The Algonquin

Eco-Lodge

History, Facts & Information About the

Eco-Lodge Property & Beyond

Table of Contents
History of the Algonquin Eco-Lodge...............1
History of the Area..............................................................1
Exploring History - Get Out and Explore.......................1
Keepin it Green.............................................2
Micro-Hydroelectric Generator......................................2
How it Works.......................................................................2
Environmental Implications............................................3
Logging Practices..........................................4
The History of Logging in the Algonquin Area............4
How Logs Traveled to Mill................................................4
The McRae Lumber Company..........................................5
Hay Lake Mill: 1942-1952...................................................5
The Mink Lake Mill: 1953-1957.........................................6
Martin Brothers Logging Company................................7
Sustainable Logging Practices..........................................7
Selective Logging.................................................................7
Shelterwood Logging System...........................................8
Clear-cut Logging System.................................................8
Algonquin Forest Management Plans............................8
Wolves (Ah-Wooooooooooo!).........................9
The Eastern Wolf................................................................9
Ontarians Conflict with Wolves ....................................9
Quick Facts!.......................................................................10
For More Information!.................................11

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank those that helped make this project possible:
Robin Banerjee
Steve Nemeth
Jaime McRae
Peter Nitschke
Joe Yaraskavit
Keith Fletcher
Mark Arbogast
Stephen Hill
David LeGros
Joyce Close

Dam, used by the loggers of the past, can

be seen, which was also used as a bridge
for loggers to safely traverse Mink
Creek. It can be reached by hiking to the
forest road east of the Eco-Lodge and
continuing northeast up the forest road,
keeping on the left when the road splits
in two (25-30 minutes). Once youve the
municipal road (1-1.25hours), turn left
and continue down and you will see the
outlet of Big Mink Lake and the old
timber of the former dam. A map to the
location can be seen below!

History of the Algonquin

Eco-Lodge

Throughout most of its history the

Hastings Highlands area has been a rich
source of lumber from as early as the
1880s seeking white and red pines for
shipbuilding. The establishment of
Algonquin Park followed quickly after in
1893 to prevent agricultural practises
and protect the wildlife of the area.
Throughout its history the Eco-Lodge
area has been subject to the
management of multiple lumber
companies and establishments that
failed to survive as prominently as the
pristine wilderness around it. Robin is
committed to ensuring the Eco-Lodge
continues to function as a sustainable,
low-impact getaway.
In the past, the Eco-Lodge was not that
cabin it is today. The foundations on the
northern part of the property were likely
the remnants of an old lumber camp for
the workers that managed the dam,
flume and logs that were being
transported down the creek. Ask Robin
about some of the interesting artifacts
hes found that were left behind from
these people of the past!

The Algonquin Eco-Lodge lies beside the

county of Haliburton, as well as,
Algonquin Park (in the west) and is part
of Hastings County which extends all the
way down to Lake Ontario. Three
kilometers directly east is High Falls,
which can be found by hiking back to the
Eco-Lodge parking area and continuing
east (turning right) down the dirt road
(~10 minutes) until reaching the High
Falls Hiking Trail sign to begin the trail.
The map on the next page shows how
you can get to High Falls

Three kilometres northeast of the EcoLodge, the remains of the Mink Lake

[1]

7.5 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions

per year which is equivalent to the
emissions produced from driving your
car 36,500 km or back and forth from
Newfoundland to British Columbia 4
times! All of the electricity produced is
used by the lodge for lighting,
appliances, heating and guest comfort.
Any excess electricity produced is used
to heat the carbon neutral hot tub, as
well as, the Eco-Lodge via electric
baseboard heaters in the winter.

