The items on this page are a collection of updates and reports on Sable-related events and activities, and short accounts about selected features of the island’s natural and human history, operations, and cultural life. Some predate the establishment of the Sable Island National Park Reserve in 2013, and of these a number were previously published in the website of the Friends of the Green Horse Society.
The items here are not organized by subject and/or by date of occurrence. They are presented in this page only in the order of publication (i.e., date of publication in this website). Some of the articles are “news”, while others provide some background details about people, projects, programs and operations both on and off the island—all slices of life and times of Sable Island.
Roll Clouds of Sable Island
A roll cloud is a rare, and often spectacular, meteorological phenomenon. Since 1976, there have been six reports of roll clouds passing over the island. The most recent was this summer, on July 9th.
Clean up of an old fuel cache at East Light in 2005
On Sable Island, the remains of old stations, communication towers and other activities, discontinued for many decades or longer, are exposed as wind scours sand away from previously buried infrastructure.
Visit Sable Island!
The Sable Island Institute hosted a raffle for a Trip for Two to the Sable Island National Park Reserve in mid-September 2019. The winning ticket was drawn on July 20th.
Sable In Words – Contest Winners, April 2019
All the submissions have been reviewed and the two winners selected. We are encouraged by both the number and quality of entries, and the interest and enthusiasm of everyone who sent in stories and essays.
A Tale of Two Gatehouses
The Institute is presently headquartered in a building with an intriguing history, the Gatekeeper’s Lodge in Point Pleasant Park, built in 1896 and modelled after Wycombe Lodge in Buckinghamshire, England.
An Artist on Sable Island – Roger Savage’s Field Trip, Autumn 2005
Roger works outdoors to capture the spontaneity of nature’s light and shadow. As fog rolls in or clouds blow over the landscape, patterns of light alter and shift, changing colours and reshaping landforms.
Beached on Sable Island, Artifacts with Missing Stories
Occasionally odd and interesting manmade items have washed ashore on Sable Island. The origin and/or purpose of most can be identified, but some are puzzling, such as miniature boats and wooden barrels.
First Morning of Spring 2019 on Sable Island
This year the spring equinox (also called the vernal equinox) occurred during early evening on March 20th. The first full day of spring for 2019, March 21st, dawned clear and cool on Sable Island.
Beach Monitoring Program, Sable Island, 2019
Shoreline surveys for marine litter, entangled seals, oiled seabirds, tar balls, and beached cetaceans can provide a wealth of information about environmental trends and the impacts of marine pollution.
The Sable Island Institute at Point Pleasant Park
The Gatekeeper’s Lodge was last used as the park superintendent’s residence in 1996. Since spring 2017, the house has been base of operations for the Institute during the first phase of its development.
Sable In Words – A Writing Contest for Youth Ages 12 – 14 Years
The Sable Island Institute invites children living in Nova Scotia to research a Sable Island topic of their choice and write 500-1000 words of creative prose. Entries must be submitted by March 15, 2019.
Salute to Sable Island, January 26-27, 2019
The 3rd Annual Salute to Sable Island, hosted by the White Point Beach Resort, will feature speakers from the Sable Island Institute, Parks Canada, and the arts community, with a focus on the Sable horses.
