Environment and Climate Change Canada

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Environment and Climate Change Canada

Environnement et Changement climatique Canada
Department overview
Formed	1971
Type	Department responsible for coordinating environmental policies and programs
Jurisdiction	Canada
Employees	~6800
Minister responsible	Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
Department executive	Stephen Lucas, Deputy Minister
Child agencies	Meteorological Service of Canada Parks Canada Canadian Ice Service Impact Assessment Agency of Canada Water Survey of Canada National Pollutant Release Inventory
Website	www.ec.gc.ca/default.asp

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC; French: Environnement et Changement climatique Canada; formerly Environment Canada (EC); legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment) is the department of the Government of Canada created under the Department of the Environment Act with responsibility for coordinating environmental policies and programs as well as preserving and enhancing the natural environment and renewable resources. The powers, duties and functions of the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change extend to and include matters relating to: "preserve and enhance the quality of the natural environment, including water, air, soil, flora and fauna; conserve Canada's renewable resources; conserve and protect Canada's water resources; forecast daily weather conditions and warnings, and provide detailed meteorological information to all of Canada; enforce rules relating to boundary waters; and coordinate environmental policies and programs for the federal government."

Under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA 1999) (R.S., 1999, c. 33), ECCC became the lead federal department to ensure the cleanup of hazardous waste and oil spills for which the government is responsible, and to provide technical assistance to other jurisdictions and the private sector as required. The department is also responsible for international environmental issues (e.g., Canada-USA air issues). CEPA was the central piece of Canada's environmental legislation but was replaced when budget implementation bill (C-38) entered into effect in June 2012.

Under the Constitution of Canada, responsibility for environmental management in Canada is a shared responsibility between the federal government and provincial governments. For example, provincial governments have primary authority for resource management including permitting industrial waste discharges (e.g., to the air). The federal government is responsible for the management of toxic substances in the country (e.g., benzene). The department provides stewardship of the Environmental Choice Program, which provides consumers with an eco-labelling for products manufactured within Canada or services that meet international label standards of (GEN) Global Ecolabelling Network.

The department continues (2005–present) to undergo a structural transformation to centralize authority and decision-making, and to standardize policy implementation.

Hierarchy

• Minister
  • Deputy Minister
    • Associate Deputy Minister
      • Assistant Deputy Minister
        • Associate Assistant Deputy Minister
          • Director General
            • Director
              • Managers
                • Supervisors
                  • Staff

Division

Ice Reconnaissance de Havilland Canada Dash 7 at Carp Airport

The department is divided into several geographic regions:

• National Capital
• Atlantic and Quebec Region (Atlantic Canada, Maritimes, Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec)
• Ontario
• West and North (Yukon, Nunavut, Northwest Territories, British Columbia, and Prairies)

The department has several organizations which carry out specific tasks:

• Enforcement Branch
  • Environmental Enforcement
  • Wildlife Enforcement
• Environmental Protection Branch
  • Canadian Wildlife Service
  • Chemical Sectors
  • Energy and Transportation
  • Environmental Protection Operations
  • Legislative and Regulatory Affairs
  • Strategic Priorities
• Meteorological Service of Canada (for weather forecasting; climate, air quality and water monitoring)
  • Weather and environmental monitoring (Climate Monitoring, Water Survey of Canada)
  • Weather and Environmental Operations (Regional Weather Operations)
  • Weather and Environmental Prediction and Services (Defence Weather Services, Marine and Ice Services (Canadian Ice Service), National Weather Predictions, Weatheradio Canada, a national system of emergency weather broadcast transmitters)
  • Canadian Hurricane Centre
• Science and Technology Branch
  • Atmospheric and Climate Science
  • Water Science and Technology Directorate (including the National Water Research Institute)
  • National Pollutant Release Inventory
  • Wildlife and Landscape Science
  • Air Quality Mobile Source Emissions Measurement and Research

The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada is an arms-length agency that reports to the Minister of Environment.

Parks Canada, which manages the Canadian National Parks system, was removed from Environment Canada and became an agency reporting to the Minister of Heritage in 1998. In 2003, responsibility for Parks Canada was returned to the Minister of the Environment.

Enforcement

The Enforcement Branch is responsible for ensuring compliance with several federal statutes. The Governor-in-Council appoints enforcement officers and pursuant to section 217(3) of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, enforcement officers have all the powers of peace officers.

