Dab solver - Sable Island

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{{Distinguish2|the following: [[Cape Sable Island]] in southwestern Nova Scotia; [[...|île de Sable]] (Sandy Island), New Caledonia; [[Cape Sable]], Florida; }}
{{Coord|43|57|00|N|59|54|57|W|scale:500000|display=title}}
<!-- Infobox begins -->
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name = Sable Island
|other_name = île de Sable

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{{Distinguish2|the following: [[Cape Sable Island]] in southwestern Nova Scotia; [[Sandy Island (New Caledonia)|île de Sable]] (Sandy Island), New Caledonia; [[Cape Sable]], Florida; <<link:0>>}}
{{Coord|43|57|00|N|59|54|57|W|scale:500000|display=title}}

{{Infobox settlement
|official_name          = Sable Island
|other_name             = ''île de Sable''
|native_name            = 
|settlement_type        = Station 
|image_skyline          = sable island.jpg
|imagesize              = 250px
|image_caption          = Island from [[Space Shuttle]], April 1994. Oriented clockwise through 225 degrees, i.e., north is in the lower left corner.
|coordinates_region     = CA-NS
|subdivision_type       = Country
|subdivision_name       = {{CAN}}
|subdivision_type1      = Province
|subdivision_name1      = {{NS}}
|subdivision_type2      = Municipality
|subdivision_name2      = [[Halifax Regional Municipality]]
|subdivision_type4      = District
|subdivision_name4      = 13
|established_title      = Founded
|established_date       = 1521
|area_footnotes         = (Island)
|area_land_km2          = 34 
|population_as_of               = 2008
|population_total               = 5
|population_density_km2         = 0.14
|timezone               = [[Atlantic Standard Time|AST]]
|utc_offset             = -4
|timezone_DST           = ADT
|utc_offset_DST         = -3
|latd= 43|latm= 57|lats=0 |latNS= N
|longd= 59|longm= 54|longs= 57|longEW= W
|blank_name             = [[Geographical Names Board of Canada|GNBC]] Code
|blank_info             = CBRQR
}}

'''Sable Island''' (French: ''île de Sable'') is a small island situated {{convert|300|km}} southeast of [[Halifax Regional Municipality|Halifax]], [[Nova Scotia]], and about {{convert|175|km}} southeast of the closest point of mainland [[Nova Scotia]] in the Atlantic Ocean. It is a year-round home to approximately five people, with summer numbers swelled by tourists, scientists, and others. Notable for its [[Sable Island horse|feral horses]], the island is protected under the Canada Shipping Act, requiring permission from the [[Canadian Coast Guard]] to visit. Sable Island is part of District 13 of the [[Halifax Regional Municipality]] in [[Nova Scotia]]. The island is also a protected [[Sable Island National Park Reserve|National Park Reserve of Canada]].

==History==

===Early History===
The expedition of Portuguese explorer [[João Álvares Fagundes]] explored this region in 1520–1521 and were among the first Europeans to encounter the island. It is likely that he named the island "Fagunda" after himself,<ref name=sablefriends>[http://sableislandfriends.ca/?p=148 A Brief History of Sable Island]</ref> but the identification of Sable Island with Fagunda is not certain.<ref name="dcb">"[http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=211 FAGUNDES, JOÃO ALVARES]". [[Dictionary of Canadian Biography]]</ref> A brief attempt at French colonization at the end of the 16th century using convicts failed. The island was inhabited sporadically by sealers, shipwreck survivors, and salvagers known as [[Wrecking (shipwreck)|"wreckers"]].

===The Nova Scotia Rescue Station===
A life-saving station was established on Sable Island by the Governor of Nova Scotia, [[Sir John Wentworth, 1st Baronet|John Wentworth]], in 1801. The rescue station began the continuous human presence on the island which continues today. Wentworth appointed James Morris, a Nova Scotian veteran of the British [[Royal Navy]] as the first superintendent of the island. Morris settled on the island in October 1801 with his family. By the time Morris died on the island in 1809, he had built up the humanitarian settlement to include a central station, two rescue boat stations, several lookout posts and survivor shelters.<ref>[http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=2567&terms=death "James Morris", ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography'']</ref> The station's rescue equipment was upgraded in 1854 with the latest generation of self-bailing lifeboats and life cars through the fundraising efforts of social reformer [[Dorothea Dix]] who had visited the island in the previous year.<ref>[http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/eng/CCG/USQUE_Dorothea_Dix Thomas E. Appleton, "Dorothea Dix", ''USQUE AD MARE A History of the Canadian Coast Guard and Marine Services'' ]</ref>

