Metinic Island
Encyclopedia
Metinic Island is a 330 acres (133.5 ha) island
in Knox County
, Maine
, southeast of Port Clyde
on the mainland and west of Matinicus Island.
Metinic Island is approximately 2 miles (3 km) long and is less than half a mile wide at its widest point. There are three very small islets just south and southeast of Metinic, called The Nubble, Hog Island, and Metinic Green Island.
Lobster fishermen
operated off the coast of Metinic for generations; the island has also played host to sheep for many years. In 1994–95, the Fish and Wildlife Service acquired 149 acre (0.60298214 km²) of the island to establish a haven for seabirds, hundreds of which nest on the island. While gull
s are the primary nesters, a restoration project was initiated in 1998 to increase tern
and Arctic tern
nesting populations. The acquisition of the land was not without controversy, as a landowning family was removed from the island to establish the preserve.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
in Knox County
Knox County, Maine
Knox County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 39,736. Its county seat is Rockland. The county is named for American Revolutionary War general and Secretary of War Henry Knox, who lived in the county from 1795 until his death in 1806. The county was...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, southeast of Port Clyde
Port Clyde, Maine
Port Clyde is the southernmost settlement on the St. George peninsula in central/coastal Maine and part of the town of St. George in Knox County, Maine, United States....
on the mainland and west of Matinicus Island.
Metinic Island is approximately 2 miles (3 km) long and is less than half a mile wide at its widest point. There are three very small islets just south and southeast of Metinic, called The Nubble, Hog Island, and Metinic Green Island.
Lobster fishermen
Lobster fishing
Lobster fishing, sometimes called lobstering, is the commercial or recreational harvesting of marine lobsters, spiny lobsters or crayfish.-Lobster tools and technology:...
operated off the coast of Metinic for generations; the island has also played host to sheep for many years. In 1994–95, the Fish and Wildlife Service acquired 149 acre (0.60298214 km²) of the island to establish a haven for seabirds, hundreds of which nest on the island. While gull
Gull
Gulls are birds in the family Laridae. They are most closely related to the terns and only distantly related to auks, skimmers, and more distantly to the waders...
s are the primary nesters, a restoration project was initiated in 1998 to increase tern
Tern
Terns are seabirds in the family Sternidae, previously considered a subfamily of the gull family Laridae . They form a lineage with the gulls and skimmers which in turn is related to skuas and auks...
and Arctic tern
Arctic Tern
The Arctic Tern is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. This bird has a circumpolar breeding distribution covering the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Europe, Asia, and North America...
nesting populations. The acquisition of the land was not without controversy, as a landowning family was removed from the island to establish the preserve.
External links
- Metinic Island at BoatMaine.us