There are two designations of enforcement officers: Environmental Enforcement and Wildlife Enforcement. The former administers the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and pollution provisions of the Fisheries Act and corresponding regulations. The latter enforces Migratory Birds Convention Act, Canada Wildlife Act, Species at Risk Act and The Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act. All officers wear dark green uniform with black ties and a badge (appear on the right). Environmental Enforcement Officers only carry baton and OC spray whereas Wildlife Enforcement Officers are also equipped with firearm.

The Minister may also appoint members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, fishery officers, parks officers, customs officers and conservation officers of provincial and territorial governments as enforcement officers and to allow them to exercise the powers and privilege of Environment Canada officers.

On March 4, 2009, a bill to increase the enforcement capabilities of the department was introduced into the House of Commons. The Environmental Enforcement Bill would increase the fines for individuals and corporations for serious offenses, give enforcement officers new powers to investigate cases and grants courts new sentencing authorities that ensure penalties reflect the seriousness of the pollution and wildlife offences.

Enforcement of: Export and Import of Hazardous Waste and Hazardous Recyclable Material Regulations (EIHWHRMR)

The Export and Import of Hazardous Waste and Hazardous Recyclable Material Regulations (EIHWHRMR) operates with a few basic premises, one of which being that electronic waste is either "intact" or "not intact". The various annexes define hazardous waste in Canada, and also deem any waste that is "...considered or defined as hazardous under the legislation of the country receiving it and is prohibited by that country from being imported or conveyed in transit" to be covered under Canadian regulation and therefore subject to prior informed consent procedures.

The loophole in the regulations that allows tons of e-waste to be exported from Canada is the use of the definition of "intact" vs "functional". A non-functioning electronic device that is intact can be exported under the current legislation. What can't be exported without prior informed consent is a non-functioning but no longer intact electronic device (if the component pieces are deemed hazardous). The principal problem being, the non-functioning but intact electronic device is at high risk of being disassembled in some far away e-waste dumping ground. The Canadian government's use of a unique interpretation of the Basel Convention obligations "intact" and "not intact" opens the door to uncontrolled e-waste exports as long as the device is intact. See Canadian fact sheet and associated links.

Since Canada ratified the Basel Convention on August 28, 1992, and as of August 2011, the Enforcement Branch has initiated 176 investigations for violations under EIHWHRMR, some of which are still in progress. There have been 19 prosecutions undertaken for non-compliance with the provisions of the EIHWHRMR some of which are still before the courts. Electronic waste by country

2012 Budget Bill C-38, the Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act

Bill C-38, (June 2012), replaced the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA 1992, 1999) with the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012. The Canadian Environmental Protection Act, Species at Risk Act, The National Energy Board Act, the Canadian Oil and Gas Operations Act, the Nuclear Safety and Control Act, the Fisheries Act (for example, closing the Experimental Lakes Area) all underwent major changes under Bill-38. By placing the emphasis on jobs, growth and prosperity significant changes have been made to the federal environmental assessment regime (EA) and environmental regulatory framework. 

Minister of the Environment and the Kyoto Accord

In December 2011, Minister of the Environment Peter Kent announced Canada's withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol one day after negotiators from nearly 200 countries meeting in Durban, South Africa at the 2011 United Nations Climate Change Conference (November 28 – December 11), completed a marathon of climate talks to establish a new treaty to limit carbon emissions.[1] The Durban talks were leading to a new binding treaty with targets for all countries to take effect in 2020.

Kent argued that, "The Kyoto protocol does not cover the world's largest two emitters, the United States and China, and therefore cannot work." In 2010 Canada, Japan and Russia said they would not accept new Kyoto commitments. Canada is the only country to repudiate the Kyoto Accord. Kent argued that since Canada could not meet targets, it needed to avoid the $14 billion in penalties for not achieving its goals. This decision drew widespread international response. States for which the emissions are not covered by the Kyoto Protocol (the US and China) have the largest emissions, being responsible for 41% of the Kyoto Protocol. China's emissions increased by over 200% from 1990 to 2009.

Related legislation

The department administers and assists in the administration of nearly c. 24 acts through regulations and through "voluntary and regulated agreements with individuals or multiple parties in Canada and elsewhere to define mutual commitments, roles and responsibilities and actions on specific environmental issues."

