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).