Number 1 Sudbury Basin in Ontario
In terms of catastrophic geology, the Sudbury Basin, (impact crater site) which is located in northern Ontario,
is the oldest and largest natural wonder in the world. A super class meteor approximately 14 miles long by 8 miles
wide, hit there over two billion years ago causing a massive 25 mile deep and 300 mile diameter crater. More info. at  Number 2 Dinosaur Provincial Park
Dinosaur Provincial Park is a World Heritage Site located about two hours drive east of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
The park is situated in the valley of the Red Deer River, which is noted for its striking badland topography. It is well
known for being one of the greatest dinosaur fossil beds in the world. Thirty-nine dinosaur species have been
discovered here and more than 500 specimens have been removed and exhibited in museums across the globe. Number 3 Hudson Bay Hudson Bay is a large relatively shallow body of water in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area that includes
parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, parts of North Dakota and Minnesota and the
southeastern area of Nunavut. A smaller offshoot of the bay, James Bay lies to the south. The IHO lists Hudson Bay as
part of the Artic Ocean. On the east it is connected with the Atlantic Ocean by Hudson Strait and on the north with the
rest of the Artic Ocean by Foxe Basin. Number 4 Boreal Forest Draped like a green scarf across the shoulders of North America, the boreal or "northern" forest is Canada's largest
biome or environmental community. It occupies 35% of the total Canadian land area and 77% of Canada's total forest
land, stretching between northern tundra and southern grassland and mixed hardwood trees. The boreal forest's animals,
plants and products affect each Canadian every day, from paper products, to the jack pine railway ties, through to the air
we breathe. This northern forest, named after Boreas, the Greek god of the North Wind, is an inevitable and unavoidable
part of who we are. Starting in the Yukon Territory, the boreal forest forms a band almost 1000 kilometers wide sweeping southeast to
Newfoundland and Labrador. To its north is the tree line and beyond that the tundra of the arctic. To its south, the boreal
forest is bordered by the sub alpine and montane forests of British Columbia, the grasslands of the Prairie Provinces,
and the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence forests of Ontario and Quebec. The boreal forest is an integral part of our economy, history, culture and natural environment. It gives birth to new life
through its diverse ecosystems and helps to sustain our lives through the renewal of the air above and soil below. This vast
body of land provides the lakes, streams and rivers that act as the veins and arteries of so much of our country. It is also
an important source of forest products, and, thereby, a significant part of the economic base of Canada. Number 5 The Great Lakes
The Great Lakes -- Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario -- and their connecting channels form the largest fresh
surface water system on earth. If you stood on the moon, you could see the lakes and recognize the familiar wolf head
shape of Lake Superior, or the mitten bounded by lakes Michigan, Huron and Erie. Covering more than 94,000 square
miles and draining more than twice as much land, these Freshwater Seas hold an estimated 6 quadrillion gallons of water,
about one-fifth of the world's fresh surface water supply and nine-tenths of the U.S. supply. Spread evenly across the
contiguous 48 states, the lakes' water would be about 9.5 feet deep.
The channels that connect the Great Lakes are an important part of the system. The St. Marys River is the northernmost
of these, a 60-mile waterway flowing from Lake Superior down to Lake Huron. At the St. Marys rapids, the Soo Locks
bypass the rough waters, providing safe transport for ships. The St. Clair and Detroit rivers, and Lake St. Clair between
them, form an 89-mile long channel connecting Lake Huron with Lake Erie. The 35-mile Niagara River links lakes Erie
and Ontario, and sends approximately 50,000 to 100,000 cubic feet of water per second over Niagara Falls; the
manmade Welland Canal also links the two lakes, providing a detour around the falls. From Lake Ontario, the water from
the Great Lakes flows through the St. Lawrence River all the way to the Atlantic Ocean, about 1,000 miles away.
This system greatly affects our way of life, as well as all aspects of the natural environment, from weather and climate, to
wildlife and habitat. Yet for all their size and power, the Great Lakes are fragile. In the past, this fragile nature wasn't
recognized, and the lakes were mistreated for economic gain, placing the ecosystem under tremendous stress from our
activities. Today, we understand that our health and our children's inheritance depend on our collective efforts to wisely
manage our complex ecosystem.
