Black Sturgeon River | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | Canada |
Province | Ontario |
Region | Northwestern Ontario |
District | Thunder Bay |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | Black Sturgeon Lake |
• coordinates | 49°17′00″N88°46′32″W / 49.28333°N 88.77556°W |
• elevation | 251 m (823 ft) |
Mouth | Black Bay (Lake Superior) |
• coordinates | 48°50′10″N88°24′15″W / 48.83611°N 88.40417°W Coordinates: 48°50′10″N88°24′15″W / 48.83611°N 88.40417°W |
• elevation | 180 m (590 ft) |
Length | 72 km (45 mi) |
Basin features | |
River system | Lake Superior drainage basin |
Tributaries | |
• right | Nonwatin River |
The Black Sturgeon River is a river in Thunder Bay District, Northwestern Ontario, Canada, located west of the Nipigon River, that flows to Lake Superior. [1]
Most of the river is protected in the Black Sturgeon River Provincial Park, a waterway park stretching from Black Sturgeon Dam north to and including the lands around Black Sturgeon Lake. [2]
In 1959, a dam was constructed on the Black Sturgeon River in order to control water levels. The dam also prevented access to the upper reaches of the river. Many speculated that this construction is what led to the collapse of the most common fish type in the area, the walleye. [3]
The river begins at Black Sturgeon Lake, southwest of Lake Nipigon, and flows southeast over the Split Rapids to Nonwatin Lake where the right tributary Nonwatin River and left tributary Ferguson Creek join. It turns south, passes Mount Magee on the left, and continues southeast over the Gardener Rapids and Black Sturgeon Dam, and further downstream heads under Ontario Highway 11 / Ontario Highway 17, the Canadian National Railway line and the Canadian Pacific Railway mainline at the settlement of Everard. The Black Sturgeon turns abruptly southwest and reaches its mouth at Black Bay on Lake Superior, about 6 kilometres (4 mi) southeast of the community of Hurkett.
The river valley and Black Sturgeon Lake follow a major fault line, the Black Sturgeon Fault, which runs north–south. The valley also contains sills with columnar jointing which are related to the Midcontinent Rift System. [2]
Black Sturgeon River Provincial Park | |
---|---|
Nearest town | Nipigon |
Coordinates | 49°10′00″N88°37′30″W / 49.16667°N 88.62500°W [4] |
Area | 23,531 ha (90.85 sq mi) [5] |
Designation | Waterway |
Established | 2002 |
Governing body | Ontario Parks |
www |
The Black Sturgeon River Provincial Park protects most of the Black Sturgeon River and wide swaths of land along its banks. It also includes the shores of Black Sturgeon Lake, stretching to the southern point of Lake Nipigon's Black Sturgeon Bay. It was established in 2002 to protect an important recreational waterway for fishing, hunting and canoeing. Other permitted activities are mountain biking, swimming, boating, and rock climbing. Winter activities include snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and dogsledding. [5]
The park is part of the Lake Nipigon Basin Signature Site, an area remarkable for its range of natural and recreational values and the potential for future recreation and tourism opportunities. This site also includes other provincial parks, conservation reserves, and management areas around Lake Nipigon, all sharing common geographic themes, recreation uses, and resource issues. [6]
Significant features of the park include Nipigon Moraine remnant, unconsolidated transverse ridges, provincially rare smooth woodsia (Woodsia glabella), and diabase cliffs and talus slopes. The forests within the park are mostly boreal mixedwood that are generally more species-rich than areas to the east and west. The park also plays an important role as a natural wildlife corridor between the Lake Nipigon Basin and the shoreline of Lake Superior, in particular for woodland caribou. [6]
It is a non-operating park, meaning that there are no facilities or services. [5]
The York River is a river in Renfrew County, Hastings County and Haliburton County in Ontario, Canada. The river is in the Saint Lawrence River drainage basin, and flows from the southern extension of Algonquin Provincial Park to the Madawaska River.
The Batchawana River is a river in Algoma and Sudbury Districts of Ontario, Canada, which empties into Batchawana Bay on Lake Superior north of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
The Spanish River is a river in Algoma District, Sudbury District and Greater Sudbury in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It flows 338 kilometres (210 mi) in a southerly direction from its headwaters at Spanish Lake and Duke Lake to its mouth at the North Channel of Lake Huron just outside the community of Spanish.
