Long Point
Encyclopedia
This page relates to a sandspit in Norfolk County, Ontario. For other places called Long Point, see Long Point (disambiguation)
Long Point is a sand spit
on the north shore of Lake Erie
, part of Norfolk County
in the province of Ontario
, Canada
. It is about 40 kilometres long and is about a kilometre across at its widest point. Lake Erie
lies to the south of Long Point, and the waters to the north side comprise Long Point Bay. The bay is subdivided into the Inner Bay and Outer Bay by a line that runs between Turkey Point to the north and Pottahawk Point to the south. Some of the towns along the bay's north shore include Port Rowan, Turkey Point and Port Dover
. Long Point is north and across the lake from Erie, Pennsylvania
.
The year-round population is about 450 people, but the population increases to about 5,000 in summer months when cottagers and campers visit. Long Point is popular destination for boating, swimming, fishing, waterfowl-hunting and canoeing, and more than 100,000 visitors each year. A large portion of Long Point is owned by The Long Point Company, a private organization that does not allow the public onto its property. Because of this, the bulk of homes, cottages and business are within the first few kilometres of the causeway that carries the road between Long Point and the mainland.
In the 19th century, a powerful storm cut an opening through the middle of Long Point. A Lighthouse was built alongside the channel, which was the first of several on the Point. The opening became known as "The Old Cut." The Cut has since closed along the lakeshore, but boaters continue to use the northern portion to access the bay, homes and cottages.
During the mid-19th century some of local residents saw an opportunity to make easy money by "blackbirding." Blackbirding consisted of erecting fake lighthouses during times of low visibility. Ships trying to enter the old cut would run aground. When the crew abandoned ship the blackbirders would loot the ship of cargo and other valuables. With law enforcement based in London, Ontario, these blackbirders would store their loot on the many hiding spots that Long Point offered.
Another famous story about Long Point concerns Abigail Becker
, a woman in the 19th century who waded into stormy waters to save the crew of a boat that had run aground. Long Point has caused many shipwrecks, with many of the more fascinating wrecks being right off the tip of point. More than 400 ships have sunk in an area called "The Lake Erie Quadrangle".
The region is an important location for bird migration
in both spring and autumn, including half of the eastern North American Tundra Swan population. The region is a major staging area for many breeds of waterfowl.
"Long Point itself is one of the most important wetland complexes for migrating waterfowl in southern Canada, and is reported to receive the highest waterfowl use (based on numbers of waterfowl days during spring and fall migration) of any area on the Great Lakes (approximately 4 million days per year). Up to 30,000 Tundra Swans pass through the area in spring, and up to 8% of the world's Canvasbacks congregate in the area on any one day during spring and fall," according to a report by the Long Point World Biosphere Reserve.
In 1960, Long Point Bird Observatory was established to monitor migrant birds on the Point. It is North America's oldest bird observatory. In 1998, as a result of a growing national focus, the organization was renamed Bird Studies Canada
. Its national headquarters overlooks Long Point Inner Bay on the western limits of Port Rowan.
Long Point is an outstanding example of sand dune and sand-spit formation in the Great Lakes
region. In 1982, was recognized as a wetland of international significance under the Ramsar Convention
. It was designated as a World Biosphere Reserve
by UNESCO in 1986. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
classifies Long Point as a Macrosite, an area that contains numerous ecological or geological significant zones, such as Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest
.
Long Point is the location of an Ontario provincial park, Long Point Provincial Park
, a popular destination for day visitors and campers.
Long Point (disambiguation)
Long Point may refer to:Australia*Long Point, New South Wales, a suburb of SydneyCanada*Long Point, Ontario, a World Biosphere Reserve located on Lake Erie in Ontario**Long Point Provincial Park*Long Point, Nova Scotia, a village...
Spit (landform)
A spit or sandspit is a deposition landform found off coasts. At one end, spits connect to land, and extend into the sea. A spit is a type of bar or beach that develops where a re-entrant occurs, such as at cove's headlands, by the process of longshore drift...
on the north shore of Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
, part of Norfolk County
Norfolk County, Ontario
Norfolk County is a rural city-status single-tier municipality on the north shore of Lake Erie in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Bloomsburg is a small town located in Norfolk County and is the hometown of David Slater. The county seat and largest community is Simcoe...
in the province of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is about 40 kilometres long and is about a kilometre across at its widest point. Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
lies to the south of Long Point, and the waters to the north side comprise Long Point Bay. The bay is subdivided into the Inner Bay and Outer Bay by a line that runs between Turkey Point to the north and Pottahawk Point to the south. Some of the towns along the bay's north shore include Port Rowan, Turkey Point and Port Dover
Port Dover, Ontario
Port Dover is an unincorporated community and former town located in Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada on the north shore of Lake Erie.The community was the subject of an American raid during the War of 1812, on May 14, 1814....
