Thousand Islands National Park (established 1904), formerly known as the St. Lawrence Islands National Park, is a
Canadian National Park located on the 1000 Islands Parkway in the
Thousand Islands Region of the
Saint Lawrence River. The islands are actually the worn-down tops of ancient mountains. This region, the
Frontenac Axis, connects the
Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield (french: Bouclier canadien ), also called the Laurentian Plateau, is a geologic shield, a large area of exposed Precambrian igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks. It forms the North American Craton (or Laurentia), the anc ...
from
Algonquin Park in
Ontario to the
Adirondack Mountains in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
.
The park consists of 21 islands plus many smaller islets, 2 mainland properties and a visitor centre at
Mallorytown, Ontario
Front of Yonge is a township found in the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville in Ontario, Canada. It is the location of the Thousand Islands National Park and Brown's Bay Provincial Park, as well as a number of private campgrounds, the Jones C ...
on the mainland. It is one of
Canada's smallest national parks with a total area of .
Much of the park is only accessible by boat. Trail systems can be found on the mainland along the 1000 Islands Parkway at Mallorytown Landing, Jones Creek and Landon Bay. There are picnic, camping and
oTENTik facilities on several islands and at Mallorytown Landing. Mallorytown Landing is a day use area that offers a large parking, a boat ramp, several oTENTiks, picnic gazebos, play ground, animal exhibits, travelling exhibits, and interpreters.
The
Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve, in which the park is located, is known for being the most biodiverse region in Canada.
History
The first inhabitants of the park area are thought to have been hunting and fishing peoples who arrived following the
last glacial period approximately 10,000 years ago. Many artifacts have been found in the park, including a 2500-year-old pot that was found by a diver in 1979. Pictographs are still visible on some shoreline cliffs.
By the early 17th century, the
Iroquois people had put up large summer encampments on the riverbanks from which they fished the rich waters. Around this time the area began to be visited by French explorers,
fur traders, and missionaries following the St Lawrence river to seek their fortune in the new world. Following the
American Revolution at the end of the 18th century, European settlers began moving into the area and the traditional fishing encampments were displaced. A few Iroquois still returned to fish, but by the 1860s fish stocks were greatly depleted.
During the
War of 1812, the area of today's National Park was visited by both British and American warships. A British gunboat was sunk nearby and the preserved hull was raised in 1967. It now resides at the park.
Martello towers were built in the area to defend the British from American invasion. Inside the park, Cedar Island, a small island visible from downtown
Kingston, Ontario, is the site of a Martello tower named
Cathcart Tower.
The park was established in 1904, the first Canadian national park east of the Rocky Mountains. It was called ''St. Lawrence Islands National Park'' until 2013, when it was renamed to ''Thousand Islands National Park'' to reflect the natural area in the name.
In 1997, the park was named one of the national parks with the highest levels of ecological impairment.
Fauna
Animals that inhabit this national park are
coyote
The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecologica ...
s,
deer,
porcupine
Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two families of animals: the Old World porcupines of family Hystricidae, and the New World porcupines of family, Erethizont ...
s,
beaver
Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers ar ...
s,
fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
es,
skunk
Skunks are mammals in the family Mephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their anal glands. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or ginge ...
s,
raccoons,
turkey vultures,
rabbit
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit speci ...
s,
squirrel
Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...
s,
chickadees, and
weasels.
See also
*
National Parks of Canada
*
List of National Parks of Canada
*
List of Ontario parks
This is a list of protected areas of Ontario that are administered by Government of Ontario. Ontario Parks and the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks are the provincial bodies responsible for managing these protected areas.
...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thousand Islands
National parks in Ontario
Thousand Islands
Protected areas established in 1904
Protected areas of Leeds and Grenville United Counties