Description of critical habitat of the Horsetail spike-rush in Long Point National Wildlife Area

Department of the Environment
Species at Risk Act

Description of critical habitat of the Horsetail spike-rush in Long Point National Wildlife Area

Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to subsection 58(2) of the Species at Risk Act, critical habitat of the Horsetail spike-rush (Eleocharis equisetoides) in the Long Point National Wildlife Area is described as follows:

Being all that parcel of land, in the Regional Municipality of Haldimand-Norfolk, in the county of Norfolk, the city of Norfolk, and lying within the following described boundaries save and except any portion of land that may fall within the westerly 1/4 of Block 2 as shown on Plan 64610 recorded in the Canada Lands Survey Records in Ottawa:

• Commencing at a point at UTM NAD 83, Zone 17 coordinates being Northing 4711000 metres and Easting 572500 metres;
• THENCE, due east in a straight line to a point at UTM NAD 83, Zone 17 coordinates being Northing 4711000 metres and Easting 573140 metres;
• THENCE, due south in a straight line to a point at UTM NAD 83, Zone 17 coordinates being Northing 4710750 metres and Easting 573140 metres;
• THENCE, due west in a straight line to a point at UTM NAD 83, Zone 17 coordinates being Northing 4710750 metres and Easting 572500 metres;
• THENCE, due north to the point of commencement.

In Canada, Horsetail spike-rush is only known to occur at a single location—within Long Point National Wildlife Area in southwestern Ontario. Critical habitat in the Long Point National Wildlife Area is identified in the Recovery Strategy for the Horsetail spike-rush as "the inland pond where it grows in sandy organic muck along the south-facing shoreline. The pond lies between two stabilized dune ridges near the tip of Long Point National Wildlife Area."

The shoreline community is dominated by buttonbush and red-osier dogwood, with other observed species including water bulrush, Small's spike-rush, grass-leaved pondweed, long- leaved pondweed, common coontail, slender naiad, bullhead pond-lily, northern wild rice, and slender sedge.

January 20, 2007

Michele Brenning
Director General
Canadian Wildlife Service