St. Clair National Wildlife Area
Notices
St. Clair National Wildlife Area is open to the public for day-use only. Visitors are restricted to using official trails and viewing structures only. Please note that while Environment and Climate Change Canada establishes trails and infrastructure to support visitor access and use of selected National Wildlife Areas, staff are not always on-site for management of public safety.
Please respect the environment and leave no trace.
Description
Originally established in 1978, the National Wildlife Area is comprised of 2 properties: Saint Clair (244 hectares (ha)) and Bear Creek (113 ha). This area is dominated by wetland habitat, with remnant patches of tall-grass prairie. Saint Clair National Wildlife Area is listed as a Ramsar wetland, an International Butterfly Reserve, and part of the Eastern Lake St. Clair Important Bird Area (IBA).
Lake St. Clair and adjacent marshes are the most important staging area for waterfowl in Ontario, south of James Bay. The wetlands consist mainly of cattail marsh encircled by constructed dykes that mimic natural water-level changes. This area is located at the transition between 2 major migratory routes: the Atlantic and Mississippi flyways.
Every year during migration, hundreds of thousands of waterfowl, including the tundra swan, pass through this National Wildlife Area. Puddle ducks, geese and diving ducks also use this habitat as a staging area every year during migration.
This area provides important habitat for both common and rare marsh birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and rare prairie plants.
The St. Clair National Wildlife Area provides habitat to 20 species at risk (endangered, threatened, and special concern), ranging from birds, mammals, fish, insects, reptiles and plants. Some examples of species at risk include:
- least bittern
- king rail
- pugnose shiner
- monarch
- queen snake
- eastern foxsnake
- swamp rose mallow
Management
Under the Canada Wildlife Act, National Wildlife Areas are protected and managed in accordance with the Wildlife Area Regulations. The primary purpose of National Wildlife Areas is to protect and conserve wildlife and wildlife habitat. For this purpose and according to the legislation, all activities in a National Wildlife Area that could interfere with the conservation of wildlife can be prohibited. Consequently, most National Wildlife Areas are not accessible to the public and all other activities are prohibited in all National Wildlife Areas. However, some activities may be authorized through Schedule I.1 of the Wildlife Area Regulations or the issuance of permits as long as they are consistent with the management plan goals for the National Wildlife Area. For more information, consult the National Wildlife Area Management and Activities section.
Access to some portions of the St. Clair National Wildlife Area is restricted to protect wildlife and their habitats from disturbance. Some activities are permitted in accordance with the conservation goals of the National Wildlife Area management plan. Any authorized activities are listed in Schedule I.1 of the Wildlife Area Regulations; signage is also posted at access points.
Authorized activities listed in Schedule I.1 of the Wildlife Area Regulations for St.Clair National Wildlife Area, include:
- wildlife viewing on designated roads and trails and in designated areas
- hiking at the locations referred to in item 1
- operating a vehicle, other than a snowmobile or an all-terrain vehicle, on designated roads and trails and in designated parking areas
- boating in the Bear Creek Unit on Bear Creek and on Maxwell Drain
- cross-country skiing and snowshoeing on designated roads and trails and in designated parking areas
- sport fishing, other than from the shoreline, in accordance with any applicable federal permit and any authorization required by the laws of Ontario for sport fishing in that province
Within the Bear Creek Unit, public access is prohibited, except for boating in the Bear Creek Unit on Bear Creek and on Maxwell Drain. In order to provide undisturbed staging habitat for migratory waterfowl, access to other parts of the National Wildlife Area is restricted, and all other activities within the National Wildlife Area require a permit.
More information on access and permitting for Saint Clair National Wildlife Area can be obtained by contacting the Environment and Climate Change Canada regional office.
Map of the area
Long description
This map shows the area surrounding Chatham, Ontario. The boundaries of St. Clair National Wildlife Area are indicated. This National Wildlife Area is separated into two units. The Bear Creek Unit is located to the north-west of Chatham, between Highway 40 and Lake St. Clair. The St. Clair Unit is located to the west of Chatham near the Lake St. Clair shoreline. The scale on the map is in kilometers. Permanent water, roads and highways are all indicated on the map. A small inset national map situates the National Wildlife Area’s location in Canada.
This map is for illustrative purposes only and should not be used to define legal boundaries.
