Presque Isle State Park

Early inhabitants Presque Isle was formed at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation about 11,000 years ago. The earliest known inhabitants of the southern Lake Erie coast were the Erielhonan, also known as the "Eriez", an Iroquoian speaking tribe of Native Americans. Erielhonan referred to the "Cat" or "Raccoon" people, and the name "Erie" is a corruption of Erielhonan. This name became the name of the lake and county in which Presque Isle Park is located, as well as the name of the city nearest the park. An Erielhonan legend taught that the Great Spirit led them to Presque Isle because of the wealth of game, the abundance of clean fresh water, and the cool breezes "coming from the land of snow and ice" (i.e., Canada). Another legend explains how the Erielhonan ventured into Lake Erie in search of the land where the sun set, but the spirit of the lake blew a fierce storm to keep them from finding it. Presque Isle passed from British to American control after the American Revolutionary War, and the Iroquois sold their rights to the land containing the peninsula to the United States at the second Treaty of Fort Stanwix in 1784. Pennsylvania did not acquire an undisputed title to the land until it purchased the Erie Triangle from the federal government on April 3, 1792. In 1795 General Anthony Wayne built a new, American "Fort Presque Isle", and on April 18 of that year the town of "Presqu' Ile", since renamed Erie, was laid out near it. Wayne died at the fort on December 15, 1796, and was originally buried there. Erie County was formed from Allegheny County on March 12, 1800. Millcreek Township, which initially contained both the Presque Isle peninsula and the village of Erie, was one of the original townships. Erie was named the county seat in 1803, incorporated as a borough in 1805, and became a city in 1851. During the War of 1812, Presque Isle played a part in the victory over the British in the Battle of Lake Erie. Oliver Hazard Perry, commander of the American fleet, made strategic use of the bay as a place to construct six of the nine ships in his fleet. Using this location protected the men by creating an obstacle, forcing potential attackers to circumnavigate the peninsula to reach them. A third, more miniature lighthouse was built in 1906 by the Erie Waterworks on the Presque Isle Bay side of the peninsula. Today it stands in the ferry landing for the Presque Isle Water Taxi service, south of the former waterworks along the state park's multi-purpose trail on the southeast side of Presque Isle. United States Life-Saving Service District 9 opened a life-saving station at Presque Isle in 1876. William Clark was the keeper from 1877 until he drowned in 1891. He was succeeded by Andrew Jansen, who was the keeper until 1914. When the Life-Saving Service and the Revenue Cutter Service merged in 1915 to become the United States Coast Guard, LSS Presque Isle, also called the Erie life-saving station, became Coast Guard Station #236. The station, still in operation, is assigned to the Ninth District of the United States Coast Guard. Modern era and state park In 1908, Erie started building a waterworks on Presque Isle to provide fresh water for the city. Water from Lake Erie was pumped into two reservoirs on the peninsula, where particulates in the water were allowed to settle, removing them from the lake water. After treatment, the water flowed into the city's water supply lines. In 1917, a pumphouse powered by a steam engine was built, which pumped water from one basin into the other, then across Presque Isle Bay to Erie. This system of supplying drinking water for Erie operated until 1949. The pumphouse is now used for zebra mussel control and as a concession stand for bicycle and quadracycle rentals within the state park. Presque Isle has been referred to as "Peninsula State Park". The Perry Monument in the park was constructed in 1926 near Misery Bay and the burials in Graveyard Pond. In the 1950s the peninsula was enlarged to accommodate new roads and parking, using of sand dredged from the interior of the peninsula. The resulting basin became the current marina. Other new facilities included three modern bath houses built in 1957. Presque Isle was named a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service in 1967. A recommendation was made to abolish the independent board as early as 1930, although this did not come about until January 19, 1971, with the creation of the state Department of Environmental Resources (which later became the DCNR). From 1989 to 1992, over 50 breakwaters were built along the western and northern shore of the peninsula to help control erosion. As part of the State Parks 2000 strategic plan of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), Gull Point was named a "State Park Natural Area for rare and migratory shorebirds to rest, feed and possibly nest". The Tom Ridge Environmental Center at the entrance to the park opened in May 2006. As of 2007, the Pennsylvania DCNR Bureau of Parks, which administers all 120 Pennsylvania state parks, had chosen Presque Isle for its "25 Must-See Pennsylvania State Parks" list, citing its status as Pennsylvania's only surf beach, its status as a National Natural Landmark, and its "geological and biological diversity and its historic significance". Scenes for the film The Road were shot at Presque Isle in April 2008, with Beach 10 used as a seashore. A weak tornado touched down in the state park on June 27, 2010. Rated EF0 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, it downed power lines and trees near the Stull Interpretive Center, and also damaged a nearby observation platform. Presque Isle was closed on June 28 to facilitate the clean-up of the debris and reopened the next morning. During Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, parts and remnants of the storm reached Presque Isle. The park was closed in preparation for the storm, with waves expected to reach 14–18 feet and high winds anticipated. The storm was expected to be severe, but it was not. Only 8-foot waves were recorded, and not as high winds either. The park emerged with only minor flooding, a few downed trees, and the loss of power at the park marina. == Geology and climate ==

