Exploring Our Natural Features
The community of Oak Ridges is situated on the Oak Ridges Moraine. The Moraine is a landform composed of boulders, stones, sands, gravels and other debris deposited by glaciers approximately 12,000 years ago. The Moraine stretches 160 kilometres from Caledon to Northumberland like a huge "eyebrow" over Toronto. Topography varies from plains to steep ridges interspersed with deep kettle lakes and wetlands. Known as the "rain barrel of southern Ontario", the Moraine provides drinking water to over 250,000 people through municipal wells and is the headwaters to over 65 rivers and streams that deliver cold clean water to millions of people.
The natural features of our area are so typical of the Moraine that it was actually named the Oak Ridges Moraine after our community. These include kettle lakes, wetlands, small streams and forests that support a wide diversity of sensitive plants and wildlife. The wetlands, kettles and streams are also major headwaters of the east branch of the Humber River that has the prestigious status of a Canadian Heritage River. Some wetlands to the south feed into the Rouge and the Don. There are five Areas of Natural Scientific Interest (ANSI's) that are protected to help preserve the most rare and vulnerable resident species of flora and fauna. Natural buffer areas and linkage tracts have been designated to provide more greenery to sustain these sensitive areas and provide migration paths for wildlife.
The Natural Heritage Map (pdf) highlights many of these features and clearly shows just how much water bubbles up in our neighbourhood.
