Canada's Waterscapes Exhibition Textnature.ca/.../waterscapes-exhibition-text_e.pdf · Why Did the Snapping Turtle Cross the Road? Female snapping turtles look for sandy sites in

Canada’s Waterscapes was produced by the Canadian Museum of Nature in partnership with the Natural Sciences and Engineering

Research Council (NSERC).

Canada’s Waterscapes

Exhibition Text

The exhibition text tells you exactly what the exhibition will say. It is divided according to what is written on the labels and panels of the exhibition. It is important that you read the text so that you understand the storyline (content) of the exhibition. This will also help you to start planning for the exhibition’s installation and interpretation.

Canada’s Waterscapes Travelling Exhibitions

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Introduction

Canada’s Waterscapes Come explore Canada’s aquatic ecosystems. Learn about our rivers, lakes, wetlands, estuaries and oceans. Find out what Canadians from coast to coast to coast are doing—and what you can do—to protect our beautiful waterscapes.


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Stewardship

Working Together for Water Stewardship

Stewardship is caring for something that belongs to all of us. It means ensuring that our natural heritage is healthy into the future. To ensure the long-term health of Canada’s aquatic ecosystems (our rivers, lakes, wetlands, estuaries and oceans), organizations, companies and governments —along with individuals like you—come together as stewards to care for these important and beautiful natural areas.

The RBC Blue Water Project

Lack of access to clean water is a major threat to human health and economic development around the world. The RBC Blue Water Project is a 10-year, $50-million commitment to foster a culture of water stewardship. It will do so through support for charitable organizations that protect watersheds and ensure access to clean drinking water. RBC also promotes responsible water use to its employees and clients. And, it encourages the growth of North American businesses that develop and commercialize innovative solutions to global water issues.

The Canadian Water Network: Fostering Partnerships in Water Stewardship

The Canadian Water Network develops collaborative partnerships with leading researchers, governments, industry and NGOs to ensure that Canada has an abundant supply of safe, clean water.

NSERC: Funding Knowledge and Innovation

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) aims to make Canada a country of discoverers and innovators, for the benefit of all Canadians. NSERC supports university students in their advanced studies and promotes and supports discovery research. It also fosters innovation by encouraging Canadian companies to participate and invest in postsecondary research projects. NSERC-funded researchers are on the vanguard of science, supporting responsible stewardship of Canada's unique and treasured environments.


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Canadian Museum of Nature: Keepers of Our Natural Heritage

The Canadian Museum of Nature does scientific research, cares for a national collection of more than 10 million specimens, and develops educational programmes. Our scientific work provides insight into how ecosystems function, how they change over time, and what we need to do to protect them. Through travelling exhibitions such as this one, the Museum brings partners together to share information with Canadians about our natural history.

Parks Canada: Stewards for the Nation Parks Canada protects and presents nationally significant examples of Canada’s natural heritage and cultural heritage through a network of national parks, national marine conservation areas, and national historic sites. We work with partners and communities so that Canada’s treasured natural and historic places will be a living legacy, connecting hearts and minds to a stronger, deeper understanding of the very essence of Canada.


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What kind of water steward are you?

Explorer? Scientist? Communicator? Guardian? Take our short quiz and find out. Water Words Express your inner poet! Play with these words and tell the world how you feel about water.


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Rivers

Aquatic Ecosystems on the Move

Inland rivers don’t reach the ocean directly. Instead, they flow into larger rivers or inland lakes. Some are fast and turbulent, rushing over the rocks of the Canadian Shield. Others meander slowly across broad floodplains. Some are mere creeks; others are kilometres across. Used as trade and travel routes by Aboriginal peoples for thousands of years, inland rivers also gave explorers and fur traders access to Canada’s interior.

A Nation of Rivers

Wherever you live in Canada, you’re not far from a river—just take a look at this map! Canada’s inland rivers crisscross the country like a network of veins and arteries. In fact, Aboriginal people describe rivers as the blood of Mother Earth. Almost half the total flow of Canada’s rivers is northward. A very tiny percentage of the flow, in southern Saskatchewan and Alberta, is southward, to the Gulf of Mexico. Canada has so many rivers that a canoeist could travel from New Brunswick to the Pacific coast, with the longest portage being just 19 kilometres. Canada has designated 40 Heritage Rivers for their outstanding natural and/or cultural features. These gems reflect the diversity of Canadian rivers. By Canada-US agreement, Niagara Falls is “turned off” at night, when half the Niagara River’s water is diverted through turbines to create hydroelectric power.

Rideau River

This ecosystem model shows a scene along the Rideau River in eastern Ontario. The Rideau River has great biodiversity, including several species at risk. Imagine taking a walk along the shore in June.

Webbed Feet for an Aquatic Lifestyle

Partially webbed feet are a clue that the American mink is a water animal. Minks are found near rivers, lakes and marshes. They often take over abandoned dens of muskrats and beavers. As predators, minks will eat whatever is easy to catch—whether in the water or on land. They are inquisitive and highly intelligent.


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Mink populations have declined. One reason is loss of high-quality river habitat. Another reason is their breeding with escaped, domesticated mink, which has impaired their adaptation to their environment.

Why Did the Snapping Turtle Cross the Road?

Female snapping turtles look for sandy sites in full sun, not far from the water. Too often, the perfect conditions are on the shoulders of highways.

Field Guide

I Spy This book is your guide to the animals and plants in the model. Can you find all 19? Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularia

This shorebird nests along rivers and lakes throughout North America. It bobs and teeters constantly as it searches for insects and aquatic invertebrates.

