| Wolf Lake |
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Wolf Lake, located in the south-western part of the Temagami region, contains the largest contiguous old-growth red pine forest in Canada, and possibly even the world. Towering red pines - some as old as 260 years old - quartz cliffs, and sparkling blue lakes dominate the landscape.
The area around Wolf Lake has been permanently protected by the creation of the Chiniguchi Waterway Provincial Park. However, despite the fact that old-growth red pine forests are a globally endangered ecosystem, Wolf Lake has been excluded from the park. Wolf Lake is currently protected by “forest reserve” status, which means that logging is not permitted in the area. However, the Ministry of Natural Resources has decided to revoke Wolf Lake’s forest reserve status, because the mining industry claims that forest reserve status will scare off investors. If Wolf Lake loses its forest reserve status, logging will be allowed to proceed in the area, and ancient red pines may be harvesting. Even allowing mining exploration in the area poses serious risks to the ecosystem. As a first step, Wolf Lake should retain its forest reserve status, but should ultimately be included in the Chiniguchi Waterway Provincial Park. Otherwise this precious forest may be lost in the interests of the mining industry. Find out what’s at stake. Watch a video of Wolf Lake. {youtube}wZ8gu2YnIaM{/youtube}
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