Firelane 1 Park, also known as Niagara Shores is located on Lakeshore Road across from the Niagara Lakeshore Cemetery .9 kilometres east of Four Mile Creek Road. This lakefront park is about 55 acres and features a wide open field that runs up to cliff faces that look out to Lake Ontario with views of Toronto on clear days. The park also features hiking trails through the forest that lead to Four Mile Pond and follow the west edge of the park from the lake back toward Lakeshore Road and the parking lot. The main area is at the end of Firelane 1 and is hidden from Lakeshore Road. A .25 km path leads from the parking lot at the entrance to the park. The park is bordered on the east by the wastewater treatment plant that was completed in March 2019 to replace the sewage lagoons that were adjacent to the park. Due to high water levels in Lake Ontario, especially in the past 10 years, Firelane 1 Park has lost a great deal of its shoreline to erosion. This erosion has led to the loss of numerous mature trees, trails along the cliffs, two metal staircases to the beach as well as the shrinking of the existing beach. Parks Canada has made no plans to prevent erosion or protect the cliff faces due to Firelane 1 Park being the nesting ground for Bank Swallows. These birds are an endangered species and build their nests in the side of cliffs by burrowing into the soil. Parks Canada has decided that any work to prevent erosion could be damaging to the swallows habitat. Firelane 1 Park offers many different opportunities to witness change in an environment through both natural influences such as erosion on the cliff faces and human influences which include the construction of a wastewater treatment plant on the edge of the property.
Municipality: Niagara On The Lake
Local area name: Historic Old Town
Other identifying names or descriptions: Niagara Shores
Latitude and longitude: 43.255651,-79.115278
Physical Dimensions
Length: 543 m
Width: 323 m
Surface Area: 55 acres
Elevation: 82 / 75 m
Firelane 1 Park is located on Lakeshore Road across from the Niagara Lakeshore Cemetery with a parking lot just off the road and then a roadway to the beach and main park that can be walked but is inaccessible to cars. The park is approximately 55 acres and extends from Lakeshore Road to the Lake and is bordered by the new wastewater treatment plan for Niagara on the Lake to the east and four mile pond on the western side of the park. The park is known to Locals as Niagara Shores or The Conservation Area and features walking and trails, beach access and offers many activities such as biking, fishing in Four Mile Pond, hiking trails along the water and views of Lake Ontario and Toronto from the top of the cliff faces. Niagara Shores features the habitats of many animal species such as Bank Swallows that build their nests in the cliff faces, deer in the forest and beavers that build their lodges in Four Mile Pond. Niagara Shores does not have any infrastructure such as bathrooms or administration buildings and parking and admission is free.
Map 1:
Firelane 1 park is located on the south shore of Lake Ontario and features a vast array of biological organisms. Fire Lane 1 park has three unique ecosystems where it features many different kinds of plants that all require different conditions and take advantage of the landscape. The open field just off the main roadway is habitat to many different species of grasses that take advantage of the full sun that they experience and the lack of shade due to very few trees growing in the field. These grasses include Heath Aster and Sideoats Grama that thrive in open fields with lots of sunlight and Big Bluestems which thrive in the sandy and clay soil by the edge of the water. These grasses provide food to birds and butterflies through their seeds and buds with Big Bluestems being an attractor for many pollinators such as Honey Bees and Monarch Butterflies (NPCA, 2014).
Firelane 1 Park also features forested areas filled with tall deciduous trees. The most common trees found in the park are the Red Maple, White Birch and Red Oak. Firelane 1 Park features few coniferous trees with the woodland dominated by deciduous trees. These trees thrive in the low marsh areas that make up the forest floor (Tree Atlas, 2020). Because of the Nature of the deciduous trees and lack of sunlight that reaches through the forest floor the ground cover plants are mostly shade loving plants such as Hop Sedge, Silky Dogwood and Common Elderberry. These plants all provide both food and shelter for many species of small mammals and birds and Common Elderberry being a huge source of food for White Tailed Deer (NPCA, 2014).
