Misplaced Pages

#806193

32-470: Long Point is a sand spit and medium-sized hamlet on the north shore of Lake Erie , part of Norfolk County in the province of Ontario , Canada. It is about 40 kilometres (25 mi) long and is about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) across at its widest point. Lake Erie lies to the south of Long Point, and Long Point Bay lies on the north side. The bay is subdivided into the Inner Bay and Outer Bay by

64-414: A Macrosite , an area that contains numerous ecological or geological significant zones, such as Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest . Inner Long Point Bay covers approximately 78 km (30 sq mi) between the spit and Lake Erie's north shore. The Inner Bay is a diverse sport fishery and continentally important staging area for migratory waterfowl. Immediately adjacent to the coastal reserve

96-503: A cool summer humid continental climate with no dry season ( Köppen climate classification Dfb ). The climate of Long Point is influenced by Lake Erie , causing spring and summer temperatures to be cooler, and autumn and winter temperatures to be warmer than the adjacent mainland. Winters are relatively cool, with a mean temperature of 1 °C (33.8 °F) while summers are warm, averaging 22 °C (71.6 °F). Long Point averages 860 mm (34 in) of precipitation per year. It

128-481: A hook or recurved spit. Refraction in multiple directions may create a complex spit. Waves that arrive in a direction other than obliquely along the spit will halt the growth of the spit, shorten it, or eventually destroy it entirely. The sediments that make up spits come from a variety of sources including rivers and eroding bluffs, and changes there can have a major effect on spits and other coastal landforms. Activities such as logging and farming upstream can increase

160-496: 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 of and across the lake from Presque Isle and Erie, Pennsylvania . Settlers from Europe began arriving in this area in 1790. After the American Revolution , many Loyalists began to settle here but after 1796, land

192-496: A rich flora and fauna, including a waterfowl staging area and a migration stopover area for land birds of continental importance. Long Point Biosphere Reserve has been recognized as a Ramsar site and as a globally significant Important Bird Area by Bird Life International . Established in 1960, the bird observatory is the oldest, continuously operated, in North America. Long Point is one of Canada’s iconic landscapes, with

224-412: A river) becomes too great to allow the sand to deposit. Vegetation may then start to grow on the spit, and the spit may become stable and often fertile. A spit may be considered a special form of a shoal . As spits grow, the water behind them is sheltered from wind and waves, and a salt marsh is likely to develop. Wave refraction can occur at the end of a spit, carrying sediment around the end to form

256-477: A sand spit formation extending 40 km into Lake Erie. It is the largest erosion deposit formation in the Great Lakes, created by water-borne sediments swept eastward and deposited in part along an underwater glacial moraine. Habitats on and surrounding Long Point include woodlands, sand dunes and bluffs, marshes, ponds, meadows, beaches and lakeshore. The complex is the largest biophysical formation of its kind in

288-420: Is a distinctive terrestrial area of temperate 'Carolinian' broadleaf forests , conifer plantations, oak savannas and diverse agro-ecosystems. The region is an important location for bird migration in spring and autumn. It is a major staging area for a variety of waterfowl. "Long Point itself is one of the most important wetland complexes for migrating waterfowl in southern Canada, and is reported to receive

320-780: Is called the proximal end, and the end jutting out into water is called the distal end. There is debate as to the longest spit in the world, with both the Arabat Spit in the Sea of Azov and the Younghusband Peninsula in South Australia approximately 110 kilometres (68 mi) long. Alternatively, with the natural closing of the Roanoke inlet in 1811, Bodie Island in North Carolina may qualify as

352-495: Is estimated that Long Point averages 2,000 hours of bright sunshine per year or 45% of possible sunshine. Spit (landform) Where the direction of the shore inland re-enters , or changes direction, for example at a headland , the longshore current spreads out or dissipates. No longer able to carry the full load, much of the sediment is dropped. This is called deposition. This submerged bar of sediment allows longshore drift or littoral drift to continue to transport sediment in

SECTION 10

#1732790892807

384-482: Is home to 1384 species of plant, 370 species of birds, 102 species of fish, 46 species of mammals, 34 species of amphibians and reptiles, and 91 species of butterflies. These include Species at Risk such as American ginseng ( Panax quinquefollus ), American badger ( Taxidea taxus ), Acadian flycatcher ( Empidonax virescens ) and channel darter ( Percina copelandi ). According to the Atlas of Canada, Long point has

416-516: Is owned by the Long Point Company, a private organization that does not allow the public onto its property. Because of this, most homes, cottages and business are within the first few kilometres of the causeway that carries the road between Long Point and the mainland. Long Point Provincial Park, a popular destination for day visitors and campers, is located on the peninsula Long Point is an example of sand dune and sand-spit formation in

448-825: The Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea ; it is 98 km long (61 mi). In a similar fashion, the Vistula Spit separates the Vistula Lagoon from the Gdańsk Bay off the coast of Poland . Zlatni Rat , a popular pebble beach jutting southward from the harbor town of Bol , on the Croatian island of Brač , is formed by Adriatic currents flowing east and west through the Hvar Channel , along

480-466: The Great Lakes region. It is the largest erosion deposit formation in the Great Lakes , created by water-borne sediments swept eastward and deposited in part along an underwater glacial moraine . Habitats on and surrounding Long Point include woodlands , sand dunes and bluffs , marshes , ponds , meadows , beaches and lakeshore . The complex is the largest biophysical formation of its kind in