===Post Confederation===
The Canadian government took over administration of the station with [[Canadian Confederation|Confederation]] in 1867 and added two lighthouses in 1872, [[Sable Island East End Light]] on the eastern tip and [[Sable Island West End Light]] on the western end.<ref>E.H. Rip Irwin. ''Lighthouses and Lights of Nova Scotia'', Nimbus Press, pages 100-102</ref> Until the advent of modern ship navigation, Sable Island was home to the families of the life-saving crews and the lighthouse keepers. In the early 20th century, the [[Marconi Company]] established a wireless station on the island and the Canadian government similarly established a weather station. Several generations of island staff were born and raised families of their own on the island, although a decline in shipwrecks gradually reduced the size of the lifesaving community. Only two people have been born on Sable Island since 1920.<ref>[http://www.capebretonpost.com/index.cfm?sid=184900&sc=145 Sable Island Native Returns Home (Cape Breton Post (30 Oct 2008)]</ref>

===Decline of Shipwrecks, Rise of Science===
Improvements in navigation led to a dramatic drop in shipwrecks by the mid 20th century. The rescue station on Sable was reduced and eventually closed in 1958. The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) first automated and eventually decommissioned the light stations. However during this period, the island's role in science grew, first in weather research. The Canadian government expanded the collection of weather data originally started by the rescue station into a full meteorological station operated by Environment Canada and [[Department of Fisheries and Oceans]]. The station conducts routine atmospheric and meteorological studies from a permanently occupied station on Sable Island because of its unique isolated geographic position down-wind from the North American mainland. In addition to weather studies, research on the island expanded to a range of ecological and wildlife studies due to its unique position in the Atlantic.

Sable Island is specifically mentioned in the [[British North America Act 1867]], Part 4, Section 91 as being the special responsibility of the [[government of Canada|federal government]] ("...the exclusive Legislative Authority of the Parliament of Canada extends to [...] 9. Beacons, Buoys, Lighthouses, and Sable Island."). For this reason it is considered a separate [[amateur radio]] "entity" (equivalent to a country for award credit), and with visiting operations using the special [[callsign]] prefix CY0.

Out of concern for preserving the island's frail ecology, as well as sovereignty purposes, all visitors to the island, including recreational boaters, require specific permission from CCG. The [[Canadian Forces]] continuously patrol the area using aircraft and naval vessels, partly due to the nearby presence of natural gas and oil drilling rigs and an undersea pipeline. Sable Island's heliport contains emergency aviation fuel for search and rescue helicopters, which use the island to stage further offshore into the Atlantic. Should the need arise, the island serves as an emergency evacuation point for crews aboard nearby drilling rigs of the [[Sable Offshore Energy Project]].

===National Park===
On October 17, 2011,<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2011/10/17/ns-sable-island-national-park.html Sable Island named national park]</ref> the Nova Scotia government reached a deal with the Federal Government to make Sable Island a [[National parks of Canada|national park]].<ref>[http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/atlantic/the-graveyard-of-the-atlantic-reborn/article1572119/ The 'Graveyard of the Atlantic’ – reborn ]</ref> The news followed an announcement made by the Canadian federal government in May 2010 increasing the level of protection the island receives by transferring governmental control from the Canadian Coast Guard to [[Parks Canada]].<ref>[http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/79892-parks-canada-takes-control-sable-island-today Parks Canada Takes Control of Sable Island Today (The Chronicle Herald, April 1, 2012)]</ref>

==Geography==
[[Image:SableIsland1.jpg|thumb|left|Sable Island from the northwest]]
Sable Island is a narrow, crescent-shaped [[sandbar]] with a surface area of about {{convert|34|km2}}. Despite being nearly {{convert|42|km}} long, it is only {{convert|1.5|km}} across at its widest point. It emerges from vast shoals and shallows on the continental shelf, which, in tandem with the area's frequent fog and sudden strong storms including hurricanes and [[nor'easter]]s, have caused over 350 recorded shipwrecks. It is often referred to as ''the Graveyard of the Atlantic'',<ref>[http://www.mysteriesofcanada.com/Nova_Scotia/sable_island.htm “Sable Island: Graveyard of the Atlantic”, ''Mysteries of Canada'']</ref> as it sits astride the [[great circle]] route from North America's east coast to Europe. The nearest landfall is {{convert|160|km}} to the northwest near [[Canso, Nova Scotia|Canso]], Nova Scotia.

