Mohawk Island

Mohawk Island is a small (4 hectares (9.9 acres)) island in the northeast of Lake Erie, in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada. It is composed of limestone with almost no vegetation, and is close to the water level. It was formerly known as Gull Island and contains the ruins of the Gull Island Lighthouse which was built in 1848 to guide ships into the Welland Canal at Port Maitland. In 1933, the lighthouse was automated to no longer require a human keeper and lost significance in 1934 due to the realignment of the canal at Port Colborne. It was decommissioned in 1969 when the mechanism was destroyed by a fire. The lighthouse is located close to the shore of Rock Point Provincial Park.

Currently, no humans live on the island, and it is mostly inhabited by birds. It is an important nesting and loafing area for gulls, terns and cormorants. The island is also used by migratory birds such as Canada geese as a stopover point. Management of the island was transferred to the Canadian Wildlife Service in 1976 and it was designated as the Mohawk Island National Wildlife Area in 1978. The lighthouse ruin was protected as a heritage lighthouse in 2015.