Georgian Bay Islands National Park
Encyclopedia
Georgian Bay Islands National Park consists of 63 small islands or parts of islands in Georgian Bay
, near Port Severn, Ontario. The park was established in 1929. The total park area is approximately 13.5 km². Prior to the creation of Fathom Five National Marine Park
, Flowerpot Island
was also a part of the park.
The islands blend the exposed rocks and pine
s of the Canadian Shield
with the hardwood
forests found further south. The park can only be reached by boat; there are limited camping facilities on the largest island, Beausoleil Island
.
The park provides habitat for 33 species of reptile
s and amphibians, including the threatened eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake. Some of the more isolated islands provide nesting areas for colonies of gull
s and tern
s.
The park is part of the Georgian Bay Littoral
Biosphere Reserve
.
in the park and it offers island tent camping, overnight and day docking, heritage education programs, and hiking trails. Wheelchair accessible sites and reserved campsites are also available at the Cedar Spring campground on Beausoleil Island.
Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron, located entirely within Ontario, Canada...
, near Port Severn, Ontario. The park was established in 1929. The total park area is approximately 13.5 km². Prior to the creation of Fathom Five National Marine Park
Fathom Five National Marine Park
Fathom Five National Marine Park is a National Marine Conservation Area in the Georgian Bay part of Lake Huron, Ontario, Canada, that seeks to protect and display shipwrecks and lighthouses, and conserve freshwater ecosystems...
, Flowerpot Island
Flowerpot Island
Flowerpot Island is an island in Georgian Bay, in the Canadian province of Ontario and is a part of Fathom Five National Marine Park. The island spans 2.1 km from east to west, and 1.5 km from north to south, and has a total area of 2 km²...
was also a part of the park.
The islands blend the exposed rocks and pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
s of the Canadian Shield
Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien , is a vast geological shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American or Laurentia craton. It is an area mostly composed of igneous rock which relates to its long volcanic history...
with the hardwood
Hardwood
Hardwood is wood from angiosperm trees . It may also be used for those trees themselves: these are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen.Hardwood contrasts with softwood...
forests found further south. The park can only be reached by boat; there are limited camping facilities on the largest island, Beausoleil Island
Beausoleil Island
Beausoleil Island is a 8-kilometer long island in the Lake Huron's Georgian Bay, near Port Severn, Ontario. It is the largest island in the Georgian Bay Islands National Park and it offers island tent camping, overnight and day docking, heritage education programs, and hiking trails...
.
The park provides habitat for 33 species of reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
s and amphibians, including the threatened eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake. Some of the more isolated islands provide nesting areas for colonies of gull
Gull
Gulls are birds in the family Laridae. They are most closely related to the terns and only distantly related to auks, skimmers, and more distantly to the waders...
s and tern
Tern
Terns are seabirds in the family Sternidae, previously considered a subfamily of the gull family Laridae . They form a lineage with the gulls and skimmers which in turn is related to skuas and auks...
s.
The park is part of the Georgian Bay Littoral
Georgian Bay Littoral
The Georgian Bay Littoral is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve located in Ontario, Canada. The biosphere was the thirteenth in Canada, and covers the Thirty Thousand Islands area of eastern Georgian Bay, one of the world's largest fresh water archipelagos....
Biosphere Reserve
Biosphere reserve
The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...
.
Beausoleil Island
Beausoleil Island is the largest islandIsland
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
in the park and it offers island tent camping, overnight and day docking, heritage education programs, and hiking trails. Wheelchair accessible sites and reserved campsites are also available at the Cedar Spring campground on Beausoleil Island.