A Preliminary Report

A Preliminary Report for the Lake Superior National Marine

Conservation Area Interim Management Committee: Key Sites of
Concern in the Lake Superior NMCA and Additional
Considerations
Aaron Nicholson, Jessica Johnson, Zack Kruzins,
Dr. Robert Stewart & Darrell Makin. Lakehead University.
Background: The Lake Superior Research Group
May 15, 2009
The Lake Superior Research Group (LSRG) is an initiative created by students and supported by
faculty at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, to encourage research and increase awareness about
Lake Superior and its surrounding communities. The LSRG was coined out of a desire to encourage students
from multiple disciplines to create their own educational opportunities with a unified and collaborative focus
on their own backyard. The initiative has attracted support from the Departments of Geography, Outdoor
Recreation, Parks and Tourism, Water Resource Science (Geology) and Environmental Studies/Sciences.
During the summer of 2008 a group of students conducted the first LSRG research expedition within
the proposed Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area. The information collected focused on
aspects of human disturbance, sensitive ecological features, campsite inventory and risk management. The
campsite inventory was conducted using forms designed by the Ontario Parks Inventory and Monitoring
(OPIAM) database. These forms are used for monitoring back-country campsites and are intended to
highlight impacts and management issues within parks and protected areas. Inventory from the forms have
been input into a Geographic Information System and the resulting analysis identified a series of problematic
sites within the Lake Superior NMCA. Although a thorough investigation of the relationships between
human disturbance, sensitive ecological features and campsite inventory is currently undergoing peer-review
assessment, a preliminary analysis of key areas of human-use impacts have been generated at the request of
members of the interim management committee. The preliminary sites are as follows.
Sites of Concern
1. Porphyry Island Harbour

Management Issues/Recommendations
- Maintenance/Improvement of outhouse to decrease human waste issue
- Maintenance of Boathouse/Lighthouse grounds, priority would be the
lighthouse keepers house which has been broken into and heavily
vandalized, and garbage clean up.

2. Island #10 (off Shaganash)

- In dire need of privy/outhouse for management of human waste issue

- Basic repairs and maintenance to lighthouse.

3. Loon Harbour Site

-In need of privy/outhouse for management of human waste issue

4. Fluor Island (southeast cove, small island)

-In need of privy/outhouse and monitoring to prevent human waste

management issue; island too small to support high use

5. Bead Island Channel, St. Ignace Island site

-Site clean-up/inventory of garbage and old metal junk

-In need of privy/outhouse for management of human waste issue

6. Battle Island Harbour

-Clean up of chemical waste, scrap metal and garbage at dump site

7. Wilson Island Beach, Wilson Island (west side)

- In need of privy/outhouse for management of human waste issue

8. Joe Eagle Rock, Healey Island

- In need of privy/outhouse for management of human waste issue

9.Cavers Bay Area, Nipigon Bay

- Continued clean up of beads from train wreck in November 2007.

-Pile of old cars on beach rotting away into the water. We can identify
exact locations at your request.

A Preliminary Report

Map A: Campsite inventory and sites of concern.

Site Descriptions
1. Porphyry Island Harbour is located on the central northwest side of Porphyry Island, roughly an 8km
crossing from Silver Islet. The harbour was initially used as a government dock for the Porphyry
Island lighthouse. It has now become a heavily used campsite for recreational boaters of all types.
The site consists of two docks, a boathouse, and a trail leading to the lighthouse grounds.
2. Lighthouse #10 is a heavily visited site by recreational boaters. The small size of the island
concentrates human use impact. Lighthouse has been vandalized and human waste is high priority
management issue; small cat holes and toilet paper remains are visible across the island.
3. Loon Harbour site is a heavily used anchorage between Spain, Borden and Lasher Islands. The
impacted site is located on the northeast side of Spain Island. The fire pit is used heavily by boaters
while anchored in the harbour but is also used for camping by recreational paddlers. Lichen heath
damage, garbage, scattered social trails and human waste issues are evident. The sauna site on the
southeast side is also impacted.
4. This site is located on a very small island in a cove on the Southeast side of Fluor Island. This site
cannot sustain high use due to its small size; human waste will continue to be problematic. While it is
a slightly hidden location, further monitoring should be done to prevent future management issues.
Paddlers should be directed to a more sustainable site on Flour Island proper. The site on Flour
adjacent Willard Island could be used instead.
5. Site is located on the south eastern side of St. Ignace Island, within Bead Island Channel, between St.
Ignace Harbour and the Moffat Strait. This spot has old batteries, paint cans, beer bottles, scraps of
metal, etc. The site was initially established as a fishing camp although has long since been
abandoned. It is still used by both paddlers and power boaters. Caution: some garbage could be
considered historical artifacts and thus could be inventoried before disposal. The site also contains
signs of human waste due to the lack of privy.
6. Located on the north side of Battle Island. An established trail system/road leads to lighthouse
grounds. Lighthouse is still maintained by keeper. A large junkyard/dump remains on the grounds;
this includes chemical waste, scrap metal, old vehicles and a substantial amount of assorted garbage.