Presque Isle is a recurved sand spit formed during the last glacial period, or ice age, when the Laurentide Ice Sheet advanced into the basin now occupied by Lake Erie, and, when it retreated to the north between 12,370 BC and 12,790 BC, left behind a moraine consisting of clay, sand, and gravel which initially formed the peninsula. The deposits are constantly being reworked by wave action and gradually migrating to the northeast due to longshore drift. The French term ''presqu'île'', the origin of the park's name, means "peninsula", or, literally, "almost an island". Despite its name, Presque Isle has been an island for brief periods, cut off from the mainland several times since 1819—the longest stretch was from 1832 to 1864. In the 1950s, to combat erosion, the state and federal governments built sets of concrete seawalls and perpendicular groins. Presque Isle protects the natural Presque Isle Bay, which creates a deep and wide harbor for the city of Erie. The bay is often filled with pleasure craft as well as cargo ships from all over the world that use the Great Lakes shipping port. Presque Isle's lakeside location helps to temper summer heat, with an average of only 3.8 days of + highs annually, and the highest temperature ever recorded was on June 25, 1988; there is an average of 2.5 days with lows of or colder annually, and the lowest temperature ever recorded was on January 19, 1994, and February 16, 2015. The dunes protect the beaches from erosion during winter storms, and continue growing until the surface of Lake Erie freezes in the winter. == Flora, fauna, and habitat ==

Ecological zones and succession According to the DCNR, because it has so "many unique habitats, Presque Isle contains a greater number of the state's endangered, threatened and rare species than any other area of comparable size in Pennsylvania". The remaining ecological zones, with their progression from shoreline to climax forest, are a classic illustration of the concept of ecological succession. Much of this progression is due to the changing nature of Presque Isle and its shifting shoreline and dunes. The shoreline, the second zone, is formed by wave action and is in equilibrium between erosion and deposition, with the initial plants stabilizing the sand of the new shoreline. The newly formed sandy plain and the ponds that have formed within it comprise the third zone. The ponds start as trapped pockets of lake water and can erode or be filled by wind-blown sand or drifting dunes. The new ponds provide habitat for plants and animals: for example, the state park is home to 89 species of Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) and Lepidoptera, including 35 different butterflies, as well as 84 different sorts of spiders. The diversity of habitats on the peninsula makes it an ideal home for over 320 species of birds. (For comparison, the United States has about 925 bird species.) Forty-five of the bird species found in the park are listed as "endangered" or "threatened", including the piping plover, cerulean warbler, rusty blackbird and saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrow. Many different species of plants and animals can also be found at Presque Isle State Park due to the wide variety of ecological zones. Gull Point Natural Area Human beings have played a role in the ecology of Presque Isle since at least the time of the Erielhonan. The natural drift of sand is hindered or stopped by breakwaters, permanent structures, and roads. Roads also fail to absorb rainwater, leading to erosion and disruption of natural habitats. Excavations, such as those for the waterworks basins or the marina, have destroyed habitats; however, yearly artificial replenishment with sand helps create new ones. One area within the park is closed to all public use from April to November to minimize the impact of humans: it is the easternmost part of the park, Gull Point. Gull Point at Presque Isle State Park has been designated as a Pennsylvania "State Park Natural Area". These areas provide locations for scientific observation of natural systems, protecting examples of natural interest and beauty, as well as unique and typical habitats for animals and plants. Gull Point covers , of which form the Natural Area and are closed to park visitors during the height of the bird migrations. The natural area is a haven and resting spot for migrating and nesting birds. Many of the species of birds that rest at Gull Point are not seen anywhere else in Pennsylvania. Presque Isle lies on the Atlantic Flyway, a primary migratory path, and some of these birds migrate from as far north as the Arctic Circle to South America. They pass through in November on their long flights south and return in April on their flights north. Erosion and deposition of sand, which have formed Gull Point, continue to change it. From May 1991 to October 2006, Gull Point lost a total of , and if this trend continues, it may become an island. After the breakwaters were constructed in 1992, less sand was added to replenish the beaches. Federal funding for sand replenishment has been cut off since 2005, leading to a further reduction in the amount of sand added to the peninsula. Without new sand, erosion has reduced the northern beaches of Gull Point, even as regions to the east and south have continued to grow at a slower rate, resulting in a net yearly loss of . == Tom Ridge Environmental Center ==

The Tom Ridge Environmental Center (TREC) is the gateway to, and administrative center for, Presque Isle State Park, as well as housing interactive educational exhibits, a "Discovery Center", classrooms, and research laboratories. The center, which officially opened on May 26, 2006, is situated on acres, just off Route 832 on a bluff overlooking Lake Erie. TREC is named for former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, "who grew up in Erie, worked at the park as a young man and provided funding for the center and numerous Presque Isle projects during his administration". Construction on the center began in 2002, although the idea for such a center at Presque Isle was some 50 years old. Its 32 member organizations include schools, school districts, colleges, universities, museums, state agencies, conservation groups, and private corporations from Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Ontario. == Recreation ==

In addition to the facilities at TREC, Presque Isle State Park provides opportunities for daytime recreational activity along the Lake Erie and Presque Isle Bay coastlines, as well as on its inland trails and lagoons. Boating, canoeing, fishing, and water skiing are common summer activities, while hiking, biking, inline skating, and bird watching are some of the popular inland activities. Ice fishing, ice boating, ice skating, and cross-country skiing are popular activities for winter visitors. Two of the beaches feature volleyball courts; Beach 6 has six courts and Beach 11 has one. No admission fee is charged for the park or TREC. Boats of nearly any variety are permitted on Lake Erie at Presque Isle State Park. Boats with internal combustion engines are prohibited in the interior lagoons, except for Graveyard Pond, where a concession rents motor and pontoon boats, canoes, and kayaks for recreational use. The park also has a 500-slip marina, open to boats up to , and five boat launches. Boat tours provide views of the park, lake, bay, and Erie skyline. All boats must have a current registration from any state or country. Water conditions on Lake Erie can change with little notice, so boaters are advised to exercise caution. Extensive picnic facilities are available at most of the swimming areas. ==See also==