COLUMN: Attention Doug Ford: Hands off the Oro Moraine | Daily News Byte

I could have easily shouted another rant about the sad state of our environment in Ontario, denouncing thick-headed Doug Ford ‘Unprogessive Consertives’ and his band of bobble-head MPPs, but I decided not to.

Instead, I will try an educational approach, using this column to enlighten “our representatives” what a moraine is and the important functions of this geological wonder.

Here is a brief history of the ancient Oro Moraine. These rolling hills of Oro, as they used to be called, have a fascinating history, both geological and, in our case, social and economic.

Lesson 1. What is a moraine?

A moraine is a geological feature created by a glacier; it is a deposition of sand, gravel, silt and clay.

In the past, long before humans roamed these forests, the ice in Wisconsin moved south (2 km high and moving slowly) and it encountered a rocky ridge in the area we call Muskoka.

As the leading edge of the glacier ‘crashes’ down the ridge, large pieces break off and are carried along the ice. Eventually these pieces fall into frozen crevices and are further ground into small particles because the ice pressure is so great.

When the ice age ended (an earlier global warming event) and the Wisconsin glacier melted (10,000 to 12,000 years ago) sand, gravel and silt were carried from the ice by flowing water. The flowing water naturally separates and sorts these particles and leaves them in piles. That pile is now called the Oro Moraine. (The nearby Oak Ridges Moraine was created the same way.)

Lesson 2. Why are moraines so important?

As the remaining materials are sorted into sand, gravel, silt, and clay, dissolved water is held within these layers. These layers, saturated with water, are now called aquifers; layers of clay above and below the sandy aquifer protect them from the intrusion of modern contaminants.

Water flows from a moraine, usually from nearby surface aquifers. It appears as cold water springs and cold water seeps around the outer edge of the moraine.

The Oro Moraine is the headwaters of seven watercourses: the Coldwater River, the Sturgeon River, the North River, and the Matheson Creek which all feed into Georgian Bay; and Hawkestone Creek, Bluffs Creek, and the Allingham Swamp Wetland Complex flowing into Lake Simcoe.

Lesson 3. What unique life forms are found in a moraine?

Because the emerging water is cool and clean, it supports wildlife such as brook trout that cannot survive in warm or polluted water. Every year rainbow trout and salmon come back from the big lakes to come up these rivers to spawn.

The surface of the earth is deep and rich in nutrients; different forests establish themselves depending on their moisture requirements: from dense conifer swamps to immense hardwood forests.

Wild animals of all kinds used the moraine, sometimes as breeding grounds, sometimes as a food supply area. Passenger pigeons by the millions ate beech nuts and oak acorns; as the first grasslands were replaced by woods, the elk gave way to the white-tailed deer.

Because of the size of the original moraine, many species of birds, animals and plants that need undisturbed solitude have thrived here: wild ginseng, butternut trees, wood thrush, scarlet tanagers, and many others.

Lesson 4. How do people use a moraine?

Humans found their way here about 8,000 years ago. The Paleo slowly traveled along the shores of the melting glaciers, moving east and south, establishing camps and then villages to exploit the abundant game, fish and plants.

This life-giving moraine, with cold clean water gushing from the ground, has attracted more and more of these original people who have used this natural resource for centuries.

But then, so goes the song, “then came the white man.” Beginning around 1830, this moraine was mapped and subdivided for ownership. Farms were established on fertile soil, forests were used for lumber (mainly white pines in the 1880s). Sands and gravels were established to supply the construction needs of a rapidly growing community.

Then came more people, of all colors and backgrounds. Mill towns were created; food supply chains established in Barrie, Orillia, Craighurst, Hillsdale, Bass Lake, Guthrie, Coulson, Jarratt, Crown Hill and others.

In 1929 my husband’s grandparents (Jimmy and Vic Williams) purchased the 100 acres now known as the Cathedral Pines subdivision. But in 1929 it was just open blow-sand (the result of all the trees cut down in the 1880s). To counter the sand blow, Jimmy and Vic are told to plant pine and spruce trees to prevent the soil from eroding.