A Preliminary Report

7. Site is located in a big sandy bay on northwest side of Wilson Island. This is a private island but the
site is still heavily used by visitors. The site has become more impacted each year as fuel wood
consumption becomes a recognizable issue. There are several social trails with signs of human waste
around perimeter of site. Given its proximity, size, and present/historical use, this island will need to
be examined with respect to further land use for NMCA users.
8. Located a short 40 minute paddle from Rossport, this site is heavily visited for both day and
overnight use. It is used by both small and very large groups. Soil erosion exists on some tent sites,
widespread fuel wood consumption, some garbage and very old rotting privy. Social trails and
evidence of human waste present.
9. A train car carrying thousands of small plastic PVC beads (used in manufacturing) de-railed in
November of 2007 and deposited the beads into the lake in Cavers Bay. The LSRG expedition
observed hundreds to thousands of these pellets on various islands within the NMCA. An initial
clean-up of the beads was attempted in the summer of 2008 by The Tug of the North (hired by the
CPR). This included the vacuuming of visible pellets on the shorelines adjacent to the bay and nearby
islands. However, these pellets are light-weight, float well, and were easily transported in the
currents and waves. With the late response, thousands of pellets had already been dispersed widely
throughout the islands, becoming impossible to fully retrieve. The LSRG observed pellets in
numerous locations in the water, on shore, and up tributaries of the islands. These pellets have
potential to affect fish and wildlife species through ingestion, or by obstructing habitat. The
derailment also deposited lumber (2x6 boards) throughout the area, and although many have been
salvaged, waterlogged and fragmented pieces of board still remain.
Present and Future Research:
A) Two Undergraduate Theses:
(Abstracts and Recommendations)
An Assessment of Coastal Sensitivity to Human Disturbance in the
Black Bay Peninsula Archipelago, Lake Superior.
Aaron A. Nicholson
Submitted to the Department of Geography in Partial Fulfillment of the requirements for an Honours
Bachelor of Science. Advisor: Robert Stewart.
Environmental impacts in Lake Superior are a complex topic and the creation of island parks and
marine reserves are one method to better understand the relationships between human use and
environmentally sensitive areas. In 2007, the Canadian government announced their intent to establish a
National Marine Conservation Area (NMCA) along the north shore of Lake Superior, which includes the
Black Bay Peninsula Archipelago. The isolated nature and fragmented biological distribution of the islands
increases their susceptibility to disturbance and highlights a need for assessing current and future impacts
(Foster, 1999; Arthurs, 1986; Environment Canada, 1993). For this reason, this study aims to answer an
initial research question: What aspects of the Black Bay Peninsula Archipelago are sensitive to human
disturbance? Three objectives were employed to answer this question: 1. To determine sensitive geographic
features of the archipelago; 2. To identify the potential human impacts and environmental changes to the
islands, and; 3. To map the distribution of sensitive/significant features in relation to areas of human
disturbance. The methodology involved a 50-day field research expedition through the Black Bay Peninsula

A Preliminary Report

Archipelago in the summer of 2008 to conduct an impact assessment and to generate an evidence-based
inventory of sensitive coastal features (i.e. terraced beaches, arctic disjunct vegetation, lichen heath
communities, pukaskwa pits) using a Geographic Information System (G.I.S). The resulting impact
assessment and G.I.S. analysis highlights areas where human-use has disturbed environmentally sensitive
features. The resulting maps and interpretations of the study provide an interdisciplinary understanding of
coastal sensitivity in the Black Bay Peninsula Archipelago, and can assist Parks Canada in reducing impacts
in the proposed Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area.

Map B: The distribution of sensitive coastal features in relation to areas of human disturbance.
Considerations for the Interim Management Committee:
Certain islands within the Black Bay Peninsula Archipelago were identified as harbouring
characteristics that have a greater susceptibility to disturbance caused by recreational and tourist use.
The areas found most sensitive to this disturbance include Cobinosh and Bar Island (Outer Rossport
Islands), and the Bowman Island Group (Specifically Bowman, Owl and Paradise). It is
recommended that these sensitive environments be considered in any zoning regulations for the
LSNMCA.
The impact and potential for hazardous spills in the NMCA from the railway should be considered
and recommendations could be made for hazardous materials to be transported by alternate methods.
Campsites of concern have been established on Cobinosh Island (northwest side; location is also an
archaeological excavation site), Bar Island (southwest side; site is located on a raised cobble beach

A Preliminary Report

and was formally a unique Pukaskwa rock structure site that has since been extensively disturbed),
and Paradise Island (north side; lichen heath communities show apparent signs of degradation and a
permanent trail exists that leads to a large lichen covered raised cobble beach on the south east side
of the island).
Other sites of concern include Agate Island (site is both a modern campsite and Pukaskwa
Pit/structure site), Borden Island Rock Structure on east side (heavily visited by yachters due to its
close proximity to Loon Harbour anchorage and recently published location in Bonnie Dahls
Superior Way).

