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May 12, 1997
(Tourism, Culture and Recreation)


Cape St. Mary's Interpretation Centre Re-opens

The Cape St. Mary's Interpretation Centre has now opened to the public for the summer season, and will remain open until October 6. The centre opened for the first time last year. It has been hailed as a world-class facility by the many tourists who visited last year from all over the world including Canada, the United States, and Europe.

The Cape St. Mary's Bird Sanctuary is a well-known natural attraction that is home for approximately 53,000 seabirds from May to October. Each year, thousands of visitors visit Cape St. Mary's to get a close-up view of the nesting birds crowded on the rock. This year, thousands more visitors are expected at the Cape as a result of the Cabot 500 Celebrations attracting extra tourists to Newfoundland and Labrador. Visitors to the Cape can walk along a path to see the rock crowded with nesting birds. This site is unique in that it is one of the only bird sanctuaries in the world where people can observe the birds at such close range without disturbing their habitat.

"Spring is a great time at the Cape!" according to Fyzee Shuhood, centre manager. "The colony is alive with activity. The seabirds - the gannets, murres and kittiwakes - have arrived and are busy building their nests, engaging in mating rituals, and preparing for the hatching of their chicks."

Tourists, school groups, and the general public are invited to visit the centre anytime from Friday to Tuesday between the hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until May 24. After May 24, the centre will remain open seven days a week and the hours of operation will be extended - from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Interpreters, who are trained naturalists, are at the centre to provide visitors with information and guided hikes to the bird rock. This year, there will be a small admission fee to enter the exhibit area of the Interpretation Centre.

Sandra C. Kelly, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, is particularly eager to see more school groups come to Cape St. Mary's.

"School kids especially," Sandra Kelly says "should come out to the Cape, to what can be described as nature's classroom. They can learn more about our province's natural areas, the marine environment and see the birds themselves."

Natural educational activities and special events at Cape St. Mary's are planned all summer and fall. For more information on the reserve and program activities, call Heather Cummings at (709) 729-2429.

Contact: Laura Cochrane, Director of Communications, tel. (709) 729-0928, fax. (709) 729-0662.

1997 05 12 2:40 p.m.

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