Point Pelee National Park
| Point Pelee National Park | |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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| Location | Canada |
| Nearest city | Leamington, Ontario |
| Coordinates | 41°57′51″N 82°31′4″W / 41.96417°N 82.51778°WCoordinates: 41°57′51″N 82°31′4″W / 41.96417°N 82.51778°W |
| Area | 15 km² |
| Established | 1918 |
| Governing body | Parks Canada |
Point Pelee National Park (
/ˈpiːliː/; French Parc National de la Pointe-Pelée) extends from the mainland of Essex County in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It consists of a peninsula of land, mainly of marsh and woodland habitats, that tapers to a sharp point as it extends into Lake Erie. Middle Island, also part of Point Pelee National Park, was acquired in 2001 and is located just north of the Canada–United States border in Lake Erie. Point Pelee is the southernmost point of mainland Canada, and is located on a foundation of glacial sand, silt and gravel that bites into Lake Erie. This spit of land is slightly more than seven kilometers long by 4.5 kilometers wide at its northern base.
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[edit] History
Indigenous people lived on Point Pelee for many years before European colonization. The largest archaeological site found at Point Pelee is thought to have been occupied between AD 700 and 900.[1]
In 1790, Deputy Indian Agent Alexander McKee negotiated a treaty with Indigenous communities that ceded a large tract of land to the Crown that included Point Pelee.[2] Unfortunately, the Caldwell Chippewa people, who inhabited Point Pelee, were not signatories of that treaty. However, the Crown did not realize this, and their land was ceded nonetheless. Subsequently, they were forced off their land, and Point Pelee remains unceded indigenous land. This has been publicly acknowledged by the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.
Point Pelee was made a national park in 1918 at the urging of birdwatchers and hunters. Commercial fishing continued in the park until 1969. Point Pelee was the only Canadian national park to allow hunting until duck hunting was ended in 1989. This site was named "Pointe-Pelée" or "bare point" by French explorers because the eastern side was rocky and had no trees.
It forms the southernmost point in mainland Canada (its latitudinal position is the same as the northernmost counties of California) and is part of a bird and butterfly migration corridor over Lake Erie via Point Pelee and the Lake Erie islands. Over 360 bird species have been recorded in the park. The peak time for bird migration is spring, especially May, when tired migrants make first landfall after their journey north across the lake. Bird species include Cooper's Hawk, Painted Bunting, and Yellow Choochity Warbler.
Many birdwatchers from North America and abroad visit the park in spring, often staying in the nearby town of Leamington. One attraction, apart from the sheer numbers and variety of bird passing through on migration, is the opportunity to see more northerly breeding species such as Blackpoll Warbler before they move on.
In March 2006, high winds washed away the sand point and all that remained was a platform.[3] In October 2007 the level of lake Erie dropped enough to reveal the point again extending at least half a mile out into the water and at least 25 feet (7.6 m) wide with a winding curve shape to it.[4]
[edit] Climate
Point Pelee has humid continental climate (Dfa under the Koppen Climate Classification) with warm, humid summers, and cold winters though mild for Canadian standards. It lies in a zone that is characterized by changeable weather due to conflict between polar and tropical air masses, resulting in highly variable weather. Due to its position in Lake Erie, its climate is strongly modified by it, resulting in warmer winter and fall temperatures compared to inland regions, as the lake cools more slowly than the surrounding land. With a July mean temperature close to 23 degrees Celsius, it is among the warmest in Ontario and because it is located next to Lake Erie,it raises the humidity, making it higher than in other parts of Ontario.[5].