Sable Island is believed to have formed from a [[terminal moraine]] deposited on the continental shelf near the end of the last Ice Age. It is both slowly moving as waves erode the western shore and new sand is added on the eastern shore and continually changing shape through the effects of strong winds and violent ocean storms. The island has several freshwater ponds on the south side between the station and west light and a [[brackish]] lake named Lake Wallace near its centre.

The island is a part of the [[Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia|Halifax Regional Municipality]], the [[Halifax (electoral district)|federal electoral district of Halifax]], and the provincial electoral district of [[Halifax Citadel]], although the urban area of Halifax proper is some 300&nbsp;km or 190&nbsp;mi away on the Nova Scotian mainland.

===Climate===
Sable Island's climate can be classified as either [[Oceanic climate|oceanic]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Cfb'') or [[Humid continental climate|humid continental]] (Köppen ''[[Humid continental climate#Dfb/Dwb/Dsb: Warm summer subtype|Dfb]]''). There are frequent heavy fogs in the area due to the contrasting effects of the cold [[Labrador Current]] and the warm [[Gulf Stream]]: on average there are 127 days out of the year that have at least 1 hour of fog. During the winter, Sable Island has the warmest temperatures in Canada apart from the Pacific coast, and can have the warmest temperatures in the country on some occasions due to the influence of the Gulf Stream. Summers are among the coolest in southern Canada though. It is also the most hurricane-prone part of Canada, also due to the Gulf Stream, and is the only place where [[SSHS|Category 3]] hurricane-force winds are likely in all of Canada.
{{Weather box
|location = Sable Island
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|Jan maximum humidex = 15.2
|Feb maximum humidex = 11.7
|Mar maximum humidex = 13.7
|Apr maximum humidex = 15
|May maximum humidex = 20
|Jun maximum humidex = 25.3
|Jul maximum humidex = 32.8
|Aug maximum humidex = 35.3
|Sep maximum humidex = 33.9
|Oct maximum humidex = 30.7
|Nov maximum humidex = 22.3
|Dec maximum humidex = 17.2
|year maximum humidex = 35.3
|Jan record high C = 14.5
|Feb record high C = 12.8
|Mar record high C = 13.7
|Apr record high C = 13.9
|May record high C = 17.8
|Jun record high C = 21.7
|Jul record high C = 29.6
|Aug record high C = 27.8
|Sep record high C = 27
|Oct record high C = 22.8
|Nov record high C = 18.9
|Dec record high C = 15.6
|year record high C = 29.6
|Jan high C = 2.8
|Feb high C = 1.6
|Mar high C = 3.4
|Apr high C = 6.2
|May high C = 9.8
|Jun high C = 14
|Jul high C = 18.4
|Aug high C = 20.6
|Sep high C = 18.4
|Oct high C = 14.1
|Nov high C = 9.6
|Dec high C = 5.3
|year high C = 10.3
|Jan mean C = &minus;0.3
|Feb mean C = &minus;1.4
|Mar mean C = 0.7
|Apr mean C = 3.8
|May mean C = 7.2
|Jun mean C = 11.2
|Jul mean C = 15.7
|Aug mean C = 17.8
|Sep mean C = 15.7
|Oct mean C = 11.4
|Nov mean C = 7
|Dec mean C = 2.2
|year mean C = 7.6
|Jan low C = &minus;3.5
|Feb low C = &minus;4.3
|Mar low C = &minus;2.1
|Apr low C = 1.2
|May low C = 4.6
|Jun low C = 8.4
|Jul low C = 12.9
|Aug low C = 14.9
|Sep low C = 12.9
|Oct low C = 8.8
|Nov low C = 4.3
|Dec low C = &minus;0.9
|year low C = 4.8
