Unexploded explosives are being removed from the former rifle range in Niagara-on-the-Lake in preparation for a Parks Canada nature park.

The site, currently owned by National Defence, will revert back to Parks Canada custodianship sometime around 2021 after remediation is complete.

Located on Lakeshore Rd., the land is designated as a National Historic Site due to its use in the Battle of Fort George in 1813 and was used for military training from 1908 to 1999.

National Defence said the work being done to prepare the site for safe parkland use includes unexploded explosive (UXO) removal and soil remediation on metal-impacted soils and soils in a former waste disposal area on the site.

UXO clearance contractors, archaeologists and biologists began work in September of 2017 and will continue into fall 2018, including additional UXO removal in the forested areas surrounding the site.

The site will be monitored annually for three years after demobilization before the park is open to the public.