TMGT 2P94 Local Landscape Report
Page 1 of 14
TMGT 2P94: Human Dominated Ecosystems
Local Landscape Report
OBJECTIVES
You have just spent several days in the field visiting and interpreting significant local landscapes in Niagara
with your colleagues in this course.
The purpose of your Local Landscapes Report is to: a) describe the present-day attributes of the local
landscape that you have chosen to study; and b) describe the evolution and changes that your local landscape
has undergone over time, using written evidence from literature sources (books, journals, online resources,
government documents, etc.) and graphical evidence from maps, satellite imagery, air photos, illustrations, etc.
You are also encouraged to include your own observations of the landscape to support your conclusions. Feel
free to incorporate photos, illustrations, and other visual resources into your report if they aid in your analysis.
INSTRUCTIONS
The written portion of your report should be no less than 3000 words, or approximately 6 - 7 single spaced
pages in 11 point font, not including maps and illustrations or your ‘Literature cited’ section. You are
encouraged to include any relevant maps, air photos, or other images that are necessary to illustrate the
changes your landscape has experienced over time. Don’t just include the maps and images without
explanation; make sure to caption and interpret them in a way that relates clearly to your written text.
Remember to provide full citations in an accepted citation format for all literature and all imagery that you use.
Your report should be structured according to the template which begins on the next page. (Feel free to use a
copy of this MS Word document as a guide, and input your own text directly into it).
Section headers are provided, assigned readings provide background and context for certain sections, and
specific questions about each section follow. You will answer the questions based on your observations in the
field, your own independent literature and map research, and some assigned readings, including chapters in
the four e-textbooks listed on the course outline.
Schedule your background readings and your work on each section of the report in stages over the next four
weeks. It will be very difficult or impossible to write your report at the last minute.
Feel free to read beyond the assigned chapters of the course texts, and to invoke concepts from other
literature sources.
______________________________________________________________________
Your completed Local Landscape Report should be prepared using this template, and clearly labeled with a
title, your name, and your student number. HOWEVER, FOR FINAL SUBMISSION, you will be COPYING AND
PASTING THE CONTENT OF THIS REPORT to the MINDMAPS digital interpretive platform. You will also be
able to use the many digital multimedia features of the interface to improve and enhance your report fprior to
final submission.
Your completed report is due on the MindMaps platform by midnight on 06 November.
______________________________________________________________________
TMGT 2P94 Local Landscape Report
Page 2 of 14
______________________________________________________________________
Replace the coloured text in this template with your own text.
When done, you will cut and paste your own text
into the Mindmaps digital platform, and add any
multimedia elements you wish to use
to improve and enhance your final report.
Multimedia elements may include:
 photos
 digital or scanned maps
 air photos
 other images
 juxtapose sliders
 Google maps or street view images
 screen captures
 audio clips
 video clips
 etc!
______________________________________________________________________
TMGT 2P94 Local Landscape Report
Page 3 of 14
Local Landscape Report on <LANDSCAPE NAME>
<Your name>
<Your ID number>
<Date>
______________________________________________________________________
I.
LOCATION INFORMATION
Municipality: (e.g., St. Catharines)
Local area name: (e.g., Port Dalhousie)
Other identifying names or descriptions (e.g., Central Business District)
Latitude and longitude:
Physical Dimensions
Length:
Width:
Surface Area:
Elevation:
Highest / lowest point
Google Earth will tell you the elevation for any point in your local landscape
II.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF YOUR LOCAL LANDSCAPE
Write a brief introductory paragraph which describes your local landscape in general terms, and the
boundaries you have defined for it.
BACKGROUND: Read Brown, David T., John Middleton and Katelyn S. Vaughan (2010): The Land
Between the Lakes – An Overview of the Niagara Region. Pp. 41-55 in Black, J.E. and K.E. Roy. 2010.
Niagara Birds. Brock University Printing and Digital Services. ISBN 978-0-9811-489-0-8.
TMGT 2P94 Local Landscape Report
III.
MAP
<INSERT A MAP WHICH CLEARLY PORTRAYS
YOUR LANDSCAPE AS IT APPEARS TODAY>
You may wish to use the live Google Map element
for your final report on the MindMaps platform.
Map 1: <Write a caption for the map of your local landscape here>
Page 4 of 14
TMGT 2P94 Local Landscape Report
IV.
Page 5 of 14
ECOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL FEATURES
a) Biota
BACKGROUND: Read Hough (Chapter 3): Plants and plant communities (pp. 86-129); Hough
(Chapter 4): Wildlife (pp.130-159)
With specific references to the readings above and other resources you have found on your own,
describe the major biotic features of your landscape, including:

Plant species / assemblages / communities

Animal species / assemblages / communities

Rare / threatened / endangered plant or animal species.

Describe any changes (e.g., habitat fragmentation, alteration of species) that may have occurred to
the biota as a result of human activities.

Support your descriptions of the biota with citations from the literature

Wherever possible, illustrate your observations about changes in biota over time using appropriate
satellite imagery, air photos, and / or maps (e.g., changes in vegetation cover).
TMGT 2P94 Local Landscape Report
Page 6 of 14
b) Geomorphology:

Describe the major physical features of your landscape (topography, soils, geological features, etc.) in
the present day.

Describe any significant natural changes in geomorphology that have occurred to your landscape over
time (e.g., through glaciation, erosion, volcanic activity, etc.).

Describe any human-induced changes that may have occurred to the landscape (grading, leveling,
plowing, embankments, excavations, etc.).

Support your observations with citations from the literature.