The Eco-Lodge is equipped with two

separate micro-hydroelectric generators
capable of producing 8 and 4 kilowatts
of electricity each. They function by
harnessing the potential energy of water
flowing down a gradient, to create
electricity. In order to gain enough water
pressure to pass through the turbine
generator, an old logging dam at the
mouth of Mink Creek at Moffat Pond
was modified to allow for easy control
Moffat Ponds water level. A large
diameter plastic tube can be seen
running from the Moffat Pond side of
the dam, down the side of Mink Creek
approximately 120 meters to the micro-

If you venture to High Falls, and as you

likely saw before you parked your
vehicle, the property east of the parking
lot, was the former Martin Bros. Lumber
Mill, which operated from 1957 to 1984.
The site now houses the still-operational
airstrip amongst the remains of the old
mill. Its closure was due to the tragic
death of the owner Grenville Martin,
who was lost in an airplane accident.
The company was once one of the largest
hardwood producers in Canada and
operated at an additional site operation
where the current Baptiste Lake Marina
is.

Keepin it Green

The Algonquin Eco-Lodge operates

entirely off grid, relying solely on
renewable resources for energy. The onsite micro-hydroelectric generation
station provides emission free, carbon
neutral energy for the entire Eco-Lodge
7 days a week, 365 days a year. In total,
the micro-hydroelectric generator saves

The Algonquin Eco-Lodge micro-hydroelectric generating

station.

[2]

The above animation outlines the general layout of the on-site microhydroelectric generator. Note that the intake gates would be located at
the dam between Moffat Pond and Mink Creek.

hydroelectric generating station. Water

flowing down stream through the tube
spins the turbine of the generator,
creating electricity. The water then flows
back into Mink Creek and continues on
its way through the creek. A continuous
water flow is required by the generators
in order to maintain peak efficiency. The
produced electricity is then passed
through underground cables to the EcoLodge.

Eliminates the need for

deforestation and land alteration
required for the construction of
power lines and transformer
stations in remote areas.
No greenhouse gas emissions.

Increase in Moffat Ponds

water level as a result of the
dam at Mink Creek
Minimal effect on the
ecosystem of Mink Creek, as
only a small percentage of
water is diverted into the
micro-hydroelectric
generator.
A 2.5mm mesh screen is
attached to the intake tube
to prevent aquatic wildlife
from flowing into the
turbine.
Diverted water is returned
to the Creek with no
contamination or change in
water quality.
The one-of-a-kind dam
allows for fish and aquatic
wildlife to migrate freely
between Moffat Pond and
Mink Creek.

Mink Creek Falls.

[3]

20 year cycle owner. Before that, the

east end of Algonquin Park (to the west
of Moffat Pond) was selectively logged
during the late 1980s and actually
destroyed a large section of the Lodges
ski and hiking trails. The previous owner
of the lodge noted that the crown owned
land to the north of Moffat Pond was
selectively logged in the early 90s,
leaving behind a damaged landscape for
a number of years.

Logging Practices

The history of logging throughout

Algonquin Park and the surrounding
area has been diverse and welldocumented. It all began back in the
early 1800s when red and white pine
were harvested throughout the
Algonquin area for the construction of
ships and boat masts. From 1880-1915,
new technology allowed for construction
of the Canadian Northern Railway. The
railroad facilitated the rise of remote
sawmills and increased logging rates in
the area. The Canadian Northern
Railway remained in operation until
1995 when it was decommissioned and
removed. By the 1930s many other tree
species had begun to be harvested
including hardwood, leading to a
significant decline total tree population
of the area. Diameter limits were
introduced in the 1950s as one of the
first conservation measures
implemented to control the number of
trees harvested from specific areas. The
immediate areas surrounding the EcoLodge continued to be logged as recently
as 2013, according to Robin, as part of a

The remains of Mink Lake Dam.

Before the dawn of machinery, log

transportation on a large scale was
difficult and required the use of
watercourses and horses or oxen. Log
driving is the term used to describe
transporting logs by river. Log drivers
would aid the logs down rivers using a
wide array of tools to dislodge piled logs
and would often alter the water system if
it posed issues to transportation. Theres
even a song, The Log Drivers Waltz
and an animated film under the same
name celebrating the risky occupation.

