Lake Erie

Lake Erie Tour Description

Lake Erie Tour Locations

Lake Erie Tour Itinerary

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Environmental Issue: Environmental education can be defined as a life-long learning process that illustrates the relationships between the natural and human-made world, and that leads to responsible stewardship of the earth. At Asbury Woods Nature Center, this is the goal through interactive learning opportunities. Asbury Woods offers students and others from throughout the region opportunities to learn about plants and animals, natural habitat, life cycles, food chains, and ecosystems.

Stull Interpretative Center - Presque Isle

Environmental Issue: Presque Isle contains more of Pennsylvania's endangered, threatened, and rare species than any other area of comparable size in the state. The peninsula is an ideal stop over location for migrating birds during their annual migration. The ecologically fragile Gull Point is a favorite place for migrating birds to stop. Some 320 species of birds have been identified on the peninsula. In addition to the many birds that pass by Gull Point, many rare plants also make it their home. To help preserve and protect the many species of plants and animals residing on Gull Point, the eastern portion is closed to the public from April till November, the time during which most of the park's four million annual tourists visit the park.

There are six distinct ecological zones on Presque Isle, including Lake Erie, the bay and shoreline, sand plain and new ponds, dunes and ridges, old ponds and marshes, thicket and sub-climax forests, and climax forest. Each zone has distinct plant and animal communities. Records of ecological succession, the gradual change in an ecosystem over time to a more stable climax form, can be traced through each zone. At the park, wildlife such as muskrats, beavers, turtles, frogs, deer, and opossums are frequently seen. A patient observer may even catch a glimpse of a coyote, raccoon, or skunk as dusk approaches. More than 600 plant species have been recorded here and many are found nowhere else in Pennsylvania. At least 60 of these plants are listed on the state's list of species of special concern.

Waterworks Park

Environmental Issue: Zebra mussels, native to the Caspian Sea, are an example of an exotic species that have invaded aquatic habitats. They arrived in 1988 from the ballast tank of a European tanker in the Great Lakes. Within two years, mussels had reached densities of 7,500 individuals per square foot in parts of Lake Erie, choking out the native mussel species in the process. Zebra mussels cause enormous economic damage to fisheries, dams, power plants, water treatment facilities, and boats and also devastate aquatic communities they encounter.

Exotic species, such as the zebra mussel, invade and dominate native species easily because no natural predators or parasites control their population. Freshwater mussels are a highly endangered group in the United Stated and zebra mussels smother them by attaching to their shells. Other exotic species in Pennsylvania also affect native animals and plants and have the potential to change and harm entire ecosystems. These include the gypsy moth that destroys entire forests and the purple loosetrife, which displaces native wetland plants.

Perry Monument

Description: Lake Erie played a pivotal role in the War of 1812. Nine vessels were hastily constructed in Erie, Pennsylvania, to protect the lake from Great Britain. On September 10, 1813, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry met the British squadron at Put-in-Bay, Ohio, for what is now known as the Battle of Lake Erie. The young Perry won a decisive victory over the British, raising the spirits of the American people and securing supply routes. The Perry Monument was built on Crystal Point of Presque Isle in 1926 to commemorate the Battle of Lake Erie. The monument looks over Misery Bay, which was named after the hardships endured by the men of Perry's Naval Squadron, who wintered there following the great battle. The crew members who died there during that hard winter were put through holes in the ice of the adjacent Graveyard Pond, which is visible from the Misery Bay Bridge.

Environmental Issue: The Perry Monument is a wonderful place to view Presque Isle Bay of Lake Erie. Lake Erie is now an area with good ecological diversity after dramatic restoration at great cost. It was the most polluted of the Great Lakes during the 1950s and 1960s, characterized by deteriorating water quality, extensive algal blooms, declining native fish populations, the collapse of commercial fisheries, and oxygen depletion in deeper waters. It was widely regarded as "dead" in the 1960s. The U.S. and Canada then invested money into wastewater facilities, which reduced the annual discharge of phosphorus into the lake. Water quality began to improve in the mid 1970s and the 1980s. Today, water that was once thick with algae is now clear. The lake may never return to its original condition because of the large number of exotic species and altered water chemistry, but it still represents success in restoring an abused ecosystem into one that is much healthier.

Scenic Boat Tours

Description: These concession-operated, 14 mile-long, 90-minute boat tours provide information about Presque Isle and Lake Erie. The boat ventures out onto the open waters of Lake Erie. A visitor will get a great view of Presque Isle's shores, Erie's skyline, lighthouses, ships, the beaches, Gull Point Nature Preserve, wildlife, and many other sights. During the evening tours, you will catch a glimpse of Lake Erie's famed sunsets.

Environmental Issue: Approximately 15,000 years ago, Erie was under a giant sheet of ice called a continental glacier. As the glacier melted and retreated north, rocks, pebbles, and sand fell off, creating a ridge called a moraine. So much ice melted that the valley to the north of Erie became a lake and waves deposited sand in the moraine and created Presque Isle.

Presque Isle is a great place to see continued geologic action. Here, you can observe longshore drift, where wave-by-wave, eastward moving wind pushes water and sediments along the coast. The forces of erosion and deposition continually shape Presque Isle's eastward moving coast, greatly eroding westward beaches. In fact, when Presque Isle was first formed, it was probably about three miles to the west!

