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. Contrary to popular perception 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 amongst varied other native wildlife. 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 has a natural reserve called the Owl Woods.
Amherst 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 Jeffery 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 warm moderate summers and cold brisk winters.
Steady lake winds, especially in winter, make the island an ideal location for wind turbines. Several companies have expressed an interest in developing wind farms on the island, and several local residents have already signed leases for turbines sited on their land.[3] Several groups of residents have form as a result of the proposed development. There are groups that support the development and groups who are opposed to the development.
Amherst Island is internationally known as an Important Bird Area and a key migratory location for birds; this fact has caused some concern for those wary of the proposed industrial wind turbine project slated to be built on the island.
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.
- ^ www.thestar.com
[edit] External links
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