[4]

Straight rivers were ideal for

transporting logs at this time,
preventing logs from getting jammed in
meanders. On top of that, in order to
maintain control of how many logs were
going downstream, loggers would
construct dams to create little waiting
areas. Then the logs could be picked,
counted and sent down to the mill.
Moffat Pond and Big Mink Lake were
originally streams until loggers altered
the environment and created two
waterbodies from the Moffat Pond dam
that can be seen on the property and the
Mink Lake Dam.

in the lumber industry in Northern

Ontario including the Algonquin area.
The company, which is still in operation
today, was founded by Scottish
Immigrant John Duncan McRae. Three
generations later, the company is still
McRae family owned and operated, with
their current operation taking place in
the town of Whitney, roughly 3 km from
the East Gate of Algonquin Park. The
company has a diverse history of
operation in the Algonquin area,
regularly moving their camp and mill
locations as the surrounding timber
resources were exhausted.

Alligator boats were also used by loggers

to help push logs across lakes, which
were first used in 1889. A fully restored
alligator boat can be seen at the
Algonquin Logging Museum in
Algonquin Park near the East Gate.
These steam-powered vehicles allowed
for a greater scale and speed for
transporting logs, since log driving could
not be done as effectively in large bodies
of water.

*If you are interested in learning more

about the McRae Lumber company, ask
Robin for his copy of Algonquin
Harvest: The History of the McRae
Lumber Company.

Located atop of a height of land on Hay

Lake, the Hay Lake Mill was the center
of the McRae logging operation from
1942-1952. It was acquired to allow the
company easier access to the vast
untouched forests of the surrounding
townships. It was during the Hay Lake
Mill operation where the McRae Lumber
Company adopted sustainable yield
foresting practices. The operation
consisted of tree harvesting in the winter
months and sawmill processing in the
summer. Tree harvesting and mill
processing consisted generally of intense
manual labour, while horses were widely
used as the main log transport
mechanism. Towards the end of the Hay
Lake operation, numerous trucks were
purchased as a more efficient alternative
to horses. McRaes new toys, however,
had a downside of their own. Besides the
added maintenance costs, the trucks had
an extremely difficult time hauling

Alligator boat on the Ottawa River (c. 1908)

Since 1922, the McRae Lumber

Company has been a well-known name
[5]

processing facility. The company

continued to apply their new methods of
sustainable and efficient logging
practices, allowing them to increase in
size and productivity. One of the major
advantages of the Mink Lake Mill
location was the ability of McRae to
transition to all-weather gravel roads.
This allowed the company to haul
timber year round and permitted
workers to commute in and out of bush
camps for the weekend, ending the
conventional tradition of workers
walking into the bush and not returning
for months on end. The Mink Lake Mill
closed out its operation in 1957 and
moved to Rock Lake, inside Algonquin

heavy logs up the treacherous hills to the

Hay Lake Mill. It was this obstacle that
eventually led to the Mills closure in
1952.

In 1953, the McRae Logging Company

decided to move its operation south, to
Mink Lake. Located near a vast network
of untouched forests, just a few
kilometers north of what now is the
Algonquin Eco-Lodge, the Mink Lake
Mill was constructed. The mill was an
integral part of the McRae lumber
operation throughout the mid 1950s,
serving as a mainly hardwood

Map outlining the McRae Lumber Companys Mink Lake and Hay Lake Mills in relation to the Algonquin
Eco-Lodge and G.W. Martin Companys Harcourt Mill.

[6]

Park, due to the exhaustion of

surrounding resources.

The Martin Brothers Logging Company

was established in 1921, by Whitney and
Garfield Martin. By 1930, the brothers
owned three logging mills, two located
on Baptiste Lake, which employed
roughly 200 people. Renamed the G.W.
Martin Company, 1957 marked the
beginning of Martins operation of the
Harcourt lumber mill. Under direction
of second generation, Grenville Martin,
the Harcourt operation expanded as the
G.W. Martin Company became the
largest producer of hardwood in Canada.
The companys success continued,
reaching its peak, when annual revenues
exceeded $100 million while employing
1300 people. The G.W. Martin
Companys glorious run ended abruptly
in 1984 when Harcourt Mill mastermind
Grenville Martin passed away in a
private airplane accident. To this day,
the Harcourt Mill remains abandoned
and is visible from the road on your
drive into the Eco-Lodge. Feel like
exploring? Just ask Robin for
information on hiking to the old G.W.
Martin Company Mill. You may want to
note that the airstrip on the Harcourt
Mill property has been purchased by a
private owner, and in operation.

sustainable logging practises.

