Thousand Islands National Park area to defend the British from American invasion. Inside the park, Cedar Island, a small island visible from downtown Kingston, Ontario, is the site of a Martello tower named Cathcart Tower. The park was established in 1904, the first Canadian national park east of the Rocky Mountains. It was called "St. Lawrence Islands National Park" until 2013, when it was renamed to "Thousand Islands National Park" to reflect the natural area in the name. In 1997, the park was named one of the national parks with the highest levels of ecological impairment. Animals that inhabit this national park are coyotes,
North American river otter spp.), daces ("Rhinichthys" spp.), shiners ("Notropis" and "Richardsonius" spp.), and squawfishes ("Ptychocheilus" spp.); and Ictaluridae, which consists of bullheads and catfish ("Ictalurus" spp.). Other fish an integral part of the North American river otters' diets are those that are often plentiful and found in large schools: sunfish ("Lepomis" spp.); darters ("Etheostoma" spp.); and perches ("Perca" spp.). Bottom-dwelling species, which have the tendency to remain immobile until a predator is very close, are susceptible to North American river otters. These include mudminnows ("Umbra limi") and sculpins ("Cottus" spp.). Game fish, such as trout (Salmonidae) and pike (Esocidae), are not a significant