Bill C-38

Bill C-38 (2012)

Canada National Parks Act (S.C. 2000, c. 32)

Canada National Parks Act

Canada Water Act

"Recognizing the need for better environmental management, the federal government passed the Canada Water Act in 1970 and created the Department of the Environment in 1971, entrusting the Inland Waters Directorate with providing national leadership for freshwater management. Under the Constitution Act (1867), the provinces are "owners" of the water resources and have wide responsibilities in their day-to-day management. The federal government has certain specific responsibilities relating to water, such as fisheries and navigation, as well as exercising certain overall responsibilities such as the conduct of external affairs."

The Canada Water Act (proclaimed on September 30, 1970) provides the framework for cooperation with provinces and territories in the conservation, development, and utilization of Canada's water resources. The Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, completes the framework for the protection and of water resources. Environment and Climate Change Canada is the federal department in charge of conserving and protecting Canada's water resources. The Water Act (2000), a federal legislation, "supports and promotes the conservation and management of water, including the wise allocation and use of water.". The provinces are responsible for administering the Water Act(2000). In Alberta for example, Alberta Environment and Water is responsible for administering the Water Act (2000) and the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (2000). Provinces environmental ministries primarily lead Water for Life (2003) programs. Provinces also implement and oversee "regulation of municipal drinking water, wastewater, and storm drainage systems."

Canada Wildlife Act

Canada Wildlife Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. W-9) Amended in June 2012 by Bill C-38 'allows for the creation, management and protection of wildlife areas' to preserve habitats, particularly for at risk species and requires permits for specified activities in designated wildlife areas.

Impact Assessment Act (2019)

The Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (2000) "supports and promotes the protection, enhancement, and wise use of the environment. The Act's individual regulations cover a wide range of activities, from beverage container recycling and pesticide sales, potable water, to wastewater and storm drainage."

Canadian Environmental Protection Act (1999)

Department of the Environment Act

Environment Week Act, Canadian

Fisheries Act (pollution prevention into fish bearing waters) (R.S., 1985, c. F-14)

Federal legislation such as the Fisheries Act (1985) have relevance for water management in the provinces.

International Boundary Waters Treaty Act (R.S., 1985, c. I-17)

International River Improvements Act

Lac Seul Conservation Act

Lake of the Woods Control Board Act

Manganese-Based Fuel Additives Act

Migratory Birds Convention Act

Federal legislation such as the Migratory Birds Convention Act (2000) also have relevance for water management in the provinces.

National Wildlife Week Act

Resources and Technical Surveys Act (R.S., 1985, c. R-7)

Species at Risk Act (2002)

Weather Modification Information Act

Weather Modification Information Act

Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Inter-provincial Trade Act

Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Inter-provincial Trade Act

Aerospace Fleet

Until 2010 the department operated several different aircraft for their environmental studies. Although the department does not have a current fleet of aircraft it contracts other branches of the government to provide airborne research facilities.

Former Fleet:

• Convair 580 C-GRSC
• Douglas C-47
• Dassault Falcon 20 Mystere C-GRSD

Ramsar Convention

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramsar_Convention

Ramsar Convention

Long name: Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat
Ramsar logo
Signed	2 February 1971
Location	Ramsar, Iran
Effective	21 December 1975
Condition	Ratification by 7 states
Parties	171
Depositary	Director General of UNESCO
Languages	English, French, Spanish and Persian www.ramsar.org

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands. It is also known as the Convention on Wetlands. It is named after the city of Ramsar in Iran, where the Convention was signed in 1971.

Every three years, representatives of the Contracting Parties meet as the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP), the policy-making organ of the Convention which adopts decisions (Resolutions and Recommendations) to administer the work of the Convention and improve the way in which the Parties are able to implement its objectives. COP12 was held in Punta del Este, Uruguay, in 2015. COP13 was held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in October 2018.

The Upper Navua Conservation Area Ramsar Site in Fiji

Sustainable fishing in India, an example of wise use.

List of Wetlands of International Importance (the "Ramsar List")

Archipel Bolama-Bijagos Ramsar Site in Guinea-Bissau

The List of Wetlands of International Importance included 2,331 Ramsar Sites in May 2018 covering over 2.1 million square kilometres (810,000 sq mi). The countries with most sites are the United Kingdom with 175 and Mexico with 142. And, the country with the greatest area of listed wetlands is Bolivia, with around 148,000 square kilometres (57,000 sq mi).

