Hockley Valley Provincial Nature Reserve
Encyclopedia
Hockley Valley Provincial Nature Reserve is a nature reserve
located on the Niagara Escarpment
within the township of Mono
, Ontario
, Canada
. It is managed by Ontario Parks
. Approximately 80% of the Cannings Falls Area of Natural and Scientific Interest
is within the borders of the park; land acquisitions are planned to encompass it entirely. The Bruce Trail
links the reserve to other protected areas of the Niagara Escarpment.
of the area was greatly influenced by glacial processes, followed by fluvial
erosion. The reserve is characterized by a till
moraine
and other glacial features, such as kame
s and kettles. A deeply-cut tributary valley to the Nottawasaga River
bisects the reserve through its centre. The Niagara Escarpment's dolostone
caprock
(the Amabel Formation) can be seen in the upper parts of the gorge; rapids and waterfalls expose stratigraphic succession down to the Queenston Shale
.
s, many of which are rare, have been identified. This includes the regionally rare Cuckoo Flower and the Sand Violet, as well as the nationally endangered Butternut, population of which has dwindled due to the butternut canker disease. Fauna includes the locally-rare Northern Long-eared Bat
, the nationally vulnerable Louisiana Waterthrush
and the Northern Brook Lamprey
, as well as the nationally threatened Jefferson Salamander
.
, and snowshoeing; no visitor facilities are present or planned.
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
located on 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...
within the township of Mono
Mono, Ontario
The Town of Mono is situated in south-central Ontario, Canada, at the south-east corner of County of Dufferin, just north of Caledon and northeast of Orangeville. It stretches from Highway 9 along its southern border to Highway 89 along its northern border. Its border to the west is with the...
, 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 managed by Ontario Parks
Ontario Parks
Ontario Parks is the branch of the Ministry of Natural Resources that administers the provincial parks in Ontario, Canada. The Ontario Parks system covers over 78,000 square kilometres , about 10 percent of the province's surface area or the equivalent of an area approximately equal to Nova Scotia...
. Approximately 80% of the Cannings Falls 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...
is within the borders of the park; land acquisitions are planned to encompass it entirely. The 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...
links the reserve to other protected areas of the Niagara Escarpment.
Landform
The topographyTopography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
of the area was greatly influenced by glacial processes, followed by fluvial
Fluvial
Fluvial is used in geography and Earth science to refer to the processes associated with rivers and streams and the deposits and landforms created by them...
erosion. The reserve is characterized by a till
Till
thumb|right|Closeup of glacial till. Note that the larger grains in the till are completely surrounded by the matrix of finer material , and this characteristic, known as matrix support, is diagnostic of till....
moraine
Moraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
and other glacial features, such as kame
Kame
A kame is a geological feature, an irregularly shaped hill or mound composed of sand, gravel and till that accumulates in a depression on a retreating glacier, and is then deposited on the land surface with further melting of the glacier...
s and kettles. A deeply-cut tributary valley to the Nottawasaga River
Nottawasaga River
The Nottawasaga River is a river in southern Ontario, Canada. Its headwaters are located on the Niagara Escarpment and Oak Ridges Moraine. It flows through the Minesing Swamp, recognized as a wetland of international significance , and empties into Nottawasaga Bay, an inlet of Georgian Bay, at...
bisects the reserve through its centre. The Niagara Escarpment's dolostone
Dolostone
Dolostone or dolomite rock is a sedimentary carbonate rock that contains a high percentage of the mineral dolomite. In old U.S.G.S. publications it was referred to as magnesian limestone. Most dolostone formed as a magnesium replacement of limestone or lime mud prior to lithification. It is...
caprock
Caprock
The Caprock is a region in the Panhandle of Texas . It is the land to the west of the Caprock Escarpment, which separates it from plains stretching to the east at a much lower elevation....
(the Amabel Formation) can be seen in the upper parts of the gorge; rapids and waterfalls expose stratigraphic succession down to the Queenston Shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
.
Flora and fauna
Within the reserve, 417 species of vascular plantVascular plant
Vascular plants are those plants that have lignified tissues for conducting water, minerals, and photosynthetic products through the plant. Vascular plants include the clubmosses, Equisetum, ferns, gymnosperms and angiosperms...
s, many of which are rare, have been identified. This includes the regionally rare Cuckoo Flower and the Sand Violet, as well as the nationally endangered Butternut, population of which has dwindled due to the butternut canker disease. Fauna includes the locally-rare Northern Long-eared Bat
Northern long-eared myotis
The Northern long-eared myotis is a small bat, typically 5-10 g and 84 mm in total length . The fur is dull brown on the dorsum and yellowish on the venter...
, the nationally vulnerable Louisiana Waterthrush
Louisiana Waterthrush
The Louisiana Waterthrush is a New World warbler. It breeds in eastern North America from southernmost Canada and south through the eastern USA, excluding Florida and the coast....
and the Northern Brook Lamprey
Northern Brook Lamprey
The Northern Brook Lamprey, Ichthyomyzon fossor, is a lamprey found in North America throughout the Great Lakes Watershed. There are limited populations within the Mississippi watershed....
, as well as the nationally threatened Jefferson Salamander
Jefferson Salamander
The Jefferson salamander is a mole salamander native to the northeastern United States, southern and central Ontario, and southwestern Quebec. It was named after Jefferson College in Pennsylvania....
.
Activities
Recereation in the park is several limited. Due to the park's designation as a nature reserve, permitted activities are limited to hikingHiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
, and snowshoeing; no visitor facilities are present or planned.