In 1861 government officials considered making the bay a harbour of refuge.[1]

Wellers Bay is a small bay on Lake Ontario,[1] on the west side of Prince Edward County. In 1861 the Government of the Province of Canada considered making it a "harbour of refuge", and installing a lighthouse.

During World War II the beach was part of the Consecon Air Weapons Range and was used as a firing range, for pilot-trainees.[2][3]

In 1978 the Weller's Bay National Wildlife Area was created.[2] Subsequently, locals used to using the area for fishing, snowmobiling, and other recreational uses started clashing with officials charged with a responsibility to protect wildlife. In the 1990s officials started issuing fines. Municipal politicians tried negotiating a relaxation of the rules, without success. On May 27, 2011, the Canadian Wildlife Service announced the bay's beaches would be off limits.[2][3]

A key 83 hectares (210 acres) of the 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) bay are set aside as a National Wildlife Area, including Bald Island, Bald Head Island, Fox Island, and the sandspit that protects the bay, because the sandspit that protected the bay was one of the last undeveloped spits on the great lakes, and it was an important bird habitat.[4] Public access is prohibited at Wellers Bay National Wildlife Area.

References

  1. ^ a b Marc Seguin (2015). "For Want of a Lighthouse: Building the Lighthouses of Eastern Lake Ontario 1828–1914". Trafford Publishing. ISBN 9781490756714. Retrieved 2017-06-22.
  2. ^ a b c Ernst Kuglin (2011-05-27). "Wellers Bay beach now off limits". Trenton Intelligencer. Retrieved 2017-06-22. The narrow spit of land, just southwest of Trenton, was used as a bombing range by Commonwealth air crews on training runs during the second World War.
  3. ^ a b Julian Sher; Jennifer Quinn; Robert Cribb (2013-08-12). "Unexploded bombs, ammo in 150 possible Ontario locations: DND report". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2017-06-22. But residents near Wellers Bay on Lake Ontario, southwest of Trenton, were furious when a longtime favourite strip of boating and beach shoreline was closed to the public in 2011.
  4. ^ "Wellers Bay National Wildlife Area". Environment and Climate Change Canada. Retrieved 2023-05-23. Public Information Notice - Danger: This is a former bombing range used by the Department of National Defence, and unexploded bombs remain. Public access is prohibited at Wellers Bay National Wildlife Area.

44°01′N 77°35′W / 44.01°N 77.59°W / 44.01; -77.59

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