St. Paul Island National Wildlife Area

St. Paul Island National Wildlife Area (NWA) is an Island located in Victoria County, Nova Scotia, approximately 24 km northwest of Cape Breton Island.

Description

St. Paul Island NWA is on the traditional lands of the Mi'kmaq people. In Mi’kmaw the island is known as “Kiwkto’qi-Mnikuk”, which translates into “Round Island”.

Due to the Island’s rugged form and location within a critical coastal shipping route, the island is known as “The Graveyard of the Gulf” – a reference to the over 300 vessels known to have wrecked along its rocky shores. Two light stations operated on the island from the mid 1800s to 2015. Another light tower on the southwest point was also constructed in 1915 and has since been designated as a Heritage Lighthouse by Parks Canada. This structure was moved to the North Highlands Museum, in the community of Dingwall, Nova Scotia. The last remaining personnel stationed on St Paul Island concluded their duties in 1991, when the light stations were automated.

St. Paul Island NWA supports 1% (estimated 10 to 25 pairs) of the known Canadian breeding population of Bicknell’s thrush, a species listed as threatened under the Species at Risk Act (SARA). The island has been designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) mainly because of the presence of Bicknell’s thrush. The stunted coniferous forest on St. Paul Island provides good nesting habitat for this species, the island’s major habitats are:

• Balsam fir wave forest
• Krummholtz forest
• Boulder/cobble/gravel shoreline

St Paul Island is located between Cape Breton Island and Newfoundland along the boundary between the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Cabot Strait, which contributes to the harsh weather conditions; with the Island being so exposed, the growing conditions mimic northern boreal areas. Provincially rare plant species that are present on St. Paul Island include:

• northern bog sedge
• Swedish bunchberry
• northern birch
• Fernald’s serviceberry
• spurred gentian
• lesser rattlesnake-plantain
• pink crowberry

Management

Entry to St. Paul Island NWA is prohibited without a permit during the period beginning on April 1 in any year and ending on August 31 in the same year.to keep disturbances to a minimum for nesting colonial seabirds and to preserve the Critical Habitat of the SARA listed Bicknell’s thrush. This prohibition is in place to protect migratory birds, particularly during the breeding season. The island supports approximately 1% of the Canadian population of the Threatened Bicknell's Thrush (Schedule 1, Species at Risk Act) and provides a nesting site for the COSEWIC assessed- (Threatened) Leach's Storm-Petrel. From September 1 until March 31, users of St. Paul Island NWA may undertake specific activities that are authorized without the need for a permit. These activities are:

• wildlife viewing
• hiking
• non-commercial picking of edible plants and edible mushrooms
• boat launching and landing at the ordinary high water mark of St. Paul Island

A management plan will be developed with Indigenous partners for the NWA that will describe the research and monitoring priorities, and identify any restoration or habitat improvement work that might be necessary. For more information, consult the NWA Management and Activities section.

Any authorized activities are listed in Schedule I.1 of the Wildlife Area Regulations; signage will be posted at access points.

More information on access and permitting for St. Paul Island NWA can be obtained by contacting the Environment and Climate Change Canada regional office.

Map of the area

Summary table

Protected Area designation

National Wildlife Area

Province/territory

Nova Scotia

Latitude/longitude

47°12'21 N 60°09'03 W

Size

478 ha

Reason for creation of protected area

Protection of breeding habitat for the threatened Bicknell’s thrush and Leach’s storm-petrel

Date created (Gazetted)

2025

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Management Category

Under review

Additional designations

St.Paul Island - Important Bird Area (IBA)

Keystone or flagship species

• Bicknell’s thrush

Main habitat type

• Balsam fir wave forest
• Krummholtz forest
• Boulder/cobble/gravel shoreline
• Open peatlands and barrens
• Coastal cliffs
• Freshwater lakes

Listed species under the Species at Risk Act (SARA)

• Bicknell’s thrush

Additional links

Migratory Birds:

• Boreal chickadee
• black guillemot
• fox sparrow
• blackpoll warbler
• Tennessee warbler
• yellow-bellied flycatcher
• spotted sandpiper
• leach’s storm-petrel

Management Agency

Environment and Climate Change Canada (Canadian Wildlife Service)

Public access and usage

Entry to St. Paul Island NWA is prohibited without a permit during the period beginning on April 1 in any year and ending on August 31 in the same year.

From September 1 until March 31, users of St. Paul Island NWA may undertake activities that are authorized without the need for a permit. These activities are:

• wildlife viewing
• Hiking
• non-commercial picking of edible plants and edible mushrooms
• boat launching and landing, into and from, the ordinary high-water mark of St. Paul Island

Note: If there is a discrepancy between the information presented on this web page, any notice posted at the NWA site and the law, the law prevails, as it is the legal instrument authorizing the activity.

Contact us

Environment and Climate Change Canada - Atlantic Region
Canadian Wildlife Service
Protected Areas Unit
17 Waterfowl Lane
Sackville, New Brunswick
E4L 4N1

Toll-Free: 1-800-668-6767 (in Canada only)
Email: enviroinfo@ec.gc.ca

Related links

• Canada Wildlife Act
• Wildlife Area Regulations
• St.Paul Island - Important Bird Area (IBA)
• St. Paul Island NWA on Google maps (Please note that the Google map is a complementary source of information and does not represent the official map or site name)
• St. Paul Island southwest lighthouse