Amherst Island
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Lake Ontario |
| Coordinates | 44°08′38″N 76°43′18″W / 44.1438°N 76.7216°WCoordinates: 44°08′38″N 76°43′18″W / 44.1438°N 76.7216°W |
| Area | 70 km2 (27 sq mi) |
| Length | 16.5 km (10.25 mi) |
| Width | 7 km (4.3 mi) |
| Country | |
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Canada
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| Province |  Ontario |
| County | Lennox and Addington |
| Township | Loyalist township |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 450 |
Amherst Island is located in Lake Ontario, 10 kilometers west of Kingston, Ontario, and is approximately 70 km² in size, measuring 16.5 km long and 7 km at its widest. It is not[1] one of the Thousand Islands.[2] The island is part of Loyalist Township in Lennox and Addington County. The two main communities on the island are Stella and Emerald.
The island is accessible from the mainland only by water or air. A ferry service, carrying cars and people, connects the village of Stella on the island with Millhaven on the mainland. The ferry, M/V Frontenac II, runs 365 days a year, with the trip across taking about 15 minutes. The ferry service is run by Loyalist Township.
The resident population of about 450 people doubles during the summer months. The island is also home to approximately 500 white-tailed deer. In the winter, Snowy Owls regularly visit the island. The island is home to Long-eared Owls and Great Horned Owls in summer.
The island was known by the French as Isle Tonti, after Henri de Tonty, who accompanied La Salle during his explorations. The island was later settled by United Empire Loyalists and renamed Amherst Island in 1792 in honour of Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, who was commander-in-chief of British forces in North America.
The island is noted for farming, particularly of sheep of which there are several thousand on the island. Its roads have little automobile traffic making it an excellent locale for cycling especially on its gravel and dirt roads that hug the shores of Lake Ontario. The island has a natural reserve called the Owl Woods.
The island has warm moderate summers and cold brisk winters.
A few island residents (about 16 families) have signed leases with Algonquin Power to allow industrial wind turbines (32-36 in number) to be built on their land.[2] The Association to Protect Amherst Island (APAI) APAI, a group of 200+ residents and landowners is opposed to development of an industrial wind complex on Amherst Island for a number of reasons.
Amherst Island is internationally known as an Important Bird Area (IBA) and a key migratory location for birds. Those opposed to the experimentally tall (526 foot) turbines, with over a 2-acre blade sweep, are concerned about the migratory, endangered, threatened and at-risk species that frequent Amherst Island. The bird and bat kill from an industrial wind complex on neighboring Wolfe Island is the highest in Canada and the second highest in North America. Those concerned want to prevent that kind slaughter on Amherst Island.
Amherst Island was not listed as one of the 60 sites recommended sites for wind development in Ontario in the March, 2006 Ontario Power Authority's report "Analysis of Future Wind Farm Development in Ontario".
Another major concern of Amherst Island residents is the setback of the wind turbines and the potential health risks. The Province of Ontario has legislated 550m setback from the center of one’s home (not property line) to the center of the wind turbine. Many European countries and Australian states and territories have at least 2 km setbacks.
In January 2012 the Ontario Federation of Agriculture asked the Ontario government to put a moratorium on all wind turbine projects until health effects and other issues have been properly assessed.
A small percentage of landowners see the wind project as a positive for the Island and have formed Citizens of Amherst Island for Renewable Energy (CAIRE). Many of those in this group are in line to benefit financially from the project.
A community radio station, CJAI-FM, began broadcasting April 2006 and is now on 92.1FM. It is a 100% volunteer operated station, and is concerned with the preservation of the Island way of life, accurate and timely information reporting, and the promotion of Canadian musical talent. On Saturdays and Sundays during the day, 100% Canadian content music is played, and over 66% is played during the week.
Notable native-born islanders include Harry Raymond Fleming, (1892–1942) Member of Parliament for Humboldt (Saskatchewan).
[edit] References
- ^ FIELD TRIP GUIDE: GEOLOGY OF THE KINGSTON AREA 80th Meeting of Eastern Section of the Seismological Society of America at Queen’s University, Kingston ON Canada, October 5, 2008
- ^ White, James (1910) Place-Names in the Thousand Islands. Government Printing Bureau.
[edit] External links
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