The Ramsar Sites Information Service (RSIS) is a searchable database which provides information on each Ramsar Site. 

International cooperation

Wadden Sea is a Transboundary Ramsar Site covering 13 Ramsar sites in Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands

As of 2016 there are 18 Transboundary Ramsar Sites, and 15 Ramsar Regional Initiatives covering regions of the Mediterranean, Asia, Africa and South America.

International organization partners

The Ramsar Convention works closely with six other organisations known as International Organization Partners (IOPs). These are:

• Birdlife International
• International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
• International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
• Wetlands International
• WWF International
• Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT)

These organizations support the work of the Convention by providing expert technical advice, helping implement field studies, and providing financial support. The IOPs also participate regularly as observers in all meetings of the Conference of the Parties and as full members of the Scientific and Technical Review Panel.

Other partners

The Convention collaborates with a network of partners:

• Biodiversity-related conventions including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), the World Heritage Convention (WHC), and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES);
• Project funding bodies including global environmental funds, multilateral development banks and bilateral donors;
• UN agencies such as UNEP, UNDP, UNESCO and the UN Economic Commission for Europe, and specific programmes such as UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) programme;
• Non-governmental organizations including the Nature Conservancy, Conservation International, the Society of Wetland Scientists, the International Association for Impact Assessment, and many others;
• Since 1998 the Convention has also benefited from a strong partnership with the Danone Group including the Evian brand, and since 2007 from the Biosphere Connections partnership with the Star Alliance airline network.

Bodies established by the Convention

Conference of contracting Parties (COP)

This is the Convention's governing body consisting of all governments that have ratified the treaty. This ultimate authority reviews progress under the Convention, identifies new priorities, and sets work plans for members. The COP can also make amendments to the Convention, create expert advisory bodies, review progress reports by member nations, and collaborate with other international organizations and agreements.

The Standing Committee

The Standing Committee is the intersessional executive body which represents the COP between its triennial meetings, within the framework of the decisions made by the COP. The Contracting Parties that are members of the Standing Committee are elected by each meeting of the COP to serve for the three years until the next one.

The Ramsar Secretariat offices in Gland, Switzerland

The Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP)

The Scientific and Technical Review Panel provides scientific and technical guidance to the Conference of the Parties, the Standing Committee, and the Ramsar Secretariat.

The Secretariat

The Secretariat carries out the day-to-day coordination of the Convention's activities. It is based at the headquarters of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Gland, Switzerland.

The implementation of the Ramsar Convention is a continuing partnership between the Contracting Parties, the Standing Committee, and the Convention Secretariat, with the advice of the subsidiary expert body, the Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP), and the support of the International Organization Partners (IOPs).

Martha Rojas Urrego is the sixth Secretary General of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

World Wetlands Day

A wetland clean-up in Oman on World Wetlands Day

The 2nd of February each year is World Wetlands Day, marking the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971. Established to raise awareness about the value of wetlands for humanity and the planet, WWD was celebrated for the first time in 1997 and has grown remarkably since then. In 2015 World Wetlands Day was celebrated in 59 countries.

History

The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance – the "Ramsar Convention", was co-founded by Ezkandar Firouz (former environment minister of Iran), Luc Hoffmann of Tour du Valat research station in the Camargue in France, and Geoffrey Matthews of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust at Slimbridge in the late 1960s. The conference which adopted the terms of the agreement was held in the Iranian Caspian city of Ramsar on 2 February 1971.

Point Pelee National Park

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Point Pelee National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Boardwalk in April
Location of Point Pelee National Park in Canada
Location	Ontario, Canada
Nearest city	Leamington, Ontario
Coordinates	41°57′51″N 82°31′4″WCoordinates: 41°57′51″N 82°31′4″W
Area	15 km2 (5.8 sq mi)
Established	1918
Governing body	Parks Canada
Ramsar Wetland
Official name	Point Pelee
Designated	27 May 1987
Reference no.	368

Point Pelee National Park (/ˈpiːliː/; French: Parc national de la Pointe-Pelée) is a national park in Essex County in southwestern Ontario, Canada where it extends into Lake Erie. The word pelée is French for 'bald'. Point Pelee consists of a peninsula of land, mainly of marsh and woodland habitats, that tapers to a sharp point as it extends into Lake Erie. Middle Island, also part of Point Pelee National Park, was acquired in 2000 and is just north of the Canada–United States border in Lake Erie. Point Pelee is the southernmost point of mainland Canada, and is located on a foundation of glacial sand, silt and gravel that bites into Lake Erie. This spit of land is slightly more than seven kilometres long by 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) wide at its northern base. Established in 1918, Point Pelee was the first national park in Canada to be established for conservation. It was designated as a Ramsar site on 27 May 1987.

