From Nova Scotia News Release, 21 October 2024 (Build Nova Scotia, Public Works):
“People living around and downstream from Williams Lake in Halifax and their properties will be safer with the Province’s construction of a new dam.
“The replacement dam will be built to environmental standards that support protection of the lake’s ecosystem and regulate water levels for the enjoyment and safety of users and property owners. Continue reading
Elections are coming up fast in Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) – are you ready?
At the Backlands Coalition, we believe it’s imperative that the next Council recognize and permanently preserve the Halifax Backlands as a Wilderness Area. But no wilderness area survives as an island…
On October 19, 2024 as citizens of HRM we will hold the power to decide how our municipality moves forward over the next 4 years. HRM is growing faster than ever, resulting in more pressure on our housing, transportation, social/health services, and our wilderness areas. Pressures that are often pitched as battling against each other. So we’re here to pitch for a path that moves us forward together – it’s not “park *or* housing”… “wildlife corridor *or* highway”…“wilderness area *or* social services” – It’s “*AND*”, especially when our urban wilderness areas offer so many benefits to the citizens of our whole municipality and province. Continue reading
🐦 It’s time to wrap up our 2024 Ground Nesting Bird Series with a big thank you from the heart ❤️ of the Backlands for keeping your feet 👣 & your pet’s paws 🐾 on the trails while our ground nesting feathered friends were hatching and raising their young this season!
P.s. It’s best practice year-round to stick to trails, to minimize our impact on sensitive habitats and a wilderness area’s entire ecosystem. Help keep wilderness areas healthy for years to come, so that we can continue to enjoy the great benefits they provide us, from cleaner water & air, to places for recreation & relaxation.
Another cutie pic of the Juvenile Dark-eyed Junco viewed by JBD in the east Pine Island Pond area on Aug 13, 2022 . We’re just coming to the end of the nesting season for 2024.
Did you know that just a few small steps by each of us can make a big difference for ground nesting birds, like the Dark-eyed Junco?
All we need to do is keep our feet on the trails when we’re hiking, especially during nesting season (March – September) Continue reading
From the Nature NS announcement on Facebook:
Join our October Nature Talks on October 3rd from 7:00 – 8:00pm! This month’s Nature Talks Topic: The Common Nighthawk!
In collaboration with the Staicer Lab, Worm Lab, and the Backlands Coalition, Dalhousie students Siobhan Herold and Madeleine Kurtz studied the fascinating Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) and its insect prey. This elusive bird, often active at dusk and dawn, is known for its aerial acrobatics and a distinctive “peent” call. The students’ research focused on the spatial distribution, critical habitat, and foraging grounds of a nighthawk population in the Purcells Cove Backlands. The species is classified as threatened in Canada, and its preference for open, rocky, and barren landscapes makes Siobhan’s and Madeleine’s work crucial for their conservation in an area marked by urbanization pressures.
Register now
From EAC – Hike the Greenbelt:
“Urban Halifax has a fledging greenbelt – areas that should stay undeveloped for all the benefits they provide, including supporting a healthy, vibrant city.
Our HRM Alliance is hosting hikes at key spots in the greenbelt in fall 2024.
Register to join.”
American Woodcock, Lake Banook area Dartmouth, Photo by Josha Barss Donham 2015-04-08
Say hello again to the American Woodcock! This unusual shorebird is one of 4 ground nesting birds species that we’re featuring this season.
The American Woodcock lives in wooded or shrubby areas where the ground is damp, and is quite distinctive: a plump chest and belly, very short legs, big dark eyes placed unusually far back on the head, and a very long beak. They are a stocky bird, about the same length as a robin but more than twice as heavy! And the females are even larger than the males.
Sign at entrance to Shaw Wilderness Park
There are not a lot of Eastern Hemlock in the Backlands, but there are concentrations in some residential areas. Homeowners can protect these trees from HWA (Hemlock Wooly Adelgid, aka the “Hemlock Vampire”). There is an exceptional, nearby opportunity to learn about what’s involved coming up tomorrow:
Received yesterday:
This Thursday August 22, 2024 the HRM will be hosting an engagement session on HWA (Hemlock Woolly Adelgid) at the Fairbanks Centre at Shubie Park in Dartmouth. Doors of the Avery Room will open at 6PM and the event will begin at 6:30PM. Those who arrive early will have the chance to engage with municipal staff and participate in a prioritization exercise for the treatment of HWA on municipal land.
🌿Have you heard about the Backlands Bioblitz?!🌱
Our HRM Alliance and Ecology Action Centre are helping us celebrate Wetlands Appreciation Week with a Bioblitz Hike in the Halifax Backlands on August 15th from 6:00pm – 8:30pm.
What is a “Bioblitz”?
You’ll learn how you can become a valuable part of conservation efforts as a citizen scientist – all you need is a smartphone (or camera with a computer at home). We’ll show you how to use the iNaturalist app to spot native and invasive plants, then hike to wetlands in the Shaw Wilderness Park and collect vital data for conservation efforts. These wetlands are crucial for fire control in nearby jack pine barrens ecosystems. Continue reading
There was a lot packed in to the August 1, 2024 meeting of the Environment and Sustainability Standing Committee.
View:
– Proceedings on YouTube
-The Agenda PDF It includes Links to related documents, amongst them:
– Radon Awareness, PDF of slide presentation by Lacie Sutherland
– Existing and Planned Measures for Coastal Management: Staff Report
– Bird Friendly Halifax PDF of slide presentation Jess Lewis
– Municipal Watershed Management Framework [PDF]
& a Presentation by Elizabeth Montgomery [PDF]