Number 6 Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls are a set of massive waterfalls located on the Niagara River in eastern North Ameica, on the border between
Ontario, Canada and New York state. Niagara Falls comprises three separate waterfalls (one in Canada, the other two in
the U.S.) the Canadian Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls and the smaller, adjacent Bridal Veil Falls. The falls are located
17 miles from the American city of Buffalo, New York and 75 miles from the Canadian city of Toronto, Ontario.
The Falls formed after glaciers receded at the end of the most recent Ice Age, as water from the newly formed Great Lakes
carved a path through the Niagara Escarpment en route to the Atlantic Ocean. While not exceptionally high, Niagara Falls
is very wide. With more than 6 million cubic feet of water falling over the crestline every minute in high flow and almost 4
million cubic feet on average, it is the most powerful waterfalls in North America. Niagara Falls is renowned both for its beauty and as a valuable source of hydroelectric power for Ontario and New York.
Preserving this natural wonder from commercial over-development, while allowing for the needs of the area's people, the
Falls are shared between the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario and Niagara Falls, New York. Number 7 Wild Blueberries
Blueberries belong to a well-travelled family, going back a long way in time and place. Today, a relative of the blueberry
plant is the oldest living thing on earth, estimated by botanists to be more than 13,000 years old.
Wild bears will eat nothing except the succulent, juicy blueberries when they are in season. It has been documented that
they will travel, with an empty stomach, from ten to fifteen miles per day to sniff out a blueberry patch. Blueberries grow
in many places around the world. Cousins of our native North American blueberries live in Asia, Europe and South
America, from the tropics to the land of the Eskimos. But our blueberries did not travel from far-away places to get here.
They are not escapees from early Colonial gardens. Nor are they immigrants whose seed came over on the Mayflower.
Blueberries were here when the first wave of settlers arrived in what was to become America. Early explorers noted
Wild Blueberries on their expeditions. In 1615, Samuel de Champlain saw Indians along Lake Huron harvesting Wild
Blueberries. These were dried, beaten into a pulp/powder and combined with cornmeal, honey and water to make a
pudding called "Sautauthig". Lewis and Clark, while on an expedition found that Indians smoked Wild Blueberries to
preserve them for winter use. A meal served to them by the Indians had Wild Blueberries pounded into the meat,
which was then smoked and dried.
The American Indian held the wild blueberry in very high esteem, due to the fact that the blossom end of each blueberry
forms a five points star. It was believed the "Great Spirit" sent these star berries to relieve the hunger of children during
a famine. Indians also used blueberries for medicinal purposes and made a strong aromatic tea from the root. It was
used as a relaxant during childbirth. Early medical books show this same tea was used by wives of settlers during labor.
Blueberry juice was used for "old coughs" and tea made from Wild Blueberry leaves was believed to be a good tonic
to help purify the blood.
The small Wild Blueberry, to the original settlers, was less foreign to them than the land. Some had known a similar berry
in Scotland, the blaeberry. Blaeberry jam, the story goes, was invented in the court of James V, who became King of
Scots in 1513. His French wife brought her own cooks when she arrived at the castle in Scotland. They harvested the
local wild blaeberries and in typical inventive French gourmet fashion, devised a delicacy which still delights Scottish palates.
English immigrants related the New World blueberry to their whortleberries: the Danes, to bilberries; the Swedes to their
blåbär. People from northern Germany recognized their bickberren; those from southern Germany, blauberren. Later
arrivals from Europe, such as the Russians, also had a frame of reference for these berries whose blue reflected the
promising blue skies of the New World. The first commerical venture involved canning Wild Blueberries for the military. Lucky Dog Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains stretch from Alaska to the northern portion of Mexico a distance of 3100 miles. The
highest peak is in Colorado at 14,440 feet called Mount Elbert. The highest peak in Canada is Mount Robson at 1
3,000 feet.
|
