Strasburg Creek sub-watershed ('The Wider System')(Map 3), is located within the Grand River Watershed. Everything which impacts this sub-watershed has an effect on the study area. All water from this level drains directly into and through Huron Park Environmental Area. For this specific reason, all four components of the organizing principle are needed at this extent for developing monitoring measures: Abiotic, Biotic, Cultural and Energetics (Table 4).
Table 4: STRASBURG CREEK SUB WATERSHED
ABIOTIC DESCRIPTION:
I) Airshed - Air pollution and weather patterns need to be identified and studied. Pollution problems come from point sources in industrial and urban areas. Factories surrounding the Huron Park Environmental Area may disperse pollutants that fall upon the Park. Potential threats need to be identified and monitored. Non point sources are also a concern that need to be considered. Automobile emissions will affect air quality around the Park. These pollutants can then be a source of stress for various plants in the study area. Weather patterns also need to be examined, as they are a vehicle for both pollution and micro climate effects. The local heat island effect, created as a result of the surrounding urban environment, could affect the sub-watershed's micro climate.
II) Watershed - There are three types of water flows that must be addressed: surficial water, ground water and precipitation. The first type of flow, surficial water, could contaminate the sub-watershed because with the water that collects in creek, from adjacent lands, includes agricultural runoff, road salt, and oil from storm sewers. The second type of flow, ground water, is extremely important because it has the potential to be very pure. The head waters (a site of ground water upwelling) of Strasburg Creek are located outside of the Huron Park Environmental Area, and therefore, are unprotected and subject to contamination and/or disturbances. Any pollution or disruption of recharge areas (surficial/ground) would impact directly on the study area's hydrological regime. Precipitation is the third type of water flow. Factors to be monitored are pH levels and quantity of rainfall which enters the Park.
BIOTIC DESCRIPTION:
I) Wild life - The movement patterns of local wild life need to be studied and monitored. K-strategists such as coyote and deer move through the sub-watershed. Their important feeding and breeding areas need to be determined and protected, as a loss of ranging territory outside the Park could result in the disappearance of species within the Park. Migratory species also need to be studied and monitored. Species that pass through the area may require patches of land/water in the sub-watershed; therefore, the importance of these patches should be determined. Purple loose strife (Lythrum salicaria), an exotic species which exists in the sub-watershed, is impacting on the Park. The exotic plant has entered the Park and its existence there will have to be checked and monitored. Wandering pets are another wild life issue which will result in damage to the existing species. Both cats and dogs will kill endemic species if allowed to run through the sub-watershed. Cats, especially, have proven to be devastating to bird populations in urban woodlots.
II) Communities - The various communities which surround the sub-watershed will have implications on stream health. Forest communities, for example, will act as buffers along the stream and will improve the micro climate, and subsequently the health of the creek. Suburban areas, on the other hand, would be a source of pollutants which if not separated by some buffer would pollute the stream directly. If surrounded by pavement, and without shade, the stream's micro climate would be much warmer, making it unbearable for many species. If agricultural land is found next to the sub-watershed, it could be another source of pollutants. Surficial runoff carrying pesticides, insecticides, and fertilizers would all disrupt the creek. It is therefore important to determine what communities surround the sub-watershed and understand the dynamics of the community interactions (i.e. [[infinity]]' s) as they will have direct impacts on the Huron Park Environmental Area.
III) Landscape - All corridors and patches have to be documented and monitored. Both the insularization of organisms, and the fragmentation of the landscape will cause a reduction in species number. Therefore, it is important to retain as many corridors and "islands" of habitat as possible if a species health is to be assured. Both immigration and extinction rates vary depending on the area and distance from other "islands" of protected land. Island clusters (such as other parks) will raise immigration rates. Islands which are further from a source of colonization have fewer species. The smaller the Park size, the fewer the species. Corridors increase the size of a reserve by allowing the flow of wild life. This will increase the populations chance of survival.
CULTURAL DESCRIPTION
I) Human Use - The cultural component of Strasburg Creek must be examined. Human use in the sub-watershed will have far reaching implications on the Park. Effects of automobile emissions from suburban and abutting roads should be monitored. Industrial pollutants, as mentioned earlier, need to be identified. People who use the area for recreational purposes may cause trail damage, especially if using recreational vehicles. Compaction of the ground would influence the infiltration rates of soil, and could lead to increased runoff and erosion. This could then result in a heavy sediment load in the Park's water bodies. Litter from area users can also affect the Park in a number of ways. Not only is garbage aesthetically unpleasant, but depending on the type of refuse, a site could become contaminated, and wild life could be killed.
ENERGETICS DESCRIPTION:
A new system perspective must now be examined; energetics. The essence of ecosystems is flux of energy and matter (Allen and Hoekstra 1992). The flow of energy is one of the factors that determines an ecosystem. The energetic and nutrient cycles of the Strasburg sub-watershed must therefore be determined. It is important to understand the cycles as they are indicative of the level of health. For example, detrital (dead organic) matter distributed via wildlife and water need to be examined and monitored. The detrital food chain is a major pathway of energy flow throughout the Park ecosystem.
The carbon cycle, oxygen cycle, and the nitrogen cycle are all examples of nutrient flows. It is important to understand where these cycles originate and how they operate within this context. The amount of nutrients which move through the system are influenced by nutrient availability in the other levels. Nutrient storage, movement, and turnover rates should be determined and monitored. Are the various ecosystems eutrophic (characterized by a high nutrient content), or oligotrophic (low nutrient availability)? Once the nutrient budget has been established, determining how the Strasburg Creek sub-watershed functions, in this capacity, will be helpful in explaining how it meet the needs in the study area.
An Ecological Framework for Huron Natural Area
