The Backlands Coalition

Sixty-eight hikers joined the Backland folks yesterday, the best turnout in the Hike-the-Greenbelt events. We started at the Capt. Spry, walked along the McIntosh Run to the bridge at Drysdale, then one group continued on the McIntosh Run Trail with Karen & Dick E. Others continued onto the barrens and down to Colpitt Lake where we had lunch. We then hugged the shoreline to reach the outlet to Williams Lake; one group continued to Williams Lake, the other returned. We had lots of short talks by Martin W., David P., Dick E. and Marcos Z and of course Tristan C. and lots of discussion. Some photos from the event will be posted soon.

View article in Metro news this am: Hike the Greenbelt events gather support in ‘most fun way possible’

In an interview with Sheldon MacLeod, planner Tristan Cleveland of Our HRM Alliance talks about using Greenbelting to densify growth, and about the pressures on the Backlands. Listen to Interview. Select the Aug 12, 3 pm session. Discussion of the Backlands at approx 13 mins. “Density is a good thing”… “We don’t have a clear plan for the centre to answer the big questions”… Design is so crucial.” The single biggest impact of people on their environment is where they live.” If we are smart about growth we can make an excellent transit system that everyone would be happy to use.” “Hike the Greenbelt big Finale..in Purcell’s Cove Backlands.. the rugged wilderness we have here is within a quick bike ride.”

The Hike the Greenbelt events wrap up at the end of this week, with Biking on the Halifax Urban Greenway-Chain of Lakes Trail-BLT Trail on Saturday Aug 15th and a hike into the Backlands on Sunday Aug 16th.

We hope many supporters of the Backlands will participate in the final event and as many of the others as possible to show support for the Halifax’s Green Network initiative, and of course for conserving the Backlands.

Sunday, August 09, BIKE: OLD SAINT MARGARET’S BAY ROAD Wednesday
August 12, RUN OR HIKE: THE BLUFF TRAILS Saturday
Aug 15, BIKE: HALIFAX URBAN GREENWAY-CHAIN OF LAKES TRAIL-BLT TRAIL
Sunday, August 16, HIKE MCINTOSH RUN/BACKLANDS
& a post-Hike the Greenbelt event on
Monday, August 17, PADDLE: INGRAM RIVER

Please go to the Events Page http://www.ourhrmalliance.ca/hike_events click on an event in which you might want to participate for more details and to do an RSVP

See The Chebucto Peninsula: A Significant Conservation Area for a little about the natural history of these areas.

A host of exciting excursions coming up:
Wednesday, July 29, PADDLE, PORTAGE AND CAMP: OTTER LAKE—SALMON RIVER LONG LAKE—SOLDIER LAKE—MILLER LAKE
Saturday, August 01, HIKE AND SWIM: SANDY LAKE
Sunday, August 02, PADDLE: BLUE MOUNTAIN BIRCH COVE LAKES
Monday, August 03, COLE HARBOUR HERITAGE PARK
Saturday, August 08, BIKE: HALIFAX URBAN GREENWAY—CHAIN OF LAKES TRAIL—BLT TRAIL
Sunday, August 09 – postponed to Aug 15, BIKE: OLD SAINT MARGARET’S BAY ROAD
Monday, August 10, PADDLE: INGRAM RIVER
Wednesday, August 12, RUN OR HIKE: THE BLUFF TRAILS
Saturday, August 15, SAIL: SAINT MARGARET’S BAY
Sunday, August 16, HIKE—MCINTOSH RUN

“Join us for a celebratory send-off in Point Pleasant Park to start the Hike the Greenbelt Project! Pack a lunch and kayak with us to McNabs Island to join the Friends of McNabs annual picnic, with guided tours, children’s activities, and musical acts!” Details.

Events continue into August, the final event being a Hike on the McIntosh Run on Aug 16. You can sign up for any event. Check it out: www.ourhrmalliance.ca/hike/ The goal is to get out as many people, from as many walks of life, as possible. Here’s the map:

A submission by the Purcell’s Cove Neighbourhood Committee makes three recommendations:
1. That the Purcell’s Cove Backlands…be included as a key feature of the new Halifax Green Network;
2. That the linkages between the Backlands and other nearby protected areas in the form of interlocking watersheds and natural habitats be formally recognized…;
3. That the economic, recreational, ecological and cultural assets and potential of the Backlands be recognized in the Halifax Green Network Plan.
The document provides the pertinent background. It is a nice summary of the values so many of us share. Read Submission

Last week 10 representatives from the Backlands Coalition met with Peter
Bigelow, a Senior Halifax planner and we discussed The Green Network
Plan. All present found the meeting to be extremely informative and it
was also an opportunity to provide the highlights of the incredibly rich
information about the Backlands. These include history, cultural,
trails, geology, water resources and the list goes on.

It is now your turn to add to this information bank by going online at:

http://engage.o2design.com/halifax/engage_map/

*The deadline for submissions has been extended to July 12**! *Also, the
interactive map has been made more user-friendly. Please take the time
available in the remainder of the week and weekend to complete your
submission.

Thanks very much. Together we can all make a difference!

Best,

Catherine McKinnon
Backlands Coalition

Backlands supporters are encouraged to provide input to the Halifax Green Network Plan (HGNP) by adding pins/descriptions to the HGNP online mapping tool to identify lands are that important for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services.

This map and information about the HGNP are available at http://halifax.ca/HalifaxGreennetwork/

A memo written by the Our HRM Alliance Greenbelt Scientific Advisory Committee
http://tinyurl.com/ntqk98b
provides some further context from an ecological perspective.

As a component of Phase 1 (Phase 1 – Planning Foundations the values, issues and goals) of the Halifax Green Network Plan the map is available for input is available only to the end of June, 2015.
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Nature Nova Scotia, the Young Naturalists Club of Nova Scotia and the Wildland Writers are sponsoring a Nature Writing and Art Contest for Nova Scotian youth ages 8 – 15 years. Submissions may be a written piece (short story, non fiction, poetry ,etc.) OR an original artwork (painting, drawing, collage, etc.) that is inspired by:

• native plants or animals of Nova Scotia (native means a species that occurs naturally in a region)
• an adventure, personal moment, or happy experience in Nova Scotia’s wild places (lake, river, ocean, forest, trail)
• an injustice that impacts nature in Nova Scotia

Entries must be submitted by October 31, 2015. View Rules and Poster for more details.

Biologist David P explored the shoreline of Colpitt Lake on the last day of spring, 2015. The acidic water is brown from humic acids, but otherwise clear and there are no signs of any eutrophication. The shore is bordered only by native vegetation. It is a rugged shoreline fringed by wetlands a meter to 25 m or more in width. A video documents the pristine state of the Colpitt Lake shoreline in 2015.

Google Earth 3D perspective of Williams Lake Backlands This Google Earth Image gives a sense of the “Urban Wilderness” nature of the Williams Lake Backlands and Watershed in which Colpitt Lake is situated. Colpitt Lake drains into Williams Lake.

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