*Symbols only

justify the range of

the range of eco
zone; Not
Today we embark on our special tour connected with
throughout the eco zones of Canada on DJ provinces
Legend’s final tour of North America.

The final leg of this tour goes through

specific geographical regions with
specific types of ecological characters
(landforms, climate, soil/vegetation &
human use), of course these regions are
Taiga Shield
known as eco zones.
Atlantic Maritime Pacific
Maritime
Our tour will begin at the west coast of Hudson Plains
Canada and travel Eastwards until we
reach the other side on the east coast. We
will be stopping to do DJ sets at four very
drastically different locations.

So now its safe to say, get ready for the

Ecozonial tour!
PACIFIC MARITIME

The Northshore
Mountains are a
mountain range which
overlook Vancouver.
Their peaks are covered Our first show started on the West Coast in Vancouver BC, part
in glaciers, which exist of the Pacific Maritime. The eco zone is located on the Coastal
in primarily Northern region of British Columbia and a Southwestern portion of
and Elevated regions. Yukon, along with spreading to Northern parts of Alaska.
While staying at the Shangri-La Hotel in Vancouver we also
visited many sites via Maclures Cabs, an astonishing
Landforms-
Vancouver taxi service. The team first visited Stanley Park, a
When looking out the window from my hotel, I couldn’t help but notice how captivating the
beautiful urban park in the heart of Vancouver. After eating at
mountains in this eco zone were. I mean doesn’t come to great surprise as Vancouver is placed in
McDonald’s, we visited the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park,
the Western Cordillera Landform region, a landform region known for its young mountains. The
but in the end no one had the guts to cross the daring bridge.
mountains in this eco zone had formed when the interaction of the Pacific and North American
To end off the trip, we visited the North Shore Mountains,
Plate, uplifting the land into mountains. Coastal Mountains are the most prominent feature,
which beautifully gazed down on Vancouver
spreading through the coast and being part of the Ring of Fire- a semi-circle of mountains
spreading throughout the border of the Pacific Ocean and being prone to earthquakes and
volcanoes. Mountains rise from fjords and coastlines of the Pacific Ocean; These fjords spread
throughout the coastline and are known for their steep and beautiful appearance, with the deepest The infamous
Capilano Suspension
point being the Finlayson Channel, with soundings of over 795 meters. However, most densely
Bridge
populated cities like Vancouver and Victoria are located on flatter lands.

The coast mountains

dominate the Vancouver
skyline
 Climate-
Over my time in Vancouver, I noticed that although it was Winter, there was not a lot of snow and instead the city had mainly received large amounts of rain, and the
temperature had also remained very cool. I had many questions about the climate in this eco zone, but all my questions were answered by guides at Stanley Park. I first
learned that The Pacific Maritime has maritime climate, which means warm summers and cool winters along with a lot of precipitation throughout the year. The eco
zone is known to have the warmest and wettest climate in Canada due to ocean currents of the Pacific Ocean heating up the air, this way temperature allows for warm
summers and cool winters like mentioned before, and a very small range in temperature change due to warm air from the currents. Averages in July range between means
of 12 to 18°C with winter climates rarely crossing the 0 mark, as January climate ranges between 4 to 6°C. The guide had also clarified that most the reason of low amounts
of snow precipitation was also due to the warm ocean currents from the Pacific Ocean. Although Vancouver reaches about 4000mm of precipitation annually, other
lowland regions behind the coastal mountains receive low amounts of precipitation due to the mountains blocking out the moist air from the ocean currents. In conclusion,
it is safe to say the Pacific Ocean is a major influencer towards the climate in the maritime eco zone.

Podzol has most

nutrients and
minerals leached
and therefore does
not have dark brown
color to grow crops

