New Island
Encyclopedia
New Island is one of the Falkland Islands
, lying north of Beaver Island
. It is 148 mi (238.2 km; 128.6 nmi) from Stanley
and is 8 miles (13 km) long with an average width of 820 yards (750 m). The highest point is 226 metres (741.5 ft). The northern and eastern coasts have high cliffs but the eastern coasts are lower lying, with rocky shores and sandy bays. There are several smaller offshore islands. North Island and Saddle Island have high cliffs but Ship Island and Cliff Knob Island are lower lying.
Long used as a base for whaling
, as a sheep farm and for occasional attempts to collect guano
, New Island is considered by some to be one of the most beautiful islands in the Falklands archipelago, as well as well as having possibly the most diverse range of wildlife in the region. It is a nature reserve
, established by Ian Strange in 1972.
and Quaker provenance of some of the earliest settlers.
In 1813, Captain Charles H. Barnard, from Nantucket, was marooned with his crew on the island. They survived on the island for two years, and constructed a crude stone building, which is probably incorporated into the Barnard Building, the oldest standing building in the Falklands and now a museum restored in 2006.
In 1823, Antarctic explorer Captain James Weddell
anchored at the island, and commented on its excellent harbours and its natural food and water supplies. In the 1850s and 60s, the island's guano deposits were mined. A settlement lies in the middle of the east coast of the island, some distance north of an airstrip.
The island holds the shipwreck of a sealing vessel, the Protector III, which beached in 1969.
s, Southern Elephant Seal
s, South American Sea Lion
s, Slender-billed Prion
s, Rockhopper
, Gentoo
and Magellanic Penguin
s, Dolphin Gull
s, Black-browed Albatross
es, Falkland Skuas
and Upland Geese.
There are no native land mammals since the now extinct Falkland Islands Wolf, or Warrah, was exterminated there, though the island contains a population of introduced cottontail rabbit
s (Sylvilagus sp.).
The island is largely vegetated with grass
es; there are no trees, though shrubs have been introduced.
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
, lying north of Beaver Island
Beaver Island (Falkland Islands)
Beaver Island is one of the Beaver Island group of Falkland Islands. It lies west of Weddell Island and south of New Island and has an area of ....
. It is 148 mi (238.2 km; 128.6 nmi) from Stanley
Stanley, Falkland Islands
Stanley is the capital and only true cityin the Falkland Islands. It is located on the isle of East Falkland, on a north-facing slope in one of the wettest parts of the islands. At the 2006 census, the city had a population of 2,115...
and is 8 miles (13 km) long with an average width of 820 yards (750 m). The highest point is 226 metres (741.5 ft). The northern and eastern coasts have high cliffs but the eastern coasts are lower lying, with rocky shores and sandy bays. There are several smaller offshore islands. North Island and Saddle Island have high cliffs but Ship Island and Cliff Knob Island are lower lying.
Long used as a base for whaling
Whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
, as a sheep farm and for occasional attempts to collect guano
Guano
Guano is the excrement of seabirds, cave dwelling bats, and seals. Guano manure is an effective fertilizer due to its high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen and also its lack of odor. It was an important source of nitrates for gunpowder...
, New Island is considered by some to be one of the most beautiful islands in the Falklands archipelago, as well as well as having possibly the most diverse range of wildlife in the region. It is a nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
, established by Ian Strange in 1972.
History
New Island was one of the earliest of the Falkland Islands to be colonised, and American whalers may have arrived as early as the 1770s. Two place names on or near the island, Coffin's Harbour and Coffin's Island, commemorate the Coffin family of Nantucket. Nearby Quaker, Barclay, Fox and Penn islands reflect the New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
and Quaker provenance of some of the earliest settlers.
In 1813, Captain Charles H. Barnard, from Nantucket, was marooned with his crew on the island. They survived on the island for two years, and constructed a crude stone building, which is probably incorporated into the Barnard Building, the oldest standing building in the Falklands and now a museum restored in 2006.
