Terrestrial Ecozones, Ecoregions and Ecodistricts of Manitoba

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Prairies Ecozone Aspen Parkland Ecoregion Soils Well drained Black Chernozemic soils developed on very strongly calcareous, loamy glacial till derived from local bedrock shale, and limestone and granitic rock are predominant in the area. Local areas of imperfectly drained, variably saline, carbonated Gleyed Rego Black soils ring poorly drained Gleysolic soils in depressions. Most of the cultivated soils on well drained knolls have been affected by moderate to severe wind and water erosion. Vegetation Most of the natural vegetation has disappeared due to cultivation. The natural vegetation reflects the variable conditions from dry, generally low knolls to wet depressions. Grassland vegetation, which includes grama and June grass, mixed with pasture sage, woolly yarrow and milk vetch was dominant on the knolls. On moister slopes, species such as little blue-stem and spear grass associated with golden ragwort, prairie sage and hoary puccoon dominated. Around depressions, the vegetation appears as bands or narrow zones which reflect varying moisture conditions. Aquatic plants in the wet centres of depressions, if water remains throughout the summer, and plants such as rushes, sedges and slough grasses occur in close association. Willows usually surround these depressions, which in turn may be circled by a belt of trembling aspen. This is followed upslope by a belt of shrubs with species such as silverberry, prairie-rose, snowberry, and others. Water Variable annual rainfall is the principal source of water where it is retained in the numerous sloughs and potholes characteristic of this kettled to hummocky terrain. Surface water in dugouts and behind small retention dams along the creeks which dissect this plain are also important water sources. Significant supplies of groundwater for domestic and livestock use are also found in small sandy and gravelly aquifers associated with the glacial till. The dominant shale bedrock underlying the till yields very little water. Land Use There are few communities in the ecodistrict. Most of the Gainsborough Creek area is cultivated for the production of spring wheat, other cereal grains, oil seeds and hay crops. Current continuous cropping practices, reduced summerfallow and retention of crop residues as surface cover has greatly reduced the risk of water and wind erosion. This area, characterized by numerous sloughs and ponds, is a major breeding habitat for continental mallard and pintail duck populations. While considerable pothole drainage has taken place in the past, public and private agencies are now advocating a reversal of this trend as a means of achieving a more balanced sustainable development of the area. Gainsborough Creek Ecodistrict 233
Prairies Ecozone Aspen Parkland Ecoregion 763. Oak Lake Ecodistrict (3424 km 2 ) The Oak Lake Ecodistrict straddles the border with Saskatchewan on the west and North Dakota on the south. Only a small area of the Canadian portion of the ecodistrict lies in Saskatchewan. Climate This ecodistrict occurs in the driest subdivision of the Grassland Transition Ecoclimatic Region in southwestern Manitoba. The climate is characterized by short, warm to very warm summers and long, cold winters. The mean annual air temperature is about 2.8 o C, the average growing season is 182 days, and growing degree-days number about 1700. The mean annual precipitation is about 470 mm; less than one-quarter falls as snow. Precipitation varies greatly from year to year and is highest from late spring through summer. Average yearly moisture deficit is about 300 mm. The ecodistrict has a cool to moderately cool, subhumid, Boreal soil climate. There are no climate stations in the ecodistrict. Data from the former station at Melita is presented. Data from Virden (752. Melville Ecodistrict) is relevant for the district. Selected Climate Data 1 for Melita Year June-Aug May-Sept Temperature 0 C 2.4 18.1 15.6 19.4 -18.6 Precip. mm (equiv.) 493.6 231.3 336.4 64.8 19.2 Rain/Snow (mm/cm) 381.6/110.5 231.3/0.0 333.0/2.5 64.8/0.0 0.3/18.9 Growing degree-days >5 0 C 1769.0 1210.3 1637.8 446.6 0.0 1 Canadian Climate Normals, 1951-1980. Atmospheric Environment Service, Environment Canada. July Jan Physiography and Drainage The Oak Lake Ecodistrict occupies most of the Souris River basin in southwestern Manitoba. The ecodistrict is not uniform due to differences in surface form, drainage and depth to water table, and texture and depth of the surface deposits. Along the western edge is situated a strip of outwash and delta gravels with a thin sandy-loam surface. The central portion is a smooth plain of sandy-loam deltaic sediments. A significant area of hummocky terrain lies to the southeast of Oak Lake in the northern section of the ecodistrict. This topography consists of arid, duned sand, with 5 to 10 percent slopes that usually are less than 50 m long. Along the southeastern border is a strip of land consisting of water-modified clay loam till. The mean elevation is about 442 masl with a general slope to the northeast. The drainage of this dominantly loamy, level, glaciolacustrine and fluvioglacial plain ranges from good to imperfect. Major streams and creeks in the district include the Souris River and tributaries Gainsborough, Jackson and Graham creeks. Stony Creek flows into Oak 234
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Terrestrial Ecozones, Ecoregions, a
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©Minister of Public Works and Gove
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89. Hayes River Upland Ecoregion...
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Acknowledgements To Professor of So
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Objective As a result of national c
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Biophysical Land Classification In
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The size of each ecoregion was a fu
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Map Compilation As stated earlier,
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The figures presented in the climat
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Southern Arctic Ecozone Southern Ar
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Southern Arctic Ecozone Wildlife Th
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Southern Arctic Ecozone Plate SA3.
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Southern Arctic Ecozone Plate SA7.
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Southern Arctic Ecozone Maguse Rive
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Southern Arctic Ecozone Maguse Rive
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Taiga Shield Ecozone Kazan River Up
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Taiga Shield Ecozone Selwyn Lake Up
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Boreal Shield Ecozone The Boreal Sh
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Boreal Shield Ecozone Churchill Riv
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88. Churchill River Upland Ecoregio
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89. Hayes River Upland Ecoregion Th
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Boreal Shield Ecozone Hayes River U
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364. Island Lake Ecodistrict (27 90
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Boreal Shield Ecozone Lac Seul Upla
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Boreal Shield Ecozone Lake of the W
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Boreal Plains Ecozone The Boreal Pl
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Boreal Plains Ecozone Mid-Boreal Lo
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plain has an elevation ranging from
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Boreal Plains Ecozone Boreal Interl
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Hudson Plains Ecozone Coastal Hudso
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Hudson Plains Ecozone Hudson Bay Lo
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Freedman, B. N.L. Shackell, C.C. St
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Colour - Soil colours are compared
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Fluvial - All sediments past and pr
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Particle size, soil - The grain siz
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Soil Classification - The Canadian
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Vertisolic Order - Soils of the Ver
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Collapse Scar Bog - Collapse scar b
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Marsh Wetland Class - A marsh is a
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Flat Swamp - Flat swamps develop in
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Terrestrial Ecozones, Ecoregions and Ecodistricts of Manitoba

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