Long Point, Ontario

{{short description|Canadian community}} {{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}} {{Infobox settlement | official_name = Long Point, Ontario | native_name =  | other_name = | settlement_type = Unincorporated hamlet | image_skyline = LongPointLakeErieOntario23.jpg | image_caption = Long Point Peninsula with bright sediment plumes (north to lower right). Source: NASA | image_flag = | image_seal = | image_shield = | nickname = | motto = | image_map = | map_caption = | pushpin_map = Canada Ontario | pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_map_caption = Location of Long Point in [[Ontario]] | coordinates = {{coord|42|32|51|N|80|3|33|W|region:CA-ON|display=inline,title}} | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = Canada | subdivision_type1 = [[List of Canadian Provinces|Province]] | subdivision_name1 = [[Ontario]] | subdivision_name3 = | established_title = Established | established_date = | established_title2 = | established_date2 = 1974 (Regional Municipality of Haldimand-Norfolk) | established_title3 = Amalgamated into Norfolk County | established_date3 = 2001 (single-tier municipality) | government_type = | leader_title = Mayor | leader_name = Kristal Chopp | leader_title1 = Governing body | leader_name1 = The Council of The Corporation of Norfolk County | leader_title2 = [[House of Commons of Canada|MPs]] | leader_name2 = [[Leslyn Lewis]] ([[Conservative Party of Canada|Conservative]]) | leader_title3 = [[Legislative Assembly|MPPs]] | leader_name3 = [[Bobbi Ann Brady]] ([[Independent politician|Independent]]) | unit_pref =  | area_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = | area_land_km2 = | area_water_km2 = | area_water_percent = | elevation_footnotes =  | elevation_m = 210 | population_as_of = | timezone = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|EST]] | utc_offset = -5 | timezone_DST = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]] | utc_offset_DST = -4 | postal_code_type = [[Canadian postal code#Forward sortation areas|Forward sortation area]] | postal_code = [[List of N postal codes of Canada|N0E 1M0]] | area_codes = [[Area codes 519 and 226|519 and 226]] | website = {{URL|http://www.norfolkcounty.ca/}} | footnotes = {{Designation list | embed = yes | designation1 = Ramsar | designation1_offname = Long Point | designation1_date = 24 May 1982 | designation1_number = 237<ref>{{cite web|title=Long Point|website=[[Ramsar Convention|Ramsar]] Sites Information Service|url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/237|access-date=25 April 2018}}</ref>}} }}

'''Long Point''' is a [[spit (landform)|sand spit]] and medium-sized [[Hamlet (place)|hamlet]] on the north shore of [[Lake Erie]], part of [[Norfolk County, Ontario|Norfolk County]] in the province of [[Ontario]], Canada.

It is about {{convert|40|km}} long and about {{convert|1|km|abbr=on}} 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 a line that runs between [[Turkey Point, Ontario|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 State Park|Presque Isle]] and [[Erie, Pennsylvania]].

==History== Settlers from Europe began arriving in this area in 1790. After the [[American Revolution]], many [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|Loyalists]] began to settle here but after 1796, land was given to anyone who was capable of developing it. The first [[lighthouse]] was built in 1830.

