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Principles of the Coastal Protection Act

Bill No. 106 (as passed).

Excerpt:

This Act is based on the following principles:

(a) portions of the Province’s coast are dynamic and naturally migrate landward and seaward as a result of the interaction of natural forces such as tides, winds, currents and wave action with varying geological conditions;

(b) preservation of the dynamic nature of the coast is important in order to protect and allow for the natural adaptation of coastal ecosystems that provide fish, wildlife and plant habitat and perform important ecological functions that Nova Scotians value; (more…)

By Lindsay Lee, ago

Disappearing Coastline

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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By Lindsay Lee, ago
Anticipation by Stan Frantz

Seagrass beds off our coast could be some of the world’s heaviest and oldest organisms

CBC Radio
Mainstreet Nova Scotia
February 12, 2020

Not only seagrasses the only type of plants that flower underwater, but they could be the oldest known organisms on our planet. “The value generated by seagrass is among the highest of any habitat in the world,” explains Worm. The ecosystem services provided by seagrass meadows (such as nursery habitat, spawning habitat, and carbon sequestration) are so valuable that they are valued “in excess of $20,000 per hectare, per year.”

In terms of Owls Head Park Reserve, Worm says”[w]hen we think about doing something to that protected land it’s not just about the land, it’s also very strongly connected to the underwater habitat nearby” which could be “very harmful for the seagrass that lives there.”

Listen Now

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By Save Owls Head, ago

Giving a Hoot About Owls Head: Letter and Original Artwork from Deborah M. Stover

February 12, 2020

Dear Premier Stephen McNeil,

I am absolutely completely opposed to your government’s attempt to sell off public lands at Owls Head. This is wrong and anyone with decency, respect for the Earth, and or any kind of intelligence knows this!

These lands are important for conservation and have long been promised for legal protection as a provincial park going back decades. This LAND MUST CONTINUE to be PROTECTED AS IT IS! NO golf course or any other project / development that in any way changes this land should ever take place at Owl’s Head.

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By Save Owls Head, ago
"Hoot" - Original Artwork by Deborah M Stover
Back Road Bog

Protecting Canada’s Carbon Sinks

A short but beautiful video and article from WWF-Canada explains the value of carbon sinks, and protecting sites like Owls Head, Nova Scotia.

World Wildlife Federation – Canada

Visit Page

In the face of widespread wildlife loss and climate change, WWF-Canada’s new nation-wide assessment maps gaps in essential wildlife habitat protection and opportunities to protect areas that benefit biodiversity while slowing climate change.

A national habitat crisis

Just as we need housing, wildlife need somewhere to live. Half of Canada’s monitored species are in decline, by a staggering 83 per cent, and even wildlife protected under Canada’s Species at Risk Act are failing to recover. Wildlife simply can’t survive with increasingly degraded or destroyed habitats. They need to find food, mate, migrate and raise their young. Climate change only makes matters worse.

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By Save Owls Head, ago

Province firm on Owls Head sale despite objections

Stefan Sinclair-Fortin
The Signal
February 7, 2020

Article Here>

Public will get a say but on the developer’s terms

The government defended its handling of Owls Head on Thursday, despite continuing calls for the sale of public land to be stopped.

Minister of Lands and Forestry Iain Rankin said he is aware of the public’s interest, but has no plans to protect the area. He said the sale to a private developer is still in progress.

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By Save Owls Head, ago