As they dug holes for the trees that now tower over the Cathedral Pines homes, they found pottery shards and broken pipes of a Native camp that had been here 550 years ago. (These shards were examined by university archeologists and they determined that the decorative shape and style of the pots dates from 1400 to 1500 AD)

At the foot of the hill on Vic and Jimmy’s farm is a spring, with cool clear water flowing into the nearby Copeland Forest. Fresh water springs are, and are common, along the base of the moraine. Native residents used this spring as their source of water.

In the 1930s and 40s Horseshoe Valley Road was called the Town Line (running between Oro and Medonte townships) and each hill had a name for location purposes (eg Walker’s Hill, Coulson Hill)… this is Spring Hill , a rutted roadway that plunges down the side of a moraine (the roadway can still be seen through a metal gate on the side of Horseshoe Valley Road). A bucket and drinking cup await at the bottom for weary travelers and their horses to refresh before climbing the next slope of the valley.

In the 1960s more people arrived, seeking an escape from urban cities. But not to farm the land, they came today with a desire for fun, excitement and outdoor exercise. Ski hills are established on the sides of the moraine, then mountain bike trails, hiking trails, ATV trails and zip lines in the forest. And golf courses … ignore the golf courses!

Water, precious water, tested and labeled “the best in the world” can be obtained by simply entering a hole in the moraine. No one knows, for sure, how large the water reserves are within the Oro Moraine. In the 1970s we were told there was “plenty of water there.” So I guess we can relax and keep using it?

Lesson 5. How is moraine protected / controlled?

The water taking permit is awarded by the province to applicants who want to use or sell this free water to others for a large profit.

If all existing permits just along Horseshoe Valley Road were to pump to their full permitted capacity for one year, the amount of water removed would be equal to Lake Simcoe. Fortunately, not all, or even any, of the permit holders have yet to pump to their licensed capacity. The permit issuance fee is reclaimed by the province at approximately .01 per liter.

Sand and gravel pits flourished as the growing community had a great demand for these aggregates. The MNR stepped in and advised the pit operators to prepare for tomorrow, the fateful day when the pit is exhausted and requires rehabilitation; a fund was set up so operators had to set aside .01 per ton taken for future rehabilitation work.

Lesson 6. So what is chaos?

However, as time passed and our human population grew, the moraine was abused, and the resources used seemed to have no bearing on the outcome:

• Thousands of new homes draw water from moraine aquifers, and groundwater levels drop. As well, water percolation and seepage are disturbed by surface manipulations. In recent examples I can name: Braestone (formerly known as Buffalo Springs); the newest addition to Sugarbush; the abomination known as Eagle’s Rest; and now the proposed expansion of Horseshoe Valley and Craighurst.
• Sewage, untreated, is discharged back into surface channels;
• Ski hill meltwater, contaminated with bacteria to create artificial snow is allowed to melt and run off the moraine edge and the wetlands surrounding it;
• Golf courses pump millions of liters annually to let it soak into heavily fertilized turf and then return to near-surface aquifers;
• Road salt, road oil slicks, industrial contaminants are blown off the hard asphalt surface and concentrated in drainage ditches.
• Wildlife populations, either displaced by housing subdivisions or disrupted by forest fragmentation, have declined.
• Sand and gravel extraction pits are getting bigger and bigger, with applications demanding deeper, closer to aquifers.

Taken together, these disturbed areas are having a significant negative impact on the natural functions of the Oro Moraine. And removing the current protective regulations leaves the moraine vulnerable to complete destruction.

Lesson 7. What’s next?

Despite the removal of almost all levels of environmental protection by the current Doug Ford Conservatives and his bobble-head minions, the township must understand the importance and limitations of the natural features of the Oro Moraine.

Careful, thoughtful and educated decisions must precede any further development approval. This is a process called sustainability, which is emphasized by the notion of stewardship.

In May I was invited by the newly formed Save Oro Moraine group to provide the above information to local councilors and residents about the land beneath their feet. Two Oro-Medonte councilmen were in the audience at the time, and one has moved on to become our current mayor. Dare I hope?

Okay guys, it’s recess time…