Chantry Island is off limits – take a virtual visit not a landed one

While it may be enticing for kayakers, jet-skiers, canoers and others to take a personal trip to Chantry Island … it is against the law to land.

                                                                        Chantry Island Lighthouse

Chantry Island has been designated by the government as a migratory bird sanctuary for many bird species who use it as a stop-over on their migration to have their young families.  Not only are you disobeying the law, you are potentially harming those birds who temporarily make it their home in order to have their young.

For larger views, Click on Images

The only sanctioned group that is allowed to take visitors to the island during the summer is the Marine Heritage Society of Southampton.  The volunteers who operate the tours to the island and maintain it, strictly adhere to the government regulations of only 10 people per tour.

More than 300 volunteers over the years have worked to restore this historic place that has become recognized as an icon of Southampton, Lake Huron and lighthouses around the world.  Since the 1990s, they have worked tirelessly to maintain this iconic landmark and to make it a destination for visitors from around the world.

We are living in a world where the environment is teetering on the edge of a precipice.  Most recently, Chantry Island has become home to another species at risk, the migrating Monarch butterflies … the more people, the fewer the butterflies.

You, in your kayak or canoe or jet ski, may be enjoying the days of summer on Lake Huron but also realize that you have a responsibility, an accountability, to preserve what you are enjoying today.

Chantry Island is off limits to all except the Marine Heritage Society … if you want to visit, take a virtual tour https://chantryisland.com/gallery/

 In addition, you also risk the poisoning from Giant Hogweed and Poison Ivy.