512-647: The Morro Bay is one such location. Long Point Biosphere Reserve The Long Point Biosphere Reserve is located in southern Canada on the shores of Lake Erie in Norfolk County . The area encompasses a rich mosaic of ecological systems associated with erosion deposit sand spit formations around the Laurentian Great Lakes , as well as some of the largest remaining forest tracts in "Carolinian Canada" . The variety of habitats supports

544-528: The Laurentian Great Lakes of North America. Inner Long Point Bay covers approximately 78 km2 between the spit and Lake Erie’s north shore. The Inner Bay is a diverse sport fishery and continentally important staging area for migratory waterfowl. Immediately adjacent to the coastal reserve is a distinctive terrestrial area of temperate ‘Carolinian’ broadleaf forests, conifer plantations, oak savannas and diverse agro-ecosystems. Recorded among

576-671: The Laurentian Great Lakes of North America. North of the peninsula lie several islands, including Ryerson's , Second , and Snow . In 1982, the Long Point National Wildlife Area was recognized as a wetland of international significance under the Ramsar Convention . In 1986, Long Point Biosphere Reserve was designated as a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO and as a globally significant Important Bird Area by Bird Life International. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources classifies Long Point as

608-525: The Long Point Bird Observatory was established to monitor migrant birds on the point. It is North America's oldest bird observatory. As a result of a growing national focus towards saving the birds, the organization was renamed Bird Studies Canada in 1998. Its national headquarters overlooks Long Point Inner Bay on the western limits of Port Rowan, adjacent to base of the peninsula. The Long Point Biosphere Reserve and surrounding area

640-624: The Long Point Company purchased the Point in 1866 to facilitate this pursuit. Long Point Provincial Park was created in May 1921; by 1929, it was connected to the mainland by a new causeway. The year-round population of Long Point is about 450 people, but the population increases in summer months when cottagers and campers visit. Long Point is popular destination for boating, swimming, fishing, waterfowl-hunting and canoeing, attracting between 100,000 and 300,000 visitors each year. A large portion of Long Point

672-507: The bay, homes and cottages. During the mid-19th century some of local residents saw an opportunity to make easy money by "blackbirding." Blackbirders erected 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

SECTION 20

#1732790892807

704-713: The current biosphere reserve transition area, including many visitors to the area and provincial parks. The population of Norfolk County in 2006 was 62,563, up 2.8% from 60,845 in 2001. In economic terms, Norfolk County is one of the most diversified agricultural economies in Canada, with gross farm receipts of US$ 420 million (in 2006), making it the fifth-largest agricultural region in Ontario. A wide range of field, grain, oilseed, fruit, vegetable and specialty crops are grown. Livestock production includes beef and dairy cattle, hogs and poultry. Eco-tourism also forms an important part of

736-417: The direction the waves are breaking, forming an above-water spit. Without the complementary process of littoral drift, the bar would not build above the surface of the waves becoming a spit and would instead be leveled off underwater. Spits occur when longshore drift reaches a section of headland where the turn is greater than 30 degrees. The spit will continue out into the sea until water pressure (e.g. from

768-476: The flora and fauna in the reserve and surrounding region are 1,384 species of plants, 370 species of birds, 102 species of fish, 46 species of mammals, 34 species of amphibians and reptiles, and 91 species of butterflies. These include American ginseng ( Panax quinquefolius ), American badger ( Taxidea taxus ), Acadian flycatcher ( Empidonax virescens ) and channel darter ( Percina copelandi ). There are approximately 3,500 permanent and seasonal residents in

800-496: 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,

832-520: The longest, also measuring in at approximately 70 miles (110 km) to the peninsula's terminus at the Oregon Inlet . The longest spit in a freshwater body of water is Long Point, Ontario , which extends approximately 32 km (20 mi) into Lake Erie . Farewell Spit in New Zealand , at 32 km (20 mi), in the north-west area of South Island , is believed to be caused by

864-400: The many hiding spots that Long Point offered. Abigail Becker on several occasions in the 19th century waded into stormy waters to save crew members of boats that had run aground. Long Point has caused many shipwrecks, with many of the wrecks located right off the tip of the point. More than 400 ships have sunk in an area called " The Lake Erie Quadrangle ". Sport hunting was important after

896-437: The sediment load of rivers, which may hurt the intertidal environments around spits by smothering delicate habitats. Roads or bulkheads built along bluffs can drastically reduce the volume of sediment eroded, so that not enough material is being pushed along to maintain the spit. If the supply of sediment is interrupted the sand at the neck (landward end) of the spit may be moved towards the head, eventually creating an island. If

928-479: The southern side of the island. The spit bends slightly west or east, changing its direction gradually, depending on the conditions of the tides and weather. Since prehistory humans have chosen certain spit formations as sites for human habitation. In some cases, these sites have been chosen for proximity to marine resource exploitation ; the Chumash Native American prehistorical settlement on

960-728: The strong prevailing winds and currents, bringing sand eroded from the Southern Alps of the South Island and depositing these into Golden Bay . A well-known spit in the UK is Spurn Point at the Humber ; it is approximately 4.8 km (3.0 mi) long. Another is Chesil Beach in the UK, which connects the Isle of Portland to the mainland. The Curonian Spit , off the coast of Lithuania and Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia , separates

992-412: The supply is not interrupted, and the spit is not breached by the sea (or, if across an estuary, the river), the spit may become a bar , with both ends joined to land, and form a lagoon behind the bar. If an island lies offshore near where the coast changes direction, and the spit continues to grow until it connects the island to the mainland, it is called a tombolo . The end of a spit attached to land

Long Point, Ontario - Misplaced Pages Continue

1024-422: Was given to anyone who was capable of developing it. The first lighthouse was built in 1830. 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 reach

#806193