Economy

Corema - Broom Crowberry

How Do We Put a Value on Owls Head?

How do we put a value on Owls Head Provincial Park?

There have been few valuations for rare plants, let alone globally rare plant communities. For example, a rare Shenzhen Nongke orchid is valued at $202,000 per plant. We would need to do a series of transects and plots at Owls Head Provincial Park to get an honest number of the rare plants and communities to put into the economic calculus of a ” balanced ” view.

“A mature tree can have an appraised value of between $1,000 and $10,000.” So let’s do a survey of all the ancient coastal white spruce stands at Owls head and put an average value of $2000 on the individual specimens, but let’s be fair and only value the trees that are 75-100+ years old, the ones impossible to replace in a lifetime.

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By Christopher Trider, ago
Nova Scotia Owls Head Park Reserve Map

Letter: The True Value of Owls Head

February 5, 2020

By Sue Corser

Dear Mr. Ince;

RE: OWLS HEAD PARK RESERVE

I am writing to you as my representative in the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly. I am gravely concerned about the actions of the McNeil Government to secretly de-list the Owls Head Park Reserve and commence a process to sell these lands to a private interest.

You no doubt know some or all of the history and efforts to identify and protect lands along the eastern shore and across Nova Scotia as part of a park and protected areas strategy. You may also be aware that these efforts have been ongoing for more than four decades and many, many citizens have participated over and over to ensure a certain future for these precious lands. (more…)

By Save Owls Head, ago

A Different Approach

…to economic development along the Eastern Shore, including experiential, community-based tourism that is regenerative and restorative.

I would be happy to be part of a group strategy session to provide input as to why a different approach to economic development along the Eastern Shore (including experiential, community-based tourism that is regenerative and restorative) makes so much sense for the long-term viability of many communities. By recognizing the basic systems of ecology, land, biodiversity, and water retention, this extends far beyond the basic concepts of ecotourism.

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By Save Owls Head, ago

Weasel Awards

The starting point for this group was a CBC article by Michael Gorman. That article, on December 18, revealed that a secretive process was underway to remove Owls Head Provincial Park from the list of protected lands in the Nova Scotia Parks and Protected Areas Plan, and sell it to a private developer… reportedly for the development of three golf courses. It was revealed in that story that there was absolutely no public consultation nor scientific basis for removing the 661 acres of pristine coastal barrens from the protection and public ownership it had enjoyed for 45 years.

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By Christopher Trider, ago