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.
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