[[File:Lighthouse on Long Point, Norfolk County.jpg|left|thumb|The renovated Old Cut Lighthouse]] 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 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 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 the Long Point Company<ref name="LongPointCompany">"Lake Erie's Long Point and the Company that saved it" by Stephen Selk, 2025</ref> 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.<ref name="norfolkofficialplan.ca">{{cite web |url=http://www.norfolkofficialplan.ca/lakeshore/trc/9_Cultural_Built_Heritage.pdf |title=Cultural Heritage Landscape and Built Heritage Study |publisher=Norfolk County |date=2007 |format=PDF |access-date=2018-09-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223224044/http://www.norfolkofficialplan.ca/lakeshore/trc/9_Cultural_Built_Heritage.pdf |archive-date=2012-02-23 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Economy and recreation== The year-round population of Long Point is about 450 people, but the population increases in summer months when cottagers and campers visit.<ref name=climate1>{{cite web | url = http://www.norfolkcounty.ca/download/government/enviro-reports/longpointcauseway/PW%2011-103%20Report%201.pdf | title = Three Wildlife Culverts (Ecopassages) on the Long Point Causeway between Lakeshore Rd and Erie Blvd, Long Point, Norfolk County Environmental Assessment Report | publisher = The Corporation of Norfolk County | access-date = 8 November 2015 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160105084008/http://www.norfolkcounty.ca/download/government/enviro-reports/longpointcauseway/PW%2011-103%20Report%201.pdf | archive-date = 5 January 2016 }}</ref> Long Point is a popular destination for boating, swimming, fishing, waterfowl-hunting and canoeing, attracting between 100,000<ref name=climate1/> and 300,000 visitors each year.<ref name=UNESCO>{{cite web|url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/biosphere-reserves/europe-north-america/canada/long-point/|title=Long Point {{!}} United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization|website=www.unesco.org|type=Used under CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0, per [[meta:WikiProject UNESCO/Create Biosphere Reserve Wikipedia articles from UNESCO descriptions|WikiProject UNESCO's Create Biosphere Reserve Articles]]|access-date=2016-05-21}}</ref> 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.<ref name=climate1/> 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.<ref name=climate1/> Long Point Provincial Park, a popular destination for day visitors and campers, is located on the peninsula.

==Natural environment== Long Point is an example of [[sand dune]] and sand-spit formation in 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 [[woodland]]s, sand dunes and [[Beach ridge|bluffs]], [[marsh]]es, [[pond]]s, [[meadow]]s, [[beach]]es and [[Shore|lakeshore]]. The complex is the largest biophysical formation of its kind in the Laurentian Great Lakes of North America.<ref name=UNESCO/> North of the peninsula lie several islands,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.middlebass2.org/IslandsInLakeErie.PDF|title=How Many Islands Are There in Lake Erie?}}</ref> including [[Ryerson's Island|Ryerson's]], [[Second Island (Lake Erie)|Second]], and [[Snow Island (Ontario)|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.<ref name=UNESCO/> The Ontario [[Ministry of Natural Resources (Ontario)|Ministry of Natural Resources]] classifies Long Point as a ''Macrosite'', an area that contains numerous ecological or geological significant zones,<ref name="macrosite">{{cite web|url=http://nhic.mnr.gov.on.ca/MNR/nhic/areas/areas_report.cfm?areaid=184|title=Natural Areas Report: LONG POINT BIOSPHERE RESERVE|publisher=Government of Ontario [[Ministry of Natural Resources (Ontario)|Ministry of Natural Resources]]|access-date=2007-07-30|archive-date=2006-12-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061218214643/http://nhic.mnr.gov.on.ca/MNR/nhic/areas/areas_report.cfm?areaid=184|url-status=dead}}</ref> such as [[Area of Natural and Scientific Interest|Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest]].

Inner Long Point Bay covers approximately {{convert|78|km2|abbr=on}} 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 forest|'Carolinian' broadleaf forests]], [[conifer]] plantations, [[oak savanna]]s and diverse agro-ecosystems.<ref name=UNESCO/>

===Wildlife=== 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 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://longpointbiosphere.com/Publications/Wetlands/8.0/8.1.htm|title=Waterfowl and Wetlands of Long Point Bay and Old Norfolk County: 8.0 Waterfowl Distribution and Abundance on Long Point Bay|website=longpointbiosphere.com|publisher=Long Point World Biosphere Reserve Foundation|access-date=2016-05-21|archive-date=2010-12-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101220025639/http://longpointbiosphere.com/Publications/Wetlands/8.0/8.1.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1960, 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 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'').<ref name=UNESCO/>

==Climate== According to the Atlas of Canada, Long point has a cool summer [[humid continental climate]] with no dry season ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Dfb'').<ref name=climate1/> 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.<ref name=climate2>{{cite web |url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/RISapp/files/RISrep/CA237RIS.pdf | title = Canada 2: Long Point National Wildlife Area, Ontario: Information Sheet on Ramsar Wetlands | access-date = 8 November 2015}}</ref> Winters are relatively cool, with a mean temperature of {{convert|1|C|F|1}} while summers are warm, averaging {{convert|22|C|F|1}}.<ref name=climate1/><ref name=climate2/> Long Point averages {{convert|860|mm|in|abbr=on}} of precipitation per year.<ref name=climate2/> It is estimated that Long Point averages 2,000 hours of bright sunshine per year or 45% of possible sunshine.<ref name=climate1/>

