Wild horses, grey seals, and moving coastlines? Oh my!
June 23, 2022, marks the kick-off of our expedition to Cape Breton and Sable Island! This program will be the return of SOI to our true exploration roots, taking a group of nearly 40 students and educators to national parks, biospheres, and Indigenous lead conservation areas and communities in order to empower and inspire leadership for a sustainable future.
Our expedition team will be sailing aboard the Polar Prince, the same vessel we used for the historic Canada C3 journey. Recently purchased by Miawpukek Horizon Maritime Services Ltd. and through a great partnership with this newly co-owned Indigenous ship, the Polar Prince will be SOI’s main vessel for the next three years. We’re beyond excited for Miawpukek Horizon Maritime Limited and look forward to our partnership this summer and beyond!
Our journey will circumnavigate Cape Breton, traditionally known as Unama’ki, and take us to Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas, National Wildlife Areas, and many other environmentally protected areas along our route to Sable Island. We’ll also be visiting Eskasoni, one of five Indigenous communities that call this place home. Experiencing all Unama’ki has to offer is a special opportunity and we’re thrilled to be able to experience it.
The first few days of this expedition will be on the land, where we’ll begin to learn about some of the scientific and cultural elements we’ll be exploring more deeply later on our expedition. A tour of COVE and Nova Scotia Community College’s Straits Campus will help set the tone for the importance of our blue future, while Elder Albert Marshall will teach us about Etuaptmumk or, a Two-eyed seeing approach, and help us ground in place for the rest of the expedition. This will help to give everyone on the expedition a new perspective on how we can integrate culture into science and help protect these areas for future generations.
Excitement builds as we set sail on the Polar Prince, diving deeper into the cultural and historic elements of Unama’ki. We’ll be visiting places like St. Paul Island, Kluscap’s Caves, and Eskasoni to help us connect to the land on a personal level. Hearing the history of the region and of the people that have always called this place home since time immemorial will give us a new appreciation and perspective from which to view this remarkable place. Along with the incredible culture and people, this will be our first introduction to some of the protected areas we’ll be visiting and wildlife we’ll hopefully encounter.
After that our focus will shift ever so slightly towards some of the technology and advancements made in the name of environmental sustainability. Excursions to places like the Alexander Graham Bell Estate and the Coast Guard College, will help give us an idea of how efforts have been made for years in the name of innovation, and how these inventions work with cultural practices for the benefit of the environment. Now that we’ve learned about the cultural and scientific importance of protecting our land and oceans, we’ll apply it on Sable Island.
Our expedition allows us three days on Sable Island National Park Reserve where we’ll dive deep and put into practice some of the concepts we’ve been learning about along our journey. We’ll get to explore the incredible landscape, unique and isolated wildlife, and history of this Canadian landmark. Sable Island provides a special environment where the land interacts with the ocean in unique ways, and proves to be a haven for coastal and migratory birds. We’ll also get the chance to apply some of our newly acquired knowledge and perform some EDNA testing and population sampling. Our time here will help tie in the concepts that we’ve been learning with the important theme of protecting our oceans for generations to come.
Our final few days of this program will give us a chance to reflect on all that we have just learned. We’ll head back to the mainland for a wrap-up ceremony where we’ll be able to decompress, reflect and connect with one another for the future.
“We are so excited to be back out there, doing what we love!” says SOI founder and Expedition Leader Geoff Green, “Bringing youth to experience these incredible places is inspirational, and gives us hope for a more sustainable blue future for Canada, and the rest of the world!”
We look forward to sharing this incredible journey with all of Canada via our social media channels and website, and cannot wait to set sail!
View the expedition page to see all the details and follow along with our adventure!