Soil/Vegetation- Human Activities-

When touring around Vancouver via Maclures Cabs, I
noticed there weren’t great amounts of farms in this
area, however I did manage to see great amounts of
trees throughout the city. An instructor at the North
Shore Mountains explained how warm conditions and
heavy rainfall help allow for spectacular forests,
these forests are known to have the oldest and tallest
trees with some coniferous trees reaching 85-90
meters i.e. red cedar, western and mountain hemlock,
Douglas fir & alder. There are not many farms in the
city as soil which eroded from mountains has ash-
like subsurface layer due to minerals being leached
(Podzol) and therefore is not fertile enough to grow
crops but still can grow and support the life of many
coniferous trees.
In the climograph of
Vancouver from 2014, you
can see how the temperature
stays the same throughout
the year and never drops
below 0
After I was done performing my DJ set, I talked to
some of the Vancouver residents and noticed that a
lot of them worked as lumberjacks or truck drivers
exporting sea food goods. Massive forests taking up
most of the eco zone allow for major business in the
forestry industry, with forestry taking up 15% of the
economy. The Pacific Ocean allows for major business
in fisheries with foods like the Alaskan Salmon and
Alaskan King Crab being demanded worldwide, the
fishing industry had exported 6 billion dollars’
worth of fish and seafood in 2015 alone. With all
these job activities and warm climate, it is no surprise
towards why cities like Vancouver and Surrey have the
fastest growing housing rates in Canada, with more
immigrants coming into these cities.
 TAIGA SHIELD
Small hills which
cut through the
eco zone are also
accompanied by
many lakes from
glaciers scraping
soil away in the
last ice-age
After an amazing show at Audiofreq in Vancouver, my team moved on to Labrador City, however
since there were not many flights or cars available to take us to the city, we decided to visit
rome2rio and booked a van which took us to Labrador City in Newfoundland and Labrador in
about two days for a hefty price of $1500, which was located in the Taiga Shield eco zone. We
were there to The name of the eco zone “Taiga” (Russian) refers to Northern edge of Boreal shrubs and lichens. Surprisingly, the Taiga Shield has some of the oldest
Forest. We were really excited to perform at the ULTRAEDM festival in Labrador City. The Taiga
Shield expands Eastwards from the Taiga Plains and expands to Southern parts of
Nunavut and N.W.T, it is interrupted by Hudson Bay and the Hudson Plains and then
continues to Northern Quebec and covers most of Newfoundland. The eco zone is massive
in size since it is connected to the Canadian Shield, as it covers 14% of Canada (1.4 million
km2). After leaving the Two Seasons Inn Hotel to go sight seeing for a while, the team and I
noticed the town was very quiet and attractions were pretty scarce, most likely due to the very
cold climate spread throughout the city and eco zone. Instead we decided to explore the
forests and noticed many pieces of exposed bedrock, which were most likely there since
ancient times.
Landforms-
Like mentioned before, we saw great amounts of exposed rock in the
forest which we explored, these rocks are some of the oldest in the
planet. During the Precambrian Era, the rocks of the Shield were folded
into tall mountains due to heavy tectonic movement from the Earth’s
crust, the mountains were worn down due to erosion over the course of a
long time. The Taiga Shield is now mainly composed of flat lands and
hills of bedrock, and is also home to the tree line. The tree line is the
edge of habitat to where trees are not capable to grow beyond the line.
The land beyond the tree line mainly is composted of tundra land with
known bedrock in the world (4 billion years old).The ancient
Precambrian rock (metamorphic & igneous) of the region is very rich in
base metal minerals, including large amounts of zinc, copper, nickel
and many more. The Taiga Shield is very large and research theories
show for more possible metal deposits being found in the future.
The majority of land in this
eco zone are composed of
flatlands and small hills
with exposed bedrock
Climate- Human Activities-
When residing in Labrador City, I noticed that the After I had finished my DJ set, I noticed that my taxi
weather in the Taiga Shield Eco zone was far more Permafrost can be soil or
driver was part of the Ojibwa, a aboriginal tribe which
colder then the weather in the Pacific Maritime eco rock which hasn’t frozen for
had remained in Canada for countless of years. He
zone. After conducting some research I discovered over two years, when this
material thaws it releases told he an amazing fact on how 60% of the eco zone
that the eco zone has a subarctic continental is habited by aboriginal settlement. Industries are
carbon gas affecting our
climate, temperatures range from cool to cold with very scarce in the Taiga Shield due to harsh climate
environment
short daylight in summer and the opposite for winter. but this region is more inhabited than other northern
Precipitation amounts are very low at most of the regions due to mining from large ore bodies (many
region is in a continental climate zone, most of the metals and minerals) and hydroelectric
region is not exposed to any large bodies of water development as the Taiga Shield is home to two of
The Black Spruce is a
which could allow for greater amounts of Canada’s largest hydroelectric plants. The mining
coniferous tree which