History

Aboriginal people lived on Point Pelee for a long time before European colonization, dating back to at least 6,000 years. The largest archaeological site found at Point Pelee is thought to have been occupied between AD 700 and 900.

The name was given to the area by Fathers Dollier and Galinee when they passed through the area in 1670.

In the late 1700s, British naval reserves logged the area's white pine for shipbuilding. In 1790, Deputy Indian Agent Alexander McKee negotiated a treaty with Aboriginal communities that ceded a large tract of land, which included Point Pelee, to the Crown. The Caldwell First Nation Chippewa people, who inhabited Point Pelee, were not signatories of that treaty. However, the Crown did not realize this, and their land was ceded nonetheless. Subsequently, they were forced off their land, and Point Pelee remains unceded aboriginal land. This has been publicly acknowledged by the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.

Prior to the creation of the park, the Great Lakes Ornithological Club was established to study bird migration. One of the members, Percy A. Taverner, and Canada's first Dominion Ornithologist, recommended Point Pelee be made a national park in 1915. Jack Miner had also pushed for the creation of the park by that time. Point Pelee was made a national park in 1918 at the urging of birdwatchers and hunters. Commercial fishing continued in the park until 1969. Point Pelee was the only Canadian national park to allow hunting until duck hunting was ended in 1989. This site was named "Pointe-Pelée" (meaning "bald point" by French explorers because the eastern side was rocky and had no trees).

Point Pelee was designated a dark-sky preserve in 2006, having become the first Canadian national park to be designated as such. In March 2006, high winds caused waves that washed away the sand point and all that remained was a platform. In October 2007 the level of Lake Erie dropped enough to reveal the point again extending at least a kilometre out into the water and at least 7 metres (23 ft) wide with a winding curve shape to it. Since that time the sandy tip continues to shift, grow longer or shorter, or even detach temporarily, from year to year.

Geography

Pelee Island location

Located in the western parts of the St. Lawrence Lowlands, the park is a sandspit formation that extends 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) into Lake Erie and is up to 70 metres (230 ft) thick. With an area of only 1,564 hectares (3,860 acres), it is Canada's smallest national park. Most of the park (about 1,113 hectares (2,750 acres) or 70% of the park consists of marsh, dominated by cattails and ponds although forested areas make up a significant portion of the park, covering about 21% of the park. This sandspit is dominated by till plains which was formed during the last ice age during the advance and retreat of the Wisconsonian ice on a submerged limestone ridge. As the glacier melted and retreated northward, the Lake Erie basin began to fill with water. The movement of sediments altered the coastline, resulting in the present day shape of Point Pelee. Subsequently, over the centuries, a thin but rich soil has formed. Mineral soils in the park were mapped as well to rapidly drained Eastport sand, which has insignificant profile development. The marshes began to form about 3,200 years ago, based on carbon dating. This was also the same time when the sands began to deposit, forming the present day barriers. The marsh has a closed drainage system owing to the separation of it by two barriers along the east and west side, which usually prevents the free exchange of water. However, when lake levels are higher, the marsh water levels fluctuate with the lake's water levels. The distinctive triangular shape at the southern tip of Point Pelee is caused by the convergence of these two barriers. Middle Island, which is located south of the Point Pelee peninsula has an area of approximately 18.5 hectares (46 acres) and is the southernmost point in Canada. Virtually all of Middle Island is forested.

Flora and fauna

Barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) at Point Peele National Park in May 2010

Owing to its southernly location and the moderating effects of Lake Erie, the climate in the park is slightly warmer than the rest of Canada and many Carolinian faunal species, which are rare in Canada are located here. Examples include the fox snake and the five-lined skink. Because of its location at the crossroads of 2 major migration flyways, about 347- 360 different species of migratory birds have been recorded in the park and more than 100 species stay there for breeding. This total includes 102 waterfowl and shorebird species. Dominic Couzen's Top 100 Birding Sites of the World lists Point Pelee as #66. Coyotes and martens are also present within this park. Many Carolinian floral species that are rare in Canada occur within the park boundaries. The park contains more than 750 native plant species, of these 8 species are considered to be rare, endangered or threatened in Canada. Nearby Middle Island is designated provincially as an Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSI) due to its unique and rare assemblages of plants and animals. Middle island is home to plants and animals that are characteristic of the Carolinian ecozone of which nine species are at risk. The diversity of vegetation in the marsh is the highest along the edge of the marsh ponds and in the transitional zones between the terrestrial environments and the marsh. Four different vegetation communities dominate in the marsh.