Risk Management for Sea Kayakers along the Northern Shores of Lake Superior
Jessica Johnson
Submitted to the School of Outdoor Recreation Parks and Tourism in Partial Fulfillment of the requirements
for an Honours Bachelor of Outdoor Recreation Degree. Advisor: Margaret Johnston
This study was designed to explore the concepts of risk and risk management for sea kayakers
traveling along the Canadian northern shores of Lake Superior. The boundaries of the study area fully
encompass the proposed Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area (NMCA). Through participation
in a 50-day kayaking expedition, proposed risk management tools and practices were applied and evaluated
and the various hazards in the Lake Superior environment were observed. Additionally, the human role in
risk management was studied through observation of the decisions, behaviours and actions of the expedition
team. Various results and data from the expedition are provided including information on the weather,
shoreline and water conditions. Six case studies of key expeditionary experiences pertaining to risk
management are described and analysed according to the literature. Furthermore, the risk management tools
created for the expedition are compared with results and discussed in terms of their effectiveness. Risk
management was deemed likely to have important future implications within the Lake Superior NMCA and
currently there are few resources available for interested paddlers. In light of the findings of this study,
recommendations will be made concerning visitor risk management and kayak users in the proposed NMCA.
Considerations for the Interim Management Committee:
Little information, if any, is available on current user numbers or their demographics, values, and
travel ethics. Additionally, there are few resources available for interested paddlers no maps or
guide books that discus routes, campsites and safety considerations.
The Lake Superior environment can be a risky place for inexperienced kayakers to attempt an
expedition. The area features compounding environmental hazard factors such as cold water, exposed
coastline, open water crossings, frequent no landing zones and the potential for strong winds, waves
and rapidly changing weather conditions. The combination of these factors can result in a high
degree of risk and consequence. The potential for capsize, hypothermia, drowning and impact is of
primary concern.
With knowledge of low-impact camping methods, kayaking can provide for a sustainable method of
exploring the NMCA. Yet given the sensitivity of some coastal features to human impact, and given

A Preliminary Report

the risks of travel, it would be important to establish a water-trail management plan designed to help
visitors protect both themselves and the spectacular environment they have come to see.
The approach that other parks with marine components have taken in regards to visitor risk
management and kayak users could be quite useful if adapted for the upcoming Lake Superior
NMCA. It would be valuable to have resources available that alert paddlers to the nature of the
Superior environment along with the knowledge and competencies that are required to manage the
risks of travel within it.
Online information about kayaking within the NMCA would be a great resource contribution.
Designated camping spots along the islands and shorelines could be established and managed to
contain the impacts of camping and provide land-based harbour for paddlers. If necessary, a
registration system could serve as a form of risk management and a method of observing visitation
rates.
B) Database Development:
We are currently in the process of developing a GIS database designed to support the monitoring and
management of the newly established Lake Superior NMCA. This database presently includes the
information collected during our 2008 field expedition along with secondary data provided by both academic
and government sources. In the summer of 2009, a group of students will continue this work by conducting
a survey/inventory of areas that were not included in 2008 field work (i.e. Nipigon Straight, Lamb Island,
Shesheeb Bay and Otter Cove). Information from Black Bay remains to be collected as well. This program
has been incorporated into a course offered by the school of Outdoor Recreation, Parks, and Tourism, and
therefore will be continued in years to come. This offers a continuous and efficient means of monitoring
ecological change and human-use disturbance within the NMCA. We are currently seeking faculty/student,
community and Parks Canada partnerships to support the health and well being of our local waters.
Concluding Remarks and Contact Information:
To request a copy of the completed thesis reports please contact Aaron Nicholson (anichol1@lakeheadu.ca),
Jessica Johnson (jjohnso3@lakeheadu.ca), or Dr. Robert Stewart (rstewar1@lakeheadu.ca). We believe that
our research and inventoried information would be useful in early management considerations. The Lake
Superior Research Group and its members are available for further consultation with the interim
management committee for the Lake Superior NMCA should the committee wish to further explore and
incorporate our research within the management planning process.