Galop Island is an uninhabited island in the
Saint Lawrence River
The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connectin ...
located in
St. Lawrence County, northeast of
Ogdensburg,
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 ][ island is owned by the ]New York Power Authority
The New York Power Authority (NYPA), officially the Power Authority of the State of New York, is a New York State public-benefit corporation. It is the largest state public power utility in the United States. NYPA provides some of the lowest-co ...
and managed by the as the undeveloped Galop Island State Park.
Wildlife habitat
The island contains a mixture of shrubs, open areas and mature forests.bald eagle
The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...
s. A nearby area of the Saint Lawrence River, known as the Galop Island Pools, remains free of ice during the winter due to strong river currents and turbulence. The approximately of open water is utilized by eagles and other migratory birds as a winter food source. The availability of open water during the winter is limited within the region; only three other areas within the Saint Lawrence River remain similarly free of ice.[
Approximately of shallow bays along the river channel south of the island include spawning habitat for ]muskellunge
The muskellunge ''(Esox masquinongy)'', often shortened to muskie, musky or lunge is a species of large freshwater predatory fish native to North America. It is the largest member of the pike family, Esocidae.
Origin of name
The name "muskellun ...
, causing the area to be a regionally important sport fishing destination. The large, protected, shallow bays with variable water velocities found offshore from Galop Island are rare within the region. The bays additionally support migratory waterfowl during the spring and fall, and additional fish species, including brown bullhead
The brown bullhead (''Ameiurus nebulosus'') is a fish of the family Ictaluridae that is widely distributed in North America. It is a species of bullhead catfish and is similar to the black bullhead (''Ameiurus melas'') and yellow bullhead (''Ame ...
, smallmouth bass, and yellow perch
The yellow perch (''Perca flavescens''), commonly referred to as perch, striped perch, American perch, American river perch or preacher is a freshwater perciform fish native to much of North America. The yellow perch was described in 1814 by Samu ...
, are abundant.[
]
See also
*List of New York state parks
This is a list of state parks in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Also listed are state golf courses, seasonal hunting areas, and ''former'' state parks.
In New York, state parks are managed by the New York State Office of Parks, Re ...
References
Protected areas of St. Lawrence County, New York
Islands of New York (state)
Islands of St. Lawrence County, New York
Islands of the Saint Lawrence River
Uninhabited islands of New York (state)
River islands of New York (state)
Parks in St. Lawrence County, New York
State parks of New York (state)
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