This time last year Susan and I were preparing for a trip to Sable Island to paint for a week. Here’s a sketch I did of our first night there, and this was my impression…
“Sable Island seems more like a romantic notion than a real place. The flight there from the mainland in a chartered airplane, and landing on the beach made it seem much less of a dream. Driving to the research station through the sand dunes and encountering wild horse brought it alive. But that night when was dark we walked to the shore and lay on the beach. We propped our backs up against a crest of sand with our feet to the sea. The temperature was mild, with gentle night breezes, and the air smelt of salt. The sound of the sea was rhythmic and sensual. It soothed our senses. Waves washed endlessly in and out, sucking and pulling at the shore like a gentle giant. On a distant, invisible horizon near the edge of our hearing, we could hear the bellowing and moaning of a herd of Grey Seals. Not too far offshore, a shifting patch of green bioluminescence glowed in the water. The sky overhead was filled with light. The Milky Way, a vast array of twinkling stars, awesome and majestic. Suddenly a streak of bright light -- a shooting star -- first one, then another. We lay there, soaking in the Sable Island that dreams are made of.”
On May 18, 2010, it was announced that Sable Island will be designated as a National Park. The Green Horse Society and the Ecology Action Centre both play a leading role in protecting this remote Atlantic island and its wild horses. Parks Canada has the experienced staff, capability and knowledge that will allow for the proper management and protection of Sable Island.
For more information see http://www.greenhorsesociety.com