|Jan record low C = &minus;19.4
|Feb record low C = &minus;18.3
|Mar record low C = &minus;13.6
|Apr record low C = &minus;8.9
|May record low C = &minus;8.3
|Jun record low C = 0.6
|Jul record low C = 3
|Aug record low C = 4.4
|Sep record low C = 0.6
|Oct record low C = &minus;1.2
|Nov record low C = &minus;7.8
|Dec record low C = &minus;16.7
|year record low C = &minus;19.4
|Jan chill = &minus;29.6
|Feb chill = &minus;33
|Mar chill = &minus;24.4
|Apr chill = &minus;20.4
|May chill = &minus;8.7
|Jun chill = &minus;2.5
|Jul chill = 3
|Aug chill = 5.2
|Sep chill = 0.3
|Oct chill = &minus;5.1
|Nov chill = &minus;13.8
|Dec chill = &minus;25.7
|year chill = &minus;33
|precipitation colour=green
|Jan precipitation mm = 146.4
|Feb precipitation mm = 110.9
|Mar precipitation mm = 124
|Apr precipitation mm = 107.1
|May precipitation mm = 99.9
|Jun precipitation mm = 117.3
|Jul precipitation mm = 95.2
|Aug precipitation mm = 106.8
|Sep precipitation mm = 119
|Oct precipitation mm = 140.3
|Nov precipitation mm = 147
|Dec precipitation mm = 145.3
|rain colour=green
|Jan rain mm = 113.3
|Feb rain mm = 82.8
|Mar rain mm = 102.9
|Apr rain mm = 99.9
|May rain mm = 99.5
|Jun rain mm = 117.3
|Jul rain mm = 95.2
|Aug rain mm = 106.8
|Sep rain mm = 119
|Oct rain mm = 140.3
|Nov rain mm = 142.8
|Dec rain mm = 124
|Jan snow cm = 32.9
|Feb snow cm = 27.9
|Mar snow cm = 20.2
|Apr snow cm = 7.1
|May snow cm = 0.4
|Jun snow cm = 0
|Jul snow cm = 0
|Aug snow cm = 0
|Sep snow cm = 0
|Oct snow cm = 0
|Nov snow cm = 3.8
|Dec snow cm = 18.9
|Jan precipitation days = 20.6
|Feb precipitation days = 17
|Mar precipitation days = 17
|Apr precipitation days = 15.4
|May precipitation days = 14.2
|Jun precipitation days = 13.4
|Jul precipitation days = 12.8
|Aug precipitation days = 11.6
|Sep precipitation days = 12.6
|Oct precipitation days = 15.5
|Nov precipitation days = 18.6
|Dec precipitation days = 19.8
|unit precipitation days = 0.2 mm
|Jan rain days = 11.9
|Feb rain days = 9.2
|Mar rain days = 12.6
|Apr rain days = 14.4
|May rain days = 14.2
|Jun rain days = 13.4
|Jul rain days = 12.8
|Aug rain days = 11.5
|Sep rain days = 12.6
|Oct rain days = 15.5
|Nov rain days = 17.7
|Dec rain days = 15.3
|unit rain days = 0.2 mm
|Jan snow days = 11.7
|Feb snow days = 10.4
|Mar snow days = 7.1
|Apr snow days = 2.4
|May snow days = 0.24
|Jun snow days = 0
|Jul snow days = 0
|Aug snow days = 0
|Sep snow days = 0
|Oct snow days = 0.04
|Nov snow days = 2.3
|Dec snow days = 8.7
|unit snow days = 0.2 cm
|Jan sun = 59.7
|Feb sun = 76.5
|Mar sun = 115.4
|Apr sun = 134
|May sun = 165.6
|Jun sun = 179
|Jul sun = 191.1
|Aug sun = 192.1
|Sep sun = 168.2
|Oct sun = 127.4
|Nov sun = 76.9
|Dec sun = 59.7
|source 1 = [[Environment Canada]]<ref name="climate">[[Environment Canada]]
[http://climate.weatheroffice.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_e.html?stnID=6454&lang=e&dCode=0&province=NS&provBut=&month1=0&month2=12 Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000]. Retrieved 10 July 2010.</ref>
|date=August 2010
}}

Sable Island lies in Agriculture Canada's zone 5b for plant hardiness.<ref>[http://atlas.agr.gc.ca/agmaf/index_eng.html#context=phz-zrp_en Plant Hardiness Zones of Canada]</ref>

==Vegetation and wildlife==
[[Image:SableHorses.jpg|thumb|left|[[Sable Island Pony|
Sable Island Ponies]]]]

