Reports and articles from scientists on the high biodiversity of Owls Head Provincial Park Reserve
Click to enlarge I’m very happy to share the first results and impressions from our recent scientific survey work in the stunningly dense and beautiful eelgrass beds around Owls Head Provincial Park! We spent about 4 hours in the water to measure and survey eelgrass along 100m of transect and Read more…
Today was my first visit to Owls Head Provincial Park. Nova Scotia. The park was secretly “delisted” by the Liberal Provincial Government and offered for sale to a wealthy American who wants to build three golf courses on the site. I must declare my complete opposition to the sale. My Read more…
(more…)“This is a species in trouble… There’s been a 70 per cent decline in this population globally, and the population is continuing to head in the wrong direction”
Chris Miller, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (Nova Scotia Chapter)
Dr. Jeremy Lundholm, Caitlin Porter, and their team have conducted years of research on coastal barrens across the province, including Owls Head Provincial Park.
Nature Nova Scotia
“Nature Talks” Series
Featuring Dr. Jeremy Lundholm
Watch the video at https://youtu.be/MKMOLSkL5S0
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Eelgrass isn’t just for eels! It’s also a carbon sink, and provides habitat for young lobster. The Ecology Action Centre wants residents to participate in mapping eelgrass along Nova Scotia’s coasts.
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Marine biologist Dr. Kristina Boerder has launched a Go-Fund-Me campaign to fund important scientific research at Owls Head Provincial Park. If you can’t afford to make a donation, check out other ways to take action, here.
Please help us with this important research at Owls Head Provincial Park! Your contribution will cover essential costs for volunteers during our scientific expeditions, including:
The findings from our 2021 expeditions will be publicly available so everyone can learn about the conservation value of Owls Head Provincial Park.
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Despite its incredible benefits to the oceans and to our fisheries, nearly one-third of seagrass worldwide has been lost in the past century alone. Here in Nova Scotia, we have an incredible opportunity to protect it.
Contributed by Dr. Kristina Boerder
June 8, 2021
World Oceans Day
We have a treasure right in front of our doorstep that few people know about — eelgrass beds, a remarkable coastal ecosystem under the waves, just steps off the coast. Very few people know that eelgrass provides critically important ecosystem services, including supporting our fisheries, helping to prevent coastal and beach erosion, and storing carbon. The UN has even declared eelgrass meadows a “secret weapon” in the fight against climate change. Unfortunately, seagrass meadows are also one of the world’s most threatened ecosystems. It is estimated that the world loses up to 2 football fields worth of seagrass each hour. That’s the equivalent of 336 football fields each week.
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Love will soon be in the air—for barn swallows, that is. Courtship during the upcoming mating season will feature elegant aerial displays. Cobalt blue, cinnamon and chestnut-coloured, the barn swallow is a striking species. But it’s in flight that these birds go from interesting to incredible. Barn swallows are aerial acrobats, which have been recorded at speeds of up to 74 km/hour. They zip and zoom through the air, performing impressive manoeuvres to catch flying insects. Who knew that you could look so graceful while eating bugs all day?
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