SYDNEY, N.S. —
The Old Sydney Society will present a talk about Sable Island and its archeology at the Sydney museum, 173 Charlotte St., Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
Charles Burke, a native of Louisbourg who recently retired as Parks Canada’s senior archeologist in Halifax, will speak. He conducted field research on Sable Island, documenting its archeological evidence and developing a resource management plan for its cultural heritage.
Parks Canada completed an initial archaeological survey of in its archaeological resources on Sable Island National Park Reserve in 2015 with additional field trips in 2017 and 2018.
Although fragile and either buried or exposed in the island’s sand, these archaeological sites represent a range of activities from a 16th century settlement to the 19th century establishment of life-saving stations and lighthouses.
As the federal administrator of Sable Island National Park Reserve, Parks Canada’s primary goal is to develop a long-term archaeological resource monitoring and management plan for Sable Island.
Burke’s presentation will highlight many of the interesting survey results, including information derived from ground-penetrating radar and it will focus on the challenge of managing archaeological resources in the dynamic environment of Sable Island.
During his career with Parks Canada, Burke was twice awarded the CEO Award of Excellence and was a recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his contributions to archaeology and public education. He completed an MA in anthropology at Memorial University of Newfoundland.
