Point Pelee National Park

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

Point Pelee National Park (French: Parc national de la Pointe-Pelée) is the southernmost point in Canada. It's the only part of Canada south of the 42nd Parallel. It was established as a National Park in 1918. It was the first national park in Canada to be established for conservation. It's the smallest national park in mainland Canada. It was also designated as a Ramsar site in 1987. Middle Island is just south of the point, and was added to the park in 2000. The 6-square-mile park consists of a peninsula - mainly woodland and marshland - that tapers to a sharp point to Lake Erie. The word "pelee" is French for bald. The marshes are unique in Canada, and are home to several species of ducks, geese, swans, and butterflies.

Images

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

The area has been home to Aboriginal peoples for at least 6,000 years. Aboriginal peoples lived, encamped, and hunted in the area for thousands of years. The Caldwell First Nation and Walpole Island First Nation tribes, in particular, called the area home and continue to maintain spiritual ties to the land. The name Point Pelee was coined by Fathers François Dollier de Casson and René de Bréhant de Galinée as they passed through the area in 1670. British naval reserves logged the area's white pines for shipbuilding in the 1700s. Deputy Indian Agent Alexander McKee negotiated with the local Aboriginal tribes to secure the land in 1790. The Caldwell First Nation Chippewa people inhabited the area, but were not signatories to the treaty. But the British didn't know this, and their land was nevertheless ceded. Canada has since acknowledged this.

Before the national park was created, the Great Lakes Ornithological Club was established to study bird migration. One of its members, Percy Taverner, recommended in 1915 that the area be made into a national park. Birdwatchers and hunters alike also urged that the park be created. This happened in 1918. Commercial fishing in the area continued until 1969. Duck hunting was allowed until 1989. Middle Island was added to the park in 2000. It is just north of the U.S.-Canada line on Lake Erie. The park was designated as a dark sky preserve in 2006. It was the first Canadian park to be designated as such.

Since 2007, the sandy tip has shifted, growing longer or shorter from year to year. The park extends more than 9 miles into Lake Erie, and is up to 230 feet wide. Most of the park consists of marshland. Because of the park's southerly location, and the effects of Lake Erie, the climate in the area is slightly warmer than the rest of Canada. In addition to dozens of species of waterfowl and butterfly, there are 750 native plant species. There are also other fauna, including the fox snake and the five-lined skink, that live there and nowhere else in Canada.

Sources

Point Pelee, Ramsar Sites Information Service. Accessed July 7th 2020. https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/368.

Point Pelee National Park, Accessed July 7th 2020. https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/on/pelee.

McNamee, Kevin. Suzuki, David. Kraulis, J. A. The National Parks of Canada. 2004.

Leclair, Laurie. The Caldwell People of Point Pelee and Pelee Island: A Brief History and Survey of Documents. Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, 1988.

Hill, Sharon. Playground or protection? 100-year-old Point Pelee National Park finds a balance, Windsor Star. March 19th 2018. Accessed July 7th 2020. https://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/playground-or-protection-100-year-old-point-pelee-national-park-finds-a-balance.

Hill, Sharon. Dark park: Point Pelee's dark sky preserve wows stargazers, Windsor Star. March 19th 2018. Accessed July 7th 2020. https://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/dark-park-point-pelees-dark-sky-preserve-wows-stargazers.

Additional Information