Pinery Provincial ParkTrail Guides

Heritage

I.Shrs

3km

1. IntroductionThe stops along this trail willhighlight times, events orthe roles of individuals inthe history of Pinery. Byusing this guide you willbecome more aware of thecircumstances that haveshaped the "Pinery" that weare all so fond of, as well asthe efforts that manyindividuals have taken toensure its protection.

We invite you to walk theHeritage Trail to discoverparts of the journey that ledto the creation of the Pinery.Take your time and use all of

your senses. Put yourself inthe footsteps of an explorer,park employee or aresearcher. Using the toolsand information of the day,what would you have donedifferently to protect ourheritage? What can you do toensure that it remainsprotected in the future?

This 3-km wheelchairaccessible trail takes aleisurely one and a half-hours to complete.

2. A Heritage Emerges

' T -

The plants, animals, delicate cycles andI relationships that surround you while

walking along this trail are part of the heritageof Pinery and Ontario's legacy for future gener-ations. Today, we know that our ability toprotect natural areas like this one and others isconstantly threatened. Protection depends onthe knowledge, skills, efforts and dedication ofmany people and organizations workingtogether. Can we learn enough from our past toensure that Pinery will survive?

Imagine being able to stand in this spot andsee the land change through time. Once, youwould have been on the lake bottom with 60meters of water above your head. Later, youwould have found yourself high and dry, 60kms from the shoreline. Pinery's landscapewas created and modified by glaciers, changing

Heritage Trail

Can we learn

enough from

our past to

ensure that

Pinery will

survive?

The first human

footprints appeared

on this land

sometime between

500 BC to 500 AD.

water levels and onshore winds. As the glaciersmelted lake levels rose and fell. Over 11,500years ago, Lake Huron's sunken basin was

filled with ice and water. Then,2,000 years later when the icemelted allowing the land to rise,you could have walked across thedry lake bottom. Conditionsstabilized about 4000 years agowhen the forces of nature started

to form the Pinery we know today.

Archaeological evidence indicates that thefirst footprints appeared on this land duringthe Middle Woodland period from 500 BC to500 AD. At this time, the First Nations peopleestablished settlements adjacent to the fishingrapids in nearby Arkona. Small family unitswould occasionally visit the Pinery area in thesummer to camp, hunt and fish. Only theremains of summer species like bass, bowfin,turtle and passenger pigeon bones wereuncovered from these sites.

This was followed by the Late Woodlandperiod, 500 AD to 1650 AD, when the FirstNations people depended heavily on domesti-cated plants like corn, beans and squash. Thelight sandy soil of Pinery was unsuitable foragriculture, and villages were located inlandnear Arkona and Thedford. Seasonal huntingand fishing trips were made to the Pinery areaby small family groups until 1400 AD whenthreats from other nations forced the Iroquoisto migrate from the Ausable Valley.

Heritage Trail

&* *

The year is 1826 and you are MahlonBurwell, Deputy Land Surveyor for the

London District. You have been hired by theCanada Company to survey part of the 2.2million acre Huron Tract that includes all theland between Goderich, Sombra andWoodstock. Leaving London, you follow abush trail for 32 kms to the banks of theAusable, 20 kms from Pinery.

It is your role to lay out a plan of settlementand to look for land that could be sold asfarmland. During the survey you discover avast inland lake that you name Lake Burwell.

Pinery didn't

meet the needs

for settlement

in the 1820s

and was

considered a

'wasteland/

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Extensive high sand ridges covered withstunted oaks and fire scared pines border thisarea. In places, the sand is loose and gives

way under your feet, frequently'The skies became causing you {Q sink up to your

dark as Passenger knees.pigeons were

Burwell s assistant mentions inflying over by the his survey notes of June 21 that

thousands for many near the mouth of the Ausable

days." River "the skies became dark asPassenger pigeons were flying

over by the thousands for many days. One ofthe Indians knocked down several by juststanding and waving a stick while our dinnerwas making ready." The first case of PoisonIvy was also recorded when he wrote that"Levi Long was poisoned the same day bysome poison bush or herbs which swelled hisface so that he was not hardly able to see.The following day Long could not see, sobadly that he had to be led about by fellowworkers."

Pinery did not meet the needs for settlementin the 1820s and was considered a wasteland.Unknowingly, these early surveyors took thefirst step in preserving the natural heritage ofthis site.

Heritage Trail

4. Footprints on the Land

HESS COLLECTION, THE LAMBTON HERITAGE MUSEUMConstruction of

What site would you have cleared for a the Cut"homestead? Benjamin Brewster and

Samuel Smart purchased land near presentday Grand Bend in 1832 for a sixpence an acre,with permission to build a dam and mill ifthey sold wood to future settlers at Sarniaprices. By 1835, they purchased another 902hectares (some located in the park) with therights to build three more mills. When thefirst road was built from Sarnia to Goderich in1849,148 people lived in the area.

