Scientists come to defence of Sable Island

Ottawa Citizen, November 24, 2004

Twenty-four Canadian scientists have written to Environment Minister Stéphane Dion and Fisheries Minister Geoff Regan, describing the rumoured closing of the federal government’s Sable Island Station as “a grave and irreversible mistake.”

The scientists include biologists, geologists and atmospheric researchers. A number of them have held positions in Environment Canada and Fisheries and Oceans and all support keeping a human presence on the remote Atlantic island.

Though he admitted he has been hearing about the closing of the station for the past few months, Mr. Regan said he was committed to maintaining the federal presence on Sable Island, 160 kilometres southeast of Halifax.

 “I agree with (the scientists) on the importance of the property from a research point of view,” says Mr. Regan.

He said he was uncertain whether Sable was the responsibility of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans since the lighthouses there were automated, but he said the Canadian Coast Guard continues to supply the island.

“To me, it is important that the government of Canada support this work, and I’m working toward that,” said Mr. Regan.

Mr. Dion was unavailable for comment.

The cost of operating the station is $1 million per year. That amount is partially covered through service fees for technical support provided by the station, as well as contributions from the government of Nova Scotia and the federal government. The annual deficit is approximately $500,000.

Zoë Lucas of the Sable Island Green Horse Society, a group of friends of Sable Island, helped put the scientists’ letter together.

Following a number of recent meetings with federal representatives, Ms. Lucas says Environment Canada and Fisheries and Oceans have indicated they will be unable to continue support of the station beyond March 2005.

“They haven’t made an outright statement that they’re closing the station,” says Ms. Lucas, “but it’s one of the options they’re looking at.”

Thomas J. Duck, professor in the department of physics and atmospheric science at Dalhousie University, said he is concerned that more than 100 years of atmospheric measurements at Sable will be compromised.

“Long-term data sets like this are very important for doing studies on climate change,” says Mr. Duck. “The global warming record is seen very well in the Sable data.

“Nova Scotia is often called the tailpipe of North America. The reason for this is the prevailing winds pick up a lot of pollution from the industrial centres and it goes right over Sable Island,” says Mr. Duck.

In terms of having researchers remain on the island to monitor these measurements, Mr. Duck adds: “it’s been pointed out by my colleague (and fellow letter author) Dr. Bill Freedman, ‘the first rule of environmental stewardship is to have people on the ground.’ ”

Wild horses drink at waterholes on the south beach of Sable Island. The horses’ island habitat is a unique fragment of Canadian geography and history. A federal proposal to close the Sable Island Station threatens continued conservation and protection of the horses.

A Sable Island foal rests among the unique island’s sand dunes.