The third ecosystem that makes up Firelane 1 Park is Four Mile Pond. This pond is located on the east side of the park and is about 7 acres. Four Mile pond features many aquatic plants such as Yellow and White Pond Lilies, Bulrushes and Burreed. Water Lilies provide food for Waterfowl and Painted turtles as well as shelter for small fish such as bluegills and perch while the bulrushes and bur reed provides shelter for small mammals such as muskrats and mice and food for white tailed deer (NPCA, 2014).
Firelane 1 Park is home to many species of wildlife and these can be found in all three of its unique ecosystems. The most iconic of these animals is the Bank swallow which is found nesting in the cliffs that line the beach. These small birds can be seen flying in massive flocks and their nests are borrowed into the cliff faces and give the cliffs the look as if someone drilled into them. Other species found in the park include white tailed deer, coyotes, foxes, skunks and racoons. Four Mile pond is home to many aquatic species such as Beavers, Blue Herons, Muskrats, Painted turtles, Snapping turtles, Common Carp and many other small species of fish. All of these animals use the landscape of the park as a habitat and for food.
Firelane 1 Park features a .25 km walk from the parking lot on a gravel road that is lined on both sides by tall deciduous trees growing in wetland on the on side and forest on the other. This opens up into an open grassland field that leads right up to cliffs overlooking Lake Ontario with paths down to the water and trails leading through the forest towards Four Mile Pond and back to the parking lot along the edge of the pond. Firelane 1 Park offers people beautiful hiking trails along the water as well as picnic spots on the beach, fishing and biking. On clear days the park offers a stunning view of Toronto across Lake Ontario and in the evening sunsets over Burlington and Hamilton to the west.
The soil composition is Silt/Clay/Loam, with sand right along the water (Scholars GeoPortal). This soil composition allows for the diverse makeup of the land and the different ecosystems that are present in the park with the clay forming the cliff faces that allows for the Bank swallows to build their nests and the silt and loam making up the forest floor and marshland. This soil holds moisture well which allows the plant life to thrive. Fire Lane 1 Park started out exactly how the name implies, as a firelane. Parts of the roadway that leads from Lakeshore road to the main park has been there for over 100 years but as seen in Figure 1 above, the road has shifted over the years.
The Cliffs are composed of clay and sand and are about a 5 metre drop from the top to the beach below. These cliffs are where the Bank Swallows make their home as the soil composition is perfect for the swallows to dig into and it offers them shelters. Due to high water levels in Lake Ontario, especially in the past 10 years, Firelane 1 Park has lost a great deal of its shoreline to erosion. This erosion has led to the loss of numerous mature trees, trails along the cliffs, two metal staircases to the beach as well as the shrinking of the existing beach. This is clear in figure one as over time the shoreline has shrunk and mature trees can be seen fallen over into the water or just completely gone. The erosion on the cliff faces has reduced the amount of trails that can be accessed right along the water as well as destroyed many of the mature trees that lined the waterfront. This erosion has a dangerous effect on the soil composition as it draws more away and will lead to greater erosion (Amin et al., (1997)
Firelane 1 Park is located on the south shores of Lake Ontario and is bordered by Four Mile Pond which is fed through irrigation ditches that flow through the farmland and meet with other irrigation ponds before it ends at Hunter Road. During the spring and fall the forest surrounding the park holds water and becomes marshland. This is due to the high clay content that holds water as well as the lake level flooding the lower sections of the park and causing Four Mile Pond to overflow. The water level in Four Mile Pond is greatly affected by the water Level in Lake Ontario as the flow from farmers irrigation ponds and ditches is greatly reduced in the summer time as farmers pump from these ponds and draw water away. This human intervention causes complications with water flow as well as water quality in the pond as the levels can lower and become stagnant (Alberti, M, 2008). This is also true for when lake levels are low. When Lake levels drop Four Mile Pond becomes cut off as a sandbar forms and traps the water inside of the barrier. This also causes the water to become stagnant. Due to this process the only fish that can survive in murky slow moving water such as the common carp (MNRF, 2014)
In March 2019 the town of Niagara On The Lake finished the construction of the new wastewater treatment facility that borders the east side of Fire Lane 1 Park. This new facility was built to replace the sewage lagoons that were adjacent to the park and with the completion of the project the next order is for the decommissioning of the sewage lagoons. Sewage lagoons can cause a great deal of harm to the local ecosystems and waterways around them due to overflow of sludge and other containements due to heavy rainfall or discharge of pollutants (Carlson, 2013). The decommissioning of these lagoons mitigates the risk of discharge pollutants entering the ecosystem and is a step to ensure the protection of the waterways around Firelane 1 Park.
