Harry Gibbons Migratory Bird Sanctuary

Harry Gibbons Migratory Bird Sanctuary
IUCN category Ib (wilderness area)
Location	Southampton Island, Kivalliq, Nunavut, Canada
Nearest town	Coral Harbor
Coordinates	63°49′22″N 85°48′55″W / 63.82278°N 85.81528°WCoordinates: 63°49′22″N 85°48′55″W / 63.82278°N 85.81528°W
Area	1,224 km^2 (473 sq mi)
Established	1959

The Harry Gibbons Migratory Bird Sanctuary is a migratory bird sanctuary in Kivalliq Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is located in western Southampton Island in the area of the Boas River and Bay of Gods Mercy.

The Sanctuary was established 1 January 1959,^[1] and consisting of 149,500 hectares,.^[2] Of its 1,224 km² (473 sq mi) in overall size, 78 km² (30 sq mi) is a marine area with marine, intertidal, and subtidal components.^[1]

The sanctuary was named after Harry Gibbons Ohnainewk (c. 1900-1954), a local Inuit hunter and guide whose journals provided valuable weather data, especially on wind.^[3][4]

It is one of two bird sanctuaries on the island, the other being the East Bay Migratory Bird Sanctuary, situated 87 mi (140 km) to the northeast.^[5]

Other designations

Along with its wetlands, the Boas River is a Canadian Important Bird Area (site #NU022). The Harry Gibbons MBS takes up the western portion of the IBA.^[6]

References

1. "Harry Gibbons Migratory Bird Sanctuary". mpaglobal.org. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
2. "Nunavut Migratory Bird Sanctuary Facts". cws-scf.ec.gc.ca. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
3. Petrone, Penny (1992). Northern Voices: Inuit Writing in English. University of Toronto Press. p. 130. ISBN 0-8020-7717-X.
4. Rowley, Graham (1996). Cold comfort: my love affair with the Arctic. Native and northern series. McGill-Queen's Press. p. 37. ISBN 0-7735-1393-0.
5. "Arctic Oasis". Eco Explorer. pbs.org. Retrieved 2009-09-05.
6. "Boas River and associated wetlands". bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2009-04-23.