Sable Island derived its name from the [[French language|French]] word for "sand". It lacks natural trees, being covered instead with [[marram grass]] and other low-growing vegetation. In 1901, the federal government planted over 80,000 trees in an attempt to stabilize the soil; all died. Subsequent plantings resulted in the survival of a single Scots pine.  Although planted in the 1960s, it is only a few feet tall.<ref>[http://www.greenhorsesociety.com/Seasons/Fall/fall_colours.htm Green Horse Society - Fall Colours on Sable Island]{{dead link|date=May 2013}}</ref>

The island is home to over 400 free-roaming [[Sable Island horse|horses]],  protected by law from human interference. This [[feral horse]] population is likely descended from horses confiscated from [[Acadian]]s during the [[Great Expulsion]] and left on the island by [[Thomas Hancock (merchant)|Thomas Hancock]], Boston merchant and uncle of [[John Hancock]].<ref>[http://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/205/301/ic/cdc/sableisland/english_en/nature_na/horses_ho/horses-came_ho.htm "Free as the Wind: How the Horses Came to Sable Island", ''Sable Island: A story of Survival'' website Nova Scotia Museum]</ref> In the past, excess horses were rounded up, shipped off the island, and sold, many used in coal mines on [[Cape Breton Island]], Nova Scotia.  In 1960 the Canadian Government gave the horse population full protection from human interference.

[[Image:SableHorses2.jpg|thumb|right|Sable Island Pony and foal]]
[[Common Seal|Harbour]] and [[Grey seal]]s breed on the island's shores. Seal counts from the 1960s for the grey seal population estimated 200–300 pups born at that time on the island, but surveys from as recent as 2003–2004 estimated the number of pups born in that season at 50,000.<ref>[http://www.greenhorsesociety.com/Seals/Seal_Survey.htm Sable Island: Photographic Survey of Grey Seal Pups (Feb 2004)]</ref> The seals are occasionally predated by the various shark species that inhabit the waters nearby. Unusual 'corkscrew' bite wounds on dead seals suggest that the [[Greenland shark]] is probably responsible for most attacks here.<ref>[http://www.greenhorsesociety.com/sharks/shark_predation.htm Shark Predation on Sable Island Seals (July 2008)]</ref> The [[Great White Shark]] is also present.

Several large bird colonies are resident, including the [[Arctic tern]] and Ipswich sparrow, a subspecies of the [[Savannah Sparrow]] which breeds only on the Island. Many other species are resident, migratory, or transient, blown out to sea in storms and returned to land out of their natural range.

It was formerly believed the freshwater sponge ''Heteromeyenia macouni'' was found only in ponds on the island. However, it is now considered to be the same species as ''[[Racekiela ryderi]]'', found elsewhere.<ref>van Soest, R. (2010). ''Heteromeyenia macouni'' MacKay, 1900. In: Van Soest, R.W.M, Boury-Esnault, N., Hooper, J.N.A., Rützler, K, de Voogd, N.J., Alvarez de Glasby, B., Hajdu, E., Pisera, A.B., Manconi, R., Schoenberg, C., Janussen, D., Tabachnick, K.R., Klautau, M., Picton, B., Kelly, M. (2010) World Porifera database. Accessed through: Van Soest, R.W.M, Boury-Esnault, N., Hooper, J.N.A., Rützler, K, de Voogd, N.J., Alvarez de Glasby, B., Hajdu, E., Pisera, A.B., Manconi, R., Schoenberg, C., Janussen, D., Tabachnick, K.R., Klautau, M., Picton, B., Kelly, M. (2010) World Porifera database at http://www.marinespecies.org/porifera/porifera.php?p=taxdetails&id=191570 on 2011-01-01</ref>

