Long Point Biosphere

Long Point Biosphere. . , Long Point, a 40 km sand spit that projects into the deepest part of Lake Erie, was designated as an outstanding example of a Great Lakes coastal ecosystem by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 1986 (UNESCO) after being entered as a Ramsar Site (a wetland of international importance) in 1982. It contains a unique blend of habitats including: long uninterrupted beaches, undisturbed sand dunes, grassy ridges, wet meadows, woodlands, marshes and ponds, and the shallow waters of the Inner Bay as well as the open waters of Lake Erie. Cold-water streams and Carolinian forests can be found in the surrounding landscape. This rich mix of habitats hosts a great variety of plant and animal life, some of which are rare and endangered and a few of which exist nowhere else in Canada. The area is a world-renowned refuge and stopover for migrating birds and waterfowl. Its delicate dunes and marshes teem with songbirds, spawning fish, turtles and frogs., The Long Point World Biosphere Reserve Foundation has collaborated with many organizations and individuals over the years to conserve nature and to encourage development that meets the needs of today without compromising the natural landscape or the needs of future generations. To learn more about the Biosphere and the projects undertaken by its volunteer Board of Directors visit www.longpointbiosphere.ca, This sign was donated by Walsingham Masonic Lodge # 174 150 years in Port Rowan.