Pontoon Boat Rides

Description: A pontoon boat takes visitors through the interior lagoons of the peninsula. The tour includes a description of the lagoons and the plants and animals that live there. The lagoons are a wonderful place to see birds and other wildlife; visitors often see young great blue herons.

Environmental Issue: Lagoons are areas of shallow water, surrounded by marshy land, that are near or connected to a larger body of water, in this case, Lake Erie. Lagoons contain abundant life and provide critical habitats for fish, aquatic invertebrates and birds. In many areas, wetland ecosystems are being filled or drained for construction or other land use. Wetlands are ecosystems with saturated, poorly drained soils, high water tables, and vegetation that only grows under very wet conditions. Wetlands support a great diversity of life, providing critical habitat for many species that survive only in this ecosystem. They also act as filters for sediments and help to improve water quality. Over half of the wetlands in the United States have been destroyed for agriculture and development. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that one third of all endangered species spend part of their lives in wetlands.

Gull Point

Description: Gull Point is the most ecologically dynamic area on Presque Isle, and is also the most fragile. It harbors the best example of ecological succession in the park and many of the plant species here are threatened or endangered in Pennsylvania. Gull Point juts out into Lake Erie, offering a safe haven and resting point for migrating and nesting birds. It is one of the region's best locations to see migrating birds. On the easternmost portion, an area has been set aside as a natural area for rare and migratory shorebirds to rest, feed and possibly nest. Visitors can view this area from an observation platform reached by the Gull Point Hiking Trail.

Environmental Issue: Presque Isle State Park has been named as one of the top birding spots in the country. Since Presque Isle is located on the Atlantic Flyway, Gull Point is a favorable spot for birds to stop, feed, and rest on their migration across Lake Erie. Waterfowl migration occurs in March and again in late November through December, shorebird migration peaks in April and in September and warbler migration is observed in mid-May and in September. Over 320 different species of birds have been identified on the peninsula and at least 39 of these are listed as those of special concern.

Waterfowl suffer from habitat loss caused by the disappearance of wetlands. Wetlands are critical for waterfowl breeding, feeding, and over-wintering. The United States has lost over half of its original wetlands and continues to lose wetland habitat for development and agriculture. Wetlands also improve water quality, recharge groundwater supplies, and prevent erosion and flooding. Organizations such as Duck Unlimited protect waterfowl and their associated wetland habitats from further degradation by purchasing wetlands and their associated upland communities. Through public and private support, Ducks Unlimited has protected over 10 million acres of wetlands in North America. The protection of wetlands for waterfowl has also created habitats for other flora and fauna that depend on wetlands. Gaining public and financial support for one charismatic group, such as waterfowl or trout, is often easier than finding support for wildlife of less public concern. This concept, the "umbrella species", is common in conservation.

Presque Isle Lighthouse

Description: The lighthouse was built in 1872 and was first lit on July 12, 1873. The 57-foot lighthouse is currently used as a park residence and flashes a white light that is still maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard. There is an educational exhibit located adjacent to the property and nearby, visitors can also view the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers breakwater project, which was designed to protect Presque Isle's beaches from erosion.

Environmental Issue: A number of shoreline management techniques dating to the 1800s have been used to compensate for the natural loss of beach sand. Efforts to control beach erosion now consist of replacing sand lost by erosion; 58 breakwaters were constructed to reduce wave effects on the beach. Breakwaters slow erosion by partially blocking the waves, thus reducing their energy. The result is less sand carried along the shoreline and a "building out" of the beaches. The breakwaters have reduced the huge volumes of sand required to replenish the beaches each year.

However, beach erosion is a natural process and this erosion is the process that actually formed the beaches! The challenging part is that roads and buildings constructed near these beaches may be lost to erosion, and we now wish to control erosion to protect these structures. Beach vegetation is also important in controlling erosion. Beaches are now threatened by our way of living; much vegetation has been damaged by human activities.

Erie Maritime Museum

Description: The Erie Maritime Museum serves as the homeport of U.S. Brig Niagara and shows the story of the Niagara, Pennsylvania's reconstructed flagship that helped win the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. The museum has a wide variety of multi-media and interactive exhibits and many interpretative programs. Costumed interpreters are featured on weekends and for special events.

Environmental Issue: The Erie Maritime Museum is not only the home to the U.S. Brig Niagara, but also has many exhibits that explore the Battle of Lake Erie and the War of 1812. The U.S. Brig Niagara was a two masted warship used in the Battle of Lake Erie and was one of six vessels in Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry's fleet constructed in Erie. On, September 10, 1813, a crucial event in the War of 1812 unfolded: the Battle of Lake Erie. Nine small ships defeated a British squadron of six vessels, securing the Northwest Territory, opening supply lines, and lifting the nation's morale. During the battle, Commodore Perry wrote in his famous report, "We have met the enemy and they are ours." After the war, the U.S. Brig Niagara served as a station ship in Erie until 1820 when it was scuttled in Misery Bay. It was brought up and partly reconstructed in 1913, with a complete restoration performed from 1933 to 1943. Masts and rigging were later installed in 1963. After years of use, the dilapidated ship was reconstructed in the 1980s. Some of the non-structural wood from the original ship is still in the reconstructed version.

	Lake Erie Tour Itinerary

 

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	Lake Erie Tour Map

 

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