Climate

Point Pelee has a humid continental climate (Dfa under the Köppen climate classification) with warm, humid summers, and cold winters that is modified by the surrounding waters of Lake Erie. It lies in a zone that is characterized by variable weather due to conflict between polar and tropical air masses. Its position in Lake Erie modifies its climate, resulting in warmer winter and fall temperatures compared to inland regions, as the lake cools more slowly than the surrounding land though during the spring, temperatures remain cooler than inland areas due to the land warming faster than the lake.

Winters are cold with a January average temperature of −3.9 °C (25.0 °F). Owing to its position in Lake Erie, winter temperatures are warmer than inland locations at a similar latitude due to the release of the heat stored by the lake. As a result, temperatures below −20 °C (−4.0 °F) are rare, with only 1.9 days where the temperature reaches or falls below −20 °C (−4.0 °F). The maximum temperature usually stays below freezing on most days although mild spells of weather can occur time to time. The park receives 98.9 centimetres (38.9 in) of snowfall per year and there are 30.6 days with measurable snow. The park is not located in the snowbelt region, and snow cover is intermittent through the winter.

Summers are warm and humid with the warmest month, July, averaging 22.4 °C (72.3 °F), which is among the highest in Ontario. The surrounding lake moderates summertime temperatures, cooling the flow of warm air masses originating from the Gulf of Mexico and as a result, temperatures above 30 °C (86.0 °F) are rare, with only 4–8 days per year in the park.

Climate data for Point Pelee National Park
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	13.0 (55.4)	14.5 (58.1)	22.5 (72.5)	28.5 (83.3)	31.5 (88.7)	33.5 (92.3)	34.0 (93.2)	34.5 (94.1)	31.0 (87.8)	25.5 (77.9)	20.6 (69.1)	18.5 (65.3)	34.5 (94.1)
Average high °C (°F)	−0.8 (30.6)	0.3 (32.5)	5.0 (41.0)	11.6 (52.9)	18.1 (64.6)	23.6 (74.5)	26.8 (80.2)	25.7 (78.3)	21.6 (70.9)	15.0 (59.0)	8.3 (46.9)	1.9 (35.4)	13.1 (55.6)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−3.9 (25.0)	−3 (27)	1.4 (34.5)	7.4 (45.3)	13.7 (56.7)	19.4 (66.9)	22.4 (72.3)	21.5 (70.7)	17.6 (63.7)	11.4 (52.5)	5.5 (41.9)	−0.7 (30.7)	9.4 (48.9)
Average low °C (°F)	−6.9 (19.6)	−6.2 (20.8)	−2.2 (28.0)	3.1 (37.6)	9.3 (48.7)	15.1 (59.2)	18.0 (64.4)	17.2 (63.0)	13.6 (56.5)	7.8 (46.0)	2.6 (36.7)	−3.3 (26.1)	5.7 (42.3)
Record low °C (°F)	−27.0 (−16.6)	−24.0 (−11.2)	−18.0 (−0.4)	−9.8 (14.4)	−3.2 (26.2)	3.0 (37.4)	7.0 (44.6)	4.0 (39.2)	−1.7 (28.9)	−5.5 (22.1)	−9.4 (15.1)	−23.0 (−9.4)	−27.0 (−16.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	57.2 (2.25)	58.7 (2.31)	69.9 (2.75)	75.6 (2.98)	76.9 (3.03)	79.8 (3.14)	83.6 (3.29)	85.9 (3.38)	92.7 (3.65)	69.6 (2.74)	94.8 (3.73)	77.4 (3.05)	922.1 (36.30)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	27.9 (1.10)	31.3 (1.23)	51.7 (2.04)	71.7 (2.82)	76.9 (3.03)	79.8 (3.14)	83.6 (3.29)	85.9 (3.38)	92.7 (3.65)	69.6 (2.74)	90.9 (3.58)	56.8 (2.24)	818.8 (32.24)
Average snowfall cm (inches)	30.5 (12.0)	27.3 (10.7)	18.4 (7.2)	3.8 (1.5)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.06 (0.02)	3.6 (1.4)	20.0 (7.9)	103.8 (40.9)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm)	13.4	11.4	12.8	14.7	13.3	11.7	10.9	10.1	11.7	13.5	15.3	15.4	154.4
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm)	4.7	4.9	9.0	14.0	13.3	11.7	10.9	10.1	11.7	13.5	14.2	8.9	127.1
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm)	9.2	7.1	4.7	1.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.15	1.7	7.5	31.6
Source: Environment Canada