Yellow Perch Perca flavescens

The perch thinks it sees food in the mussel’s colourful flesh. The mussel is fooling the fish! To find out how, read about the plain pocketbook mussel later in this book.

Pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus

If you fished as a child in a slow-moving river or small lake, you probably caught a Pumpkinseed—it is Canada’s most common type of sunfish.

Juvenile Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieui

In six years, this small fish will be 30 centimetres long. Smallmouth Bass are one of the top three or four preferred species for anglers. The fish nest in rivers and lakes, usually near protective rocks or logs.


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Juvenile Brown Bullhead Ictalurus nebulosus This little fish looked more like a tadpole when it first hatched. The parents guard the young closely, keeping them in a tight little group until they are about five centimetres long. At that point, the young move away to begin life on their own. Common Shiner Notropus cornutus This silvery little fish likes clear streams with gravelly bottoms on which to spawn. Northern Leopard Frog Rana pipiens Have you ever found leopard frogs in damp fields or on lawns? They move away from the water in summer, but return to spend the winter semi-dormant on the bottom. Northern Leopard Frog Eggs Rana pipiens Those little black dots will grow into tadpoles if they’re lucky. Or, they may become food for a fish or predatory insect in the river. Common Green Darner Anax junius This dragonfly has just shed its skin and will now move from the water to the skies. Plain Pocketbook Lampsilis cardium When the perch comes close (lured in by the mussel’s colourful flesh), the mussel will release some of its larvae, called glochidia. They will attach to the fish’s gills to continue their development and get a free ride to a new location. Zebra Mussel Dreissena polymorpha Zebra mussels were carried to North American waters in the ballast water of ocean-going cargo vessels. Here, they are clogging intake pipes, displacing native mussels and upsetting the balance of nature in our lakes and rivers.


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Rusty Crayfish Orconectes rusticus Rusty crayfish have been spread beyond their native rivers by anglers, who use them as bait. They have spread from the Ohio River basin throughout the northern United States and into Ontario waters, displacing native crayfish. Snail Snails graze on microscopic algae. They are also food for ducks, fish, crayfish and turtles. European Frogbit Hydrocharis morsus-ranae This tiny floating water lily was introduced into a pond at the Arboretum in Ottawa in the 1930s. It spread from there to local waterways. It now dominates many eastern Ontario rivers and wetlands, displacing native plants. Cattail Typha latifolia Often mistakenly called bulrushes, cattails provide nesting material, shelter and food for dozens of wildlife species. Tape Grass Vallisneria americana The long narrow leaves of tape grass (also called wild celery) are food for waterfowl and muskrats. And, they provide shade and shelter for fish and invertebrates. American Mink Tracks in the Mud Neovison vison Check out the mink in the nearby exhibit to find out what this little mammal was up to along the river. Broad-Leaved Arrowhead Sagittaria latifolia This plant is named for the shape of its leaf. Its small, potato-like tuber is a tasty treat for ducks and muskrats.


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Fragrant White Water Lily Root Nymphaea odorata The water lily’s root is a thick rhizome—and a favourite food source of muskrats. The Rideau truly deserves its Heritage River designation. It has cultural significance because the Rideau Canal played a significant role in Canada’s early history. And, it has natural significance as a diverse ecosystem—the Rideau River is one of the healthiest rivers running through a nation’s capital anywhere! The Rideau Canal is a National Historic Site and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the best-preserved canal of its type, and the only one that is mostly intact and still operating in North America.

Armoured and Aquatic

Snapping turtles prefer freshwater ecosystems with still or slow-moving water. By day they bury themselves in muddy bottoms and wait for prey. By night they hunt actively. Snapping turtles eat everything, from muskrats to snails, water plants and any dead or dying animal they encounter. As scavengers, they play an important recycling role in aquatic ecosystems.

Swim, Then Fly

Some insects begin life in water as larvae or nymphs. When they’re ready to become adults, they emerge to the surface, shed their old skin, stretch their new wings and fly away.

Match the Hatch

A good fly-fisher scans the surface of the water before starting to fish, in order to see which invertebrates are hatching as adults at that time. Fishing with the appropriate fly makes all the difference! Match the adult to its nymph. Caddisfly Mayfly Dragonfly Stonefly


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Slow Down!

Turtles Crossing

Turtles have been on Earth for more than 200 million years. Too many female turtles die on roads each year while on the way to their nesting spots. When you see turtle-crossing signs, please slow down!

Ecological Restoration of Dickson Brook

Dickson Brook runs through a historic golf course in Fundy National Park, New Brunswick. The health of the stream had been degraded over the years: its banks were eroding, and fish and other wildlife had disappeared. Parks Canada staff have now returned Dickson Brook to its natural flow, restoring the pools, riffles and large rocks that provide habitat and cover for fish and aquatic invertebrates. The ecological integrity of the brook has been improved, and opportunities for recreational enjoyment of the golf course and appreciation of nature have increased.

Banding Harlequin Ducks

Harlequin Ducks migrate inland from the sea to breed along turbulent mountain streams. To help plan conservation work for this species and its habitat, Parks Canada has embarked on a study of Harlequin Duck populations. In Banff National Park, Alberta, volunteers and staff capture Harlequin Ducks in mist nets, record information on each bird, and then band and release them. The information provides a snapshot of population health. Volunteers release Harlequin ducklings and their mother, under instruction from Parks Canada employee Cyndi Smith. Timing is critical: the ducklings must be released before their mother because they cannot fly yet, and if the mother is released first, then she may fly away without them.

Is Your River Healthy? Ask the Invertebrates!

