Sable Island National Park

Sable Island National Park
Sable Island pony
Coordinates: 43 ° 56 ′ 0 ″  N , 59 ° 54 ′ 57 ″  W.
Location:	Nova Scotia , Canada
Next city:	Halifax
Surface:	34 km²
Founding:	19th June 2013

The Sable Island National Park ( English Sable Island National Park Reserve , French Réserve de parc national du Canada de l'Île-de-Sable ) is a Canadian national park in the province of Nova Scotia that was inaugurated in June 2013 as the 43rd . It is managed by Parks Canada and is located on Sable Island , about 300 kilometers southeast of Halifax in the Atlantic . Unlike most other Canadian national parks, it has the addition of reserve . It arises from other rights of use for the local indigenous peoples .

The current English name of the island goes back to the French l'île de Sable , in German sand island .

protection

The island is protected, among other things, by the Canada Shipping Act, which means that visitors need a permit from the Canadian Coast Guard to visit the island. Access to the island and the national park is not free. The landing permits for a helicopter or seaplane cost between 200 and 500 C $ and an overnight stay of 300 C $. The establishment of the park resulted in the fact that within a radius of one nautical mile searches for oil or natural gas are prohibited.

history

The written history of the island goes back to the 16th century. The island's location in an important shipping route in 1801 meant that a life-saving station was set up on the island and later expanded. The station was not given up until 1958. In 1873 the first lighthouse was built on the island. Some of the buildings from that time are still in use today and house facilities of the National Park and the Meteorological Service of Canada .

Flora and fauna

The island lacks trees. Instead, it is covered with beach grass and other low-growing vegetation. To reduce soil erosion, the federal government of Canada planted over 80,000 trees in 1901. None of the trees could hold and all died. Only one pine survived from a subsequent planting in 1960. Although already 50 years old, it is only a few meters high.

The island is now home to around 400 Sable Island ponies . They have been under protection since 1961. There are also several large breeding colonies on the island. Among other things, the arctic tern and the sparrow species Ipswich sparrow can be found there . Many other species are resident here, breed or use the island as a resting place on their migration.

The island is also home to harbor seals and West Atlantic gray seals . They also give birth to offspring here in spring. Seals and seals are hunted by the Greenland Shark .

Web links

• Side of the park on Parks Canada (English).

Individual evidence

1. ^ Sable Island Protected Forever as Canada's 43rd National Park. Parks Canada , June 28, 2013, accessed July 1, 2013 .