Foy

The following description comes from the "Biodiversity Explorer", maintained by the Natural Heritage Information Centre in Peterborough

This 147-ha Nature Reserve class Foy Provincial Park is situated on the northeast shore of Round Lake in the Township of Killaloe, Haggarty & Richards in Renfrew County. The park is located within the Middle Ottawa section of the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Forest Region. Eight forest communities have been identified. The topography is a mixture of lowlands accompanying deep sand and sandy till soils along the shore of Round Lake. Hilly topography with generally thin soils cover the eastern portions of the park.

The Foy Property contains small representative stands of hemlock - white pine and hemlock - white cedar which are of local significance. [Simpson 1979]

Eight forest communities and two non-forest communities were identified during the botanical inventory (R. Showkewych - Hanna, 1975).The upland area east of the Red Rock Road has nine of these ten communities. Most of the area is covered by the white pine - red oak community. The large-tooth aspen - trembling aspen - white birch community and the eastern hemlock - white pine community is common on the extreme east side of the area. In areas with impeded drainage the following communities are found: eastern hemlock - white pine, eastern hemlock - eastern white cedar, a black ash swamp, a black spruce - white cedar swamp, and two former beaver ponds.

The area west of the Red Rock Road has four forest communities and one non-forest community. Along most of the west and southeast shoreline is the red pine forest community. The ground layer is sparse but is dominated by low blueberry, bracken fern, wintergreen, sweet fern and wild sarsasparilla. The south shore and backshore area are part of the large-tooth aspen -trembling aspen - white birch community.The site conditions are well-drained, flat, outwash or bouldery till. Saplings found less frequently are red maple, white spruce and white pine. The ground layer is dominated by beaked hazel, bracken fern, and large-leaved aster. A white pine - red oak community is located on a rugged area with rock outcrops and well-drained sandy, bouldery till. Red maple, serviceberry, white pine, red oak and ironwood are found in the understory. The ground layer is dominated by downy arrowwood, large-leaved aster, wintergreen, bracken fern and barren strawberry. In a depression within the white pine - red oak community is located an eastern hemlock - eastern white cedar community. Balsam fir, white birch and white pine are less frequent in number. The ground layer is dominated by wild sarsasparilla, striped maple and mountain maple. An old field covers the remainder of the Foy property west of the township road. [Simpson 1979]

Vegetation Summary:

1. Red pine; sand; dry; normal microclimate.

2. Largetooth aspen - Trembling aspen - White birch; sand; dry; normal microclimate.

3. White pine - Red pine; sand; dry; warm microclimate.

4. Red oak (9) - White pine (1); rock; dry; warm microclimate.

5. Hemlock - White pine; sand; dry mesic; cold microclimate.

6. Hemlock - White cedar; sand; mesic; cold microclimate.

7. Black ash swamp (White cedar, Balsam fir, Black spruce); organic; wet; normal microclimate.

8. Black spruce - White cedar; organic; wet; cold microclimate.

9. Alder (Alnus rugosa) - Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) - Viburnum (V. cassinoides); organic; very wet; cold microclimate.

10. Old fields. [Simpson 1979]

Foy Park is located within the Grenville Province of the Precambrian Shield. The Park straddles an extensive area of broken till mantled bedrock uplands and a lacustrine sand plain which is indicative of Bonnechere River Valley's glacial past. A quartz monzonite intrusive forms most of the Park's bedrock.

The topography of Foy Park can be attributed to the last ice-age and the large glacial lake which covered the present-day Round and Golden Lakes. The Park is a mixture of lowlands accompanying deep sand and sandy till soils along the shore of Round Lake, west of the township road traversing the property. Hilly topography with generally thin soils cover the area east of the road. Two regionally significant earth science features are found in Foy Park: a wave cut terrace and an exposure of varved clays, both relic lake features. [OMNR 1986]

Foy Park is located within the Middle Ottawa Section of the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Forest Region. Eight forest communities have been identified. However, most of the area is covered by the white pine - red oak community. Two locally significant features are the representative stands of hemlock - white pine and hemlock - white cedar. [OMNR 1986]

The Foy property encompassing 148 hectares, was purchased in 1968 as an addition to Bonnechere Provincial Park and put into regulation in 1985 as Foy Provincial Park, a Recreation classed Park. However, no development has occurred in Foy with the exception of a junior ranger campe which has been operative for the past eight years. [OMNR 1986]