Blue Jay Creek | |
Pushpin Map: | Canada Ontario |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the mouth of Blue Jay Creek in Ontario |
Subdivision Type1: | Country |
Subdivision Name1: | Canada |
Subdivision Type2: | Province |
Subdivision Name2: | Ontario |
Subdivision Type3: | Region |
Subdivision Name3: | Northeastern Ontario |
Subdivision Type4: | District |
Subdivision Name4: | Manitoulin |
Subdivision Type5: | Townships |
Length: | 14km (09miles) |
Source1: | Spring |
Source1 Location: | Central Manitoulin |
Source1 Coordinates: | 45.7036°N -81.9556°W |
Source1 Elevation: | 275m (902feet) |
Mouth: | Michael's Bay (Lake Huron) |
Mouth Location: | Tehkummah |
Mouth Coordinates: | 45.5919°N -82.0925°W |
Mouth Elevation: | 176m (577feet) |
Basin Size: | 74.5km2 |
Tributaries Right: | Black Creek |
Blue Jay Creek is a river on Manitoulin Island in Central Manitoulin and Tehkummah townships, Manitoulin District in northeastern Ontario, Canada, and a tributary of Lake Huron.[1]
Blue Jay Creek begins at a spring, about 3.4km (02.1miles) east of the community of Sandfield on Lake Manitou in Central Manitoulin township, and at an elevation of 275m (902feet). It flows south under Highway 542 and then to the east of the community of Tehkummah in Tehkummah township. The creek heads southwest, takes in the right tributary Black Creek and reaches its mouth at Michael's Bay on Lake Huron, near the community of Michael's Bay, and about 1.2km (00.7miles) southeast of the mouth of the Manitou River and 7km (04miles) northwest of the community of South Baymouth.
The Blue Jay Creek and Manitou River Enhancement Strategy[2] was completed in June 2001 and approved in December 2003 by the Manitoulin Streams Improvement Association. The organization has rehabilitated sites on the creek, which has improved water quality and the fisheries in the region.[3]
Blue Jay Creek Provincial Park is a provincial park in Tehkummah on Manitoulin Island. The L-shaped park is located at the mouth of the Blue Jay Creek on Michael's Bay of Lake Huron.
Blue Jay Creek Provincial Park is notable for its raised beach and swale landforms, which are some of the largest on the island, with upland willow thickets. Its landscape is characterized by cedar, spruce, and pine forests, as well as extensive wetlands with cedar, black spruce, and black ash trees. It is an important deer wintering spot while the Blue Jay Creek itself is an important trout spawning location.
It is a non-operating park, meaning that there are no facilities or services for visitors. The park can be used for canoeing, nature viewing, hunting, and fishing.
The park was created in 1997 as part of the Ministry of Natural Resources' "Keep it Wild" campaign, out of previously private land that was donated to the government in 1989.