Wolfe Island (Ontario)

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Vehicles loading onto the Wolfe Islander III at the ferry docks in Kingston harbour.

Wolfe Island is an island located at the entrance to the Saint Lawrence River in Lake Ontario near Kingston, Ontario. Wolfe Island is part of Frontenac County, Ontario. Together with Howe Island and Simcoe Island, it forms the township of Frontenac Islands. It is the largest of the Thousand Islands. The largest community on the island is Marysville. This island was named after British General James Wolfe.

The island is about 29 km long, with its width varying from around 9 km to a few hundred metres at some points; it has an area of approximately 124 km² (48 square miles). The resident population is approximately 1200 people, but this number can double or triple during the summer months.

Wolfe Island can be reached by ferry from both Canada and the United States. The ferry from Kingston (Wolfe Islander III), operated by the Government of Ontario, is free of charge. The toll ferry to Cape Vincent, New York, first licenced in 1802, has been operated by the Horne family for generations.

1 Flora and fauna
2 Recreation
3 Development
4 Notable residents
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Flora and fauna

Snowy Owls are frequently seen on the island during winter. It is also an important stopover location for migrating waterfowl in spring. Wolfe Island is also home to a growing population of wild turkeys, and well as deer and other fauna. It is designated an Important Bird Area.^[1]

The Big Sandy Bay Conservation Area on Wolfe Island is a 404-hectare property, classified as a provincially-significant life sciences Area of Natural and Scientific Interest^[2]. Sand dunes and wetlands allow rare plant species to flourish here. Rare trees and birds deemed to be significant either regionally or provincially are also found here. The environmental area is protected and no motorized vehicles are allowed, though there is ample free parking provided at the entrance. A well-marked and level walking trail leads to a large, secluded sand beach with shallows reaching out well into Lake Ontario. The beach is safe and family-friendly, but there are no services, so visitors are encouraged to bring their own refreshments.

[edit] Recreation

There are two golf courses on Wolfe Island, a corn maze and three marked bicycle routes and country roads. The town of Marysville includes a famous local bakery, an art gallery, restaurants and various other shops and services, as well as the largest church in the Thousand Islands (Sacred Heart of Mary Church, pastor Fr. Raymond J. de Souza).

[edit] Development

Wolfe Island has recently seen controversy over the planned establishment of a commercial wind power generation facility. An experienced wind industry firm, which operates smaller plants elsewhere in Ontario, proposes in the first phase to install 86 commercial wind turbines, concentrated on the western part of the Island. Proponents of the project point to thousands of dollars in revenues for those landowners who host the turbines or substations, a regular revenue stream for the municipality, and 'green' energy production for the provincial power grid. Some residents have raised questions about audible and inaudible noise, ice-shear, shadow-flicker, bird and bat kills, diminished quality of life, reduced residential property values and damaged tourism potential. An agreement was reached during an Ontario Municipal Board hearing in the summer of 2007 that saw the removal of formal objection to the legal process enabling the project. Some opponents remain active in their determination to stop the project.