{{Weather box |location = Long Point, Ontario (1991–2020 averages) |metric first = yes |single line = yes | Jan high C = 0.2 | Feb high C = 0.0 | Mar high C = 3.6 | Apr high C = 9.6 | May high C = 16.0 | Jun high C = 20.6 | Jul high C = 23.7 | Aug high C = 23.6 | Sep high C = 20.6 | Oct high C = 14.8 | Nov high C = 8.6 | Dec high C = 3.2 |year high C = 12.0 | Jan mean C = -3.2 | Feb mean C = -3.1 | Mar mean C = 0.7 | Apr mean C = 6.3 | May mean C = 12.7 | Jun mean C = 18.3 | Jul mean C = 21.6 | Aug mean C = 21.7 | Sep mean C = 18.7 | Oct mean C = 12.6 | Nov mean C = 6.3 | Dec mean C = 0.3 | year mean C = 9.4 | Jan low C = -5.4 | Feb low C = -5.7 | Mar low C = -2.3 | Apr low C = 2.9 | May low C = 9.2 | Jun low C = 15.6 | Jul low C = 19.5 | Aug low C = 19.7 | Sep low C = 16.1 | Oct low C = 9.9 | Nov low C = 3.7 | Dec low C = -1.6 | year low C = 6.8 |source 1 = Infoclimat.fr<ref name=Infoclimat>{{cite web | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190624034553/https://www.infoclimat.fr/climatologie/normales-records/1981-2010/long-point/valeurs/71464.html | archive-date = 24 June 2019 | url = https://www.infoclimat.fr/climatologie/normales-records/1991-2020/long-point/valeurs/71464.html | title = Normes et records pour la période 1991–2020 à Station météorologique de Long Point | language = fr | publisher = Infoclimat | access-date = 11 Aug 2025}}</ref> }}

== Gallery == <gallery class=center mode=packed heights=150 caption="Views of Long Point, Ontario"> File:Long Point Marshes 2.jpg|alt=The marshes of Long Point, as seen from the Provincial Park.|The marshes of Long Point, as seen from the Provincial Park. File:Long Point Beach.jpg|alt=A flock of gulls on the beach.|A flock of gulls on the beach. File:Lake Erie from Long Point.jpg|alt=Lake Erie|[[Lake Erie]] File:Long Point Marsh Channel.JPG|alt=View of a channel through the marsh in Long Point Bay.|View of a channel through the marsh in Long Point Bay. File:Lake_Erie_Islands_Near_Long_Point_Ontario.png|Map of the [[Lake Erie Islands]] located near Long Point. </gallery>

== See also == * [[List of shipwrecks]] * [[List of UNESCO Biosphere Reserves in Canada]]

== References == {{Reflist}}

=== Sources === {{refbegin}} * ''Lore and Legends of Long Point'', Harry B. Barrett, Burns and MacEachearn 1977, {{ISBN|0968608019}} * ''Long Point: Last Port of Call'', [[Dave Stone, The Beachcomber of Long Point|David Stone]], Boston Mills Press, 1988, {{ISBN|0-919783-59-7}} * ''Waters Of Repose'', [[Dave Stone, The Beachcomber of Long Point|Dave Stone]] and David Frew, Erie County Historical Society 1993, {{ISBN|1-883658-19-5}} {{refend}}

== External links == * [https://web.archive.org/web/20130819014632/http://www.ontarioparks.com/english/long.html Long Point Provincial Park] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20080914202526/http://www.camis.com/OP/camping/maps.asp?loc=36 Long Point Provincial Park Campgrounds] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20080516114412/http://www.bsc-eoc.org/Lpbo.html The Long Point Bird Observatory]

[[Category:Beaches of Ontario]] [[Category:Communities in Norfolk County, Ontario]] [[Category:Landforms of Norfolk County, Ontario]] [[Category:Lake Erie]] [[Category:Peninsulas of Ontario]] [[Category:Ramsar sites in Ontario]] [[Category:Spits of Canada]] [[Category:Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in Canada]] [[Category:Forests of Ontario]]