Property Info

The Three Bears easement consists of two of the “three bears” group of islands, located in Sans Souci. The third bear is crown land, and forms part of the Massasauga Provincial Park.

Two narrow, shallow channels separate the islands. During years of low water, these channels are virtually devoid of water, creating exposed coastal meadow marsh communities with a diversity of typical coastal wetland species. The remaining shoreline is primarily exposed bedrock with pockets of primarily shrub species in crevices and depressions where moisture is retained. The upland of the two islands is forested, with White Pine and Red Oak present as the co-dominants and a variety of other species including Red Maple, Balsam Fir, White Birch and Eastern White Cedar present as associate species. The understorey varies from sparse to dense cover with localized patches of almost impenetrable Common Juniper and more open patches of Lowbush Blueberry. Herbaceous cover also varies in cover including such species as Wild-lily-of-the-valley, Hairy Solomon’s Seal and Starflower.