The Ogoki River is a river in the Thunder Bay and Cochrane Districts of Ontario. It springs from the wilderness just east of Savant Lake, flowing north of Lake Nipigon to Ogoki, where it joins the Albany River which empties into James Bay. The river is 480 kilometres (300 mi) long.
The Petawawa River is a river in the Saint Lawrence River drainage basin in Nipissing District and Renfrew County in eastern and northeastern Ontario, Canada. The river flows from Algonquin Provincial Park to the Ottawa River at the town of Petawawa, and is only one of two major tributaries of the Ottawa River to flow completely free. The river's name comes from the Algonquian for "where one hears a noise like this", which refers to its many rapids.
The Bonnechere River is a river in the Saint Lawrence River drainage basin in Nipissing District and Renfrew County in eastern and northeastern Ontario, Canada. The river flows from Algonquin Provincial Park to the Ottawa River east and north of the town of Renfrew. The river's name is thought to come from the French "bonne chère" meaning "good cheer".
The Opeongo River is a river in the Saint Lawrence River drainage basin in Nipissing District in northeastern Ontario, Canada. The river is entirely within Algonquin Provincial Park and Opeongo River Provincial Park, except for a small portion around Victoria Lake, and is a left tributary of the Madawaska River.
The Barron River is a river in the Saint Lawrence River drainage basin in Nipissing District and Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada. It flows from Clemow Lake in northern Algonquin Provincial Park and joins the Petawawa River, whose southern branch it forms, in the municipality of Laurentian Hills, near the municipality of Petawawa.
The Sturgeon River is a river that springs near Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park in the Timiskaming District in Ontario, Canada. It flows 230 kilometres (140 mi) in a mostly south-easterly direction through Sudbury and Nipissing Districts before it empties into Lake Nipissing on the north shore. The town of Sturgeon Falls is located on the river about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) north of its mouth.
The Albany River is a river in Northern Ontario, Canada, which flows northeast from Lake St. Joseph in Northwestern Ontario and empties into James Bay. It is 982 kilometres (610 mi) long to the head of the Cat River, tying it with the Severn River for the title of longest river in Ontario. Major tributaries include the Kenogami River and Ogoki River.
The Brightsand River is a river in the James Bay drainage basin in Unorganized Thunder Bay District in northwestern Ontario, Canada.
The Pukaskwa River is a river in Thunder Bay District and Algoma District in Northern Ontario, Canada. It is in the Great Lakes Basin and is a tributary of Lake Superior, which it enters at the south end of Pukaskwa National Park. It is a remote, pristine, free-flowing, medium-sized Shield river, with lots of whitewater, best travelled in spring.
Jack Lake is a lake and reservoir in the municipalities of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen and North Kawartha, Peterborough County in Central Ontario, Canada, about 100 mi (160 km) directly northeast of Toronto and at the edge of the Canadian Shield in the northeastern portion of the Kawartha lakes region. The lake is in the Great Lakes Basin, and serves as a small headwater pond for the Trent-Severn Waterway. The Dispersed rural community of Jack Lake is on the northwest shore of the lake, reached by Peterborough County Road 52 / Jack Lake Road from the community of Apsley, about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) to the north on Ontario Highway 28.
The Temagami River, formerly spelled as Timagami River, is a river in the Nipissing District of Ontario, Canada, in the Temagami region. Its source is Lake Temagami and flows through Cross Lake and Red Cedar Lake. It flows into the Sturgeon River at the community of River Valley.
Allan Water is a river in the James Bay drainage basin in Unorganized Thunder Bay District in northwestern Ontario, Canada.
The Englehart River is a river in Timiskaming District in northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is in the Saint Lawrence River drainage basin and is a right tributary of the Blanche River.
The Groundhog River is a river in Cochrane District and Sudbury District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. The river is in the James Bay drainage basin and is a left tributary of the Mattagami River.
The Little White River is a river in the Unorganized North Part of Algoma District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is in the Great Lakes Basin and is a left tributary of the Mississagi River.
The Namewaminikan River is a river in Thunder Bay District in northwestern Ontario, Canada. It is in the Great Lakes Basin and is a tributary of Lake Nipigon.
Gravel River Provincial Park is a nature reserve in the Thunder Bay District of Ontario, Canada. It protects an unusual birds-foot delta at the mouth of the Gravel River.