"Shifting Sands"
Sable Island Conference 2019
Saturday, November 9, 2019, 9am - 3pm
On Saturday November 9th, 2019, the Friends of Sable Island Society presented “Shifting Sands” – a day dedicated to the National Park Reserve (NPR) and the marine environment that surrounds and maintains the Island. This was the third in a series of conferences related to the appreciation and management of this surprising sandbar in the north Atlantic Ocean. The conference was open to all topics related to Sable Island NPR, Sable Island Bank, and Sable Gully and closed with an exciting gala dinner and fund-raiser celebrating the spirit of Sable Island.
The day featured 14 presentations on the themes of natural history/science, cultural history, visitor experience, and park management. Over 55 attendees learned something new about Sable Island during the formal presentations and enjoyed time to mingle with other friends of the island during the refreshment breaks. Feedback via written evaluation forms encouraged ongoing opportunities for open sharing across disciplines to deepen both knowledge and caring for Sable Island.
Sable Island Conference 2019 Abstracts
SI2019-A-1: 15 years of the Gully Marine Protected Area: modernizing one of Canada’s oldest MPAs – Emma Marotte and Catherine Schram
In the past year the Government of Canada has not only surpassed its Marine Conservation Targets of protecting 10% of marine and coastal areas, but
SI2019-A-2: Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink: Freshwater challenges on Sable Island. – Julia Cantelon BSc
Precariously positioned in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, the sand aquifer underlying Sable Island stores and releases freshwater that supports its unique ecosystem and park operations.
SI2019-A-3: Shifting Sands ’n Bugs: a 60 year tour of shifting sands, plus Sable’s rarest insects! – Dan Kehler
Part I: An overview of a research project aimed at understanding the past, current, and future change of the island. The first phase of this
SI2019-A-4: Examining potential and ideal aquatic biomonitoring protocols for freshwater ponds of Sable Island National Park Reserve – Frederica Jacks, BSc
Sable Island is a remote, sandy island located in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 180km off the eastern coast of mainland Nova Scotia. In 2013, this
SI2019-A-5: Demography and Behaviour of Ipswich Sparrows – Sydney Bliss
A key component of wildlife management is understanding the demographic parameters that drive population size. Determining these parameters for migratory species has important conservation implications.
SI2019-A-6: Sable Island: Humans, Harmony, and Wild Horses – Sandy Sharkey
Around the world, most wild horse populations are managed by mankind in one way or another. In the American southwest, wild horses on public lands are
SI2019-B-1: “All the Island is a Graveyard”; Archaeological and Historical Aspects of Sable Island National Park Reserve – Charles A. Burke MA
Parks Canada has undertaken several archaeological surveys of in situ archaeological resources on Sable Island National Park Reserve and has documented many sites associated with
SI2019-B-2: Hard Times of Sable Island: The Darby Controversy – Rebecca Wilson
Living and working on Sable Island is not for the faint of heart in modern times; can you imagine how it was in the 1850s?
SI2019-B-3: … /.. A Hundred Miles from Anywhere – Jill Martin
Jill Martin writes with authority about Sable Island. Her family connections to the island served as inspiration for her first novel, Return to Sable (2015)
SI2019-B-4: Sable Island 1945-1946 – Aubrey Dauphinee
In 1945, just after VE Day, a 17-year-old Aubrey Dauphinee quit his job at the Halifax Shipyards to work on Sable Island for 14 months.
SI2019-C-1: Adventure of a Lifetime! Why visiting Sable Island by ship is so rewarding – Ree Brennin Houston
Travelling to Sable Island by ship used to be the only way you could get there. Now, with other options, it may be the best
SI2019-C-2: The who & why of leisure travel to Sable Island NPR – Fred Stillman
Sable Island attracts different types of people with many different reasons for visiting. After bringing guests to the island national park 12 times over the
SI2019-C-3: My Experience on Sable Island – Natalie Freeman
In July 2019, I travelled to Sable Island after winning the 2019 Friends of Sable Island Scholarship. Since my big trip, I was interviewed by
SI2019-D-1: What’s the plan? Sable Island National Park Reserve Management Plan – Alannah Phillips, BBA, MBA
Parks Canada is pleased to share Sable Island National Park Reserve’s first management plan, which was published in September 2019. The plan was developed with
SI2019-E-1: Emerging groundwater issues on Sable Island and other small islands worldwide – Dalhousie Groundwater Lab
EXHIBIT: Coastal groundwater resources are stressed from changing conditions on land and in the sea. Small islands, like Sable Island, are particularly vulnerable to oceanic