==Shipwrecks==
Sable Island is famous for its large number of shipwrecks. An estimated 350 vessels are believed to have fallen victim to the island's sand bars. Thick fogs, treacherous currents, and the island's location in the middle of a major transatlantic shipping route and rich fishing grounds account for the large number of wrecks. The first recorded wreck was the English ship ''Delight'' in 1583, part of [[Humphrey Gilbert]]'s [[Newfoundland and Labrador|Newfoundland]] expedition.<ref>[http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mma/wrecks/wrecks/shipwrecks.asp?ID=1133 "Delight-1583", Nova Scotia Museum On the Rocks Marine Heritage Database]</ref>  It is likely that the construction of lighthouses on each end of the island in 1873 contributed to the decrease in shipwrecks. 
The last major shipwreck was the steamship ''Manhasset'' in 1947. Her crew were all saved, the last significant rescue of the Sable lifesaving station.<ref>[http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mma/wrecks/wrecks/shipwrecks.asp?ID=3052 "Manhasset-1947", Nova Scotia Museum On the Rocks Marine Heritage Database]</ref> No further wrecks occurred until 1999 when the three crew members of the yacht ''Merrimac'' survived after their sloop ran aground due to a navigational error.<ref name="autogenerated1">[http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mma/AtoZ/Sable.html Maritime Museum of the Atlantic Sable Island Shipwreck & Lifesaving Web Page]</ref>  
Few of the wrecks surrounding the island are visible, as they are usually crushed and buried by the sand.<ref name="lac-bacic">[http://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/205/301/ic/cdc/sableisland/english_en/history_hi/graveyard_gr/treasures_gr.htm “Sable Island Graveyard of the Atlantic” Digital Collection, Industry Canada]</ref>

After the [[1991 Perfect Storm]], the commercial fishing vessel ''[[Andrea Gail]]''{{'}}s emergency position-indicating radio beacon ([[EPIRB]]) was discovered on the shore of Sable Island on November 6, 1991, nine days after the last transmission from the crew. Other items found were fuel drums, a fuel tank, an empty life raft, and some other [[flotsam]]. All crew members perished and were never found.

==Sable Island Station==
[[Image:SableStation.jpg|thumb|Sable Island station]]

The Sable Island Station, managed and staffed by Environment Canada, is the only permanently staffed facility on the Island. Climatological record-keeping on Sable Island began in 1871 with the establishment of the [[Meteorological Service of Canada]], and has been continuous since 1891.

Sable Island is the subject of extensive scientific research. A wide range of manual and automated instruments are used at the Station, including the [[Automated airport weather station|Automated Weather Observing System]] operated by the Meteorological Service of Canada, an [[Atmospheric sciences|aerology]] program measuring conditions in the upper atmosphere using a [[radiosonde]] carried aloft by a hydrogen-filled weather balloon to altitudes beyond {{convert|40|km|abbr=on}}, and a program collecting data on background levels of [[carbon dioxide]], which began there in 1974. Research is done to monitor the long-range transport of pollution aerosols. Fog chemistry is studied, examining the transport and composition of atmospheric toxins it carries. [[Tropospheric]] ozone is measured and analyzed by researchers in Canada and the United States along with 20 other North American sites.

[[Image:Aircraft on Sable Island.jpg|thumb|left|[[Britten-Norman Islander]] being unloaded on the beach at Sable Island]]
The installation of the BGS Magnetic Observatory on Sable Island was funded as a joint venture between the British Geological Survey, Sperry-Sun Drilling Services, and Sable Offshore Energy. The data it collects aid scientific research into rates of change of the Earth's magnetic field and increase the accuracy of the BGS Global Geomagnetic Model. Data from the geomagnetic observatory is used by the offshore energy industry for precise positioning activities such as [[directional drilling]].

Supplies are delivered to the Sable Island Station approximately twice a month by [[Maritime Air Charter]].  Although the island has a heliport, there is no runway for fixed wing aircraft, which land instead on south beach in an area designated as the [[Sable Island Aerodrome]].<ref>{{CFS}}</ref> Prior permission is required to land, as the area is often unusable due to changing sand conditions.

In the 2006 [[Canadian federal election, 2006|Canadian federal election]] media coverage, the [[Canadian Press]] reported a 100% voter turnout for Sable Island, with ballots from all six permanent residents retrieved by Coast Guard helicopter.{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}
{{-}}

==Sable Island in popular culture==
The unique landscape, history of shipwrecks, and wildlife, especially horses, have made Sable Island an iconic place in Atlantic Canada and attracted considerable international following.