precipitation. Averages range from 250 to 500mm industry provides most of the labor jobs in this eco
dominates the Taiga Shield,
yearly, however snow and freshwater ice tend to cover the sap coating on its pines zone, mining for iron has sparked great settlement in
land for 6-8 months. When meeting a very helps it adapt in winter Labrador, however the iron industry is slowly dying,
intellectual stranger in the lobby of my hotel, I was conditions with the government laying off 150 workers recently.
told about how many dams have have been created Although large protests do outbreak throughout
in many rivers and lakes, and that these dams are areas of the Taiga Shield regarding dam
disrupting the flow of the rivers. This was occurring construction, the government simply does not listen
Soil/Vegetation-
due to the dam misplacing the route of the rivers, as more hydroelectric plants are due for
While taking EZ cabs to my DJ set, I noticed that
causing floods in many open land regions. construction.
Labrador City really was a very quiet but beautiful
place. One major question I had however was
regarding why there weren’t any farms to be seen in
the region. My questions were shortly answered by a
fan at my EDM show. He explained how short
growing seasons and thin acidic soils which are
covered in permafrost don’t really can support
many species of plants, therefore the northern
region is not very suitable for farming. Tree species
which can adapt to this temperature are widespread
throughout the region i.e. Black Spruce & Alder. The Mining for iron has created a major
Northern part of the eco zone also represents the business in the mining industry,
tree-line (trees cannot grow north from this point), and Labrador City has one of the
making the eco zone one of very cold temperature. best mining jobs in Canada
 HUDSON PLAINS
Landforms-
The Hudson Plains overall is a flatland coastal
plains region with wetlands covering most of
the eco zone. During the last ice-age, weight of
the glaciers on the region had flattened the
land, causing oceans to flood over the eco zone,
soils then flowed up during the years from lake-
bottom and sea-bottom deposits (lacustrine).
The retreat of the oceans allowed for large lakes
i.e. Agassiz & Ojibway, along with many small
sized lakes also spreading across the plains eco
zone. The weight of the glaciers had been so
heavy that parts of the eco zone are still rising
today, this can be proven due to beachlines
and/or strandlines.
After the amazing show at Manitoba, we were visiting another
desolate town to DJ at a small club in the North, in the town of
Churchill, Manitoba. We had to take an EZ cab to a small town
of Wabush which was home to the Wabush Airport where we
had to take a connected PALairlines flight with a stop in
Quebec City. The price was certainly cheap in the end as one
my crew members was a platinum member. The trip overall
had costed about $220 per adult. After reaching the town, we
had a private escort from the POWER club pick us up and
take us to our hotel named Bear Country Inn, which we got
for a hefty price of $115 a night thanks to ca.kayak,com. I had
noticed the city of Churchill was covered in snow, and a
snowstorm was also occurring whilst we reached our hotel.
Polar bears and deer
We decided to visit the Wapusk National Park located in the
spread through the
town, it was Canada’s 37th largest national park and brought
Wapusk National
in man tourists every year. I wasn’t shocked as I visited Cape
Park, and help bring
Churchill, a place where you can see stunning polar bears,
in many tourists due
however the area can only be gone to by helicopter. The town
the population of
is located in the Hudson Plains which spread from Manitoba
these species slowly
to Quebec along the edge of Hudson Bay, with the clear
decreasing
majority of the land in Northwestern Ontario; The region is
one of the least visited eco zones in Canada, with a land
mass of 353 364km2.
The region is covered
in wetlands due to
glaciers which had
flattened lands,
causing water from
the Hudson Bay to
infiltrate throughout
the eco zone
 Soil/Vegetation-
Just from my hotel, I was amazed at how the region was covered in Human Activities-
wetlands and there were not many trees spreading throughout this My DJ gig at the POWER club was
region. The soil in this region contains vast amounts of organic really fun. However I noticed this
matter and manages stays wet throughout the year due to poor town was filled with many aboriginal
The northern parts settlers, I wondered why there wasn’t
drainage of water from the soil. Due to the poor drainage, the region
of Manitoba a big industry dominating this place.
cannot uphold various species of flora, and therefore the wetlands are
currently have a In the end, I basically leaned that
covered in mosses and sedges, with drier parts of land being covered
blizzard warning, it harsh climate = bad economy.
is clear that this in shrubs and lichens along with some open woodlands home to
species of black spruce and larch. However the region contains large However, the eco zone holds large
occurrence happens
amounts of wetlands and bogs due to poor drainage, the eco zone significance due to fur trade during
due to the freezing
allows for populations of insects as they can breed in large numbers 1661 with many aboriginal
of nearby water
bodies in the winter and waterfowl to inhabit the space, the summers in this region however settlements being placed due to
can still support a great range of fauna. Hudson Bay being a major trade
route.