In 1854, settlers along the Ausable Riverconvinced the Canada Company to have the

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The quest for

fertile land

led to the

draining of

6700 hectares

of marshlands

with the

building of "the

Cut,"

a channel

diverting part

of the Ausable

River flow

around Pinery.

Brewster dam removed to solve their problemofthe flooding of their land each spring. Thecourts supported Brewster who had built themill at the Company's request. In 1860 afteranother 6 years of turmoil, the frustratedsettlers took matters into their own hands bydestroying the dam and burning the mill.

The quest for fertile land led to the draining of6700 hectares of marshlands with the buildingofthe cut", a channel diverting part oftheAusable River flow around Pinery, directly toPort Franks in 1876. A second channel in1891 created the harbour at Grand Bend andstopped the remaining water flow throughPinery. An era of growth followed as marketgardening quickly developed on the drainedland, increasing settlement and commercialactivity.

mmumssmfm^m^mfmRemainingundeveloped,many localfamilies visitedPinery andtook part inactivities thatare still famil-iar today.Fortunately,

the Hess family of Zurich photographed theiroutings. These photos give us the first imagesof people visiting the Pinery from the 1890'sto 1914.

Heritage Trail

HESS COLLECTION, THE LAMBTON HERITAGE MUSEUM

Despite being surrounded by develop-ment, Pinery's landscape had survived.

Today, we like to believe that those who wentbefore had the knowledge to recognize itsspecial nature and decided to protect it bysetting aside this small section of Ontario'snatural heritage.

EJ Zavitz suggested in his 1908 report onOntario wastelands that Pinery was one ofthree major areas in southern Ontario requir-ing public ownership for "forestry methodsand a recreation ground for all times to

Pinery hunt

camp, 1904

Heritage Trail

Fishingin Pinery

HESS COLLECTION, THE LAMBTON HERITAGEMUSEUM

come." The need for recreational sites remained lowand Pinery continued to be enjoyed by only the fewwho were aware of the experiences that it had tooffer.

In 1931, the Sarnia Canadian Observer reported that"Five thousand acres of Pinery sold to Detroit firm

for development." Frank Salterwas willing to pay _ milliondollars for the site to "build agolf course, club houses, yachtharbour, facilities for riding andwinter sports and all improve-ments necessary to complete anexclusive club community andsummer resort on Lake Huron."This venture failed to attractinvestors and development was

limited to the small subdivision known as Beach '0'Pines on the north-eastern boundary.

In 1947, the Canada Company still owned most ofPinery and sought to liquidate the last of its HuronTract holdings by offering the 1862-hectares to theprovince for $250,000. The offer was declined as tooexpensive, and the burden of acquiring the propertyfell to local authorities. A delegation representingmunicipalities in southwestern Ontario made asecond request in 1951 to create a park at Pinery.Rather than create new parks, the Department ofLands and Forests was trying to get rid of the exist-ing parks in southern Ontario and the request wasrefused. It seemed, despite all the interest, the fateof Pinery and the other Southern Ontario parks wasin jeopardy.

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6. Pinery:The Park is Borny

I n the summer of 1951, the Reeve ofBosanquet Township stated that he was

opposed to the creation of a provincial park atPinery because it would result in the loss of$6,000 in taxes and "the municipality wouldsuffer if the project were carried out/' Thelocal Member of Parliament agreed.

That fall, the Ausable Bayfield ConservationAuthority submitted a proposal to dividePinery into parkland for recreation, reforesta-tion area and cottage subdivisions. This planwould still provide a tax base for Bosanquet,satisfy recreational interests and produce

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Pinery opened

in May 1959

when the first

campsite pass

was purchased

for 75 cents a

night.

wood fibre from reforested areas. Ongoinglobbying by the Ausable Authority and othersto create a provincial park carried the issuethrough several years as changes in ProvincialPark policy occurred.

In 1954, a new park's policy recognized theneed to protect and preserve natural areas andprovide opportunity for recreation. InDecember 1954, the intent to purchase Pinerywas announced. Negotiations continued for 18months and were completed on July 23,1956.

After several years of development, Pineryopened in May 1959 when the first campsitepass was purchased for 75 cents a night. Newfacilities followed with the construction of 900tent and trailer sites by 1961. As Pinery's visi-tation rose, it became second only toAlgonquin as a camping destination inOntario. Many believed that the first step inthe preservation of Pinery's heritage hadfinally been taken within the "protectivewalls" of a park.

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7. Protecting Our Heritage

The 1960's brought about a new era.Suddenly, the "Out of Doors" was the

place to be and Provincial Parks providedeasy and close access. Unfortunately, theresult was overcrowding. This generatedmany problems, a flood of complaints andunwanted negative publicity for many south-ern Ontario Provincial Parks.

