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Group News
Federal Land Parcel Goes to Environment and Climate Change Canada
We are excited to announce that the federal parcel of land adjacent to Owls Head Provincial Park has officially been transferred to Environment and Climate Change Canada … a monumental step in the Save Owls Head Park campaign.
This would not have been possible without the intense opposition to the sale of public parkland or the committed advocacy of our conservation partners. We would especially like to thank CPAWS NS, who have been working tirelessly to save this ecologically significant property and its 45-year history of promised protections. The importance of your work at the provincial and federal levels cannot be overstated.
We are also grateful to the government of Canada and the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson (Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada) for recognizing the importance of this representative coastal ecosystem. Thank you for your commitment to honour the best and highest use of Owls Head Provincial Park.
Group News
New Freedom of Information Request Reveals Government Process to Facilitate Sale of Owls Head Provincial Park
Public servants have been working with the prospective buyer, Lighthouse Links Development Corporation, to facilitate the sale of Owls Head Provincial Park
Update: In November 2019, Lands and Forestry had to file more documents in the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, in response to the applicant’s request for a judicial review. As a result, we learned that the price for this unique coastal ecosystem had been assessed at $306/acre.
This means that 704 acres would only cost the developer $216,000, far below the asking price of nearby parcels. The appraiser (Turner and Drake) had determined the price based on the land being undevelopable, yet Lighthouse Links does plan to develop it.
Included in the Freedom of Information (FOIPOP) package are the signed Letter of Offer for the sale of Owls Head Park Reserve, a Valuation Report, and emails between members of the government staff and Gilbert’s representatives.
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Group News
Valuation Report of Owls Head Provincial Park
Update: In November of 2019, Lands and Forestry had to file additional documents in the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, in response to the applicant’s request for a judicial review. As a result, we learned that the (previously redacted) price for this unique coastal ecosystem would be $306/acre. This means that 704 acres would only cost the developer $216,000, far below the asking price of nearby parcels. The appraiser (Turner and Drake) had determined the price based on the land being undevelopable, yet Lighthouse Links does plan to develop it.
The valuation report that assessed the market value of the public park lands was commissioned directly by Lighthouse Links Development Company.
It is worth noting that the effective date of valuation is August 21, 2018, over 6 months before Owls Head Provincial Park was secretly delisted on March 13, 2019.
Speak Your Piece
Golfing in Pea Soup
The coastal location of Owls Head Provincial Park makes it unsuitable for a golf course for many reasons, including:
- The need to protect the adjacent marine environment
- Nova Scotians’ limited public access to the coast (roughly 5% is publicly owned)
- Coastal erosion
- The storm surges that are intensified by global warming
- The incompatible climate of the site
Due to the weather along parts of the Eastern Shore, locals have been sceptical of the plan to establish golf courses at Owls Head Provincial Park.
(more…)“It is definitely colder and a lot foggier than in other places. Starts in April. When it is foggy, sometimes we can’t even see across the street to the neighours.”
Carol Ann MacPhee
Photo Galleries
Golf Courses & Fertilizer Effects
Eutrophication: the process by which a body of water becomes enriched in dissolved nutrients (such as phosphates) that stimulate the growth of aquatic plant life usually resulting in the depletion of dissolved oxygen
– Merriam Webster
When fertilizers get washed into lakes or rivers, it can lead to eutrophication. In these photos, we see that eutrophication has led to a suspected algal bloom on the Nine Mile River (adjacent to Links at Brunello Golf Course in Timberlea).
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Letters to the Editor
Letter: Nova Scotians Gradually Losing Access to Shores and Beaches
Picture this.
The ocean breeze is blowing through your hair. Imagine the feel of sand underneath your feet as you listen to the waves lapping against the beach. Think back to days spent sailing in the bay or walking along a rocky shore. You are building sandcastles, watching the fishing boats, looking for sea glass, or collecting shells.
Can you imagine life in Nova Scotia without these things?
No, neither can I.
When we open our eyes, we see that more and more of us are losing access to our shores, as land that the public has enjoyed for generations is being sold to the highest bidder.
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Speak Your Piece
How Golf Courses Would Jeopardize Important Marine Ecosystems
Development on this particular site would cause irreparable harm to the unique geology, flora, and fauna that have developed over the past 10,000 years. It will also have adverse impacts on the offshore marine environment.
In Short:
- The proposed development would require large amounts of fill. Therefore, sediments would run into the marine areas, negatively affecting sensitive eelgrass beds and salt marsh habitats.
- Once established as golf courses, the use of pesticides and the threat of runoff of toxic chemicals (during rainfall events or through the site’s interconnected hydrology) would threaten these same marine areas.
(more…)“For a large development such as golf courses, the construction and subsequent run-off from the land as well as increased nutrient loads all have the potential to negatively impact these ecosystems.”
– Marine Biologist Dr. Kristina Boerder