Keith Doucette
The Canadian Press
June 15, 2022
Also published here
The Nova Scotia government’s decision to protect a section of rugged Crown land along the province’s Eastern Shore from development is being hailed as proof that public mobilization can make a difference.
… Chris Trider, who helped spearhead the Save Owls Head Provincial Park Facebook campaign, said those who wanted to protect the area from development are grateful “a whole lot of people got involved.”
… Chris Miller, executive director of the Nova Scotia chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, described the new park designation as the “best possible outcome” for Owls Head.
“It’s an ecological hot spot with all sorts of really important coastal ecosystems and wildlife,” Miller said.
It’s not surprising how the public reacted when the land was removed from the list of territory awaiting protection, he said. “The fact that the previous government did this in secret without public consultation was really aggravating and there was a very strong public backlash to it.”
Although many had referred to the area as Owls Head provincial park, it has never been officially designated as such.
[Wildlife biologist Bob] Bancroft said another 120 areas across the province have yet to receive official parks designation by the provincial government, adding that more needs to be done to reverse a “battle nature has been losing.”
“I think this is a nice start — Owls Head — in recognizing that these places are significant to a portion of the wildlife that is already being challenged,” he said.
