Sunday, October 27, 2013

The beginning

                                            Sable Island.


A tiny island, off the coast of Nova Scotia, made entirely of sand is home to over 350 feral horses, 200,000 grey seals, 60,000 harbor seals, 98 species of birds, a fascinating array of fauna and flora and 1 lone tree.  No one really lives on Sable Island, save Zoe Lucas, the resident naturalist, Gerry Forbes and a handful of scientist who cycle in and out, studying weather, pollution, ocean currents and the seal population.  

Sable has been called ”The Graveyard of the Atlantic” and rightfully so, as over 500 ships have wrecked on her shores since the 17th century.  As Gerry Forbes, the Island’s offical caretaker says “If you (a ship) see Sable Island, it is too late.” The fog, currents and ever shifting sand bars have trapped hundreds of ships and taken a thousand or more lives and destroyed hundreds of thousands of dollars in cargo. The situation was considered so dire that in 1801, the Canadian government, founded the Humane Establishment, a resident lifesaving crew, to help shipwreck victims and retrieve their cargo before all was lost at sea.

The Humane Establishment was one of the many unsuccessful attempts to colonize Sable.  Today, there are vestiges of  a 19th century house that filled with sand from the 1st floor upward, causing its residents to live on the  2nd floor until even that was taken over by the winds and the sand. It is rumored that a headless Frenchman, from a 17th century colony, wanders the island searching for his wife,
Madeleine, and  from another era, a Franciscan monk  is said to roam the island saying his rosary searching for salvation. To date, there is a Main Station, some out buildings and accommodations, bunks, for 6 visitors or work crews that can visit the island.  Visitors, 50 a year, must have permission from the Canadian Government, the Coast Guard, the Island Marshall and bring everything with them – food, linens, gear, and sundries – and pack it all out when they leave – on a plane that can carry a total of 1300 lbs -all at a cost of $300 a night and $5500 a flight.

 Although human habitation has not been successful, The Sable Island horses have survived on the island for more than 200 years  and  without any human interference.– their exact origin has been debated, some believe they were abandoned by the Acadians, who fled Canada because of religious persecution, others speculate that they  are descendants of horses that swam ashore off wrecked ships. Roaming the island in small family groups, they protect their gene pool by sending breeding age fillies to other small groups.
Thus, preventing inbreeding for over 200 years.  It is truly amazing!  These small stocky horses feed mainly on the marram grass and rain water, even drinking sea water at times – as a scource of  calcium and minerals. It is reported that one harsh winter, someone left bales of hay for the  horses  and  provided a sheltered area and a barn. The horses apparently inspected the hay, trampled it and then urinated on it, and then went on their way. (The horses have been protected from any kind of interference by the Canadian Government since 1961)

Roberto Dutesco, a New York fashion photographer, has been capturing the moods and travels of these horses for more than 10 years. He loves the horses and the island and openly admits to talking to them while he photographs. “They are like beautiful horse- models.” He has established a Gallery in New York where he shows and sells his photographs.  He specializes in huge scale portraits of the Sable horses, some almost 8 feet high… and costing up to $30,000.00.

Zoe Lucas has spent most of her adult life working on Sable.  Her love affair with the island began as an 18 years old, when she came to Sable as a volunteer to help plant the marram grass, that helps hold the sand in place.  The sand – with dunes that can reach 90 feet high is the only  growing medium on the island, with the rains, some fresh water ponds appear and as a result a bit of peat, a growing medium can develop, but Sable did get  its name from the French, Ilse de Sable…Island of Sand. With her guidance, we will  chronicle the cycle of life and death on Sable Island: the birth of tens of  thousands of seals and the springtime birth of foals, the death of horses after a harsh winter - the shark predestation of seal pups - the blooming of the Blue Iris in July - and the swarming of shorebirds and the perils brought about by pollution and humankind.

As part of our venture, the Canadian Dept. of Fisheries & Oceans, the Greenhorse Society and the Museum of the Atlantic have promised to help tell the story of this dune adrift in the sea and the human dramas that have played out on its shores.

The Story of Sable Island tells the story of this beautiful and wild island in HD with an original score by W.G. Snuffy Walden. The film will be a vital tool dedicated to the safe keeping of this amazing biosphere.