Duck Mountain
by Dave Fort
A very popular place to canoe with an abundance of wildlife, the 1,424 square kilometre Duck Mountain Provincial Park is located in the west central part of Manitoba between the Riding and Porcupine Mountains. The park rises some 500 meters above the surrounding farmland with Dauphin, Roblin and Swan River be- ing the closest communities. It is part of a series of highlands known as the Manitoba Escarpment.
Duck Mountain Provincial Park sup- ports a great variety of wetland bird habi- tats. Cattail marshes, typical of the parkland and prairie regions surround- ing the park, co-exist with boreal bog and fen. There are approximately 158 spe- cies of birds that frequent the park be- tween early May and late August. Roughly 70 other species of birds inhabit the park either as winter residents or on their migration routes.
Forests of mixed wood, black spruce, jack pine and trembling aspen cover most of Duck Mountain Provin- cial Park. A recreational adventurer dis- covers an abundance of lakes and river valleys. The park provides habitat to a variety of mammals including mink, coy- ote, fox, elk, deer, black bears, cougars, lynx and moose. These animals require a balanced ecosystem to maintain healthy predator-prey relationships within their already shrinking range.
Up until about 15,000 years ago, Duck Mountain was covered with thick sheets of ice from the last glacial period. Archaeological excavations in the area uncovered evidence of human habitation as far back as 8,000-6,000 B.C. As gla- ciers were receding, Duck Mountain was one of the first areas of dry land to ap- pear making it accessible to nomadic peoples for hunting. More recent aborigi- nal groups utilizing Duck Mountain were seasonal hunters and gatherers who lived on the plains.
61% of Duck Mountain Provincial Park is open to clear-cut logging. 869 square kilometres of the park is being logged by US-based Louisiana Pacific Corporation. Currently Louisiana Pa- cific has a forest management license that covers the whole Swan Valley region. WCWC is asking that all Manitobans express their view on preserving this spectacular and overwhelmingly signifi- cant part of our province's natural his- tory and biodiversity.