===In non-fiction===
Shipwreck survivors published early survival narratives about their experiences at Sable Island, beginning with the sinking of the ''Delight'' in 1583.<ref>Rainer K. Baehre “The Casting Away of the Delight” in ''Outrageous Seas: Shipwreck and Survival in the Waters off Newfoundland, 1583-1893'' McGill-Queens Press (1999), p. 12</ref> The first formal history of the island, ''Sable Island: its History and Phenomena'', was written in 1894 by George Patterson. Many other histories of the island and its shipwrecks have been published since, such as Lyall Campbell's two books - ''Sable Island, Fatal and Fertile Crescent'' in 1974 and ''Sable Island Shipwrecks: Disaster and Survival at the North Atlantic Graveyard'' in 1994 - and more recently, ''A Dune Adrift: The Strange Origins and Curious History of Sable Island'', written in 2004 by [[Marq de Villiers]].

===In fiction===
The island has also inspired works of fiction beginning in 1802 when Nova Scotia author [[Thomas Chandler Haliburton]] published "The Sable Island Ghost", a story about a ghostly woman inspired by the loss of the brig ''Francis'' in 1798. His story helped raise support for the establishment of a rescue station on the island.<ref>Gail Anne McNeil, "Sable Island, the Graveyard of the Atlantic", in ''Disasters at Sea'', Tony Cranston (1986), p. 119.</ref> Canadian writer [[James MacDonald Oxley]] wrote a youth novel ''The Wreckers of Sable Island'' in 1897. [[Frank Parker Day]]'s 1928 novel ''[[Rockbound]]'' features a vivid depiction of the sinking of the [[schooner]] ''Sylvia Mosher'' during the [[1926 Atlantic hurricane season|1926 August Gales]] at Sable Island.<ref>Gwendolyn Davies, "Afterword", ''Rockbound'', University of Toronto Press (1989), p. 302</ref> One of the island's most notable temporary residents was Nova Scotian author [[Thomas H. Raddall]], whose early experiences working at the wireless post there served as the inspiration for his 1950 novel ''The Nymph and the Lamp''.<ref>[http://www.library.dal.ca/archives/trela/letters/6allen23nov77.htm Dalhousie University Library - Thomas Raddall Selected Correspondence]</ref>

===In photography===
The dunes and horses of Sable Island have drawn many photographers. Among the first was [[Arthur Williams McCurdy]] who photographed the island, its horses and shipwrecks in 1898 for [[National Geographic (magazine)|''National Geographic'']] during a visit with [[Alexander Graham Bell]].<ref>[http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=8281 McCurdy, Arthur Williams ''Canadian Dictionary of Biography'' ]</ref>  In more recent times, Roberto Dutesco, a fashion photographer, began taking photos of Sable horses in 1994 and features this work in a permanent photo exhibition entitled "Wild Horses of Sable Island" at his gallery in New York. Nova Scotian photographer Paul Illsley's photographs of Sable Island horses inspired both a Canadian stamp and coin in 2005.

===In music===
In 1970 [[Stompin' Tom Connors]] published his song Sable Island in 1970's Stompin' Tom Meets Big Joe Mufferaw. Canadian folk singer [[Catherine McKinnon]] recorded a song arranged by Don Gillis also entitle "Sable Island" for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in 1975.

===In documentaries===
The island has been the subject of many Canadian documentaries by the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] and the [[National Film Board of Canada]], beginning with the 1956 NFB film ''Sable Island'' by Allan Wargon, the 2003 NFB documentary ''Moving Sands'' by Phillipe Baylaucq,<ref>[http://www.umanitoba.ca/cm/vol11/no11/movingsands.html "Moving Sands" ''CM Magazine'' Manitoba Library Association, (Feb. 4, 2005) Vol. XI, No. 11]</ref> and more recently, an episode of [[Land and Sea]].<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/landandsea/2013/06/sable-island.html Land and Sea - Sable Island]</ref> A number of international documentaries have also explored the island including the 2007 film "Ile de sable" made by Jean-Francois Ducrocq and Malek Sahraoui for [[France 3]], French public television.<ref>[http://www.bonnecompagnie.fr/catalogue/9/l.ile.de.sable.%28.hd.%29/ "Ile de sable" (2007)] bonne compagnie]</ref> In 2007, Matt Trecartin of Halifax directed ''Chasing Wild Horses'', a documentary about photographer Roberto Dutesco and his photography of the Sable Island horses.<ref>[http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/film/story/2008/09/17/horses-doc.html Chasing Wild Horses documents photographer's obsession]</ref>

===In other films===
Sable Island is briefly featured in the 2000 feature film [[The Perfect Storm (film)|''The Perfect Storm'']], which depicts the sinking of the fishing vessel ''[[Andrea Gail]]'' near Sable, although the island is erroneously portrayed with trees and a giant stone lighthouse. Sable Island was the intended setting for the 2002 film ''Touching Wild Horses'' starring [[Jane Seymour (actress)|Jane Seymour]]. Little attempt was made to mimic the natural landscape of Sable, with trees and rocks abounding in the background of most every scene.