Sustainable logging practices help
maintain productive and regenerative
forests ensuring they have the ability to
recover from and diversity after a
logging event. Hastings County has an
implemented forest management plan
published and available for public view
on the Hastings County website.

Rows of replanted trees forming a grid-shape in an area

once impacted by logging

Selective logging entails the removal

trees either as individuals or in small
groups which meet specific criteria. The
specific criteria ranges based on the
species of trees being forested and the
conditions of the forest being logged.
Usually, only trees which meet species,
age, diameter and density restrictions
will be harvested. Individuals trees that
contain cavities and dens, which have
the potential to be utilized by animals
are also usually left standing. The
rationale behind selecting logging is to
only remove roughly one third of the
total tree population in a forest to allow
for species regeneration and an overall
minimal impact on the health of the
ecosystem. Regrowth of selectively
logged forests usually occurs naturally,

Large scale logging can be detrimental

to the health of an ecosystem and
natural environment if not properly
managed. Forest management plans are
used to monitor forest health, ensuring
they remain productive and ecologically
diverse, while providing guidelines for
[7]

favouring shade tolerant tree species.

The gaps produced in the canopy of a
forest during selective logging can
actually benefit the ecosystem, allowing
for sunlight to each the forest floor,
allowing for young trees to grow.

the quality of soil, impeding new

vegetation growth. Clear-cutting
regeneration may occur naturally,
however, it is often supplemented by
seeding or seedling planting.

The Shelterwood Logging Management

System targets tree species that are at
least moderately tolerant to shade. The
system works by harvesting trees at 1020 year intervals, gradually removing
portions of the forest canopy. This
allows space for shade tolerant trees to
succeed and grow below the overstory.
As shade tolerant seedlings are
established, the canopy cover is further
reduced or removed allowing for the
new growth forest to prosper
unimpaired. This logging method allows
for partial regrowth of the forest
ecosystem before the canopy cover is
removed, resulting in minimal
disruption to forest biodiversity. This
process occurs over a long time period
and requires foresters to periodically
return to the same site.

Areas around the Algonquin Eco-Lodge that were

subject to small-scale logging based on
information from the Bancroft Minden Forest
Company.

It wasnt until 1974 before a master plan

for managing Algonquin Parks forests
was put into place. This is not to say that
previous management did not exist, but
that this plan would include the entirety
of the park and all timber activity would
be regulated through the newly
established Algonquin Forestry
Authority (AFA). With its formation the
20 timber licenses that were previously
held by various timber companies were
cancelled and all activities were
redirected to the AFA.

The clear-cutting logging system has

been one of the most widely used
foresting strategy in the past and is the
most detrimental to the biodiversity and
the environment. Strategic clear-cutting
plans have been created allowing for a
more mild effect on the ecosystem.
Sustainable clear-cut logging practices
usually target sunlight demanding tree
species as they are usually the most
productive (grow the fastest). All trees
from a specified area of a mature forest
are removed at one time. The freshly
cleared section of land is commonly
subject to erosion, which greatly reduces

The Master Plan dictated which areas of

Algonquin Park can be forested and
which are left for recreation and wildlife.
It also established methods of harvest
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kilometers! Since nature does not worry

itself with the boundaries human put in
place, there has been continuous conflict
between humans and wolves.

that would be acceptable within the park

in accordance with standards set out by
the AFA, which include, timing and
locations based on their understanding
of sustainable forestry. Though the AFA
was established at the same time the
Master Plan was created, responsibility
for forest management was still held by
the Ministry of Natural Resources
(MNR). It took until 1983 before the
MNR gave full responsibility to the
Algonquin Forestry Authority to
manage, not only the logging activities,
but also manage roads and silviculture
(the practice of controlling measures
that influence the quality of forest health
and growth). All information, including
a summary and map of the current
forest management plan can be seen on
the Algonquin Forestry Authority
website.