This demand also took a toll on the naturalenvironment and nowhere was it moreevident than Pinery. The approach toprotection was quite different than today.Superintendent Myers reported in 1959 that

High demand

took a toll on

the natural

environment

and nowhere

was it more

evident than

Pinery.

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Planting pines

in Pinery

"the buffered lots between the campsites willbe usable as campsites when the present areasare trampled bare. This alternating planassures the camp a certain permanence." By1963,1075 campsites had been developed andthe following year Pete Addison, a parksurveyor, noted that "the loading of campingis destroying Pinery and at the present rate thepark will be worthless in less than 10 years."

Today we know that this type of approach toprotection usually mean disaster.Unfortunately, early park managers lackedthe knowledge to truly protect Pinery'secosystem, however, all threats were notdirectly linked to facility development andvisitors. A reforestation program resulted inthe planting of almost 3.5 million pine treesthroughout most of Pinery's globally rare OakSavanna. Fire, necessary to sustain a healthyoak savanna forest, was perceived as the"greatest enemy" to Pinery's forests and keptunder control. Were the natural values of thispark really being protected?

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8. From Park to Instant

To compound the problems of overuseI and deteriorating natural values, rowdy-

ism, a new and unwelcome social problememerged. Many wanted to bring the "beachparty lifestyle" to parks, resulting in highlevels of vandalism, noise and complaintsfrom visitors who wanted a natural experi-ence. This situation peaked in 1972 when 200leather clad motorcyclists descended on analready full Pinery. Park officials were defied,regulations ignored and motorcycles weredriven through the fragile dunes and oaksavanna. Action was swift as measures were

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Input from the

public, researchers

and interest groups

created a strong

recognition of the

importance and

fragility of the

Pinery ecosystem.

implemented to control rowdyism including amotorcycle ban and a police office located inthe park.

The master planning process for Pinery wasalso implemented at this time. Master plan-ning defines a park's role, classification andzoning. It includes policies for protection,interpretation, use and development, ensur-ing all the resources of the park are identified.The resulting plan guides the protection of thepark and the management of its resources ina sustainable manner. It also ensures thateveryone has an opportunity to take part in

the process through publicparticipation to ensure that alloptions are considered.

The result of input from thepublic, researchers and interestgroups created a strong recogni-tion of the importance andfragility of the Pinery ecosystem.Response was immediate bypark managers and controls

were implemented reducing the number ofcampsites to 1000 and the day user vehicles to1000. A visitation that had reached 1.5 millionannually during the 60's has been reduced toless 500,000 visitors each year since that time.Can you imagine the impact that one millionextra visitors would have on Pinery each year?

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9. Knowledge - The Basi1*" !- --Votectk

Protection is the cornerstone for themanagement of Ontario Parks. The

natural features and diversity of Pinery arestaggering. Many have been identified includ-ing over 757 plant, 325 bird and 1241 mothspecies, a globally rare oak savanna ecosys-tem, freshwater dunes, habitat for endangeredspecies, and the largest protected forest insouthwestern Ontario. How would you ensurethat the heritage of this site was protected?

Expertise is required in so many areas. Theonly approach managers can take is to seekthe help of knowledgeable people to identify

Lupins

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All agree thatPinery'secosystem isthreatened.White-taileddeer are eatingvegetationfaster than itcan replaceitself.

resources and how organisms function in theecosystem. This information can then formthe basis for the development of managementprograms to guide heritage protection.

By 1998 Pinery's Oak Savanna will have beeninventoried and monitored for over 20 yearsby researchers from Western, York, Guelphand Waterloo Universities. Many changeshave been documented and researchers havesignalled an alarm. All agree that Pinery'secosystem has been diagnosed as threatened.White-tailed deer are eating vegetation fasterthan it can replace itself. The lack of wildflow-ers, shrubs and young trees at this site shouldsound an alarm to you. Once common birdslike the Brown Thrasher and Towhee are now

18 Heritage Trail

rarely seen. The lack of ground cover makesthis site no longer suitable as a home. If thebrowsing continues, where will the trees comefrom that will replace the existing ones whenthey die? What will Pinery be like then?

Over 200 research papers and surveys havebeen published on Pinery. Take the time toattend a program or read some of the infor-mation that is available. The future of Pinery'sHeritage also depends on your knowledge ofthese resources and support for programsthat will ensure its protection.

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I\. Local Expertise

Many visitors to Pinery are envious ofthe opportunity to come to work in such

a unique area. Throughout the years, manystaff have dedicated their careers to providingexcellent facilities and service for visitors. Asmanagers were faced with new challenges toprotect Pinery's natural resources, they real-ized that they needed more information toprovide proper protection. They discoveredthat when this knowledge was shared withvisitors, caring and concerned attitudes wereexpressed, making the protection objectivemore achievable.