Summary
Protected Area designation
National Wildlife Areas
Province/Territory
Ontario
Latitude/Longitude
- Saint Clair Main Unit: 42°366334' North / -82°405108' West
- Bear Creek Unit: 42°533290' North / -82°396169' West
Size
- 357 ha
Reason for creation of Protected Area
The area supports a population of a species or subspecies or a group of species, which is concentrated, for any portion of the year. Most of eastern population of Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus) passes through the region in early spring. NWA contains several thousand puddle ducks and geese. The area is rare or unusual wildlife habitat, of a specific type in a biogeographic region. Species at Risk, rare species.
Date created (Gazetted)
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Management Category
- Habitat/species management area – (IV)
Additional designations
- St. Clair NWA Ramsar Site – Wetland of International Importance (St. Clair Unit)
- Eastern Lake St. Clair – globally significant Important Bird Area (includes NWA)
- St. Clair Marshes Complex – Provincially Significant Wetland (includes NWA) Lake St. Clair Marshes Ontario Life Science – Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (includes NWA)
- Lake St. Clair Marshes Ontario Life Science – Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (includes NWA)
- North American Waterfowl Management Plan Lower Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Area of Continental Significance (Eastern Habitat Joint Venture) (includes NWA)
- Canada–United States St. Clair River Area of Concern (Bear Creek Unit)
Keystone or flagship species
- mallard
- tundra swan
- least bittern
- foxsnake
Listed species under the Species at Risk Act (SARA)
Mammals:
- American badger jacksoni subspecies
Birds:
- bald eagle
- Canada warbler
- cerulean warbler
- chimney swift
- common nighthawk
- eastern whip-poor-will
- golden-winged warbler
- hooded warbler
- least bittern
- king rail
- northern bobwhite
- peregrine falcon
- prothonotary warbler
- red-headed woodpecker
- red-shouldered hawk
- rusty blackbird
- short-eared owl
- yellow rail
- yellow-breasted chat virens subspecies
Reptiles:
- eastern foxsnake (Carolinian population)
- northern map turtle
- queensnake
- snapping turtle
Invertebrates:
- monarch
Fish:
- blackstripe topminnow
- lake chubsucker
- pugnose minnow
- pugnose shiner
Vascular plants:
- dense blazing star
- swamp rose mallow
- Riddell’s goldenrod
Main habitat type
- Mixedwood plains ecozone
- Lake Erie lowland ecoregion
Invasive species
Plants:
- non-native phragmites/European common reed (Phragmites australis subsp. australis)
- purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)
- Eurasian watermilfoil
- frog-bit or European frog-bit
- curly-leaf pondweed
- water lettuce
- flowering rush
- reed canary grass
- sow thistle
- Canada thistle
- prickly lettuce
- white mulberry
Animals:
- common carp
- round goby
- mute swan
- Canada goose (temperate breeding)
- American crow
- double-crested Cormorant
- feral domestic cats and dogs
Other species
- Canada goose
Main threats and challenges
- controlling invasive common reed (Phragmites australis)
- mute swans
- adjacent land use changes
Management agency
- Environment and Climate Change Canada (Canadian Wildlife Service)
Public access and usage
Authorized activities listed in Schedule I.1 of the Wildlife Area Regulations for St.Clair NWA, include:
- Wildlife viewing on designated roads and trails and in designated areas
- Hiking at the locations referred to in item 1
- Operating a vehicle, other than a snowmobile or an all-terrain vehicle, on designated roads and trails and in designated parking areas
- Boating in the Bear Creek Unit on Bear Creek and on Maxwell Drain
- Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing on designated roads and trails and in designated parking areas
- Sport fishing, other than from the shoreline, in accordance with any applicable federal permit and any authorization required by the laws of Ontario for sport fishing in that province
Note: If there is a discrepancy between the information presented on this web page, any notice posted at the National Wildlife Area site and the law, the law prevails, as it is the legal instrument authorizing the activity.
Contact us
Environment and Climate Change Canada - Ontario Region
Canadian Wildlife Service
Protected Areas and Stewardship
4905 Dufferin Street
Toronto ON M3H 5T4
Toll-free: 1-800-668-6767 (in Canada only)
Email: enviroinfo@ec.gc.ca
Related links
- Canada Wildlife Act
- Wildlife Area Regulations
- St. Clair National Wildlife Area management plan
- St. Clair National Wildlife Area pamphlet
- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
- Nature Counts – The State of Canada’s Birds
- Species at risk public registry
- St. Clair NWA Ramsar Site
- Eastern Lake St. Clair
- St. Clair NWA on Google maps (Please note that the Google map is a complementary source of information and does not represent the official map or site name)