Climate- The wet soil only allows for

flora of shrubs to spread The Hudson Plains region
Our helicopter ride over the Wapusk National
throughout the eco zone, had been habited by the
Park was cut short due to yet another storm, I
however the place is still aboriginals for a long time.
was wondering why temperatures are so cold The fur trade helped better
despite the nearness of water. Climates are home to many waterfowl
and mammal species in the the relationship between
majorly influenced from cold/moist air the Europeans and
summer
coming from the Hudson Bay and Arctic. Aboriginal
Although Hudson Bay moderate’s temperature
in the summer, ice in the winter prevents this;
Due to this occurrence summer temperatures
stay at about 11°C with winter climates
Although the city of
averaging lows of -18°C. Average annual Churchill could be
precipitation comes in at 500mm to 700mm, considered a maritime city,
one of the lowest in Canada. However, I the winters are heavily cold
surprisingly learned that of this precipitation in temperature from the
snow accounts for very little as the water in freezing water bodies and
the wetlands account for most of the northern latitude,
precipitation in the eco zone.
 ATLANTIC MARITIME
Landforms-
While visiting Point pleasant park, I learnt that most
of the eco zone consists of uplands and hills which
dominate New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The hills
in this eco zone are worn down pieces of the
ancient Appalachian Mountains which had formed
during the Paleozoic Era from clashing of Europe and
North American continental plates and were very rich
in Natural Gases due to fish dying in shallow seas
from continental drift. Glaciation in the uplands has
produced soft, stony soil and outcrops composing
of granite, gneiss, and other rocks. Examples of
mountains in this region include the Christmas
mountains, Mount Carleton, & Poley Mountain.
Sadly, it was time for our tour to come to an
end. Gladly, the tour was going to be ending
off at a high note at the Top man festival. We
had taken a private jet from Labrador City to
Halifax, located in the Atlantic maritime eco
zone, via Jetport. The eco zone Runs from the
Mouth of the St. Lawrence river and Mount Carleton, although
continues towards all the Atlantic provinces located in New Brunswick is
(Nova Scotia, P.E.I & New Brunswick) the one of the oldest mountains
eco zone overall covers 203,750 km2 . in Canada , erosion can be
seen through the texture of
After arriving at the Halifax Stanfield the hills
International Airport, where the Halifax
Airport Cab service took us to our hotel for a
price of $75. Our teamed stayed at the luxury Point Pleasant Park sees a
Courtyard by Marriot in downtown Halifax, lot of tourists in the summer
the price was pretty hefty costing $127 a due to its beautiful view of
night. We had one free day to explore the city. mountains and the Atlantic
Taking the Yellow Cab while exploring Ocean
throughout the city, we first visited the
Harbor front, with beautiful views of the
water. We then left the downtown area of visit
Peggy's cove, a region running on the coast of
Perry’s cove spreads 43km
the Atlantic ocean, with beautiful exposed
throughout the coast of
rock. After that we visited Point pleasant
Halifax with stunning views
park, where we could see the beautiful hills as
of the Atlantic Ocean
there wasn’t any snow here.
 Climate-
I noticed that the climate in this region was really close to the climate in Vancouver. An instructor at
Peggy’s Cove explained how climate in this eco zone remains cool and moist due to ocean currents from
the Atlantic Ocean with a minimal temperature range as temperatures in the summer average about 18°C
and winters averaging -4°C. Precipitation amounts are often high as water bodies allow for more rainfall,
inlands can average about 1000mm of precipitation with averages on the coast reaching 1425mm
annually. During late spring, cold ocean currents of Labrador mix with the warm gulf stream current
creates a frequent fog. Sunshine is also very rare in this place as the maritime has more storm
frequencies than any other Canadian eco zone.
Soil/Vegetation- Human Activities-
I had noticed many farms spreading throughout the The biggest industry in this eco zone is
country area of Halifax, that was when I decided to stop indefinitely are fisheries as they provide 76
and talk with a local farmer. He had explain to me how 000 jobs throughout Canada due to many
nutrient-poor Podzol spreads throughout the eco species of lobster and crab being
zone with greyish like color sub-soil, however rich demanded overseas; Maritime fishery
fertile soil in some of the lowland regions allows for business is so large that many of the
farms to be made near the ocean perimeter. Most of As the Atlantic Maritime eco
worlds ports revolving around the fish zone does receive maritime
the vegetation in this region is associated with the trade are also placed in the Atlantic climate , the temperature don’t
Acadian Forest- 70% of land area is forested. Upland maritime. The sedimentary rock has many really vary and numbers rarely
terrain contains poor soil not suitable for farming but non-metallic minerals such as coal, with drop below 0
still have extensive inhabitants. Lowlands have more some of the igneous and metamorphic rock
fertile soil and accommodate agriculture and allow for many metallic minerals such as zinc and
the growth of crops (potatoes and barley) as agriculture Large numbers of
copper. These minerals also help for a large farms are spread
does make up 15% of the maritime economy; the industry in mining. In the latter part of the
lowlands are also the place where most of the throughout the
19th century there was a great deal of coast of Nova Scotia
population in the maritime resides. The eco zone which activity in mining in Nova Scotia, especially
is part of the Appalachian Mountains, was once filled in gold and coal. This led for large
with man types of deciduous trees, however over the development in Halifax. Farming also holds The Pioneer Coal
years during the 19th and 20th century the Appalachians large significance as like mentioned before, Limited open pit
have become subject to severe land clearing for farms many crops grow throughout the lowlands mine in Stellarton
and communities. Today many crops grow on the farms of the region sparked a great
of the Atlantic Maritime i.e. apples, asparagus, black industry for mining
berries, Brussel sprouts and many more due to the in Nova Scotia
healthy soil in the lowland regions.