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This stop reflects on the career of William(Casey) VandenBygaart, a park Naturalistwho through dedication was able to passknowledge, love and compassion for Pineryon to more people than any other staffmember. Casey's intimate knowledge of thenatural resources was developedin a career from 1968-95. This William <****>knowledge was used to make VandenBygaart wassure that Pinery's heritage was an inspiration fornot threatened by delivering both visitors andinventories, dune rehabilitation, staff.pine plantation thinning, deersurveys, prescribed burns, Karner Blue andlupine recovery, conducted walks and eveningprograms. He even knew the exact locationsof the rarest plants as well as how many wereflowering each year.

Casey was an inspiration for both visitors andstaff. A gentle and caring manner alwaysprevailed and no question was unimportant.There was always knowledge to share andexperiences to inspire, with the ability tocreate the "this is my Pinery feeling" in every-one that had the opportunity to take part inone of Casey's outings or to work with him.All we can say is "Thank you Casey for caringabout Pinery's heritage and sharing so muchto keep Pinery a special place."

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V

a._ :

11. Working Together

^

Friends of

Pinery planting

dune grasses I n 1954, Ontario had eight provincial parks.By 1998, the number of parks had grown to

272 parks covering an area of 7.1 millionhectares, 6.6 percent of the province of Ontarioor an area greater in size than the province ofNova Scotia. Contained in this area are repre-sentative examples of Ontario's natural historyand diversity including a full range of geologi-cal features, ecosystems and species.

The challenge for the future is to identify andbring the remaining unrepresented areasunder some form of protection. On a provin-cial scale, Ontario Parks is working with

22 Heritage Trail

groups who share the vision of biodiversityprotection, like the Nature Conservancy.Under the Legacy 2000 program, this groupwill match every dollar that Ontario Parks cancontribute with seven to acquire sites to helpcomplete the process by the year 2000.

The Friends of Pinery is a non-profit organi-zation dedicated to supporting interpretive,educational and scientific programs in the

park. This trail and guide is the result of oneof their efforts. Since forming in 1989, theFriends have sponsored many projects thathave helped visitors to discover and protectthe heritage of Pinery.

The Friends have also reached out to othersfor support. Joining them in creating this trailwas the Sydenham Conservation Foundation

Dr. Maun'sdune researchproject.

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It is important thatyou have theopportunity toplay a role inpreserving Ontario'sHeritage.

and the Canadian Parks Partnership. TheFoundation's projects have included educa-tional programs for schools, land acquisitionfor habitat protection, funding for stream

improvement as well as this trailand guide. The Canadian ParkPartnership, who provided fundsfor the viewing platform, is anational support group for over60 "friends" groups at Parks andHistoric Sites across Canada.

These groups recognize thevalue of our natural heritage and how itenhances our quality of life. It is equallyimportant that you have the opportunity tobecome involved through organizations likethese that provide you with the ability to playa role in preserving Ontario's Heritage.

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12.The Future

/

The heritage of Pinery as we know ittoday developed over the last 4000 years.

When we look back, the greatest threats tosustainability of this site since 1957 were fromthe very people who wanted to preserve it themost. In hindsight, we know that the lack ofappropriate long-term goals for protection, alimited knowledge about the resources of thesite and the consequences of managementactions have created the greatest threats tothe preservation of the heritage of Pinery.

Fortunately, our ability to protect the heritageof Pinery and other Ontario Parks is now

The quality of

life depends on

our ability to

protect natural

heritage not

just in Pinery,

but in our own

back yards,

across the

province and

around the

world.

Heritage Trail 25

Only 100 years ago,Pinery was a smallsegment of thenatural landscapeof Ontario. Today,it is the largestremaining singlepiece of forestedland in South-western Ontario.

greater than it has ever been. Managementprograms like visitor control, sand dune reha-bilitation, plantation thinning and prescribedburning have been successfully developed torestore and sustain the biodiversity of thisecosystem. This success depends on theknowledge, skills and dedication of peopleand organizations working together not onlyin a park, but also on a provincial and globalscale.

Only 100 years ago, Pinery was a smallsegment of the natural landscape of Ontario.Today, it is the largest remaining single piece••••••• of forested land in Southwestern

Ontario. Once surrounded byendless forests, today Pinery islike an island isolated from othernatural areas by cropland.Animals and vegetation can nolonger migrate freely betweenthese areas.

The quality of life depends onour ability to protect naturalheritage not just in Pinery, butin our own back yards, acrossthe province and around the

world. Organizations like the groups thathelped to develop this trail provide you withthe opportunity to take part and make adifference. Have you ever wondered what theworld would be like without our naturalheritage? Don't wait to find out; getinvolved and make a difference.

26 Heritage Trail

Design by Lind Design.Published for The Friends of Pinery Provincial Parkby Lithosphere Press.