Office of the Premier
7th Floor, One Government Place
1700 Granville Street
Halifax, NS
B3J 1X5
March 10, 2020
Dear Premier Stephen McNeil:
Owls Head is an ecologically significant area along the Eastern Shore that is deserving of legal protection. It contains a number of rare ecosystem types, as well as important habitat for migratory birds and species-at-risk. It is a key headland within the “100 wild islands” ecosystem.
(more…)On February 19, 2020, CBC reported: “Owls Head land sale put on hold as potential buyers explore their options.” At first glance, this seems like cause for celebration. Right? Not so fast. The more you read, the less clear the situation becomes.
Ever since the story broke in December 2019, there has been clear and persistent opposition to the government secretly delisting Owls Head Provincial Park Reserve. No private development would preserve public coastal access or the site’s “natural beauty.”
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Picture this: the ocean breeze is blowing through your hair. Imagine the sand underneath your feet. Think back to days spent at a quiet beach or walking along a rocky shore. You are building sandcastles, watching the seals following the fishing boats, looking for sea glass, digging clams, or collecting shells. Can you imagine life in Nova Scotia without these things? No, neither can I.
When we open our eyes, we see that our coasts are being taken away. More and more of us are losing our access to the shore, as land that the public has enjoyed for generations is being sold to the highest bidder. Each time the government sells the public’s coastal lands, they are also selling a crucial aspect of life in Nova Scotia.
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Dear Premier Stephen McNeil,
WWF-Canada is concerned with the delisting of Owls Head Provincial Park Reserve and calls on the provincial government to stop the sale of public lands at Owls Head and to honour the commitment to Nova Scotians to legally protect this ecologically significant wilderness area.
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