Niagara on the Lake is located in the southern part of Ontario and has a temperate climate. Due to its proximity to Lake Ontario, Niagara On The Lake experiences mild wet winters and hot dry summers. Below is a chart of the average temperature and precipitation in Niagara during the year (Figure 1). Due to these weather patterns, Firelane 1 Park experiences wet cool winters and Hot dry summers. This leads to flooding during the spring and fall and formation of marshland in the forest and then drying out during the summer.
The Human impact on the climate through the use of fossil fuels and emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere is changing the environment and having catastrophic effects on many ecosystems already (Penny, 2012). These effects are already being seen in Niagara On The Lake through;
The effect of global has can be seen at the park through the erosion and loss of the waterfront due to high water. According to Parks Canada, the Park is losing approximately 1.1 metres of shoreline per year (Harley, 2019). This massive loss of land is due to record high lake levels with the high water in 2017 causing millions of dollars of property damage in Old Town (Harley, 2019).
The first settlers in Niagara were the Mound Builders, a group of indigenious peoples that migrated from the Ohio Valley and were estimated to arrive around 100 AD. By 1400 the indegineous peoples living in the area were an iroquoian speaking nation known as the Attawandaron. These communities relied on agriculture and hunting to survive and took advantage of the ecosystems to survive. By the mid-1600's the Attawandaron peoples were defeated by the Iroquois who moved into the region (Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. 2016). During the 1700's the region fell under British Rule and was renamed Fort Niagara. After the American revolution loyalists fled to Fort Niagara and settled the west side of the river, calling it Newark. The town was later renamed to Niagara On The Lake and due to its proximity to the United states it became an important position throughout the war (Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. 2016). In the early 20th century Niagara On the Lake began to grow though tender fruit operations and tourism. Most of the land in the area was either being used for agriculture or tourism with the growth of Historic Old Town.
Firelane 1 park started out just as it is named, as a firelane. The roadway that is now there today follows parts of the original firelane that went to the water and allowed tankers to easily access the lake in order to fill up with water to fight fires. In the mid 1900's Parks Canada purchased the land and turned it into a park. The area was originally called "Happy Land" but was changed to Niagara Shores and then to Firelane 1 park.
Education / Interpretation:
Firelane 1 park is the perfect place for students to come and study the effects of erosion on an environment as well as observe both a grassland and wetland environment that are side by side. Though there are no administration buildings or infrastructure students can easily walk around the park and get a feel for different ecosystems as well as observe many different animal species such as the Bank Swallow, which is an endangered species, up close. The park also offers a beautiful backdrop of Lake Ontario and Toronto on the Horizon for those looking to pursue backgrounds for paintings or photos.
Recreational Uses:
Firelane 1 Park features many different recreational options for visitors. The park features hiking trails that start at the parking lot and wind through the forest along Four Mile Pond to the lake and split off down to the beach or up to the open field. People can relax and have picnics on the beach as well as swim in the lake in the summer. The trails are also open to mountain biking and locals have built both wooden and dirt jumps through the trees to compliment the natural up and downs and twisting paths through the forest. Four Mile pond offers options for angliers that want to target both Common Carp and Catfish and in the spring and fall Trout can be caught in the shallow water just off the beach.