In the Adopt a River project, students collect data on stream invertebrates. (Invertebrates are animals without backbones; many species live on the bottom of rivers and streams). Because of their sensitivity to, or tolerance of, organic pollution, these animals are excellent indicators of a river's environmental health. The least tolerant invertebrates require fast-moving streams with high oxygen levels. Those with medium tolerance can live in slow-moving water. The most tolerant can live in muddy, slow-moving water with little oxygen and a lot of decaying organic matter.


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Try it yourself!

The types and numbers of invertebrates that the students find tell them about the water quality in the river. Invertebrates Collected Can live in water that is polluted Can live in water that is fairly clean Live only in water that is clean Select a river to sample. Water Quality Clean Polluted Fairly clean


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Estuaries

Where Fresh Meets Salt

Where rivers meet oceans, a dynamic new ecosystem called an estuary is created. The mingling of warm, nutrient-rich fresh water and cold salt water provides a perfect environment for phytoplankton and zooplankton—the microscopic plants and animals of the sea. They create the basis of a rich food web. Estuaries rank with coral reefs and tropical rainforests as some of the most productive and diverse ecosystems on Earth.

Rivers to the Sea

Canada’s largest rivers are those that flow to the oceans. These mighty rivers are record-breakers: The St. Lawrence has the largest estuary in the world. The Mackenzie is Canada’s longest river. A salmon fishery or hydropower? British Columbia’s Fraser River could provide either, but the two are incompatible. The province chose salmon. Many fish travel through estuaries on their annual migrations. Salmon travel from salt water to fresh water to spawn. Eels travel in the opposite direction. Well over half of Canada’s electricity comes from hydroelectric power plants on rivers. Canada’s Mackenzie River flows for more than 4000 kilometres and drains an area nearly the size of Mexico.

St. Lawrence Estuary

This model shows a scene from an ecosystem at the bottom of the St. Lawrence estuary, about 25 kilometres offshore. A remotely operated vehicle went down to a depth of 350 metres to take a sediment sample. The model is based on that sample.

Field Guide

I Spy This book is your guide to the animals in the model. Can you find all seven?


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Templeman’s Burrowing Shrimp Calocaris templemani This crustacean stands at an entrance to its burrow and fans the water with its abdominal legs. The action pumps oxygen-rich water into the burrow. The oxygen benefits both the crustacean and the bacteria that line the burrow and provide the animal with food. Parchment Worm Chaetopterus sp. This marine worm lives in a tiny tube that it builds on the sea floor. It produces a mucous net to capture fine food particles from the water. It uses its two wing-like appendages to move mucus and particles to its mouth. Sars’ Brittle Star Ophiura sarsi This brittle star is very mobile and moves quickly, often in herds. Its five arms are equipped with sensory cells that can both smell and feel food. Burrowing Brittle Star Amphiura sp. This brittle star spends most of its time about 12 centimetres under the surface with the ends of its five arms sticking out, looking like worms. These exposed arms gather food (detritus) and bring it to the mouth on the underside of the body. Mud Star Ctenodiscus crispatus Mud stars are found in soft sediment habitats at depths greater than 200 metres. They can “tiptoe” along the bottom, or bulldoze through the mud—swallowing it as they go and digesting bits of food from it. Sea Pen Pennatula sp. Sea pens are homes for colonial animals. The animals are called polyps and look like tiny anemones. They create the sea pen’s feather-like structure, and are located along the side branches. Food collected by the polyps is redistributed to the whole colony.


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Heart Urchin Brisaster fragilis The heart urchin is unusual in that it is oval, not round like most sea urchins. Also, it lives in the sediment, not on top of it. Modified spines on its underside create a space between it and the sediment below, thereby allowing it to move more easily.

Digging in the Sea Floor Dr. Jean-Marc Gagnon of the Canadian Museum of Nature studied invertebrate life in the sediments. He was particularly interested in the role of burrowing invertebrates in bringing buried contaminants back to the surface. ??

Casting a Burrow In order to study the lifestyle of the shrimp-like Calocaris templemani that he found in the bottom sediments of the St. Lawrence estuary, museum scientist Dr. Jean-Marc Gagnon set the animals up in large aquariums and let them build their burrows. He poured resin into the empty burrows to create the casts that you see here. Under a constant rain of sediment, Calocaris spends most of its time digging its burrow with its claws. As it digs, the animal continually brings buried sediment to the surface. Some of the sediment may contain decades-old toxins such as PCBs and dioxin. A reason to be mindful of what goes into our rivers and streams! After the resin that he poured into the burrows had hardened, Gagnon washed away the surrounding sediment, thereby revealing the structure of the burrows.

The Largest Estuary in the World

As well as being a highway of commerce, the St. Lawrence estuary is an important place for aquatic wildlife. Huge swarms of plankton and schools of small fish draw whales, seals and birds by the thousands. Greenland sharks also live in the estuary. Watch the video to learn more about the St. Lawrence estuary’s amazing topography and abundant marine life.

Will That Be Krill or Fish for Dinner?

Whales are divided into two groups, toothed whales and baleen whales, based on how they capture their food.


