Long Point Environmental Folio, Chapter 1 J.G. Nelson and K.L. Wilcox, Editors, 1996

An Environmental Folio for the Long Point World Biosphere Reserve and Area*

J.G. Nelson, P.L. Lawrence, K. Beazley, R.Stenson, A. Skibicki, C.L. Yeung and K. Pauls

* This chapter is largely derived from Nelson, J.G., Lawrence, P.L. Beazley, K, Stenson, R., Skibicki, A., Yeung, C.L., Pauls, K (1993). "Preparing an Environmental Folio for the Long Point Biosphere Reserve and Region" Long Point Environmental Folio Series, Working Note 1. Heritage Resources Centre, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario.

Introduction

The Long Point Environmental Folio consists of maps and text built around the major issues facing the people of the area and the planning and management of the Long Point World Biosphere Reserve (Figure 1).

Figure 1.1 Study Area: Long Point World Biosphere Reserve and Area (Nelson et al., 1993)

The Folio is seen as a means of presenting important land use, resource, and environmental information in a manner generally useful and understandable to area residents, managers, and public officials. The Folio should be a strong aid to improved understanding and coordination of the efforts of the diverse array of federal, provincial and local agencies and private groups and individuals concerned about the Long Point area.
The Long Point area (Figure 2) is of unusual importance because it includes the largest area of wildland remaining along the developed shores of the lower Great Lakes. Today as a result of industrial and economic changes and increases in recreation and tourism, the Long Point environment or ecosystem is under increasing pressure and is beginning to change in ways that are not always well understood, but are of increasing significance to residents and other concerned people.

Figure 1.2 General Location Map

Beginning in 1982, consultations were held with local agencies and organizations responsible for management within the Long Point area to discuss nominating the area around the Point as a World Biosphere Reserve. Such reserves are part of an international network of areas with outstanding natural qualities and high potential for conservation and education.
A nomination document was prepared and submitted in 1985 (Francis, 1985a and b). The Canada / Man and Biosphere (MAB) program approved the nomination of Long Point in June 1985 and forwarded the recommendation to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris, France. In 1986, the Long Point World Biosphere Reserve was officially designated by the Man and Biosphere Program of UNESCO (Francis, 1985b). As of mid-1994, there were 324 biosphere reserves in 82 countries, with 6 in Canada (UNESCO / MAB, 1994).
The Long Point World Biosphere Reserve (Figure 1) consists of a core protected area (Long Point National Wildlife Area), buffer area (defined by the 10 meter depth contour offshore and the regulatory 1:100 year flood line onshore) and an undefined "zone of cooperation" (Canadian/MAB, 1990). The western shoreline is characterized by 30 to 40 meter high eroding clay bluffs. The central shoreline consists of the 40 kilometer long sandy peninsula environment of Long Point with its associated dune and wetland systems. To the east are low-lying beaches, wetlands and bluffs. The Long Point dune and wetland systems have an exceptionally rich mix of habitats consisting of an open lake, shallow bays, sand bars, beaches, dunes, forests, scrub, ponds, and marshes. The region is host to a variety of land use and resource conflicts and to many significant species and habitats (Barrett, 1981; Heathcote, 1981).
On the Long Point peninsula some 20 distinct biotic communities have been described (Heffernan and Nelson, 1979). About 700 species of vascular plants have been recorded; 90 species are considered to be rare in Ontario and at least four occur nowhere else in Canada (Canadian / MAB, 1990). The Long Point complex is a major staging area for migrating waterfowl and small migrating birds (McCracken et al., 1981). Over 485,000 birds of 260 different species have been banded over the past 30 years by the Long Point Bird Observatory (Long Point Bird Observatory, 1995).
A list of issues relating to the use, planning and management of Long Point has been prepared by reviewing the literature, workshops, and consultations with local people. The list includes water quality, erosion and flooding hazards, historic heritage, economic development, and protection of wetlands and marshes. The Folio has been prepared to assist in understanding and dealing with such issues. The Folio has also been prepared in such a manner that additional maps and text on other issues or topics can be added as time and resources permit. In this respect, the information is stored in computer format (Macintosh).
The ABC Resource Survey Method (Bastedo et. al, 1984; Nelson et al., 1988; Nelson, 1991) was used as a general guide in collecting, analyzing and synthesizing the information assembled for the Folio (Figure 3). The method involves a four-part process for assessing a wide range of information needed for a comprehensive view of the geological (Abiotic), biological (Biotic), and human (Cultural) features and processes involved in environmental, resource, and land use planning and management. This method has recently been used to examine the impact of development on the Frenchman's Bay on the Toronto waterfront (Nelson et al., 1991), to evaluate existing information for the development of a shoreline management plan by the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority along the Lake Huron shoreline (Lawrence and Nelson, 1992) as well as in assessing environmental changes in the Segara Anakan coastal region of Indonesia (Nelson et al., 1992) and in the Hel Peninsula, Poland.
Information collection for the Folio has been facilitated by a series of meetings with government agencies and citizen groups as well as public presentations and open houses. Information collection has also been assisted by consultations with professionals in universities and public agencies, including the Canadian Wildlife Service, Long Point Region Conservation Authority, Long Point Bird Observatory, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Energy, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (Simcoe District), Ontario Hydro and the Regional Municipality of Haldimand-Norfolk. The Long Point World Biosphere Management Committee has been especially supportive in all phases of the work on the Folio, including early conceptual and funding efforts and the review of reports and draft materials.
This project reflects the need in many areas for collection, analysis and interpretation of existing information in a manner useful to government agencies and citizens in decision making. The sources of data are widespread and cross traditional academic, agency and interest group lines. Dissemination of information to the public and responsible agencies in a concise, organized fashion is critical. Understanding what we know is as important as understanding what we do not know. Gaps in the knowledge base must be identified to dispel misunderstanding and allow funding to be used on the most necessary research.
Involving the public and providing a forum for communication, understanding, and education is an essential goal of research aimed at environmental concerns and working toward sustainable development (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987). The Folio project is seen as a kind of forum for promoting greater understanding and more informed and effective decision-making for the unique Long Point World Biosphere Reserve and surrounding area. The Folio itself is prepared and presented in such a way that information can be added as time makes this desirable.