Firelane 1 Park is owned by The Niagara Parks Commision and falls under the jurisdiction of the municipality of Niagara On The lake (Hynde, 2016). However the park sees very little maintenance or landscaping as it is a conservation area. Instead the park is almost completely natural and the only infrastructure is the parking lot at the entrance to the park and the roadway and walking paths. The main parking lot used to be located inside the park by the lake but in 2014 the Town of Niagara On the Lake closed it off due to damage from vehicles (notl civic web, 2014).
Firelane 1 Park does not exist in and of itself. It is surrounded by farmland, communities and infrastructure like the wastewater treatment plant. The park is directly affected by water levels in Lake Ontario and farmers drawing water through irrigation upstream from Four mile Pond. The Park is accessed off of Lakeshore Road which is one of the main arteries into Historic Old Town and in the summer see thousands of cars travel past the park every day.
It's worth the note that directly across the road from Firelane 1 Park is Newark Park which is built along the Old Lakeshore Road which offers additional parking as well as walking paths on its own.
Firelane 1 Park offers natural beauty and relaxing trails as well as activities for bikers and fishers. With a wide variety of vegetation and wildlife there is plenty to see for anyone that enjoys being out in nature and a quiet break from regular life.
Firelane 1 Park
Firelane 1,
Niagara-on-the-Lake,
ON L0S 1J0
Niagara Parks Commission Administration
Oak Hall Administration Office
P.O. Box 150
7400 Portage Road South
Niagara Falls, Ontario
L2E 6T2, Canada
Tel: 1 (905) 356-2241
Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority
250 Thorold Road West; 3rd Floor
Welland, ON L3C 3W2
Phone: 905-788-3135
Fax: 905-788-1121
E-mail: info@npca.ca
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Bank Swallow Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (2019). Retrieved November 05, 2020, from https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bank_Swallow/id
Carlson, A. (2013). Presence and hazards of nutrients and emerging organic micropollutants from sewage lagoon discharges into Dead Horse Creek, Manitoba, Canada. The Science of the Total Environment, 445-446, 64–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.11.100
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Harley, R. (2019, August 29). 1: "The lake just keeps consuming." Retrieved September 28, 2020, from https://niagarashores.com/erosion-in-niagara/
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Hynde, P. (2016). Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake: Comprehensive Zoning By-law. Retrieved November 11, 2016, from https://notl.civicweb.net/document/1162
Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) (2014, July 18). Retrieved November 06, 2020, from https://www.ontario.ca/page/common-carp
Niagara-On-the-Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant All Niagara Region projects. (2020, January 03). Retrieved September 28, 2020, from https://www.niagararegion.ca/projects/notl-treatme...
Penney, J. (2012). Adapting to climate change: Challenges for Niagara. Retrieved on November 09, 2016, from https://www.niagararegion.ca/government/planning/p...
(2014, June 2). Retrieved November 06, 2020, from https://notl.civicweb.net/filepro/documents/search...
Steinschneider, S., Styler, A., Stedman, R., & Austerman, M. (2019). A Rapid Response Survey to Characterize the Impacts of the 2017 High Water Event on Lake Ontario. JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 55(4), 1065-1079.
S. M. N. Amin, & Robin G. D. Davidson-Arnott. (1997). A Statistical Analysis of the Controls on Shoreline Erosion Rates, Lake Ontario. Journal of Coastal Research, 13(4), 1093–1101.
Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. (2016). History of Niagara-on-the-Lake. Retrieved November 10, 2016, from https://notl.civicweb.net/document/3857/History
Tree Atlas. (n.d.). Retrieved November 05, 2020, from https://www.ontario.ca/environment-and-energy/tree-atlasGoogle Earth https://www.google.com/maps/@43.2549,-79.11624,1628m/data=!3m1!1e3
Soil Survey Complex [computer file]. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs, 2009. Available: Scholars GeoPortal http://geo2.scholarsportal.info (November 5, 2020).
This Local Landscape Report was prepared by SCOTT FALK for the Brock University course TOUR 2P94: Human Dominated Ecosystems on November 7, 2020.
All copyrights for cited material rest with the original copyright owners.
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