Geography of the Lakes

GEOGRAPHY OF THE LAKES

Bobs and Crow Lakes sit atop a finger of Canadian Shield called the Frontenac Axis that extends south from Algonquin Park.

The watershed is located within the eastern Great Lakes lowland forests of the Great Lakes, which is a transitional area containing both boreal and broadleaf forests. The area contains a mixture of landscapes because of the confluence of the southern deciduous forest and the northern coniferous boreal forest of Ontario.

The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Forest Region is dominated by mixed hemlock, white pine and maple stands, but varies with local conditions creating patches of diverse vegetation communities.

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BOBS LAKE AERIAL VIEW

The landscape of Bobs and Crow Lakes is typical of the Canadian Shield – pine trees, rocky shorelines, abundant swamps and other wetlands. It is underlain with Precambrian, impervious bedrock and an interconnected network of wetlands, including swamps, marshes, peatlands, with streams scattered across the landscape.

These wetlands are typical of Eastern Ontario with emergent borders of cattails and floating aquatic plants and low shrubs, bordered by tall, water-loving shrubs and trees which stretch to the forest’s edge.

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GREEN BAY, BOBS LAKE

The provincial Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) considers Bobs and Crow Lakes as one water body with nine segregated basins; Crow Lake, Crow Bay, Buck Bay, Green Bay, Mud Bay, Mill Bay, Long Bay, Eastern Bobs Basin, and Western Bobs Basin.

Bobs Lake is connected to Crow Lake via a small stream that flows from Crow Lake into Crow Bay of Bobs Lake.

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The majority of the Bobs Lake shoreline is privately owned except for the area of land that extends out into the Western Basin from Crow Bay and pockets of Crown land along the eastern and western shore of the Eastern Basin.

There are also many undisturbed islands throughout these basins. Over eighty five acres on Green Bay originally owned by Dr. Goodfellow of Westport has been preserved in its natural state and is now under the stewardship of the National Conservancy of Canada.

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The shoreline of Crow Lake is a mix of private and Crown land. The majority of the eastern shore is Crown land, and the majority of the western shore is privately owned.

The Village of Crow Lake on the northern point of Crow Lake has the highest density of habitation on the lakes.

Meisel Woods Conservation Area has been created from a donation of 120 acres of land from local resident John Meisel and is maintained by the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority.

It borders Beaver Lake (Bass Lake), with a small finger extending to the shore of Crow Lake.

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CROW LAKE

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