all forms of woodlot improvement among individual property owners. 



Where large scale or block forestry operations are desirable, a Conservation 

 Authority forest program is designed for the watershed. This is a recommenda- 

 tion for the acquisition of areas of existing woodlots and areas requiring reforesta- 

 tion. Authorities may then purchase land for a Conservation Authority forest, and 

 the forest may or may not be placed under agreement with the Department of 

 Lands and Forests for management. 



Wildlife 



Wildlife surveys include general inventories of all species of wildlife, both 

 game and non-game. Special emphasis is laid on vanishing or threatened species. 

 Streams are classified as to their condition and suitability for particular species 

 of fish. 



Wildlife surveys within Conservation Authorities have concentrated on the 

 environment for fish, particularly in rivers and streams. Stream temperature, 

 (frequently a critical factor), permanence of flow, fish cover and pollution of 

 streams are given special emphasis. Surveys have been made of nearly every 

 stream in most of the Conservation Authorities for the purpose of classifying 

 the environment as suitable for one species of fish or another. The chief method 

 is the collection of the bottom fauna of streams, since research has shown that 

 certain insects are extremely sound indicators of the permanence of flow and 

 maximum temperatures which will be encountered in an average summer. Col- 

 lections of fish by gill nets, minnow seines, and electric fish shockers, along with 

 records of continuous recording thermometers, have supplemented and supported 

 the above data. Maps showing the biological data of more than 5,000 miles 

 of stream courses have been made from these surveys. 



Where the control of lake levels has a double function of improving condi- 

 tions for cottage owners as well as maintaining good spawning conditions for 

 such species as muskellunge, the surveys inc'ude the basic data on water quality, 

 depths, vegetation and bottom conditions. 



The value of wetlands is assessed, based on the amount of water and the 

 quality of the vegetation. In some watersheds, detailed surveys of the small mam- 

 mal populations have been made, and the habitats where they may be expected, 

 since a few species can radically affect young forest plantations. 



Areas containing rare or spectacular species are recommended for acquisi- 

 tion, and where there is a possible interest in nature trails, suitable sites for 

 these are also outlined. 



Recreation 



Recreation surveys include estimates of the present and future population 

 of the areas, descriptions of the present use of all recreation facilities by local 

 and outside residents, rating of all recreation facilities — publicly or privately 

 owned — and recommendations for new recreation areas for both urban and rural 

 populations of the watershed. 



In order to fully appreciate the Conservation Authorities' place in the field 

 of recreation, the intent of The Conservation Authorities Act, (R.S.O. 1960, 

 Chapter 62) must be understood. Lands acquired by Conservation Authorities 

 must, in the first instance, be capable of performing a use relative to conserva- 

 tion. For example, flood plain lands, valley slopes, stream source areas, reforesta- 

 tion land, woodland and wetland, may be desirable for Authority purchase. If 

 these lands can, in the second instance, be used for recreation without seriously 

 interfering with their primary function, then they should be so used. 



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