The Long Point area, comprising 26,250 hectares, was designated as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in April, 1986, the third to be named in Canada and one of 15 biosphere reserves found in this country today. It provides an example of the Great Lakes coastal ecosystem and a unique blend of habitats – long uninterrupted beaches, undisturbed sand dunes, grassy ridges, wet meadows, woodlands, marshes and ponds, coldwater streams, and the shallow Inner Bay. Its delicate dunes and marshes teem with songbirds, spawning fish, turtles and frogs.

Long Point is a world-renowned refuge and stopover for migrating birds in fall and spring, and waterfowl viewing is excellent in March and April. In August and September tens of thousands of Monarch Butterflies congregate on Long Point, briefly resting before continuing on their way to their Mexican wintering grounds.

• Download a printable map of the Long Point biosphere

The Core

Core Area: Consists of one or more protected areas, such as a national or provincial park, migratory bird sanctuary or other protected area. The Core Area acts as a reference point on the natural state of the ecosystem(s) that the biosphere reserve represents.

The Core Area of the Long Point World Biosphere Reserve is officially the 3,250 hectare (8,000 acre) Long Point National Wildlife Area, administered by the Canadian Wildlife Service of Environment Canada since 1979. The Core lies on the outer half of the Long Point peninsula, which is a fragile sand spit that has formed during the last 4000 years and is still changing to-day. This formation; has provided protection from the prevailing winds and allowed for the formation of the great marshes bordering the Inner Bay, as well as a safe harbour. From pre-settlement time onward the resources of the area have attracted people.

We owe a great debt to the twelve businessmen/sportsmen who, in 1866, purchased from the Crown almost all of the centre and eastern part of the Point with its great marshes. They established the first management plan for the area at a time when it was threatened by market hunters, poachers and a public that paid little attention to sustainable use. After maintaining fine stewardship of the resource for over a century the Long Point Company donated about half of its holdings to the people of Canada, with a provision that the government would continue to protect the area.

Distinctive plant communities in the core support a great diversity of vegetation and wildlife and, together with the Buffer Area, provide one of the best waterfowl staging areas in all of Ontario during migration. Long Point is on a major flyway, especially for song birds. The area is also important in that the northern distributional limits of some southern species and the southern limits of some northern species overlap there. Several of these species are rare or threatened in Canada.

The Buffer

Buffer Area: Surrounding or adjacent to the Core Area, this area is managed in ways that support the conservation objectives of the Core. Examples may include a municipally regulated floodplain, a woodland special management area, or a conservation easement on private land.

The north shore the Buffer Area extends from the outer tip of Turkey Point to the western edge of the Hahn Marsh: its other limits are the 100 year flood line and the 10 metre depth contour of Lake Erie. It includes all of the Inner Bay and all of the Turkey Point marshes.

The diversity of human influence in the Buffer area is significant – boating, construction, cottagers, dredging, fishing, hunting, nature study, swimming, water supply, wildlife habitat etc. contribute to this diversity. Among Canadian Biosphere Reserves management of Long Point is very complicated, as 19 government agencies have administrative responsibilities in it. There are at least 22 government policy and planning documents relating to Long Point and 30 different organized stakeholder groups, local, provincial, and government.

Private landowners of sections of the marsh areas have, in general, demonstrated stewardship of the resources that is in harmony with Biosphere purposes. One of the major objectives of the LPWBRF is to promote public information and education regarding the nature of the Biosphere Reserve program and its significance to the public in general. WE continue to partner with local citizens and organizations on a diversity of sustainable community projects.

The Area Of Cooperation

Area of Cooperation: Usually the largest part of the biosphere reserve, surrounding the Core and Buffer areas, this is where most of the residents live and work, using natural resources in a sustainable manner.

The Southern Norfolk Sand Plains that lie immediately to the north of Long Point are well-known for their rich agricultural lands, tallgrass prairie and oak savanna remnants, wetlands and Carolinian forests. Farmers, woodlot owners and other rural property owners living here take great pride in practicing sound land stewardship practices and value the interaction they have with the biodiversity in this special part of Ontario.

In a geographical sense the Big Creek and Dedrick Creek watersheds are considered part of the Area of Cooperation, since land use there affects the health of the Inner Bay, and associated marshes and wildlife. Such significant Carolinian forest tracts as Backus Woods, the St. Williams Conservation Reserve, Rowanwood Sanctuary, Spooky Hollow, Turkey Point Provincial Park, and three local Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSIs) – Delhi-Big Creek, South Walsingham Sand Ridges and Big Creek Floodplain, influence the Core and Buffer Areas. Arguably, the highest biodiversity of plants and animals anywhere in our country occurs here, including the threatened Cucumber Magnolia, Eastern Fox Snake and Hooded Warbler, and the endangered American Badger.