Figure 3. ABC Resource Survey Method (Nelson et al, 1988)

Level I
Collect, Synthesize and Interpret Information in Terms of Study Goals

Abiotic Structural Maps	Abiotic Functional Maps	Biotic Structual Maps	Biotic Functional Maps	Cultural Structural Maps	Cultural Functional Maps
example geology	example stream flow	example Ecoregions	example succession	example land cover	example corridors
sediments	erosion	vegetation	migration	parks	growth
soils	deposition	forests	change	marinas	nodes
landforms	waves	wetlands	nutrient flow	roadways	decline
topography	wind			urban areas	change
climate				zoning	transport

Level II
Determine Significance and Constraints in Terms of Study Goals

Abiotic Significance Maps Abiotic Constraints Maps Biotic Significance Maps Biotic Constraints Maps Cultural Significance Maps Cultural Constraints Maps

example landforms example hazards example rare species example disturbance example land use example use conflicts

water quality spit evolution natural areas conflicts development zones of

conflicts lake levels communities nodes patterns tension

artificial till wave energy forest patterns corridors economy change

alterations sediments patterns historical sites trends

Level III
Summary of Significance and Constraints

Environmental Significance Map Environmental Constraints Map

Level IV
Study Conclusions/Recommendations

Identify Management Issues
Areas of Concern
Land Use Regulations
Management Plan
Development Controls
Communication
Education
Public Participation

Work Cited

Barrett, H.B. 1981. "History of Human-use Impacts On Long Point Bay" Journal of Great Lakes Research 7(2): 81-88.
Bastedo, J., Nelson, J.G., and Theberge, J. 1984. "Ecological Approach to Resource Survey and Planning for Environmentally Significant Areas: The ABC Method" Environmental Management 8( 2): 125-134.
Canadian Man and Biosphere Committee. (Canadian/MAB) 1990. Biosphere Reserves in Canada Canadian / MAB Secretariat, Canadian Commission for UNESCO, Ottawa, Ontario.
Francis, G.F. 1985a. Long Point Biosphere Reserve Nomination Submitted to the Man and the Biosphere Programme, Canadian Commission for UNESCO, Ottawa, Ontario.
Francis, G.F. 1985b. "Biosphere Reserve: Innovations for Cooperation in the Search For Sustainable Development" Environments 17(3): 23-36.
Heathcote, I. 1981. "Major Physical Features of Long Point Bay and its Watershed " Journal of Great Lakes Research 7(2): 89-95.
Heffernan, S.G. 1978. Long Point, Ontario: Land Use, Landscape Change and Planning M.A. thesis, Department of Geography, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario.
Heffernan, S. and Nelson, J.G. 1979. "Land Use History, Vegetation, and Planning for Long Point, Rondeau, and Point Pelee Peninsulas, Lake Erie" Contact 11(1): 53-80.
Lawrence, P.L. and Nelson, J.G. 1992. Preparing for a Shoreline Management Plan for the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority A Joint Study of the Heritage Resources Centre, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario and the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority, Hanover, Ontario.
Long Point Bird Observatory. 1995. "The 500,000 th bird was banded on 1 September, 1995" Long Point Bird Observatory Newsletter 27(3):2
McCracken, J.D., Bradstreet, S.W., and Holroyd, G.L. 1981. Breeding Birds of Long Point, Lake Erie Canadian Wildlife Series No. 44, Environment Canada, Ottawa.
Nelson, J.G. 1991. "A Step Towards More Comprehensive and Equitable Information Systems: The ABC Resource Survey Method" In Greenways and Green Space on the Oak Ridges Moraine, Occasional Paper # 14, Department of Geography, Trent University: 27-34.
Nelson, J.G., Grigoriew, P., Smith, P.G.R. and Theberge, J. 1988. "The ABC Resource Survey Method, The ESA Concept and Comprehensive Land Use Planning and Management" In Landscape Ecology and Management (Moss, M.R. ed). Proceedings of the First Symposium of the Canadian Society for Landscape Ecology and Management, University of Guelph, May 1987, Polyscience Publications Inc., Montreal, Canada: 143-175.
Nelson, J.G., Lawrence, P.L. Beazley, K, Stenson, R., Skibicki, A., Yeung, C.L., and Pauls, K. 1993. Preparing an Environmental Folio For The Long Point Biosphere Reserve and Region Long Point Environmental Folio Series, (Nelson, J.G. and Lawrence, P.L. eds). Working Note 1. Heritage Resources Centre, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario.
Nelson, J.G., LeDrew, E., Dulbahri, Harris, J., and Olive, C. 1992. Land Use Change and Sustainable Development In The Segara Anakan Area of Java, Indonesia Technical Report No. 7, Heritage Resources Centre, University of Waterloo, Ontario.
Nelson, J.G., Skibicki, A.J, Stenson, R.E., and Ling Yeung, C. 1991. Urbanization, Conservation and Development: The Case Of Frenchman's Bay, Toronto, Ontario Technical Paper No. 5, Heritage Resources Centre, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario.
UNESCO/MAB. 1994. "Biosphere Reserves" Bulletin of the International Network 1:3.
World Commission on Environment and Development. 1987. Our Common Future Oxford University Press, New York, New York.