Human impact

Development

From a regional perspective, the park is isolated from other natural areas because in Essex County, less than 6% of the native forest cover and 3% of the wetlands remain intact. Much of the area (97% of it) has been altered and mostly converted for agriculture, industry or urban development. It is also located close to major urban areas.

Bird-watching

It forms the southernmost point in mainland Canada (its latitude is the same as that of the northernmost counties of California) and is part of a bird and butterfly migration corridor over Lake Erie via Point Pelee and the Lake Erie islands. Over 360 bird species have been recorded in the park. The peak time for bird migration is spring, especially May, when tired migrants make first landfall after their journey north across the lake.

Many birdwatchers from North America and abroad visit the park in May, often staying in the nearby town of Leamington. One attraction, apart from the sheer numbers and variety of bird passing through on migration, is the opportunity to see more northerly breeding species such as blackpoll warbler before they move on.

Occurrences

March 2017 marsh fire

On 29 March 2017, Point Pelee's marsh land was involved in a fire causing over 125 hectares (310 acres) of marsh habitat to be destroyed. The fire lasted 15 hours and was naturally extinguished due to rainfall the following day.

Commemoration

Point Pelee National Park was featured on a high-value ($5) postage stamp, issued in 1983, as part of a series honoring national parks. The park appeared on a stamp that was issued on 15 January 2018, with a $1.20 face value. The issue coincides with the park's centennial year, and is part of a nine-stamp set featuring scenic views across the country.

Images

• 

  Point Pelee tip looking south in 2007
• 

  Point Pelee looking South in April 2008
• 

  Point Pelee tip looking north in 2007
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  Boardwalk across a marsh in the park
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  Boardwalk in August
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  Point Pelee looking Southwest, January 2015
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  One of Point Pelee's shuttles

Dinosaur Provincial Park

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaur_Provincial_Park 

 

Dinosaur Provincial Park
Chasmosaurus belli, which was found in the Park, on display at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology
Location	County of Newell / Special Area No. 2, near Brooks Alberta
Coordinates	50°45′42″N 111°29′06″WCoordinates: 50°45′42″N 111°29′06″W
Area	73.29 square kilometres (28.30 sq mi)
Founded	1955
Governing body	Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation
IUCN Category III (Natural Monument)
Provincial Park of Alberta	1955
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Type	Natural
Criteria	vii, viii
Designated	1979 (3rd session)
Reference no.	71
Country	Canada
Region	Europe and North America
Location of Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta

Dinosaur Provincial Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located about two-and-a-half hours drive east of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; or 48 kilometres (30 mi), about a half-hour drive northeast of Brooks.

The park is situated in the valley of the Red Deer River, which is noted for its striking badland topography. The park is well known for being one of the richest dinosaur fossil locales in the world. Fifty-eight dinosaur species have been discovered at the park and more than 500 specimens have been removed and exhibited in museums around the globe. The renowned fossil assemblage of nearly 500 species of life, from microscopic fern spores to large carnivorous dinosaurs, justified its becoming a World Heritage Site in 1979.

Dinosaur Provincial Park Visitor Centre

The Dinosaur Provincial Park Visitor Centre features exhibits about dinosaurs, fossils, and the geology and natural history of the park. There is a video theatre, fossil prep lab area, and a gift shop. Public programs are offered in the summer.

John Ware's Cabin is a restored early 20th century cabin that was used by John Ware, an African-American cowboy and important figure in Alberta's ranching history. The cabin is located near the visitor centre and is open on select days in the summer.

