SENATORS’ STATEMENTS — Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve

Honourable senators, today I am pleased to present Chapter 53 of “Telling Our Story.”

My home province of Newfoundland and Labrador is known far and wide for its beautiful scenery and natural beauty. There are not very many places in our world where you can stand on a windswept hill and watch a pod of whales play in the Atlantic Ocean, while at the same time cast your eyes to a gigantic iceberg floating by, surrounded by a flock of seagulls.

We have much to offer our visitors. I believe that one of our greatest treasures and main tourist attractions, indeed a jewel in our tourism crown, is The Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve. Located just a short 15-minute drive from my hometown of St. Bride’s on the Cape Shore, this unique reserve welcomes thousands of tourists every year from all over the globe. “The Cape,” as it is locally referred to, is the most accessible seabird colony in North America.

A large sea stack, aptly named “Bird Rock,” juts 400 feet out of the ocean and is the summer home of tens of thousands of northern gannets, Black-legged kittiwakes, Common Murres and several other species of birds. Bird Rock is an absolute spectacle of the natural world. Amazingly, you can view these majestic birds from as close as 20 metres away. Few places in the world can claim to combine such a breathtaking beautiful landscape with such an awe-inspiring show of nature. It is a wonderland for birdwatchers, hikers and explorers.

The reserve boasts a beautiful state-of-the-art interpretation centre with very capable and knowledgeable ambassadors for our province. The Cape St. Mary’s Performance Series, an annual concert event, presents local entertainers and storytellers who will warm your heart with song and stories of this special place.

The famous ornithologist Roger Tory Peterson once said of Cape St. Mary’s: “The birds . . . swirl past the cliffs like a blizzard of snow.” Believe you me, to see this up close can be overwhelming at times, but it can also be an extraordinary experience like no other.

A tourist from Calgary, Alberta, recently wrote:

It is still utterly astonishing to sit a stone’s throw away from a sea stack covered with 20,000 gannets and watch them soar around you. One of the “must see” sights in a province of fantastic places.

As you would appreciate, much has been written about this beautiful place, including one of Newfoundland and Labrador’s most famous songs “Let Me Fish Off Cape St. Mary’s.” The following verses say it all:

Take me back to my western boat

Let me fish off Cape St. Mary’s

Where the hogdowns sail and the foghorn wails

With my friends, the Browns and the Clearys

Let me fish off Cape St. Mary’s

Let me feel my dory lift

To the broad Atlantic combers

Where the tide rips swirl and the

Wild ducks whirl

Where old Neptune calls the number

’Neath the broad Atlantic combers

Colleagues, I promise you that reading about or hearing about this unique place will never do it justice. You must see it for yourself. So today, I extend an invitation to you to visit Newfoundland and Labrador, especially Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve. You will not be disappointed either way.

And in the words of the famous American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.”

Thank you.