A letter from Owls Head advocate Lindsay Lee
June 15, 2022
Dear Premier Houston and Minister Rushton,
Thank you very much for designating Owls Head as Nova Scotia’s next provincial park. Along with thousands of other citizens across the province, I am overjoyed and relieved that this special coastal park will remain in public ownership and be protected in perpetuity.
The Save Owls Head movement has shown just how deeply Nova Scotians care about wild spaces, coastal parks, and transparency in government.
Your decision to right this wrong will preserve the beauty and biodiversity of our province for generations to come. It will also help to rebuild something invaluable: public trust.
Legally protecting Owls Head Provincial Park (which has been a recognized candidate for protection since the 1970s) is long overdue. But that doesn’t make it any less significant (quite the opposite, in fact). Successive governments have had the opportunity to protect the park’s outstanding conservation values, but along with thousands of citizens, your government took action.
I’m hopeful that this announcement signals the dawn of a new era for protected areas in Nova Scotia—one in which all of the pending provincial parks, nature reserves, and wilderness areas will soon receive legal protection, as we work our way towards protecting 20% of Nova Scotia by 2030.
Owls Head is an inspiring reminder that when citizens and their elected representatives recognize that something is deeply wrong, and work together to correct it, they can accomplish amazing things.
Thank you—for listening, for following through on your commitment, and for doing the right thing.
Sincerely,
Lindsay Lee
It’s important to recognize when governments do the right thing. CPAWS-NS has made it quick and easy to send your thanks to Premier Houston & Minister Rushton (Natural Resources and Renewables) through the CPAWS Action page.