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Toothed whales have blunt, simple teeth with which they grasp fish, squid and, sometimes, other marine mammals. Baleen whales have parallel plates of baleen hanging down from the upper jaw. The whales use the baleen to strain krill, other types of plankton and small fish from the water. Eight species of whales and dolphins are frequent visitors to the St. Lawrence estuary. Many of these marine mammals find refuge in the waters that are protected within the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park. Turn the dial to find out which ones have teeth and which have baleen. Harbour Porpoise Atlantic White-Sided Dolphin Minke Whale Beluga Fin Whale Blue Whale Humpback Whale Sperm Whale

Baleen: How Does It Work? This is the baleen from the left side of a minke whale’s mouth. The minke whale is the smallest baleen whale species in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. To feed, a minke gulps a huge mouthful of water. It then pushes its massive tongue forward, expelling the food-laden water out through its open lips. Inside the mouth, the fringed edges of the baleen plates create a strainer that traps food as the water is expelled. The minke uses its tongue to scrape the food off the baleen. A minke whale exposing the pink flesh between its throat pleats. Not all baleen whales have the pleats, but in those that do, the pleats allow them to expand their mouths hugely to accommodate large volumes of water and food.

Protecting Salmon on the Northwest River

In the 1990s, the number of Atlantic salmon migrating up Newfoundland’s Northwest River from the ocean to spawn had been declining steeply, because of over-harvesting. To reverse this trend, employees from Terra Nova National Park and Fisheries and Oceans Canada joined local volunteers to form the Northwest River Atlantic Salmon Conservation Working Group. The group installed a fish-counting fence and developed an innovative, incentive-based fishery: the more salmon that spawned, the more fish that local fishers could take. Now, hundreds of salmon


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cross the fence each year and local residents continue to play a central role in managing the population.

Bringing Salmon Back to Lyell Island

Years of intensive clear-cut logging had weakened the ecological integrity of parts of Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, British Columbia. In particular, streams on Lyell Island were increasingly unable to support spawning Pacific salmon. A solution came when Haida First Nation and local volunteer organizations teamed up with Parks Canada managers. Using low-impact techniques and working with hand tools, the group introduced large woody debris to the channels and stream banks. They aim to restore the health of these streams so that they will support the spawning salmon.

Estuaries—Places for People and Wildlife

Canada’s estuaries are important places for people. They are thoroughfares for international vessels. They play a major role in the fishing industry. Hundreds of thousands of Canadians live along their shores. Estuaries are also important for marine life. They harbour a rich and diverse variety of species. In order for both humans and wildlife to continue to benefit from estuaries, we must appreciate and understand these aquatic ecosystems, and use them carefully.


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Protect Our Estuary!

No matter if you live near or far from an estuary, you can play a role in keeping these marine ecosystems healthy. Push the button to “roll the dice”. Take turns, moving your marker according to your roll. Your class went on a field trip to the estuary, where you saw lots of wildlife. Go forward to number 7 Your dog chased ground-nesting birds in a sanctuary. Go back to number 5 You stopped your Dad from pouring oil into a sewer grate. Go forward to number 15 You collected live sea stars from a tidal pool. Go back to number 13 You traveled quietly in a kayak, keeping your distance from wildlife. Go forward to number 24 Your family took part in the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. Go forward to number 33 You took more than the legal limit of fish. Go back to number 19 You learned how to avoid damaging marine life in your scuba course. Go forward to number 40 You wrote to your town asking them to improve their water treatment facilities. You win!


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Lakes

Lakes Are Like People

Every lake has its own personality, depending on its size, age, depth, chemistry, clarity, plants and animals. For example, although water is naturally clear, water chemistry can affect a lake’s colour. Glacier-fed lakes are often turquoise because they contain “rock flour”—fine, suspended particles created when glaciers grind up rocks. Lakes that drain bogs are often reddish-brown from the tannic acid that the bogs produce. Lakes with different personalities are home to different species of plants and animals.

A Land of Lakes Canada contains more lakes than any other country in the world. Most of them were created by the Laurentide Ice Sheet during the last ice age. The ice sheet scoured the rock of the Canadian Shield, creating thousands of lakes in the region. It also bulldozed huge volumes of sediment across the prairies, leaving far fewer lakes in that region. The band of large lakes that runs from Lake Huron northwestward to Great Bear Lake marks the edge of the Canadian Shield. The biggest lakes that are completely within Canada are Great Bear Lake and Great Slave Lake. Each is larger than Lake Erie or Lake Ontario. Geographers estimate that Canada may have more than two million lakes. Ninety-nine percent of the water in the Great Lakes is “fossil” water—a legacy from the last ice age.

Lake Huron Shoal

This model shows a scene from an underwater ecosystem in Lake Huron at Fathom Five National Marine Park, Ontario. In summer, you can scuba dive over shipwrecks that foundered on the shoals. If you could brave Lake Huron’s chilly waters in late autumn, you’d find lake trout spawning on those shoals.

Field Guide

I Spy This book is your guide to the animals in the model.


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Can you find all six of them?

Female Lake Trout Laying Eggs Salvelinus namaycush

Spawning takes place at night, in autumn. Sometimes, groups of males and females spawn together.

Male Lake Trout Releasing Sperm Salvelinus namaycush The sperm will penetrate the eggs and fertilize them. The fertilized eggs fall into crevices in the rocks, where they will incubate for several months. Younger Male Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush This fish is trying to get in on the action, but may be too young yet to breed. Round Goby Neogobius melanostomus This alien, invasive fish entered the Great Lakes from the ballast water of ocean-going vessels. First seen in Lake St. Clair in 1990, Round Gobies reached Fathom Five in 2005. They are voracious feeders, often feasting on lake-trout eggs. Zebra Mussel Dreissena polymorpha Zebra mussels filter food out of the water far faster than native mussels. They have stolen away the food sources of many aquatic invertebrates, causing their populations to plummet and upsetting the Great Lakes food web from the bottom up.

