2.1.1 Point Pelee Marsh
The Point Pelee marsh (41°57’ N, 82°31’ W; hereafter Pelee) occurs
within a sandspit peninsula located on the north side of Lake Erie at
the southern-most tip of Canada’s mainland in the Carolinian forest zone
(Lake Erie–Lake Ontario Ecoregion) of the Mixedwood Plains Ecozone
(Crins et al., 2009). The marsh is approximately 1100 ha in surface area
(including large open water areas) and is designated as both a
Provincially Significant Wetland in Ontario (MNRF, 2015) and a RAMSAR
Wetland of International Significance by UNESCO. It is a protected area
situated in Canada’s smallest national park which experiences over
200,000 visitors each year (Parks Canada, 2010). Muskrat trapping was
historically a popular activity in the Pelee marsh but has not occurred
there since 1958 when Parks Canada prohibited all trapping within the
National Park (Menefy, 1969).