We welcome submissions from anyone who wants to explain in their own words why the sale of Owls Head must be stopped. Anyone who has an articulate and valuable opinion to add to the cause of protecting this special place may submit articles to be published here.
July 2, 2020
Dear Premier McNeil,
I have restrained myself from writing the many letters of protest that I most likely should have been writing to you. This letter concerns what is happening to our province under your watch.
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By Caitlin Grady of CPAWS NS
Originally published here
A lot has happened since the CBC investigative report by Michael Gorman uncovered the secret delisting of Owls Head Provincial Park Reserve by the Nova Scotia government. This backroom deal to turn a park into a golf course development has drawn huge public condemnation, and rightly so.
Here’s what we know so far:
2017 – Negotiations begin behind-closed-doors to delist Owls Head Provincial Park Reserve and remove the site from the Nova Scotia ‘Our Parks and Protected Areas Plan’.
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June 30, 2020 It bears repeating at this point that the struggle to stop the secret sale and protect Owls Head Provincial Park has never been just about Owls Head. It has never been about preventing local economic development , and never about just preventing golf courses. It is about Read more…
The Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia has the opportunity to address tourism, economic development and land conservation in a different way than any other area of Nova Scotia at this time.
As a trained biologist, tourism operator and community economic development facilitator, I’d like to invite a deeper think about the news article above and its implications. My hope is that we embrace a more openly democratic discussion and assessment of tourism and economic development opportunities.
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Today, we are sharing in-depth excerpts from the Report on the Ecological Importance of Owls Head Crown land. Dr. Jeremy Lundholm, PhD, and Caitlin Porter, MSc, voluntarily provided this information to the court and have subsequently given us permission to share it online. You can find their unabridged report at the bottom of this page. If you’d prefer, you can read the post of their conclusions instead.
Zack Metcalfe
Canada’s National Observer
June 22, 2020
Featured Photo: Canada Warbler by Jason Dain
The Nova Scotia government just lost a 16-month lawsuit to a flower, moose, turtle, two birds and a tree, which, it goes without saying, has never happened before.
Zack Metcalfe
This is the first time Nova Scotia’s Endangered Species Act has been the subject of legal action, and the first time such legislation has been upheld in a Maritime court, setting several legal precedents that could have enormous consequences for regional conservation. […] Juniper Law is preparing for another lawsuit against the Department of Land and Forestry for its controversial decision to delist Owls Head Provincial Park on the province’s eastern shore, and attempt to sell it to a developer for the construction of three golf courses, thus undermining the sanctity of other protected areas across the province.
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June 19, 2020
Dear Premier McNeil,
To date, there have been no updates on the possible sale of Owl’s Head Park. I hope that means that the Province is reconsidering that decision. After witnessing all that nature can throw at us throughout this pandemic, I find it disconcerting that we would be willing to hand over pristine, protected crown owned lands to American billionaire investors to spoil and corrupt to their ideals instead of keeping this land for wildlife and for regular Nova Scotians who need it for healing and for physical and mental health.
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You don’t need to be a science whiz or a brilliant writer in order to stand up for the environment. You just need to make your voice heard.