Pieces of a Shipwreck Schooners and steamers were wrecked on shoals near Tobermory in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Now part of Fathom Five National Marine Conservation Area, they attract scuba divers and others who view them through glass-bottomed boats. Virile Crayfish Orconectes virilis Crayfish are drawn to the shoals during Lake Trout spawning, in anticipation of a gourmet meal. One crayfish will eat up to six Lake Trout eggs per day. Gobies will also eat crayfish.


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Fathom Five National Marine Park is located at the tip of Ontario’s Bruce Peninsula. Here, the dolostone cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment meet the cold, sparkling waters of Lake Huron. Historic lighthouses, shipwrecks, spectacular rock formations called flowerpots and dramatic lake-bed topography are just some of the features of Fathom Five—Canada’s first National Marine Conservation Area. American Avocet American Avocets feed by swinging their heads from side to side with their bills in shallow water or mud, picking up brine shrimp and other small prey as they go.

Brine Shrimp Brine shrimp live in saline inland waters throughout the world. They are an excellent source of nutrition for migrating birds because they are high in fat. Brine shrimp eggs can remain dormant for many years. This has led to their widespread use in scientific experiments and as “sea monkey” pets.

Sucking the Life out of Lake Trout Sea lampreys entered Lake Ontario from the Atlantic Ocean in the 1800s. With no predators and lots of lake trout to feed on, lamprey populations exploded and lake trout populations plummeted. Before long, this primitive fish had invaded all the Great Lakes. Killing larval lampreys in streams with a lampricide has been somewhat successful, but the need for annual applications makes this an expensive solution. A new solution may be a male lamprey scent, or pheromone, that lures females into traps. The lamprey applies its round sucker mouth to its host, rasps through the skin with its toothed “tongue”, and then feeds on the body fluids and muscle. In most cases, a sea lamprey attack means death for the host fish.

Early Stages of a Lake Trout’s Life

Lake trout spend about the first year of their lives in deep water near where they were born. After a year or so, they lose their stripes, or “parr” markings, and take on the spotted appearance of the adult. The specimens shown here are from a fish hatchery. Development takes longer in the wild than in a hatchery, where the water is warmer. Green egg (5 days old) After being fertilized during the autumn spawn, the egg stays in the “green” phase for a few weeks. Eyed egg (1 month old)


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As the egg develops, organs such as the eyes become visible. Sac fry (2 months old) Newly hatched from the egg, the young fish, or fry, stays inactive on the lake bottom while the yolk continues to provide it with nourishment. Fry (4 months old) Once the yolk is completely absorbed, the fry becomes active, finding its own food. Fingerling (9 months old) The fingerling is so named because it’s about the length of a finger.

Canada’s Salt Lakes

The Quill Lakes are three shallow, salty lakes in Saskatchewan. The salt comes from soil and groundwater reservoirs in the region. They are made salty by a now-vanished, ancient sea, the Bearpaw Sea. The Quill Lakes are teeming with invertebrates. The small crustaceans known as brine shrimp, especially, draw migrating birds on their way by. The world has recognized the importance of the Quill Lakes for migrating birds. Four of the site’s nine conservation designations are international. Imagine the sight and sounds of hundreds of thousands of shorebirds stopping here on a single day to fuel up.

The Fall of a Mighty Predator

Swift, sleek lake trout were once the top predator of the Great Lakes food web, and the basis of a major commercial fishery. But over-harvesting and sea lamprey attacks brought this beautiful fish to the brink of extinction in the Great Lakes. Canada and U.S. fisheries organizations have restocked lake trout by the millions in the Great Lakes, but the problem cannot be fixed overnight. It may be decades before lake trout thrive in the Great Lakes once again. Lake Superior has surviving stocks, but lake trout have been extirpated (made extinct locally) from the rest of the Great Lakes.

Monitoring Climate Change with Diatoms Diatoms are microscopic, single-celled algae. They occur in every water body, from mud puddles to oceans. They are also preserved as microfossils in bottom sediments. When the climate is warm, the


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number and diversity of diatoms increase. Hence, diatoms can provide a picture of climate change over time. Canadian Museum of Nature researcher Paul Hamilton and his colleagues have recorded the ups and downs of Arctic temperatures, as reflected in the numbers and diversity of diatom populations. Diatom specialist Paul Hamilton’s research took him as far north as you can go in Canada: to Quttiniripaaq National Park at the northern tip of Ellesmere Island, Nunavut. These are microscopic views of core samples of sediments that were deposited between 1900 and 2000. Select a year to see what diatoms were present at that time.

Average Arctic Temperatures Diatoms Found Select a year to see what diatoms were present at that time. 2000 1970 1950 1900

Keeping the “Clear” in Clear Lake

Some lakes are naturally poor in nutrients, or oligotrophic. Others are naturally nutrient-rich, or eutrophic. Clear Lake in Manitoba’s Riding Mountain National Park is an oligotrophic lake. The cold, clear, blue water is a sign of the lake’s ecological integrity. Nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus from development and inadequate waste-water treatment systems threaten Clear Lake. Parks Canada staff, local residents including the Keeseekoowenin Ojibway and the neighbouring municipality are working together to understand the sources of pollution and look for solutions to control them. South Lake (left) is separated from Clear Lake by a narrow spit of land, and is highly eutrophic, or nutrient-rich. Note the algal blooms in South Lake. Because the two lakes are linked, the nutrient sources for South Lake must be controlled.Water transparency is an indicator of the ecological integrity of Clear Lake. It is measured with a Secchi disk. The disk is mounted on a pole, or a line, and then lowered slowly down in the water. The depth at which the black-and-white pattern is no longer visible is a measure of the transparency of the water. This measure, called the Secchi depth, is related to water turbidity and/or clarity. On Clear Lake, Secchi disk readings must be maintained at or above 3.7 metres in order to indicate a healthy condition.


