(photo by Diana: 2007-07-10 - explore)
Greenbough Esker
The Greenbough esker is a massive ribbon of sand and gravel that snakes through the forest for 16 km from Deux Rivieres to Wendigo Lake. It is the stream bed of a river that flowed on or under the ice during the last glaciation.
Unfortunately eskers are usually viewed as something to be exploited, rather than conserved -- a ready source of gravel to facilitate the construction of logging roads. Fortunately, the Greenbough Esker was recently protected. The largely undisturbed southern portion of the esker has been designated as a Conservation Reserve, while the more disturbed northern portion will be managed as a Resource Management Zone. "The linear integrity and view of the esker shall be maintained in this zone."
This photo was taken just at the boundary of the northern and southern portions. Perhaps I am misinterpreting the situation, but it appears to me that at this location, the disturbed portion of the esker is being reconstructed, while continuing to supply gravel to the ongoing logging activities. I assume, however, that after the "excess" material has been removed, the reconstructed esker will be left to be colonized by the surrounding forest.