts will be directed towards the protection of this resource.

VIII Cultural Resources

No known cultural resources have been identified to date.

IX Client Services

Information on the natural resource values of this nature reserve will be made available to the public in an attempt to foster an understanding and appreciation for this park.

X Research

A more detailed earth science and life science inventory will be necessary prior to the preparation of the park management plan.

XI Marketing

A marketing strategy for this nature reserve class provincial park will be addressed during the preparation of the park management plan.

Sources/References

KOR, P. Earth Science Inventory Checklist - Bonheur River Kame, O.M.N.R., 1979

Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Ignace District Land Use Guidelines, 1983

Map of Bonheur Provincial Park Natural Reserve

Bonheur River Kame

1. Area Description
   Located directly north of Burk Township, this 720 hectare recommended park consists of a kame, of 'textbook' quality which rises over 80 metres above its surroundings. The kame is largely unmodified by post glacial lake action and undisturbed by man’s action. It would be highly sensitive to denudation of vegetation.
2. Land Use Intent
   The area is recommended for park status. The main purpose of this recommended park is to protect and represent the kame, a significant earth science feature.
3. Land Use Activity for Area No. 13- Bonheur River Kame

Activity	Acceptable	Recommended Guidelines
Aggregate Extraction	No	N/A
Agriculture	No	N/A
Bait Fishing	No	N/A
Commercial Fishing	No	N/A
Cottaging	No	N/A
Crown Land Recreation	N/A	N/A
Forestry	No	N/A
Hunting	No	N/A
Mining	No	N/A
Provincial Parks	Yes	Recommended for park status.
Roads	No	N/A
Rural Residential	No	N/A
Sports Fishing	No	N/A
Tourism	No	N/A
Trapping	No	N/A
Wildlife.Viewing	Yes	N/A
Wild Rice Harvesting	No	N/A
Urban Development	No	N/A

Earth Science Inventory Checklist

Name	Bonheaur River Kame
Map Name	Bonheur
Map Number	52G/6
UTM Reference	285745
County	N/A
Latitude	49 25'
Longitude	91 14'
Altitude Minimum	434 m
Altitude Maximum	520 m+
Township	N/A
Lot Concession	About 15 km north of Hwy 17 at Raven Lake, and 8 km south of Sowden Lake
Area	N/A
Ownership	N/A
Administration	N/A
MNR Region & District	NWR - Ignace
Conservation Authority	N/A

Aerial Photographs - Basemaps

Year	Roll	Flight Line	Numbers
1975	11	4917	107-109
1975	11	4916	147-149

Map showing Bonheaur River Kame Area Boundaries

Earth Science Features

• excellent quality individual kame mound visible for long distance
• rises out of a peat-covered outwash plain

Sensitivity

• probably high aggregate potential; high sensitivity to denudation of vegetation

Significance

• "text book" quality of kame with high integrity

Major References

• undocumented

Physical Features:

The kame described in this checksheet was found by chance when it was observed from the north end of Sowden Lake, about 12 km north of the feature, during a reconnaissance flight. Subsequent investigations from the fixed-wing aircraft revealed a very distinct, steep-sided mound with twin peaks, rising over 80 m above the surrounding peatland. The kame is heavily vegetated, and no exposures of surface material were seen from the air. The feature is slightly less than 1 km by 1 km in area, being almost circular in plain view. A low, wide ridge joins the south end of the kame to a lower, smaller kame 2-5 km to the south (at UTM 280720). The peatland which virtually surrounds the kame is situated on an extensive outwash plain associated with the deglaciation of the ice mass from the Hartman position to the Lac Seul position during the Timiskaming Interstadial. The flatness of the peatland accentuates the abrupt slopes and height of the single kame.

Significance:

The Bonheur River kame is very significant in that it represents a single kame of "text book" quality. Kames often occur as single mounds, the result of fluvial deposition into small ponds on or within a stagnant ice mass (Embleton and King, 1975, p.487). The kame is unmodified by post-glacial lake action, except probably some redistribution of basal deposits by glacial meltwaters. The feature is distinctive, highly educational, of high interpretive value, and an excellent representation of a single, unmodified kame. The feature has not been disturbed by man’s activities, due in part to the difficulty of access.

Recommendations:

The kame and a portion of the surrounding peatland is here recommended for inclusion within the parks system as a result of its significance in representing a specific landform. The land area required to preserve this feature is minimal, especially considering the difficult access. There is no road access, and none is likely in the near future, leaving the only means of access via helicopter, or boat from Bonheur River, both of which would require a wet walk through the peatland.