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Oceans

A Global Commons

The world’s oceans are all connected, so they are influenced by global currents. Ocean plants and animals have evolved to tolerate salinity and to live with the tides, which occur because of the moon’s gravitational pull on the Earth. Canada’s three oceans are unique. The Arctic is cold but full of life. The Atlantic is legendary for its icebergs, dense fogs and shorebirds on rocky cliffs. The Pacific is one of the world’s most diverse marine ecosystems.

From Sea to Sea to Sea

Canada has the longest ocean coastline of any country in the world. Our seascapes include rocky, wave-battered coasts, long sandy beaches, island-strewn bays and deep rugged fiords. In the north, a rapidly melting Arctic Ocean is creating ecological havoc and upsetting traditional Inuit lifestyles. Benefit, on the other hand, may lie in the new trade routes promised by the melting ice. The continental shelf is up to 480 kilometres wide on the east coast, but averages only around 45 kilometres wide on the west coast. Canada’s motto, A Mari usque ad Mare (“from sea to sea”), reflects the fact that we are a maritime nation. Canada has nearly a quarter-million kilometres of ocean coast—most of it in the Arctic. Surfers on both the east and west coasts of Canada surf right through the year, even in mid-winter.

Arctic Ocean

This model shows a scene from an ecosystem in Barrow Strait, Nunavut, in the central High Arctic. Imagine diving into icy Arctic waters. In one area, you find almost no life because moving sea ice has scoured the bottom, killing everything in its path. In areas undisturbed by ice, however, you find plenty of marine life.


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Field Guide

I Spy This book is your guide to the species in the model. Can you find all ten?

Dahlia Anemone Urticina felina The tentacles surrounding the sea anemone’s mouth are covered with specialized stinging cells that can deliver toxins to paralyse its prey (fish and crustaceans). Kelp Agarum cribrosum Kelps look like plants and are often called seaweed, but they are actually brown algae. They are an important food source for sea urchins, but kelps have evolved defensive chemicals for protection.

Comb Jelly Beroe cucumis This comb jelly eats other comb jellies by swallowing them whole. It swims by using its rows of tiny hairs, beating them in waves down its body.

Pale Sea Urchin Strongylocentrotus pallidus Sea urchins move with the help of tiny, adhesive tube feet. They feed mainly on large algae, such as kelps. When their populations explode, they can devastate their environment, thereby creating an “urchin barren”. Amphipod Anonyx nugax Amphipods are shrimp-like crustaceans. These ones are feasting on the remains of sea urchins and clams that were crushed by ice as it scoured the sea floor. Whelk Buccinum sp. The whelk, a carnivore and scavenger, is attracted to the remains of ice-crushed sea urchins and clams, which it can smell from some distance.


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Brittle Star Ophiura sp. et Ophiopholis sp.

Brittle stars have long, slender, whip-like arms, which they can break off to escape predation. Many brittle stars are able to move quickly on the seabed. Paddle Worm Anaitides groenlandica Paddle worms patrol the sea floor, preying on other types of worms. They crawl swiftly using their paddle-shaped swimming lobes. Sea Cucumber Cucumaria frondosa Sea cucumbers are related to sea stars and sea urchins. They all use sucker-like “tube feet” to walk around.

Arcturus baffini Arcturus baffini is a common species that lives on the bottom in Arctic waters. This small crustacean has an almost cylindrical body and extremely long antennae on which the adults carry their young.

Diving in the Arctic Dr. Kathy Conlan is a marine biologist with the Canadian Museum of Nature. She has dived in the Arctic Ocean in order to study the ecosystems and processes taking place under the sea ice. One of Kathy’s interests is the great gouges, or scours, left by icebergs in the sea bottom. Even though ice scours destroy life, they also stimulate the growth of bacteria and algae, dampen the impacts of predators, provide new space for colonizers, and increase the overall diversity of marine life on the sea floor.

What’s Spiny and Round and Lives on the Sea Floor? Echinoderms! Sea stars, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, sand dollars and sea lilies are all echinoderms. They have radial symmetry, so their body plan is typically circular.???


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Amphipods and Isopods Many thousands of species of small shrimp-like crustaceans called amphipods and isopods inhabit the world’s oceans. They are generally poor swimmers, living their lives as bottom crawlers and beach scavengers.

Take a Closer Look.

Isopod Arcturus baffini Amphipod Eurythenes gryllus Amphipod Anonyx nugax Isopod Saduria sabini

Ocean Sights and Sounds

Water is a great sound conductor. Under water, low-pitched sounds can travel thousands—even hundreds of thousands—of kilometres. Whales and dolphins sing, moan and click. Fish grunt, honk and groan. Undersea volcanoes and earthquakes rumble. “The silence of the deep”? ?No way—it’s noisy down there! Make your own ocean symphony.

Inuit Traditional Knowledge at Work

Nunatsiavut’s rugged, remote coast, deeply indented with fiords, is the ancestral land of the Labrador Inuit. Concerned about the effects of industrialization and the impact of climate change on their marine ecosystems, members of the local Inuit community have joined forces with Parks Canada and others to undertake long-term monitoring of conditions in three fiords. Nachvak Fiord is relatively pristine. Conditions here provide baseline information against which the ecosystems in two other fiords, stressed by industrial activity, are being compared. At the base camp that is run by the Nunatsiavut Government and Parks Canada, scientists, Parks staff, and Inuit elders and youth live and work together, sharing their knowledge of the ecology and the wonders of the area, and learning about each other’s cultures.