| Climate data for Point Pelee National Park | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 13.0 (55.4) |
14.5 (58.1) |
22.5 (72.5) |
28.5 (83.3) |
31.5 (88.7) |
33.5 (92.3) |
34.0 (93.2) |
34.5 (94.1) |
31.0 (87.8) |
25.5 (77.9) |
20.6 (69.1) |
18.5 (65.3) |
34.5 (94.1) |
| Average high °C (°F) | −1.5 (29.3) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
4.9 (40.8) |
11.3 (52.3) |
18.0 (64.4) |
23.5 (74.3) |
26.7 (80.1) |
25.7 (78.3) |
21.6 (70.9) |
14.6 (58.3) |
8.3 (46.9) |
1.8 (35.2) |
12.9 (55.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −4.5 (23.9) |
−3.6 (25.5) |
1.3 (34.3) |
7.2 (45.0) |
13.7 (56.7) |
19.3 (66.7) |
22.3 (72.1) |
21.5 (70.7) |
17.6 (63.7) |
11.1 (52.0) |
5.5 (41.9) |
−0.9 (30.4) |
9.2 (48.6) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −7.5 (18.5) |
−6.9 (19.6) |
−2.3 (27.9) |
3.1 (37.6) |
9.4 (48.9) |
15.0 (59.0) |
18.0 (64.4) |
17.4 (63.3) |
13.6 (56.5) |
7.6 (45.7) |
2.7 (36.9) |
−3.6 (25.5) |
5.5 (41.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −27 (−16.6) |
−24 (−11.2) |
−18 (−0.4) |
−9.8 (14.4) |
−3.2 (26.2) |
3.0 (37.4) |
7.0 (44.6) |
4.0 (39.2) |
−1.7 (28.9) |
−5.5 (22.1) |
−9.4 (15.1) |
−23 (−9.4) |
−27 (−16.6) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 57.6 (2.268) |
53.6 (2.11) |
78.2 (3.079) |
79.9 (3.146) |
79.3 (3.122) |
84.5 (3.327) |
73.9 (2.909) |
89.3 (3.516) |
94.2 (3.709) |
61.2 (2.409) |
83.7 (3.295) |
72.9 (2.87) |
908.3 (35.76) |
| Rainfall mm (inches) | 27.3 (1.075) |
30.2 (1.189) |
61.2 (2.409) |
76.4 (3.008) |
79.3 (3.122) |
84.5 (3.327) |
73.9 (2.909) |
89.3 (3.516) |
94.2 (3.709) |
61.2 (2.409) |
79.0 (3.11) |
53.0 (2.087) |
809.3 (31.862) |
| Snowfall cm (inches) | 31.0 (12.2) |
23.3 (9.17) |
17.1 (6.73) |
3.5 (1.38) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
4.4 (1.73) |
19.6 (7.72) |
98.9 (38.94) |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 13.7 | 11.1 | 13.3 | 14.3 | 12.9 | 11.5 | 10.7 | 11.1 | 12.1 | 13.2 | 14.9 | 14.6 | 153.5 |
| Avg. rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 4.5 | 4.7 | 9.6 | 13.7 | 12.9 | 11.5 | 10.7 | 11.1 | 12.1 | 13.2 | 13.8 | 8.4 | 126.3 |
| Avg. snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 9.9 | 6.7 | 4.5 | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 1.5 | 6.8 | 30.6 |
| Source: Environment Canada[6] | |||||||||||||
[edit] Images
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Point Pelee looking south.
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Point Pelee looking South in April 2008
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Point Pelee looking north.
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Boardwalk across a marsh in the park.
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Boardwalk in April
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Boardwalk in August
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ (1978). Man’s Impact on Point Pelee National Park. Ottawa: National Provincial Parks Association.pp. 44, 53.
- ^ “Treaty No. 2.” (1992). Indian Treaties and Surrenders. Saskatoon: Fifth House Publishers.
- ^ CBC (March 2006). "High winds leave Point Pelee pointless". CBC News. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2006/03/16/pelee060316.html. Retrieved 31 March 2007.
- ^ "Point Returns". Canada.com. 8 October 2007. http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/story.html?id=cb85d926-bbb9-48c5-b0c1-007f8292e136&k=49103. Retrieved 15 October 2007.
- ^ [1], Accessed 2012-03-05.
- ^ Environment Canada Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000, accessed 24 March 2012
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Point Pelee National Park |
- Point Pelee National Park official website
- An article on Point Pelee National Park from The Canadian Encyclopedia
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