Municipality of Sioux Lookout

Elevation and Topography

Elevation:

1258 ft or 390 meters

Coordinates:

50°06′50″N
091°54′19″W

Topography:

Located in the Boreal Shield, this ecozone is named after the intersection of the boreal forest and the Canadian Shield, and the Precambrian granite bedrock of the latter is commonly exposed here. This may have once been a soaring mountain range, judging by its tumultuous geological past, but that was a billion years ago, and all that is left now are rolling hills. Glaciers swept over this area many times, and the resulting series of depressions and deposits have given rise to the millions of lakes and wetlands in the region.

GEOLOGY AND SOILS Mining

Mineral exploration continues in the Sioux Lookout area today and there are several active, non-patented mining claims on Crown land within and outside the Municipal boundary.

Sioux Lookout is situated within a belt of greenstone that forms part of the Canadian Shield. The greenstone is more than 270 million years old and was deposited on the flanks of volcanoes within early seas. These rocks are presently termed metavolcanic and metasedimentary. Later, these rocks became the roots of mountains as the earth changed over time. Erosion and uplift have brought the rocks, once again, to the surface where they form an important part of our dramatic landscape.

The rocks around Sioux Lookout are host to many mineral occurrences. Most are gold occurrences though the area also has occurrences of copper, zinc, nickel, molybdenum, lithium, and other rare metals. More regionally, the greenstone has yielded economic deposits of: zinc-copper-lead-silver at the south end of Sturgeon Lake; gold at the north end of Sturgeon Lake; and gold and copper-nickel-platinum-palladium near Pickle Lake. Presently, the Goldcorp Musselwhite mine produces 200,000 ounces of gold annually at a site 100 km north of Pickle Lake.

More than one prospector has noted that the immediate Sioux Lookout area has all the right geologic conditions to host a significant and economic mineral deposit.

FORESTRY

The forest in and around Sioux Lookout is a diverse and ever changing natural resource. This resource provides a great number of benefits to the residents of the Municipality of Sioux Lookout and the surrounding areas, both economically and socially.

The region around the Municipality of Sioux Lookout is heavily forested and mainly comprised of Boreal Forest tree species and conditions. The main tree species are jack pine, black spruce, white spruce, balsam fir, poplar and white birch with minor components of white cedar and tamarack. There is also a minor component of white and red pine.

The forest industry in Sioux Lookout targets mainly softwood species such as jack pine, black spruce, white spruce and balsam fir. Hardwoods in the area such as poplar and white birch are currently under utilized because of a lack of local markets.

The forests are used for economic benefit through forest management activities, tourism activities and numerous other commercial and recreational activities.

The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) is responsible for ensuring that forest management activities are conducted in a sustainable fashion and carried out following approved Provincial procedures and policies. Forest management activities are carried out so that the social and economic benefits derived from the forest will be sustained for present and future generations of the people of Ontario. Forest management planning has become a cooperative and team oriented effort involving the forest companies, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Local Citizens Committee (LCC), and the public.

The forests surrounding Sioux Lookout are spilt into Sustainable Forest Licenses (SFL's). These SFL's are identified as the Lac Seul Forest (which is licensed to McKenzie Forest Products Inc.) and the Caribou Forest (which is licensed to Bowater Pulp and Paper). The Lac Seul Forest is located to the north and south of the Municipality of Sioux Lookout. The Caribou Forest is located to the northeast of the Municipality of Sioux Lookout.

The forested area north of these two SFL's is currently not available for large-scale commercial forest management activities. This area is outside of the geographical area that is currently approved for sustainable forestry operations, as cited in the Ministry of Natural Resources Class Environmental Assessment for Timber Management and Crown lands in Ontario and the Crown Forest Sustainability Act RSO 1994. A provincial government initiative is currently underway to investigate the possibility of conducting forest operations in this previously unavailable area.

The forest companies are responsible for a wide variety of activities in the sustainable area. Some activities include forest management planning, harvesting, road building, as well as reforestation and tending activities. Compliance monitoring of forest management operations is a joint effort involving the MNR and SFL holders.

WATER RESOURCES

The Sioux Lookout District encompasses a total area of 87,000 sq. km, 25,000 sq. km. of which is covered by water. The four major watersheds are Hudson/James Bay in the northeast; Winnipeg watershed to the west; Mississippi Headwaters to the south and the English River Water System to the east. The Municipality of Sioux Lookout is directly connected with hundreds of miles of lakes including Minnitaki, Abram, Pelican, Lost Lake, Big and Little Vermilion Lakes and Lac Seul. Lac Seul on its own is the second largest lake contained entirely within the Province of Ontario, covering 144,000 ha. Overall, the Sioux Lookout district has approximately 22,255 lakes greater than 10 ha and another 2,413 lakes that are greater than 100 ha. These lakes provide a good mix of both cold and warm water fisheries.