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The people of Nunatsiavut and Nunavik (Labrador and northern Quebec) through settlement of their land claims, set aside land to create Torngat Mountains National Park. This was their gift to the people of Canada.

The Oceans Are Changing

Canada has the richest coastal waters in the world—three oceans alive with diversity, potential and inspiration. Our coastal waters are heavily used. Our activities have an impact. How do we know what is happening under the sea and how the oceans are changing? On Canada’s west coast, scientists rely on an underwater ocean observatory named VENUS. Touch the screen to see the observatory, meet the people who use it and find out what they’re discovering.


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Wetlands

Aquatic Treasures

There are many types of wetlands: fresh and salt water marshes, bogs, swamps and fens. They provide essential habitat—often nursery habitat—for a great diversity of plant and animal species. Wetlands also provide important ecological services. They absorb the force of winds and tides, thereby preventing storm damage. They store water, releasing it during droughts. And, they filter our water and break down pollutants. Are wetlands wastelands? Explore one and find out for yourself!

Wetlands for the World

Did you know that a quarter of the world’s wetlands are located in Canada? The vast peat lands of the north are largely responsible for this amazing statistic. Many of southern Canada’s wetlands have been lost to farming and industrial and urban development. Half of all the waterfowl in North America pause during migration at the many small wetlands called sloughs that dot the Canadian prairies. The peat deposits of the Hudson Bay Lowlands store so much carbon that they play a global role in slowing climate change. Approximately 14 percent of Canada is covered by wetlands. Wetlands are similar to tropical forests in their biodiversity.

Wood Buffalo National Park

This model shows a scene from a wetland ecosystem in Wood Buffalo National Park, where the endangered Whooping Crane nests. Wouldn’t it be exciting to fly north with the Whooping Cranes on their annual migration? The birds arrive hungry, and find lots to eat in this wilderness wetland.


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Ensuring the Survival of Our Biggest Bird

When Whooping Cranes were close to extinction, wildlife biologists took eggs from nests in Wood Buffalo National Park (Alberta and Northwest Territories) and raised them in captivity. These birds now form a non-migratory flock in Florida and a migratory flock in the eastern United States, which learns its migration route by following ultra-light aircraft. With conservation and education, the species is back from the brink, but still highly endangered.

Migration Diary

March 26 We left Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas at 9:00 a.m. There were six in our group. We were all feeling the urge to head north! The day turned warm and breezy. We had fun catching the thermal updrafts along the Texas coast. March 28 We stopped in the late afternoon to feed for a few hours in a cornfield in central Texas. We were all exhausted after a long day’s flight, but the weather was good, with winds from the south. April 3 Roosted for the night at Cheyenne Bottoms in Kansas after a satisfying dinner of corn in a nearby field. We were surrounded by Sandhill Cranes. April 10 We fought a strong northerly headwind all day. We had to come down from our usual flying elevation of about 600 metres to get out of the wind. We made only 100 kilometres today. We stopped for the night on the Platte River in Nebraska.

April 13 Sad news today. One of the subadults in our group hit a power line and was killed. It shook us all up to see him fall to the ground. Power lines are a real hazard in our migrations. But there’s good news too. My parents tell me we’re more than halfway there!

April 15 We had a great breeze behind us today, and at one point, we were going more than 100 kilometres per hour! With a good wind, we can glide for hours. We stopped to feed in a wheat field in North Dakota, and roosted for the night in a small bay on the Missouri River. April 16 We had a scare today! We were feeding in a slough along the edge of a Saskatchewan wheat field when a coyote appeared out of the bushes. One of the other subadults was a bit too close to the


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edge of the water, and had to take a running flight out over the water in order to avoid the coyote. Today I left my parents and continued north with a group of other subadults. April 26 We arrived at our northern breeding grounds today. What a beautiful spot from the air! Lots of areas to nest in, and no signs of humans or the stuff they build, anywhere! We should be safe here. April 28 The birds that are breeding this year have started building their nests, using last year’s dried vegetation of cattails, bulrushes and sedges. I’m too young to breed yet, so I’ll just hang out with the other subadults. There’s lots of food here. Besides tadpoles and minnows, we’ve also been eating seeds and plant tubers. May 5 Most of the breeding pairs now have two lovely eggs. The males and females take turns brooding them. It’s still cold, so they can’t leave the eggs uncovered, even for a minute. What a lot of work! June 3 The eggs have begun hatching. The little guys are very cute, and quite precocious! They’re constantly begging for food. The parents spend all their time getting bugs for their chicks. They feed them mainly dragonfly nymphs, which are crunchy and delicious! August 20 The chicks are now almost as big as us. They are starting to take their first flights, and have begun finding their own food. October 5 Today, with wet snow falling, we said farewell to our northern breeding grounds and headed south to Saskatchewan. A large group of us will spend a few weeks there eating waste grain and building up our fat reserves before continuing our southward migration. October 24 Today we continued our southward migration back to our wintering grounds on the Texas coast. Can’t wait for those warm breezes off the Gulf of Mexico!

Field Guide

I Spy

This book is your guide to the animals in the model. Can you find all seven?


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Adult Whooping Crane Grus americana This female is preening her feathers. Frequent preening keeps feathers in top condition for insulation, waterproofing, flight and social communication. Pearl Dace Margariscus margarita Several species of minnows live in the shallow waters where Whooping Cranes breed.

