| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Lake Ontario |
| Archipelago | Thousand Islands |
| Area | 70 km2 (27 sq mi) |
| Country | |
|
Canada
|
|
| Province | Ontario |
| County | Lennox and Addington County |
| Township | Loyalist township |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 450 |
Amherst Island is one of the Thousand Islands[1] in Lake Ontario near Kingston, Ontario. The island is approximately 70 km² in size, measuring 16.5 km long and 7 km at its widest. It is part of Loyalist Township in Lennox and Addington County. The two main communities on the island are Stella and Emerald.
The island is accessible from the mainland only by water or air. A ferry service, carrying cars and people, connects the village of Stella on the island with Millhaven on the mainland. The ferry, M/V Frontenac II, runs 365 days a year, with the trip across taking about 15 minutes. The ferry service is run by Loyalist Township.
The resident population of about 450 people doubles during the summer months. The island is also home to approximately 500 white-tailed deer. In the winter, Snowy Owls regularly visit the island. The island is home to Long-eared Owls and Great Horned Owls in summer.
The island was known by the French as Isle Tonti, after Henri de Tonty, who accompanied La Salle during his explorations. The island was later settled by United Empire Loyalists and renamed Amherst Island in 1792 in honour of Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, who was commander-in-chief of British forces in North America.
The island is noted for farming, particularly of sheep of which there are several thousand on the island. Its roads have little automobile traffic making it an excellent locale for cycling especially on its gravel and dirt roads that hug the shores of Lake Ontario. The island has a natural reserve called the Owl Woods.
The island has warm moderate summers and cold brisk winters.
Steady lake winds, especially in winter, make the island an ideal location for wind turbines. Several companies have expressed an interest in developing wind farms on the island, and several local residents have already signed leases for turbines sited on their land.[2] A group opposed to wind power development, calling itself the Coalition to Protect Amherst Island, is opposed to development of wind power on Amherst Island. While at the same time large group of landowners see wind project as a positive for the Island and have formed Citizens of Amherst Island for Renewable Energy (CAIRE).
A community radio station, CJAI-FM, began broadcasting April 2006 and is now on 92.1FM. It is a 100% volunteer operated station, and is concerned with the preservation of the Island way of life, accurate and timely information reporting, and the promotion of Canadian musical talent. On Saturdays and Sundays during the day, 100% Canadian content music is played, and over 66% is played during the week.
Notable native-born islanders include Harry Raymond Fleming, (1892–1942) Member of Parliament for Humboldt (Saskatchewan) and grandfather of Dr. Siobhan Fleming, Associate Vice Chancellor of the Lone Star College System, Houston, Texas.