Crawford Lake Conservation Area is a

conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...

owned and operated by

Conservation Halton Conservation Halton, also known as the Halton Region Conservation Authority, is a conservation authority established under the Conservation Authorities Act of Ontario. It forms a partnership with the Province of Ontario, the Ministry of Natura ...

near the community of Campbellville in Milton, Halton,

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. It is categorized as a regional environmentally sensitive area, an Ontario

Area of Natural and Scientific Interest An Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (or ANSI) is an official designation by the provincial Government of Ontario in Canada applied to contiguous geographical regions within the province that have geological or ecological features which are si ...

, and part of the

Niagara Escarpment The Niagara Escarpment is an approximately discontinuous, arc-shaped but generally northward-facing escarpment, or cuesta, in Canada and the United States. The escarpment begins south of Lake Ontario and circumscribes the top of the Great Lake ...

world biosphere reserve The UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) covers internationally designated protected areas, known as biosphere or nature reserves, which are meant to demonstrate a balanced relationship between people and nature (e.g. encourage sust ...

''. The conservation area contains Crawford Lake, a reconstructed Iroquoian village, and several hiking trails. A study conducted in 1971 determined that the lake is

meromictic A meromictic lake is a lake which has layers of water that do not intermix. In ordinary, holomictic lakes, at least once each year, there is a physical mixing of the surface and the deep waters. The term ''meromictic'' was coined by the Austria ...

, which makes the lake a prime site for archaeological and geochemical studies. Using

pollen analysis Palynology is the study of microorganisms and microscopic fragments of mega-organisms that are composed of acid-resistant organic material and occur in sediments, sedimentary rocks, and even some metasedimentary rocks. Palynomorphs are the mic ...

, reconstruction of the history of the area over several hundred years was possible. Geochemical analysis of sediment cores has allowed for the reconstruction of the pollution history of the area. This analysis revealed the trends and sources of

air pollution Air pollution is the presence of substances in the Atmosphere of Earth, air that are harmful to humans, other living beings or the environment. Pollutants can be Gas, gases like Ground-level ozone, ozone or nitrogen oxides or small particles li ...

over approximately 150 years. Crawford Lake is unusual in that its monimolimnion contains dissolved oxygen, in contrast to the anoxic basin waters typical of meromictic lakes. The

revealed corn pollen, indicating a possible Iroquoian settlement nearby, as corn was a staple of their agriculture. A search of the surrounding area found a grindstone, which would have been used in such a village. Digs of the area just south of the grindstone revealed the foundations of an eleven-longhouse village. The village, thought to be inhabited by either the

Wendat The Huron-Wendat Nation (or Huron-Wendat First Nation) is an Iroquoian-speaking nation that was established in the 17th century. In the French language, used by most members of the First Nation, they are known as the . The French gave the nickn ...

(Huron) or

Neutral Confederacy The Neutral Confederacy (also Neutral Nation, Neutral people, or ) was a tribal confederation of Iroquoian peoples. Its heartland was in the floodplain of the Grand River in what is now Ontario, Canada. At its height, its wider territory extend ...

peoples, has been reconstructed in the conservation area and is based on many years of research by archaeologists, who continue to study the site. The reconstructed fifteenth century Iroquoian village is open seasonally and for special events. The site offers interpretive programs of Iroquoian life and culture and has three reconstructed

longhouses A longhouse or long house is a type of long, proportionately narrow, single-room building for communal dwelling. It has been built in various parts of the world including Asia, Europe, and North America. Many were built from timber and often re ...

and a

palisade A palisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling, is typically a row of closely placed, high vertical standing tree trunks or wooden or iron stakes used as a fence for enclosure or as a defensive wall. Palisades can form a stockade. Etymo ...

, although the original village did not have a palisade. One longhouse is used to display contemporary indigenous art and artifacts recovered from past digs. The longhouses are representative of life in the village at the time, with fireplaces, fur-lined bunk beds, and various items used at the time. File:Crawford-lake-longhouse.jpg, A reconstructed Iroquoian longhouse File:Crawford-lake-longhouse-interior.jpg, Interior of a longhouse File:Crawford-lake-longhouse-interior2.jpg, Interior of longhouse File:Crawford-lake-longhouse-display.jpg, Gallery of indigenous art in longhouse File:Crawford Lake Conservation Area Ontario, Canada09.JPG , A sculpted bench on the Lake trail File:Crawford Lake Conservation Area- Crawford Lake- Milton- Ontario (1).jpg, A boardwalk trail circles the lake The lake is named after the Crawford family, who lived on the site and donated the land to the conservation authority. Their house remained there until it burned down. All that survived was the front porch that was constructed of cement. Photographs of the original house and members of the Crawford family exist. The Crawford family also owned a

cedar Cedar may refer to: Trees and plants *''Cedrus'', common English name cedar, an Old-World genus of coniferous trees in the plant family Pinaceae * Cedar (plant), a list of trees and plants known as cedar Places United States * Cedar, Arizona ...

tree farm on the opposite side of the lake. The conservation area also has of hiking and cross-country skiing and snowshoeing trails with connections to

Bruce Trail The Bruce Trail is a hiking trail in southern Ontario, Canada, from the Niagara River to the tip of Tobermory, Ontario. The main trail is more than long and there are over of associated side trails. The trail mostly follows the edge of the Nia ...

. A boardwalk trail circles the lake, protecting the environment while allowing access. The trail is decorated with various sculptures and artistic benches. Another trail leads to the escarpment, and another connects to nearby Rattlesnake Point Conservation Area.

Anthropocene epoch marker

In July 2023, Crawford Lake was chosen as the "golden spike" by the

Anthropocene Working Group The Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) is an interdisciplinary research group dedicated to the study of the Anthropocene as a geological time unit. It was established in 2009 as part of the Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy (SQS), a constitu ...

as the clear marker for the beginning of the

Anthropocene ''Anthropocene'' is a term that has been used to refer to the period of time during which human impact on the environment, humanity has become a planetary force of change. It appears in scientific and social discourse, especially with respect to ...

epoch. The unique conditions of the lake preserves layers of sediment similar to tree rings used in

dendrochronology Dendrochronology (or tree-ring dating) is the scientific method of chronological dating, dating tree rings (also called growth rings) to the exact year they were formed in a tree. As well as dating them, this can give data for dendroclimatology, ...

; the presence of plutonium in the layer of lake mud dated to 1950 has been set as the beginning of the new proposed epoch.

References

External links

* {{Ontario parks Conservation areas in Ontario Protected areas of the Regional Municipality of Halton Open-air museums in Canada First Nations museums in Canada Museums in the Regional Municipality of Halton Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest

Anthropocene epoch marker

See also

References

External links