Wood Frog Tadpole Rana sylvatica Only a few species of frogs live this far north. Wood frogs produce chemicals called cryoprotectants that keep the inside of cells liquid. This allows their tissues to freeze and thaw without damage. Dragonfly Nymph Libellula sp. Look in the water for the juvenile, or nymph, stage of the dragonfly. The nymph lives in the water for two years before crawling up a plant stem and transforming into a dragonfly. Giant Water Bug Lethocerus americanus These ferocious bugs speed through the water, preying on insects, tadpoles, small frogs and minnows. They surface for air and then dive back down to terrorize the pond again. Water Boatman Sigara sp. Water boatmen row through the water using their long, hairy back legs like oars. An air bubble carried on their body or under their wing provides them with oxygen while under water. Gapper’s Red-Backed Vole Clethrionomys gapperi How do you tell a vole from a mouse? Voles have a plump body, blunt nose, and very short ears and tail.


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Different Plants, Different Wetlands

You’d never find cattails growing in a bog, or sphagnum moss in a marsh. Different types of wetlands have their own specific plant species. In fact, the plants that grow in a wetland often determine what type of wetland it is. Select a type of wetland and find out what kinds of plants grow there. Select a type of wetland. Swamp Marsh Bog Fen Pitcher plant: Pitcher plants grow in bogs and fens. Both of these types of wetlands are low in nutrients, including nitrogen. Pitcher plants are carnivorous; they get nitrogen by capturing and digesting insects. Sedge: Sedges grow in fens. Fens are similar to bogs, but with better drainage, so they’re not as nutrient-poor. Fens may be acidic or alkaline. Sphagnum moss: Sphagnum moss grows in bogs. Bogs are poorly drained. The water is acidic and low in oxygen, so plants decompose very slowly. As a result, sphagnum builds up over time, eventually turning into peat. Silver maple: Silver maples grow in swamps. Swamps are treed wetlands, but only tree species that like wet feet can grow in these soggy places. Cattail: Cattails grow in marshes. A marsh is a wetland dominated by emergent plants, which are plants that live partly in and partly out of the water, such as cattails and bulrushes.

Wetlands Are Nurseries

Many animals begin their lives in wetlands. The young of many kinds of insects, fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals feed and grow in wetlands. Dense vegetation both above and below the water’s surface shelters them and hides them from predators.

Who’s My Mommy?

Here are some eggs that you might find in a wetland. Can you guess what type of animal these eggs will become?


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Northern leopard Frog: Northern leopard frogs lay their jelly-like egg masses in the open waters of ponds and marshes, usually where there is thick cattail growth. Wood Duck: Wood Ducks nest in deciduous forest wetlands, often in tree holes made by Pileated Woodpeckers. Marsh Wren: The Marsh Wren’s nest is a large ball of marsh vegetation attached to cattails or bulrushes, with a side entrance. Yellow-spotted salamander: Yellow-spotted salamanders are forest animals. The female produces egg masses, each with up to 200 eggs. She attaches them to submerged vegetation in swamps. Northern pike: In early spring, northern pike spawn in marshes or vegetated floodplains. Young pike find food and shelter among the aquatic vegetation of their wetland nursery. Giant water bug: This insect lays its eggs on vegetation near the water. The male keeps the eggs moist by letting water drip off its body onto them. Without this treatment, the eggs won’t survive.

Working with Wetlands

St. Lawrence Islands National Park is a small park in Ontario that is interspersed with private lands. Local landowners, with some training from Parks Canada staff, are monitoring the flora and fauna in their wetlands. Their work is creating a better overall picture of the ecological health of the entire region. Through this collaboration, Parks Canada and local landowners are working together to ensure better understanding and protection of the greater park ecosystem. Each year, landowners around St. Lawrence Islands National Park assess amphibians, invertebrates, marsh birds, aquatic vegetation and water quality in the wetlands on their properties, and report their findings to the park.

A Salamander Saga

In Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, long-toed salamanders migrate at night to breed in shallow bodies of water. On a rainy night a few years back, staff discovered hundreds of salamanders trying to get across a newly upgraded road. The new curbs were too high for them to climb over. Volunteers and staff came to the rescue, moving 1200 salamanders in just two nights. Salamander-friendly curbs were installed. But research into this rare amphibian showed that many more were dying on the park’s roads. In 2008, tunnels under the roads were installed in order to reduce vehicle-caused deaths of the salamanders and other small wildlife.


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Salamanders migrate on wet nights. These specially designed tunnels have slots that allow air, moisture and light inside. Parks Canada scientists are hopeful that the tunnels will help increase the population of long-toed salamanders and other amphibians over time.

Become a Citizen Scientist with Frogwatch

Did you know that frogs and toads can tell us about the health of ecosystems? You can contribute to our knowledge of these amphibians and how they respond to environmental change by participating in Frogwatch. First, you’ll learn to recognize frogs and toads by their calls. Then, you’ll keep a record of what you hear and report it to Frogwatch. Thousands of people across Canada are taking part in this and other “citizen-science” projects.

Create a Spring Chorus In spring and early summer, the males of Canada’s 21 species of frogs and toads begin croaking with desire! Their calls attract the females and then mating begins.


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Eastern Canadian Frogs and Toads

Early Spring

Spring Peeper American Toad Northern Leopard Frog Pickerel Frog Wood Frog

Late Spring

American Bullfrog Green Frog Grey Tree Frog Mink Frog

Western Canadian Frogs and Toads

Early Spring

Northern Leopard Frog Wood Frog Boreal Chorus Frog Boreal/Western Toad

Late Spring

Wood Frog Columbia Spotted Frog

Documents

Canada's Waterscapes Exhibition Textnature.ca/.../waterscapes-exhibition-text_e.pdf · Why Did the Snapping Turtle Cross the Road? Female snapping turtles look for sandy sites in