The guidelines under which we operate are flexible enough to allow for the extension of boundaries and/or the recognition of satellite areas of interest.

Natural Features of Long Point

(Source: http://www.on.ec.gc.ca/wildlife/nwa/eng/longpoint/longpoint_htm-e.html)

Beaches, dunes, wetlands and forests
The most striking feature of Long Point is the diversity (variety) of habitat for wild plants and animals. Mainly undisturbed by people, wildlife can thrive in this beautiful place.
The Long Point peninsula is about 40 kilometres in length. It developed over centuries by the erosion of land to the west and the accumulation of sand along the south beach of the sandspit. As a result, the older vegetation communities (groups) are found to the west and north. Younger communities are found to the south and east. It has the distinction of being the second longest fresh water peninsula in the world.

The backbone of the peninsula is the 32-kilometre beach and associated sand dunes. South-westerly winds along this shore carry sand across the point and build ever-changing dunes that can reach heights of 30 metres. Between the dunes (interdunal) are ponds and swales.
Older, terrestrial (land-based) habitats include hardwood maple and oak forests, oak savannas, pine forests, red cedar and ground juniper savannas.

Long Point is also renowned for the large wetland complex on the lee (sheltered from the wind) side of the sandspit. Habitat within the wetland varies depending on the depth of the water, types of substrate (e.g., soil) and age of the wetland area.
Typically, the older wetlands have deeper water and are often dominated by marsh plants such as cattails, rushes and phragmites. Younger wetlands have a wider assortment of plants, many of which are rare in Canada.

Type of wetland
The Long Point wetland complex is considered a provinicially significant wetland, according to the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, which means that it meets one or more of the following criteria:

• appearance of endangered or threatened species, listed federally or provincially, or provides habitat for these species;


• 40 to 60 per cent of the area is open water with two or more vegetation classes;


• 4.5 hectares or more in size and having three or more wetland classes, including open water, and;


• the appearance of plant associations of infrequent occurrence.

Plants, birds, bugs, fish, snakes and frogs
The importance of Long Point to biodiversity is paramount. The peaceful marshes, beaches and forests are home to an amazing number of species. Some are common and some are very rare.
Hundreds of thousands of waterfowl migrate through Long Point every spring and autumn. More than 300 different bird species migrate through the peninsula. More than 80 bird species nest on the point. There are more than 60 species of fish and many rare plants, reptiles and amphibians. Of course, many species of insects also prosper in the national wildlife area.
Species at risk include Bald Eagle, Fowler’s Toad, Eastern Spiny Softshell, Blanding’s Turtle, Spotted Turtle, Snapping Turtle, and Eastern Foxsnake

Conservation Designations

In addition to its UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve designation, Long Point is also:

A Ramsar Site: The international Ramsar Convention on Wetlands www.ramsar.org * is a treaty signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971. The treaty is intended to conserve wetlands and the resources within them such as wild rice or fish. Long Point was included in Ramsar in 1992.

International Network of Monarch Butterfly Reserves: In 1996, Long Point joined a network of sites in Canada, the United States and Mexico that are protected for Monarch Butterflies. Many thousands of migrating Monarchs feed and rest at Long Point each year in preparation for their long journey across Lake Erie and south to the tropics.

Canadian Designations: Long Point is a provincially significant wetland, according to the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. It is also considered a Canadian Important Bird Area.

Site Details

Long Point National Wildlife Area was established in 1978. It is made up of two large properties, Thoroughfare Point (450 hectares) and Long Point (3,200 hectares). Thoroughfare Point is between the Long Point Provincial Park and land owned by the Long Point Company, a private sportsmen club. The Long Point property is located on the eastern half of the sandspit. The Long Point National Wildlife Area was donated to the people of Canada by the Long Point Company.

Many parts of the Long Point National Wildlife Area are set aside to protect the wildlife and their habitats from disturbance, particularly during peak spring and autumn migration.

The Thoroughfare Point property is open to the public from mid-April to mid-September. The area can be reached through Long Point Provincial Park. There are sandy beaches and hundreds of hectares of marsh and ponds available for quiet recreation such as canoeing and fishing. Beach-goers must remain on the beach to prevent damage to the fragile sand dunes. Waterfowl hunting is also permitted along the perimeter of Thoroughfare Point according to regulations.

The Long Point property has a beach on the north side of the peninsula that can be used by the public during the day but is only accessible by boat. Some designated ponds and marshes are open for fishing but only with non-toxic fishing sinkers and jigs.
Approximately half of the peninsula is still privately owned and there is no public access to this private property.