In 1823, Antarctic explorer Captain James Weddell
James Weddell
James Weddell was a British sailor, navigator and seal hunter who in the early Spring of 1823 sailed to latitude of 74°15' S and into a region of the Southern Ocean that later became known as the Weddell Sea.-Early life:He entered the merchant service very...
anchored at the island, and commented on its excellent harbours and its natural food and water supplies. In the 1850s and 60s, the island's guano deposits were mined. A settlement lies in the middle of the east coast of the island, some distance north of an airstrip.
The island holds the shipwreck of a sealing vessel, the Protector III, which beached in 1969.
New Island Conservation Trust
Since 1996 the island has been owned and run by The New Island Conservation Trust which acquired the freehold of the entire property in 2005. The Trust is managed by a Board of Trustees under the Chairmanship of Air Vice-Marshal David Crwys-Williams CB, a former Commander of the British Forces, Falklands Islands, in the 1980s. The major benefactor to the Trust has been the Geoffrey C Hughes Charitable Trust which not only made the purchase possible, but also funded the well-equipped Field Centre used as a base for teams of wildlife researchers from many different countries. The Trust relies entirely on donations to continue its conservation and research work.Wildlife
Wildlife includes fur sealFur seal
Fur seals are any of nine species of pinnipeds in the Otariidae family. One species, the northern fur seal inhabits the North Pacific, while seven species in the Arctocephalus genus are found primarily in the Southern hemisphere...
s, Southern Elephant Seal
Southern Elephant Seal
The Southern Elephant Seal is one of the two extant species of elephant seal. It is both the most massive pinniped and member of the order Carnivora living today...
s, South American Sea Lion
South American Sea Lion
The South American sea lion , also called the southern sea lion and the Patagonian sea lion, is a sea lion found on the Chilean, Peruvian, Uruguayan, Argentine and Southern Brazilian coasts. It is the only member of the genus Otaria...
s, Slender-billed Prion
Slender-billed Prion
The Slender-billed Prion or Thin-billed Prion, Pachyptila belcheri, is a species of seabird in the Procellariidae family.It is found in the southern oceans.-Taxonomy:...
s, Rockhopper
Rockhopper penguin
The rockhopper penguins are three closely related taxa of crested penguins that have been traditionally treated as a single species and are sometimes split into two or three species. Not all experts agree on the classification of these penguins...
, Gentoo
Gentoo penguin
The Gentoo Penguin , Pygoscelis papua, is easily recognized by the wide white stripe extending like a bonnet across the top of its head and its bright orange-red bill. The gentoo penguin has pale whitish-pink webbed feet and a fairly long tail - the most prominent tail of all penguins. Chicks have...
and Magellanic Penguin
Magellanic Penguin
The Magellanic Penguin, Spheniscus magellanicus, is a South American penguin, breeding in coastal Argentina, Chile and the Falkland Islands, with some migrating to Brazil where they are occasionally seen as far north as Rio de Janeiro. It is the most numerous of the Spheniscus penguins. Its nearest...
s, Dolphin Gull
Dolphin Gull
The Dolphin Gull , sometimes erroneously called the Red-billed Gull , is a gull native to southern Chile and Argentina, and the Falkland Islands. It is a coastal bird inhabiting rocky, muddy and sandy shores and is often found around seabird colonies...
s, Black-browed Albatross
Black-browed Albatross
The Black-browed Albatross or Black-browed Mollymawk, Thalassarche melanophrys, is a large seabird of the albatross family Diomedeidae, and it is the most widespread and common albatross.-Taxonomy:...
es, Falkland Skuas
Brown Skua
The Brown Skua , also known as the Antarctic Skua, Southern Great Skua, Southern Skua, or Hākoakoa , is a large seabird that breeds in the subantarctic and Antarctic zones and moves further north when not breeding...
and Upland Geese.
There are no native land mammals since the now extinct Falkland Islands Wolf, or Warrah, was exterminated there, though the island contains a population of introduced cottontail rabbit
Cottontail rabbit
The cottontail rabbits are among the 16 lagomorph species in the genus Sylvilagus, found in the Americas.In appearance, most cottontail rabbits closely resemble the wild European Rabbit...
s (Sylvilagus sp.).
The island is largely vegetated with grass
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
es; there are no trees, though shrubs have been introduced.