===In exhibits===
A permanent exhibit about Sable Island is featured at the [[Maritime Museum of the Atlantic]] in Halifax, which includes two rescue boats from Sable and numerous name boards and [[figurehead]]s from Sable Island wrecks. A small exhibit about the [[Sable Island Pony|Sable Island Ponies]] is found at the [[Nova Scotia Museum]] of Natural History. The horses were featured in a 1994 exhibit at the Equine Museum of Japan in Yokohama.<ref>[http://www.greenhorsesociety.com/horses/horses.htm"Sable Island Horses", Green Horse Society]</ref>

==See also==
*[[Sable Island Aerodrome]]
*[[List of Canadian federal electoral districts]]
*[[Halifax Regional Municipality]]
*[[Nova Scotia]]

==References==
{{Reflist|33em}}

==Bibliography==
* ''A Dune Adrift: The Strange Origins and Curious History of Sable Island'', by [[Marq de Villiers]] and Sheila Hirtle, ISBN 0-7710-2642-0, McClelland & Stewart, August 2004
* ''Ethos of Voice in the Journal of James Rainstorpe Morris from the Sable Island Humane Station, 1801-1802'', by Rosalee Stilwell, ISBN 0-7734-7663-6, Edwin Mellen Press, January 2001
* ''Free as the Wind – Saving the Horses of Sable Island'', text by Jamie Bastedo, illustrations by Susan Tooke, Red Deer Press, 2007
* ''Sable Island'', by Bruce Armstrong, ISBN 0-385-13113-5, Doubleday, July 1981
* ''Sable Island Journals 1801-1804'', by James Rainstorpe Morris, ISBN 0-9689245-0-6
* ''Sable Island Shipwrecks: Disaster and Survival at the North Atlantic Graveyard'' by Lyall Campbell, Nimbus pub., ISBN 1-55109-096-1, December 2001
* ''Wild and Beautiful Sable Island'', Pat Keough et al., ISBN 0-9692557-3-X, Green Publishing, September 1993
* ''Wild Horses of Sable Island'', by Zoe Lucas, ISBN 0-919872-73-5, Firefly Books Ltd., August 1992

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.greenhorsesociety.com Sable Island Green Horse Society]
* [http://www.sableislandfriends.ca/ Friends of Sable Island Society] (formerly Sable Island Preservation Trust)
* [http://www.maritimeair.com/menuLink5.php Aircraft Charter to Sable Island]
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=44,-60&spn=0.11,0.18&t=h Sable Island - Satellite View - Google Maps]
* [http://www.collectionscanada.ca/sos/shipwrecks/index-e.html Tales of Tragedy and Triumph: Canadian Shipwrecks], a virtual museum exhibition at Library and Archives Canada
* [http://fortress.cbu.ca/search/NSHS1893-95.html Ships of War lost on the Coast of Nova Scotia and Sable Island, during the Eighteenth Century] (Note: the Major Elliott of the 43rd Regiment of Foot survived a 1760 shipwreck - see below) * [http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ShowBio.asp?BioId=35456&query= Major Robert Elliott - A Sable Island Shipwreck survivor]
* [http://agora.virtualmuseum.ca/edu/ViewLoitLo.do;jsessionid=404F14B33616D150F8CA728272711333?method=preview&id=7608&lang=EN Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History: Sable Island - An Island of Sand]
* [http://dutescoart.com/ The Wild Horses of Sable Island Gallery] (photos by Roberto Dutesco)
* [http://www.wildhorsesofsableisland.com/story.html Wild Horses of Sable Island Mobile Museum]
* [http://www.canlii.org/en/ca/laws/regu/crc-c-1465/latest/crc-c-1465.html Sable Island Regulations]

[[Category:Islands of Nova Scotia]]
[[Category:Maritime history of Canada]]
[[Category:Geography of the Halifax Regional Municipality]]
[[Category:Heliports in Canada]]
[[Category:Islands of the North Atlantic Ocean]]
[[Category:Protected areas of Nova Scotia]]

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