Armit Meadows Ecological Reserve

Armit Meadows Ecological Reserve
Map
Coordinates52°39′N 101°35′W / 52.650°N 101.583°W / 52.650; -101.583
Area263 ha (650 acres)
Established2015

Armit Meadows Ecological Reserve is an ecological reserve located in Porcupine Provincial Forest, Manitoba, Canada.[2] It was established in 2015 under the Manitoba Ecological Reserves Act.[1][3] It is 2.63 square kilometres (1.02 sq mi) in size.[1]

Geography

Armit Meadows Ecological Reserve is located about 30 kilometres (19 mi) northwest of Swan River, Manitoba near the Manitoba Saskatchewan border.[2][4]

The reserve is situated within the Porcupine Hills, the northernmost area of hills associated with the Manitoba Escarpment within Manitoba.[5] The hills lie within the eastern portion of the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin in an area where the Souris River Formation overlays the Precambrian bedrock.[6] This layer of shale and limestone was deposited by a shallow sea during the Devonian period.[7][8] The bedrock underneath the hills is higher than in the surrounding region. During the Quaternary period, when the ice sheets advanced and retreated, these raised areas of bedrock snagged more glacial till than their surroundings, further increasing their height.[5]

The reserve contains part of the course of the Armit River as it flows north through the Armit River Canyon. This canyon cuts through the layers of glacial till and the Devonian sediments creating substantial cliffs parallel to the river.[2][9]

Ecology

The reserve protects the riparian zone of the Armit River and the adjacent uplands containing spruce forest, sphagnum meadows and fescue prairie. This area marks the most northerly location of fescue prairie in Manitoba.[2]

Fescue bunchgrasses found in the reserve provide winter forage for elk.[2]

Leatherleaf and cottongrass bloom in dry sphagnum meadows within the reserve.[2]

The reserve is within the Porcupine Hills Ecodistrict in the Mid-Boreal Uplands Ecoregion within the Boreal Plains Ecozone.[10] This eco-district has significant forested areas with mixed stands of white spruce and balsam fir. Trembling aspen, balsam poplar, and jack pine are found on drier sites. Black spruce and tamarack grow in poorly drained areas.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Armit Meadows Ecological Reserve". Protected Planet. IUCN. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Armit Meadows Ecological Reserve, Backgrounder" (PDF). Government of Manitoba. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  3. ^ "Ecological Reserves". www.gov.mb.ca. Government of Manitoba. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  4. ^ Government of Canada, Natural Resources Canada (12 September 2016). "Natural Resources Canada. The Atlas of Canada. Toporama". atlas.gc.ca. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  5. ^ a b Fenton, M.M.; Schreiner, B.T.; Nielsen, E.; Pawlowicz, J.G. "Geological Atlas of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin: Chapter 26 - Quaternary Geology of the Western Plains". ags.aer.ca. Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists and Alberta Research Council. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  6. ^ Mossop, G.D.; Shetsen, I. "Geological Atlas of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin: Chapter 1 - Introduction". ags.aer.ca. Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists and Alberta Research Council. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  7. ^ Davies, J. F.; Bannatyne, B. B.; Barry, G. S.; McCabe, H. R. "Geology and Mineral Resources of Manitoba" (PDF). Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  8. ^ Oldale, H.S. "Geological Atlas of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin: Chapter 11 - Devonian Beaverhill Lake Group". ags.aer.ca. Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists and Alberta Research Council. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  9. ^ "Place names - Armit River Canyon". www4.rncan.gc.ca. Government of Canada. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  10. ^ a b Smith, R.E; Veldhuis, H.; Mills, G.F.; Eilers, R.G.; Fraser, W.R.; Lelyk, G.W. "Terrestrial Ecozones, Ecoregions, and Ecodistricts of Manitoba An Ecological Stratification of Manitoba's Natural Landscapes" (PDF). Agriculture Canada. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. ISBN 0-662-27446-6. Retrieved 19 June 2019.