Since both man and wolf are dominated

by the desire to live within defined
territories, their peace is disturbed when
others cross their boundaries and much
of the conflict between man and wolf has
been fed by this habit. Within the past,
efforts were made to eliminate the threat
of wolf to the deer. According the
Commissioner of the Crown Land
Report in 1895:
Wolves are too numerous for the good
of the deer. We are making every effort
this year to kill them and shall continue
it during the winter.

Wolves
(Ah-Wooooooooooo!)

Algonquin Park houses a large

population of the Eastern Wolf, often
referred to as, the Algonquin Wolf. They
belong to the same species as the Red
Wolf, which inhabits the southeastern
United States (all the way down to
Florida) and the Gray Wolf, which
inhabit forests north of Lake Superior.
The Eastern wolf typically can be
identified by its reddish-brown fur on
the muzzle, lower legs and behind the
ears, with a black, grey and white back.
An adult wolf will weigh about 60
pounds and stand just below hip height.
The average territories for these wolves
are around 150 square kilometers, but
some packs in Algonquin have been
known to occupy territories 500 square

Images of two wolves captured on the trail to the

Algonquin Eco-Lodge by a motion-sensing camera.

The conflict persisted until they became

protected within Algonquin Park in
1958. However, there were no
regulations for wolves migrating outside
park boundaries, leading to wolf kills. In
1993 a ban for 4 townships outside
Algonquin boundaries occurred as light
was beginning to shed on an eventual
[9]

conclusion - if things continued this

way, the wolves would be pushed from
their natural boundaries and quickly
become endangered. Seeing the need for
organization and management the
Algonquin Wolf Advisory Group was
formed in 1998 in hopes of reducing
human-caused wolf mortality and
creating a plan that would allow humans
and wolves to coexist. Eventually the
group, in conjunction with the Ministry
of Natural Resources, created the
Strategy for Wolf Conservation in
Ontario in June 2005 following a
permanent ban on wolf hunting for
townships surrounding Algonquin Park
in May 2004.

Algonquin wolves primarily feed

on white-tailed deer, but will feed
on moose and beavers depending
on the time of year and food
availability in the wolf packs
territory.

Wolf howls can be used not only

for communication within a pack,
but also as a threat to wolves
infringing on another wolf packs
territory.
Besides humans, bears are the #1
predator of wolves, particularly
wolf pups.
When raising young, wolf packs
will have rendezvous points
(usually in an open field near a
wetland) that allow them to
protect the pups while the rest of
the pack is out hunting.
Over the past century, many of
the wolves have hybridized with
coyotes when populations had
been at lows and territories
dwindled.
The Algonquin Eco-Lodge has a
wolf pack that migrates down
near the lodge (but remember,
their territories can span 500
square kilometers, so if you dont
hear them, dont despair!!).

The figure (left) above shows the territory boundaries based from migration paths of wolf
packs in Algonquin Park. Radio-collars allowed researchers to track the paths of wolves to see
where they were travelling. In the other figure (right), a wolf was tracked for 24 hours to
produce the diagram. These figures and more can be found at The Science Behind Algonquins
Animals website included at the end of the document.

[10]

For More Information!

Logging:
Algonquin Forest Authority: http://algonquinforestry.on.ca/
McRae Lumber: http://mcraelumber.ca/
Algonquin Harvest: The History if the McRae Lumber Company [Book] by: Donald
Lloyd
G.W. Martin Lumber Company:
http://baptistelake.org/history.php
Hastings County Forest Management Plan:
http://www.harvesthastings.ca/sustainability/news/2013/03/forest-service-directoryand-forest-management
Hydroelectric Dams:
Micro-hydroelectric generating systems:
http://energy.gov/energysaver/microhydropower-systems
Wolves:
Science Behind Algonquins Animals: http://www.sbaa.ca/projects.asp?cn=314

[11]

Created By:

Travis Bico & Steve Forster