Before Mitchell Street in Gander was constructed, it was originally a forest and wetland landscape in central NL, and consisted of a lot of wildlife and wetland species. As for Gander, big changes began in the late 1930s-1940s when Gander was established around the airport. The forests and wetlands were cut down and drained to construct roads and houses, and after World War ll, planned neighbourhoods replaced a lot of the habitat.

Today, the area of this small town is fully urban residential, with only small parts of the town still containing forest and green patches. This town is constantly expanding, therefore we still have a lot of forest around the perimeter of the town to expand into. However, Newfoundland and Labrador and the Town of Gander still protect nearby wetlands and forest to help save and preserve local biodiversity.