Cape Jourimain, New Brunswick

Cape Jourimain is a headland in the western part of the Northumberland Strait on its southern shore, 3 kilometres west of New Brunswick's easternmost point at Cape Tormentine.

Cape Jourimain is formed by Jourimain Island and Trenholme Island, which have been connected to the mainland since 1965-1966 by an artificial causeway built using infill as part of an approach road and railway for an aborted causeway across the Abegweit Passage of Northumberland Strait to Borden, Prince Edward Island. The causeway blocked all water flow on the western side of the island and the shallow waters became heavily silted and formed a large salt marsh. The salt marsh and the islands themselves were designated the Cape Jourimain National Wildlife Area by the Canadian Wildlife Service in 1980 due to the importance of the 675 hecatare site for supporting habitat of migrating seabirds.

Cape Jourimain saw the 1960s-era approach road rebuilt in the early 1990s and opened on June 1, 1997 as part of 5 kilometre realignment of Trans-Canada Highway Route 16 with the commissioning of the Confederation Bridge. The railway, abandoned in the late 1960s after the aborted causeway project, was converted to a recreational trail.

In 2001, the provincial and federal governments built an interpretation facility for the National Wildlife Area and a co-located tourist information centre near the western abutment of the Confederation Bridge; it is named the Cape Jourimain Nature Centre.

External links

* [http://www.capejourimain.ca/english/ Cape Jourimain Nature Centre - official website]