Wherever possible, illustrate your observations about changes in geomorphology over time with
appropriate satellite imagery, air photos, and maps.
TMGT 2P94 Local Landscape Report
Page 7 of 14
c) Hydrogeology:
Read Alberti (Chapter 5): Hydrological Processes (pp. 133-161)
With specific references to the readings above and other resources you have found on your own:

Describe the major hydrogeological features of your landscape (lakes, rivers, streams, drainage basins,
impoundments, etc.) in the present day.

Describe any significant natural changes in hydrogeology that have occurred to your landscape over
time (e.g., lake level changes, evolution of rivers and streams, glacier melting, etc.)

Describe any human-induced changes in hydrogeology that have occurred to the landscape over time
(e.g., water diversions, damming, impoundments, ponds, wells, channeling, dredging, drainage,
irrigation, installation of impermeable surfaces, etc.).

Support your observations with citations from the literature.

Wherever possible, illustrate your observations about changes in hydrogeology over time by including
appropriate satellite imagery, air photos, and maps.
TMGT 2P94 Local Landscape Report
Page 8 of 14
d) Climate / microclimate: Read Hough (Chapter 6): Climate (pp.189-218)
Human activities can have a profound influence on local climate and microclimate. With specific
references to the readings above and other resources you have found on your own, describe the
human-induced changes that have occurred to your local landscape that may have altered its
microclimate and contributed to changes in the climate of the region.
TMGT 2P94 Local Landscape Report
V.
Page 9 of 14
HISTORICAL FEATURES

Archaeological influences: To the best of your ability, describe the pre-European settlement and land
use history of your landscape (i.e., from the earliest recorded human residents to European settlement),
and how they have influenced your landscape over time.

Land use history: Describe the land use history of your landscape after the arrival of European
settlers, including its commercial / industrial / agricultural / residential uses, and how these have
influenced your landscape over time.

Support your observations with citations from the literature.

Wherever possible, illustrate your observations about changes over time with appropriate illustrations,
satellite imagery, air photos, and maps. Insert them in your final report using the multimedia capabilities
of the MindMaps digital platform.
TMGT 2P94 Local Landscape Report
VI.
Page 10 of 14
CULTURAL FEATURES
Education / Interpretation:

Are there any significant educational or interpretive resources available which deal with your
local landscape (e.g., museums, exhibitions, interpretive centres, resource collections,
websites)? What are they? Where are they located?
Architectural Heritage:

What kinds of built environments and buildings have been found on your local landscape over
time? Has the early architectural heritage been preserved? Have many changes occurred in the
built environment over time? Are there any heritage buildings or features on your landscape that
are currently protected, or that should be? Why / why not?
Recreational Uses:

What recreational uses occur within your landscape? Are they formal, controlled by a
jurisdictional authority (e.g., rowing courses, municipal trails) or informal (e.g., unmarked hiking
trails, mountain bike routes)?
TMGT 2P94 Local Landscape Report
VII.
Page 11 of 14
LAND TENURE
Ownership, jurisdiction, access, and management
Certain layers in Niagara Navigator (e.g., parcels / addresses, various land categories) may be very
helpful in determining who owns and controls your local landscape.

Who owns or controls the land you are studying (e.g., private ownership; corporate ownership;
municipal / regional / provincial / federal government; government agency like Parks Ontario; Crown
corporation like Ontario Power Generation, etc.)? Is it a single owner / jurisdictional authority, or
multiple owners / jurisdictions?

Is public access permitted to your area?

Do land ownership and jurisdiction have any influence on the way your landscape looks today, and on
the changes that have occurred there (compared to surrounding areas) over time?

Zoning / Official Plan Designation: Does your landscape fall under any kind of zoning, official plan
designation, or other land use controls (e.g., municipal plan, Greenbelt, Niagara Escarpment
Commission, Conservation Authority Watershed Plan, etc.? How have these controls affected the
attributes of your landscape over time?

Do any groups, agencies, or organizations manage your landscape? What kinds of management
practices do they employ, and how frequently ((e.g., utility corridors clearcut every 5 years; farm fields
plowed and replanted every year, etc.)? How have these practices affected the attributes of your
landscape over time?
TMGT 2P94 Local Landscape Report
VIII.
Page 12 of 14
CONNECTIVITY AND CONTEXT
Read Alberti (Chapter 4): Landscape Signatures (Sections 4.1-4.3, pp. 93-112)

Your landscape does not exist in isolation – it is surrounded by other adjacent land uses, fragmented by
canals and rights of way, and connected to surrounding areas by roads, trails, waterways, utility corridors,
and a range of other linkages. With specific references to the readings above and other resources you
have found on your own, describe the major adjacent uses and connections to your landscape, and
discuss how they may have influenced your landscape now and over time.
TMGT 2P94 Local Landscape Report
IX.
Page 13 of 14
CONTACT INFORMATION
If applicable, list the individual(s) or organization(s) responsible for the management of your landscape,
and provide contact details (Name; Jurisdiction / Affiliation / Agency; Address; Phone; Fax; E-mail; etc.)
TMGT 2P94 Local Landscape Report
X.
Page 14 of 14
LITERATURE CITED
In this section, provide properly formatted citations of:

Text and online sources (list the books, monographs, journals, and other written material you consulted in
the preparation of this report)

Map References (list the maps you consulted in the preparation of this report, including digital maps,
Google Earth / Google Maps URLs, Niagara Navigator, satellite imagery, and other conventional and
online map sources)

Air Photo References (list the photo number(s) and location(s) for air photos you consulted in the
preparation of this report, including conventional and online sources)

Other text or graphical resources (list as appropriate):
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
websites
downloadable electronic resources (reports, e-books, etc.)
books
journals
government publications
newspaper / magazine articles
any other relevant information sources on your local landscape
You may use any accepted citation style you choose, as long as it is consistent throughout your report.
Examples and guidelines can be found online at https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/