Cascumpec Bay facts for kids
Cascumpec Bay is a beautiful bay located in Prince Edward Island, Canada. It sits right next to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, which is a large body of water connected to the Atlantic Ocean.
What is Cascumpec Bay?
Cascumpec Bay is found on the northern side of Prince Edward Island. It's a large bay, about 40 square kilometres (15 sq mi) in size, but it's not very deep. The bay faces the Gulf of Saint Lawrence on its eastern side. However, it's safe from the big waves of the gulf because of several sandy islands. These are called barrier islands.
The most important barrier island is the Cascumpec Sand Hills. It's a long island with many sand dunes. Several rivers flow into the bay, like the Kildare River, Mill River, Foxely River, and Trout River. These rivers create estuaries, which are places where fresh river water mixes with salty ocean water.
At the southern end of the bay, there's an area called the Black Banks. This land is mostly made of peat, which is a type of soil formed from decayed plants. Most of the land around the bay, except for the Black Banks and the Sand Hills, is used for farming. This means a lot of crops are grown there.
Alberton Harbour
Alberton Harbour is a part of Cascumpec Bay located in the north. Oultons Island separates it from the main bay. Alberton Harbour has its own way to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. This path is between the north end of the Sand Hills and a sandy strip of land called Kildare Point.
This passage made Alberton Harbour a great safe spot for ships a long time ago. It encouraged people to settle nearby. The town of Alberton, with about 1100 people, is on the west side of the harbour. Northport, a fishing village with about 250 people, is also on the harbour, south of Alberton. These are the only two main towns near Cascumpec Bay.
How Cascumpec Bay Got Its Name
The name Cascumpec comes from the Mi'kmaq word "Kaskamkek." This word means "bold sandy shore."
In the 1700s, the name changed a little to the French name "Cachecampec." Later, it became the English name "Kascumpeck." The way it sounds hasn't changed much since then. However, the current spelling, Cascumpec, was officially decided in 1966.
A Home for Birds
Cascumpec Bay is a very important place for birds. Nature Canada has named it an Important Bird Area. Many birds use the bay as a resting spot during their long migrations.
- Large numbers of Canada geese stop here when they are migrating.
- Great blue heron and osprey use the bay as a place to build their nests.
- The Cascumpec Sand Hills are sometimes home to nests of the piping plover, which is a shorebird.
- You can also find groups of common tern nesting on the Sand Hills.
