Natural Abodes –
Light shining reflection – home
The waters of life ……….
The Sheriff Creek Nature Trail allows visitors to view an environment in which many living creatures make their home. Some homes are built by the creatures themselves, some have been provided by those maintaining the trail, but the majority are niches where life takes root and thrives.
Trees rise, looking down –
this pathway encircles life,
touching liquid sky –
Visions – creatures’ green vista,
Life grows, spreads on rugged slopes.
Companion Post: Implied Spaces: growth & Decay
Dark Pines Photo 
These photos scream Canada. They are wonderful and make me want to go “up North”.
Once you’ve seen it, you will always remember & recognize it. 😀
Something surprised to know was that even to such looked like pristine natures,
there still is the human interventions. —– why don’t leave them alone ?
Thanks for dropping by and asking questions. Much appreciated. 🙂
I have put some links to Sheriff Creek in earlier posts. I will take this opportunity to provide more background and links , for anyone who is interested. BTW If you look up Sheriff creek, you will find that they can not agree on the spelling, in some places it has one R, while other official sites it has two. very Canadian – we accept multiple spelling plus French & English. 😀
Actually it is a maintained & protected area of 182 hectares (450 acres) of wetlands that includes marsh, bog and shoreline, as well as mature mixed forest, regenerating woodlands and disturbed areas that resulted from forestry and mining during the late fifties . What was a mining waste management site has become, through wise management and considerable effort, a viable and attractive wildlife habit, home to a wide variety of Northern Ontario plants and animals and a place of interest for the residents and visitors to Elliot Lake.
The Penokean Hills Field Naturalists (PHFN) are the stewards of Sheriff Creek Wildlife Sanctuary. Three major trails have been cut, again with financial assistance from RAL. The Beaver Meadow Trail, Tamarack Bog Trail and Upland Forest Trail have all be marked and are being maintained by the PHFN.
Loon and Goose nesting platforms and bird boxes built and erected by members. Many forms of animal life are being successfully protected in this area – included are a great variety of waterfowl, wading and other smaller birds nesting on site. Mammals such as mink, beaver, otter, and Groundhogs live and raise their families in this sanctuary. There are also many species of reptiles and amphibians. Up to a dozen different species of frogs can be heard and seen in the marsh habitat. There are at least 14 species of native orchids growing at Sherriff Creek along with hundreds of other native herbaceous plants, shrubs and trees. A species list is being developed by the naturalists to inventory all wildlife, both plant and animal, on the site.
Without the human involvement , access could not be adequately controlled, which would have resulted in damage. The management of the water flow actually maintains the environment. in the past the beaver dams, left unchecked, caused flooding that closed the side roads, disturbed highway and main town traffic and caused problems for our main water supply – the creek runs into Horne Lake ( see other posts) which in turn enters Elliot Lake.
More info here:
http://phfn.wikifoundry.com/
http://www.tourismelliotlake.com/en/enjoy/sheriffcreekwildlifesanctuary.asp
Click to access mnr_bpp0075.pdf
Thank you very much for such comprehensible information.
I didn’t know the place WAS a disturbed area before.
Since I used to a member of the Alpine Club Japan and specialized
in the Jungle, Un-traced region etc, (and pretty good in bush craft)
I rather like not “well managed nature” 🙂
Most welcome. If you at some earlier posts you will see how close the area actually is to the town centre and highway. That is one of the wonders of many communities in Canada, we are very close to natural surroundings. It also means we sometimes need to manage the buffer areas. 🙂
Now this is my sort of place to spend time!
Feel to walk about. 🙂 More shots coming up later.