Swales Nature Trail Hike

Description

We’ll hike across the wooden bridge over to the Nature Trail Loop and explore the ridges and swales that mark successive shorelines of ancient Lake Nippissing. The trail runs through a series of ridges and swales, and you will learn about these, and the plants, bugs, birds and other animals that call this environment home. You will learn about producers, consumers, and decomposers, and why there would be no human life (or any other animal life) without green plants. You will learn to identify some bird calls and some tree and other plant species that live in this unique environment.

Meet outside the Entrance Station.

Equipment suggested: Good walking shoes, water bottle, small pack, camera, lightweight long pants and shirts (we’re likely to encounter mosquitoes), hat (for the deer flies and horse flies) insect repellent (picaridin works with biting flies, DEET works with mosquitoes, essential oil “natural” repellents are effective for both but need to be re-applied often). Be not dismayed: we can win a one-hour battle against biting bugs! We’ll go even if the weather looks iffy, so you might want raingear in that event (an umbrella is one of the finest pieces of camp equipment ever invented).