The Backlands Coalition

Wed Apr 30, 2014.. I took three guys who have interests in HRM culture and wildlands into the Backlands. It was their first visit. First we went to an upland Jack Pine/Broom Crowberry Barrens site, then to Williams Lake and the watercourse in the Granite/Meguma Rock contact area. I think it’s fair to say they were impressed and understood why even limited development is not compatable with conservation of the special qualities of the Backlands See pics

David Patriquin, one of two biologists who conducted the Ecological Assessment of the Plant Communities of the Williams Lake Backlands was interviewed today at noon hour on the Rick Howe show (95.7 FM). He talked about the fire regime and the presence of the rare Jack Pine/Broom Crowberry Barrens. Listen to Archived Interview. (The interview with Patriquin starts at 22 min.)

At a recent talk given to the Nova Scotia Bird Society, ornithologist Cindy Staicer described a developing program to enhance conservation of Landbirds Species at Risk in Forested Landscapes. The program is based at Dalhousie University and is being conducted in collaboration with the Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute.

The immediate focus is on five species: Canada Warbler, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Rusty Blackbird, Common Nighthawk, & Chimney Swift. Continue reading →

The Annual General Meeting of the McIntosh Run Watershed Association will take place on Wednesday April 16th, at 7:00pm at the Captain William Spry Community Centre at 10 Kidston Road. Hope to see you there. The McIntosh Run watershed is about 37 square kilometers in area, and the Run is 12.8 km in length, most of it within the Backlands – see Map on this website. The McIntosh Run Watershed Association is one of the founding members of the Backlands Coalition. They are developing an extensive set of trails in the McIntosh Run watershed.

April 7th, the first warm day in 2014. Here, barely 3 km from downtown Halifax in the Williams Lake Backlands, you might as well be a world away. Water tumbles down a gully, emerging here and there. Evergreen ferns glisten in the sun. How could we knowingly destroy this place of serenity any more than we could a beautiful cathedral… View Video on Web. View Photos.

All property owners in HRM with an existing right-of-way on land that might be subdivided should pay very close attention to what’s happening in the new Boscobel on the Arm development off Purcell’s Cove Road.

Developer IMP is trying to extinguish the right-of-way of longtime area homeowners Michele Raymond and husband Russell MacKinnon. The next step in the legal matter happens tomorrow (Wednesday) around 9:30 am in Chambers at the Halifax Law Courts. Ms. Raymond will present a motion to compel IMP Group to disclose evidence, including what was proposed about the pre-existing rights-of-way during the subdivision process. Continue reading →

An article in The Nova Scotian section of Saturday’s Chronicle Herald (March 29) highlights the rarity of Jack Pine/Broom Crowberry barrens and their relationship to fire. See “>The forest fires that nature intended. The print version has more photos including one of recently burnt barrens by Williams Lake.

“As a volunteer with the Cole Harbour Parks and Trails Association, I am proud our town has enviable access to a beautiful forest, teeming with life, in Cole Harbour and Westphal. Like our park and trails, the forest is a gift for the entire city, deserving of protection. I was shocked to discover Coun. David Hendsbee..” read more

We hope his grandchildren can have the same experience! (March 19th on Piggy Mt.)

A copy of David Donnelly’s powerpoint slides from a talk on land protection last Friday is available here.

Also, possibly of interest is an article on Sprawl in Halifax in the Smart City Blog.