Water quality in the area is good with no major sources of industrial effluent. In 1998, Sioux Lookout finished constructing a new water treatment plant to provide better quality drinking water to the community. In 2008 a new water treatment plant was completed for the community of Hudson.

VEGETATION

Some of the common under-story species include blueberries in association with jack pine stands; Labrador tea and alder in black spruce lowland stands; and dogwood and pin cherry in more open, mixed stands.

Feather, sphagnum, and reindeer mosses are typical ground cover species. Bogs develop in poorly drained areas in bedrock pockets or over flat, gently sloping terrain. Scattered, stunted black spruce or tamarack may be present along with a low shrub layer. Fens, like bogs, also develop in poorly drained low-lying areas but water movement is characteristic. The movement of water creates such features as teardrop islands parallel to the flow of water.

Marshes maintained by seasonal water fluctuations are prevalent in or near watercourses throughout the area. Sedges and grasses predominate, with submerged or floating vegetation in areas of shallow, open water.

FISH AND WILDLIFE

Sioux Lookout offers an abundance of opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts. Locals, as well as a vast number of visitors, thrive on the high quality of hunting, fishing and outdoor recreational activities that are available.

The local Ministry of Natural Resources works with organized committees comprised of local citizens, outfitters, hunters, anglers and tourist operators. These committees, along with the MNR, develop management plans for lakes and forests to ensure the goal of ecological sustainability is achieved. This type of community involvement has been essential in helping to maintain our great fish and wildlife resources.

When driving into Sioux Lookout it is common to see deer or moose along the highway. Further exploration of the area will take you north of town where you may see another large land mammal - the woodland caribou.

The Ministry of Natural Resources has constructed viewing platforms so people can watch walleye spawn in the rapids in the spring. At the same time, you may see bald eagles or osprey fishing for their next meal.

Enjoying our local fish and wildlife resources is not only for the angler or hunter. Many people enjoy the remote character of the area by boating, canoeing, hiking and photographing the incredible beauty of the area.

Fish

The major sport species in the Sioux Lookout area are:

• Lake Trout
• Small Mouth Bass
• Muskellunge
• Walleye (Yellow Pickerel)
• Northern Pike

Other species common within the area lakes are:

• Yellow Perch
• Lake Whitefish
• White Sucker
• Ling

In order to protect these species from being over-fished, the MNR has imposed a variety of limits on licence holders. Fishing may only be done during a specified season and only fish that are bigger or smaller than the specified slot size can be kept. As well, each licence holder may only keep a certain number of fish, depending on species.

To maintain our high quality angling lakes the Ministry of Natural Resources, with public consultation, has instituted many new fishing regulations in the past few years. For further information on fishing and opening dates, contact the Ministry of Natural Resources at 807-737-1140 or refer to the current Ontario Recreational Fishing Regulations Summary.

Sioux Lookout District Master Angler Catch and Release Awards Program

Sioux Lookout also participates in the Master Angler Catch and Release Program. The Master Angler program encourages catch and release to ensure healthy fish stocks for future generations. For more information and registration in the program, contact the Travel Information Centre at 807-737-2991.

Wildlife - Larger Mammals

Sioux Lookout's ecosystems provide a variety of habitat for wildlife. Larger mammals such as moose and black bear are abundant in the area and are often seen alongside roads or trails. Other large mammals like the woodland caribou are less common and are usually spotted from an aircraft. White-tailed deer are found within the area as well but harsh winters and heavy snowfalls can keep the herd numbers down.

Migratory Birds

Some of the common migratory birds are:

• Mallard Duck
• Green and Blue Wing Teal
• Greater and Lesser Scaup
• Canada Goose

Other Mammals

Sioux Lookout has a number of smaller mammals that are common to the area such as:

• Wolf
• Lynx
• Ruffed and Spruce Grouse
• Marten
• Red Squirrel
• Snowshoe Hare

CLIMATE Temperature (Celsius)

In past years there has been an average of 148.5 cm of snowfall at the end of December, with a maximum snowfall of 39.2 cm in October.

The winters are dominated by cold, dry arctic air and clear skies.

Precipitation averages 710 mm, most of which falls as rain in the summer and autumn.

AIR QUALITY

The Ministry of the Environment has found no reason for Sioux Lookout to monitor the air quality, as the community has no pollution. Air quality remains at a high level primarily due to the relatively low and scattered development in the area.