The county of Prince Edward is locally, and affectionately, known as just "The County." Since 1889, with the construction of the Murray Canal the County became an island. Although it is joined to "Mainland Ontario" by three major bridges, the ambiance is that of an island.... a sense of peaceful detachment combined with strong community feelings and empathy for building and maintaining a healthy environment. Some of the many heritage trees in the County have recently been described from residents' input. These can be seen at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/brian.credico/HeritageTreesOfPrinceEdwardCounty (If you are not taken directly to this page from this link, copy and paste this address into your browsers address bar) A poster with many of these trees is also available. The County is a rural farming/agriculture area mixed with commercial fishing and a strong tourist industry. With an area of about 320 square kilometers and a shoreline of over 800 kilometers, there is a good mix of private, commercial and public facilities.
Besides many Conservation Areas, The County has three provincial parks. Two of which, Sandbanks and North Beach, are a result of glaciers which 13,000 years ago covered the area. As the glaciers retreated, the melt water deposited millions of cubic meters of white sand resulting in some of the best fresh water beaches on the world. Lake-On-The-Mountain is the third park, and although very small by comparison, contains a large mystery that is still unsolved. This deep lake, despite being almost 50 meters above Lake Ontario and only a few meters from where it drains over the edge of the cliff leading down to Lake Ontario, retains it's level. Where is it's source coming from? No one knows for certain, but a local legend has it that it is connected to Niagara Falls by an underground river! The County began to be permanently settled after the American Revolution when many who had supported or fought on the British side were driven out of the USA. These United Empire Loyalists first arrived in The County in 1784 creating an economy that evolved from timber to agriculture. Many of the towns, roads and buildings in The County can be traced directly back to these original settlers. Prince Edward Stewardship Council
The Prince Edward Stewardship Council is a volunteer group that works towards achieving, and maintaining, a healthy environment in Prince Edward County for the Land, Water and Wildlife. The Council recognizes that decisions about land stewardship are made by individual landowners, and works with them to determine community stewardship priorities. Consultation, advice and resources, are made available to landowners to help us, together, achieve our mutual stewardship objectives.
The Council is supported by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Ontario Stewardship, and with the MNR Stewardship Coordinator, assists in planning programs and locating resources to meet the stewardship needs of Prince Edward County.
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