History

Established on June 27, 1955 as part of Alberta's 50th Jubilee Year with the goal of protecting the fossil beds, the first warden was Roy Fowler (1902-1975), a farmer and amateur fossil hunter.

The park was established as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on October 26, 1979 both for its nationally significant badlands and riverside riparian habitats, and for the international importance of the fossils found there.

Until 1985, discoveries made in the park had to be shipped to museums throughout the world for scientific analysis and display, including the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto in Ontario, the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa in Ontario, and the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, New York State. This changed with the opening of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology 100 kilometres upstream in Midland Provincial Park adjacent to Drumheller.

Nature

Hoodoos at Dinosaur Provincial Park

The park protects a very complex ecosystem including three communities: prairie grasslands, badlands, and riverside cottonwoods. Its ecosystem is surrounded by prairies but is unique unto itself. Choruses of coyotes are common at dusk, as are the calls of nighthawks. Cottontail rabbits, mule deer, and pronghorn can all be seen in the park; the prairie rattlesnake, bull snake and the red-sided garter snake are present as well. Curlews and Canada geese are among the 165 bird species that can be seen in the spring and summer. Some of the most northern species of cactus, including Opuntia (prickly pear) and Pediocactus (pincushion) can be observed in full bloom during the later half of June.

Geology

The sediments exposed in the badlands at Dinosaur Provincial Park were laid down over a period of about 1.5 million years during the Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous epoch, and belong to three different geologic formations. The top of the terrestrial Oldman Formation, which outcrops at the base of the sequence, is the oldest. It is overlain by a complete section of the terrestrial Dinosaur Park Formation, which is in turn overlain by the base of the marine Bearpaw Formation. The Dinosaur Park Formation, which contains most of the articulated dinosaur skeletons, was laid down between about 76.5 and 74.8 million years ago. It was deposited in floodplain and coastal plain environments by river systems that flowed eastward and southeastward to the Western Interior Seaway.

Paleontology

The badlands near the entrance of the park

Dinosaur Provincial Park preserves an extraordinarily diverse group of freshwater vertebrates. Fish include sharks, rays (such as the durophage Myledaphus), paddlefish, bowfins, gars, and teleosts. Amphibians include frogs, salamanders, and the extinct albanerpetontids. Reptiles include lizards (such as the large monitor Palaeosaniwa), a wide range of turtles, crocodilians, and the fish-eating Champsosaurus. Mammal fossils from the park are relatively rare and consist of isolated teeth, fragmentary jaws with teeth, and tooth fragments from mouse-sized and shrew-sized animals. They include representatives of placental, marsupial, and multituberculate mammals.

Plant fossils from the park and surrounding area include fern fronds; foliage and wood of taxodiaceous and cupressaceous conifers; and leaves of Ginkgo, Cercidiphyllum, Platanus, a Pistia-like aquatic plant, and others. A rich assemblage of fossil pollen and spores has also been described.

The dinosaurs of the park are astonishingly diverse. They include: 

Ceratopsia

• Leptoceratops sp.
• Centrosaurus apertus
• Coronosaurus brinkmani
• Styracosaurus albertensis
• Pachyrhinosaurus
• Chasmosaurus belli, C. russelli
• Vagaceratops irvinensis

Hadrosauridae

• Corythosaurus casuarius
• Gryposaurus notabilis, G. incurvimanus
• Lambeosaurus lambei, L. magnicristatus
• Prosaurolophus maximus
• Parasaurolophus walkeri

Ankylosauria

• Panoplosaurus
• Edmontonia
• Euoplocephalus tutus

Hypsilophodontidae

• Orodromeus

Pachycephalosauria

• Stegoceras

Tyrannosauridae

• Daspletosaurus torosus
• Gorgosaurus libratus

Ornithomimidae

• Ornithomimus
• Struthiomimus
• new ornithomimid species A

Caenagnathidae

• Chirostenotes pergracilis
• Chirostenotes elegans
• Chirostenotes collinsi

Dromaeosauridae

• Dromaeosaurus albertensis
• Saurornitholestes
• Hesperonychus elizabethae
• ?new dromaeosaur species A
• ?new dromaeosaur species B

Troodontidae

• Troodon
• new troodontid species A

Classification Uncertain

• Ricardoestesia gilmorei

Birds such as Hesperornithiformes were present, as well as giant Pterosauria related to Quetzalcoatlus. Stagodont marsupials, placentals and multituberculate mammals scurried underfoot.