. Long Point is north and across the lake from Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...
.
The year-round population is about 450 people, but the population increases to about 5,000 in summer months when cottagers and campers visit. Long Point is popular destination for boating, swimming, fishing, waterfowl-hunting and canoeing, and more than 100,000 visitors each year. A large portion of Long Point is owned by The Long Point Company, a private organization that does not allow the public onto its property. Because of this, the bulk of homes, cottages and business are within the first few kilometres of the causeway that carries the road between Long Point and the mainland.
During the mid-19th century some of local residents saw an opportunity to make easy money by "blackbirding." Blackbirding consisted of erecting fake lighthouses during times of low visibility. Ships trying to enter the old cut would run aground. When the crew abandoned ship the blackbirders would loot the ship of cargo and other valuables. With law enforcement based in London, Ontario, these blackbirders would store their loot on the many hiding spots that Long Point offered.
Another famous story about Long Point concerns Abigail Becker
Abigail Becker
Abigail Becker , known as the Angel of Long Point, was a Canadian woman credited with saving the lives of numerous sailors caught in storms along the shores of Long Point...
, a woman in the 19th century who waded into stormy waters to save the crew of a boat that had run aground. Long Point has caused many shipwrecks, with many of the more fascinating wrecks being right off the tip of point. More than 400 ships have sunk in an area called "The Lake Erie Quadrangle".
The region is an important location for bird migration
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
in both spring and autumn, including half of the eastern North American Tundra Swan population. The region is a major staging area for many breeds of waterfowl.
"Long Point itself is one of the most important wetland complexes for migrating waterfowl in southern Canada, and is reported to receive the highest waterfowl use (based on numbers of waterfowl days during spring and fall migration) of any area on the Great Lakes (approximately 4 million days per year). Up to 30,000 Tundra Swans pass through the area in spring, and up to 8% of the world's Canvasbacks congregate in the area on any one day during spring and fall," according to a report by the Long Point World Biosphere Reserve.
In 1960, Long Point Bird Observatory was established to monitor migrant birds on the Point. It is North America's oldest bird observatory. In 1998, as a result of a growing national focus, the organization was renamed Bird Studies Canada
Bird Studies Canada
Bird Studies Canada is Canada's national bird conservation organization.-Summary:The organization began as the Long Point Bird Observatory in 1960, changing its name in 1998 to reflect the growing national scope of its research programs...
. Its national headquarters overlooks Long Point Inner Bay on the western limits of Port Rowan.
Long Point is an outstanding example of sand dune and sand-spit formation in the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
region. In 1982, was recognized as a wetland of international significance under the Ramsar Convention
Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, i.e., to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural,...
. It was designated as a World Biosphere Reserve
Biosphere reserve
The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...
by UNESCO in 1986. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
Ministry of Natural Resources (Ontario)
The Ministry of Natural Resources is a government ministry of the Canadian province of Ontario that responsible for Ontario’s provincial parks, forests, fisheries, wildlife, mineral aggregates and the Crown lands and waters that make up 87 per cent of the province...
classifies Long Point as a Macrosite, an area that contains numerous ecological or geological significant zones, such as Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest
Area of Natural and Scientific Interest
An Area of Natural and Scientific Interest is an official designation by the provincial Government of Ontario in Canada applied to contiguous geographical regions within the province that have geological or ecological features which are significantly representative provincially or regionally...
.
Long Point is the location of an Ontario provincial park, Long Point Provincial Park
Long Point Provincial Park
Long Point Provincial Park is an Ontario provincial park on the northwest shore of Lake Erie near Port Rowan, Ontario, Canada.-Summary:The park is located on a sandy spit of land called Long Point that juts out into the lake...
, a popular destination for day visitors and campers.
External links
- Long Point Provincial Park
- Long Point Provincial Park Campgrounds
- The Long Point Bird Observatory
- Hunting and fishing website This site is mostly a pay per click site.