Nova Scotia’s treasures are in danger and the McNeil government’s culture is the problem Zack MetcalfeHalifax MagazineFebruary 5, 2020 Full Article Here> The sanctity of Nova Scotia’s protected areas has taken a beating in recent yeras, especially those of the Read more…
If, for 45 years, successive provincial governments and, more importantly, Nova Scotians believe and treat a piece of the province as a provincial park, can the current government negate that 45-year-history, decide the land was never a park, and sell it off for private development?
Stephen McNeil’s government believes the answer to that question is “yes,” and groups determined to protect the land are adamant that it’s “no.”
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We of the Nova Scotia Wild Flora Society are writing to express our concern with the delisting of Owls Head Provincial Park Reserve and proposed golf course development on these public lands. The Nova Scotia Wild Flora Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to the appreciation and conservation of wild flora and habitat in Nova Scotia.
The secret delisting and offer to sell Owls Head Provincial Park is not just a betrayal of the public, it is also a betrayal of the public service. You see there are a lot of good, smart, dedicated people in Read more…
“The bogs and coastal wetlands of Owl’s Head are beautiful, complex, pristine, and undervalued. Development of the site would completely, irrevocably, and utterly destroy the natural hydrology of Owl’s Head and impact surrounding marine waters.”
—Christopher Trider
Water. We take it for granted, but it’s important. Owl’s Head has this incredible relationship with water, both on the site and with the adjacent marine areas.
The entire headland of Owls Head acts as a water recharge area. Water is held in the sloughs between the ridges, it filters through the bogs and barrens, then finds its way into the sea at various points. The drainage patterns are a complex, uncharted maze with small ponds and pools, raised bogs, and Douglas Lake. This hydrology is just another layer, another reason to protect the natural integrity of these public lands. (more…)
February 5, 2020
Dear Mr. MacKay,
I am writing to you as my elected representative to express my concern about the proposed sale of Owls Head.
Although this is not in your riding, this is a watershed moment for Nova Scotia and citizens in all Nova Scotia ridings. Sale of this land would set a terrible precedent. Destruction of this land would be irreparable.
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February 5, 2020
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…)
We are fighting to save Owls Head Provincial Park.
We are fighting on many fronts and must remain vigilant.
The Court case—thank you Eastern Shore Forest Watch and N.S. Biologist Bob Bancroft—opens another front. It gives us oxygen, like Katie Porter’s report, the public meeting at Ship Harbour, the work of Richard Bell in the Eastern Shore Cooperator, the hundreds of people who have joined this group and share its posts, the work of Stan Frantz on the website, Sydnee Lynn’s determination to stop the sale and destruction of Owls Head, the work of the Conservation Groups: CPAWS and the EAC. The comments, the posts, the public engagement, and dialogue are all keeping us moving forward together, an army of common purpose.
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