Natural Areas Inventory

Over a period of 4 years the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, in collaboration with the Region of Niagara, the Peninsula Field Naturalists and others, worked together on a Natural Areas Inventory. The purpose of the project and resulting document is to provide up-to-date natural areas information that acts as a tremendous benefit in the development of greater environmental awareness within the community and, as a scientifically-defensible baseline for use in planning decisions and policy development. It has built on existing information, confirmed the significance of known sites, and filled information gaps where inventory work was outdated or lacking.

The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s watershed supports a rich diversity of natural features including significant habitats and geological formations, rare plants and animals, and important wildlife corridors.

The Natural Areas Inventory is available here for download in PDF format. Please note that due to its size, the Inventory is in two volumes and can also be downloaded by section for your convenience.

Volume 1 (Sections 1-8)

Section	Document
0.1	Title Page, Partners, Abstract
0.3	Table of Contents
1.0	Executive Summary
2.0	Watershed Geologic Characterization
3.0	Watershed Hydrologic Characterization
4.0	Soils of the Niagara Region
5.0	Natural Heritage System
6.0	Community Series Analysis
7.0	Rare Vegetation Types of the Niagara Region
8.1	Study Site Summaries – Fort Erie
8.2	Study Site Summaries – Grimsby
8.3	Study Site Summaries – Haldimand
8.4	Study Site Summaries – Lincoln
8.5	Study Site Summaries – Niagara Falls
8.6	Study Site Summary – Niagara-on-the-Lake
8.7	Study Site Summary – Port Colborne
8.8	Study Site Summary – Pelham
8.9	Study Site Summary – Thorold
8.10	Study Site Summary – Wainfleet
8.11	Study Site Summary – Welland
8.12	Study Site Summaries – West Lincoln

Volume 2 (Sections 9-16)

Section	Document
0.2	Title Page
0.3	Table of Contents
9.0	Checklist of Vascular Plants of Niagara
10.0	Regionally Rare Plants as taken from Oldham 2010
11.0	Birds – Table 1 – Species whose abundance does not change
11.0	Birds – Table 2 – Species which are occasional or extremely rare in Niagara
11.0	Birds – Table 3 – Species whose abundance changes with the seasons in Niagara
11.0	Birds – Table 4 – Number of squares reporting possible, probable and confirmed breeding for first and second Atlases
11.0	Birds of the Niagara Region – Report
12.0	Reptile and Amphibian Study, 2006 to 2008
13.0	A Premliminary List of the Butterflies (Lepidoptera) of Niagara Region, ON
14.0	A Preliminary List of the Dragonflies & Damselflies (Odonata) of Niagara Region, ON
15.0	Lichens and Bryophytes of Niagara
16.0	References

Natural Areas Inventory Field Naturalists