The lens of preservation is the driving force for the Georgian Bay Land Trust. This philosophy is shared by all the individuals who have and are helping to protect the many properties that are owned or managed – including easements.
The property known as Oldfield Lake Reserve (locally Rat Lake), consists of 247 acres which was partly purchased and partly donated by the Nowack family in 1997. This property runs along the south mainland shore of Blackstone Lake and includes the majority of Oldfield Lake. The property borders a number of privately owned lots on the southern shore, but is otherwise surrounded by Crown land.
An ecological study was undertaken in 2001 under the auspices of then Executive Director, Wendy Cooper, as part of the Georgian Bay Coast Project. This reserve protects various vegetation community types. This reserve protects rich Sugar Maple (mostly heavily logged prior to the acquisition), mixed forest dominated by Hemlock, Hemlock and Black Spruce swamps, Buttonbush Thicket swamps and various shoreline fen, and Meadow Marsh communities many of which are along the shores of Oldfield Lake. The shoreline fen and meadow marsh communities support significant Atlantic Coastal Plain flora including species that are provincially rare.
The preservation theme demands that we fully understand what we are protecting. To this end Patricia Chow Fraser, biologist with McMaster University was invited to Oldfield Lake Reserve (Rat Lake) to take a closer look at the lake. This was done as part of a larger study on Blackstone Lake that was undertaken throughout the summer and fall of 2013. Oldfield Lake is one of the feeder lakes to Blackstone and is therefore key to Blackstone’s health.
According to Patricia’s 2013 report, the findings of elevated levels of total phosphorus and total ammonia nitrogen suggests that the lake is symptomatic of a lake that is either meromictic or one that is becoming so, because it is no longer able to completely mix during the spring and fall turnover. The vegetation surrounding the lake appears to be encroaching and may potentially alter the ecosystem. This ecosystem is naturally evolving and is not human induced.
Oldfield Lake Reserve runs across the south end of Blackstone from the river east and then runs north. Part of the east side snow mobile trail runs through the property. A forester from Westwind Forest Stewardship Inc. donated time to inspect the woods close to the trail and the trail itself during the first week of May, 2014. The condition of the snowmobile trail on the east side was reported as nasty. Mud holes existed in places, making the trail very rough, and were suspected to be the result of ATV or other motorized vehicle activity. In some places sediment was running off the trail from these mud holes westward towards Oldfield Lake. These condition are man-made and could impact the ecosystem long term. Signs stating no motorized vehicles other than snowmobiles were removed and/or ignored.
ATV usage has not diminished over the subsequent years. The sedge that grew along this trail has deteriorated or is now non-existent. There is also evidence that new trails are being developed over the property with the resulting potential degradation of this conservation area. Oldfield Lake is a feeder lake to Blackstone Lake. Runoff will eventually end up in Blackstone Lake.
The general public is invited to visit the property provided the rules are respected. Hiking, fishing, swimming, photography. Bird watching, canoeing, snowmobiling on the trail, picnicking are all