Brunette Island Explained

Brunette Island
Map:Newfoundland
Location:Fortune Bay
Area Km2:20
Elevation M:160
Country:Canada
Country Admin Divisions Title:Province
Country Admin Divisions:Newfoundland and Labrador

Brunette Island is an island in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, the largest island in the Fortune Bay.

History

A fishing community was established on the island in the 1800s, and at one time there were about 300 residents living primarily at two locations: Mercer's Cove and Forward's Cove. In 1865 a 30-foot high lighthouse was built on the island.[1] A new lighthouse was built by 1924.[2]

The entire village was resettled off the island in the 1950s.[3] [4]

In 1964, an experimental attempt to introduce bison to Newfoundland was made, using Brunette Island as a test site; the attempt did not prove successful;[5] [6] [7] the rocky landscape and sheer cliffs on the island were significantly different from the wide plains to which the bison were adapted.[8]

With more success, wildlife biologists continued to use Brunette as a site for wildlife observation and a breeding ground for Arctic hare, caribou, ptarmigan, and moose. The lack of large predators on the island allowed the populations to expand as far as food resources would allow.[9] At times the island has been opened to hunters.[10] [11]

From October 12–23, 2016, Mack McGowen, a native of Tyler, Texas, lived alone on Brunette Island and streamed the experience live on Facebook in a documentary titled "Castaway Live."[12]

Mercer Head on Brunette Island continues to be the site of a navigational light.[13]

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.lighthousedigest.com/Digest/database/uniquelighthouse.cfm?value=7567 "Lighthouse Explorer: Brunette Island Light"
  2. Book: Newfoundland. Dept. of Marine and Fisheries. Report. 1924. 77.
  3. https://thenavigatormagazine.com/scenes-from-brunette-island/ "Scenes from Brunette Island"
  4. https://www.downhomelife.com/article.php?id=1820 "Surviving Brunette Island"
  5. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/brunette-island/ "Brunette Island"
  6. https://www.producer.com/2013/09/red-tape-a-nightmare-in-bringing-bison-to-island/ "Red tape a nightmare in bringing bison to island"
  7. http://thechronicleherald.ca/bedfordsackvilleobserver/1481090-the-bison-of-brunette-isle "The bison of Brunette Isle"
  8. Book: Gordon Snow. An Atlantic Trilogy: Tales of Survival and Tragedy. 6 November 2015. iUniverse. 978-1-4917-8190-6. 150.
  9. Book: William Eugene Mercer. Ecology of an Island Population of Newfoundland Willow Ptarmigan. 1969. University of Wisconsin--Madison. 134.
  10. Book: Field & Stream. August 1971. 88. 8755-8599.
  11. Book: Wildlife Review. 1965. U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. 51.
  12. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/brunette-island-facebook-live-castaway-1.3807644 "Cold, alone and streaming: Texas man shooting survival documentary on Brunette Island"
  13. Book: United States. Naval Oceanographic Office. Sailing Directions for Newfoundland, Includes Strait of Belle Isle and St. Pierre and Miquelon Islands. 429.