The Port Franks-Ipperwash forested sand dunes and wetlands are found south of the cottage area along Lake Huron in Lambton Shores, Lambton County.
Behind these cottages lie a diverse series of wetlands and forested sand dunes.
The area is approximately 3590 acres in size which includes a county forest and other public lands, but the majority is held by private landowners. This wetland complex is boarded by Pinery Provincial Park to the east and the Kettle Point Reserve to the west.
This site holds great ecological importance as the oak-pine forest east of the Port Franks Road is home to the rare Karner Blue butterfly. This butterfly relys entirely on the rare Wild Lupine for food and breeding. This site is also the best location in Canada for the rare Blue Hearts.
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The series of sand dunes and interdunal wetland complexes also have great hydrological and ecological importance. The sand dunes were created by the lake and prevailing winds blowing sand inland. The wetlands which include a bog, pond, wet and dry meadows, a lowland swamp forest and a marsh creek are important for purifying water and for water retention. This area was once the channel of the Ausable River before it was diverted for flood control. These wetlands are also home to a number of rare and significant vascular plants.
The area is a popular seasonal cottage area and thus has a lot of recreation associated with it. Most of this recreation is encouraged, such as hiking and bird watching. However, the area is threatened by some aspects of recreation such as dune buggies and ATV vehicles on the sand dunes which cause irreversible erosional damage to the vegetation and subsequently to the dunes. Other threats are caused by future changes in the zoning regulations classifying the site to residential, as the area grows in popularity as a commuter town for London.
Currently there is some disturbance around the fringes at this site but the interior remains relatively intact. The site is a good representative habitat of our natural heritage. This site also shows how diverse our natural heritage is in southwestern Ontario.
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