The Backlands Coalition

When: Saturday, September 16th, 10:00a.m. – 2:00p.m.
Meeting Place: 2705 Fern Lane, Halifax (we’ll catch the bus from North Street)
Details: Join us for an adventure on the bus out to Purcell’s Cove to hike in the Backlands to Purcell’s Pond. For those coming from the City, meet at 2705 Fern Lane at 10:00a.m., for those who’d like to meet us in Purcell’s Cove, we’ll be arriving at civic address #557 Purcell’s Cove Rd (Conservation Lands entrance) at around 11:00, so please aim to be there promptly so that we can have everyone’s waivers signed. This is also a chance to learn about the work that Trips by Transit does, and the Green Network Campaign that Our HRM Alliance has been spearheading, which will be ramping up this fall!

View Facebook Event Page
If you plan on attending, please email jlugar@ecologyaction.ca to confirm.

From HRM (Sep 6, 2011):

Halifax Regional Council has tentatively agreed to establish an urban wilderness park to be known as the Shaw Wilderness Park, through the acquisition of what are informally known as the Purcell’s Cove Backlands.

The deal-in-principle came together thanks to the hard work of municipal staff, along with representatives from The Shaw Group and the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC).

The purchase of approximately 380 acres (154 hectares) of natural greenspace is contingent on successful fundraising by NCC, but would result in yet another crown jewel of untouched parkland that would serve as a benefit to Halifax residents in perpetuity.

“Through the hard work of many partners we are closer than ever to realizing the desire to preserve these unique wilderness lands for the use of many generations to come,” said Mayor Mike Savage. “As our city grows, it is more important than ever to preserve natural recreational spaces.”
Continue reading →

Date: Saturday, June 3, 2017 –
10:00 to 12:30
The EAC is encouraging all members to come out to the Purcell’s Cove Backlands for a hike on Saturday, June 3. Come take in the spring beauty of one of the HRM’s many forests and learn about the Green Network Plan in the process!

See EAC for details.

DATE: 6 June, 2017
TIME: 7 pm – 9 pm
LOCATION: Capt. William Spry Community Centre, Room #2
Free and open to the public

Join us to learn about Willliams Lake, and hear updates on the Nature Conservancy of Canada proposal to preserve the Backlands as an urban wilderness park.

Presentations will include recent discussions with Halifax Regional Municipality about limits to the salting of roads in the watershed area, and other topics of interest to all those who enjoy Williams Lake and the Backlands.

The Williams Lake Conservation Company is a non-profit volunteer organization. We welcome everyone who shares the WLCC’s interest in preserving the health of Williams Lake for the enjoyment of all.

The Halifax Regional Municipality is conducting the third and final phase of public engagement for the Halifax Green Network Plan, a decision-making framework for the conservation of a region-wide network of open space. A number of planning and implementation directions have been drafted using public input and study results from the earlier phases of work and are contained in the Halifax Green Network Plan Primer Report.

Public engagement for this phase will occur in a series of public meetings across HRM from May 15 to June 12, 2017. The most convenient session for most Backland folks will be May 16 6:00 – 8:00 pm at the Atlantica Hotel Halifax (Guild Hall) 1980 Robie Street.

Read more on HRM website

I was recently advised by Dr Patricia Manuel that two students in the Planning department will be presenting their Honours Thesis Project this coming Wednesday, April 5. The topics are of particular note for the Williams Lake Backlands:

3:50 pm-Steve Collyer-Fire Landscape interpretation in the Williams Lake Backlands

4:10 pm-Tessa Williams-Exploring hydrology in the Williams Lake Backlands, an Interpretation Planning Background Study.

Location: School of Architecture and Planning, 5410 Spring Garden Road, Room HB2.
-KH

A draft of the Halifax Green Network Planning and Implementation Strategy and “Plan Primer” have been released by HRM and go to Regional Council today (March 23, 2017) to be approved for upcoming public consultations. It is expected those consultations will take place in April. The Primer provides a good overview of the Green Network plan, with lots of maps. It’s recommended reading!

I think we have another Backlands fan: “I never lived in a city before Halifax, needing always to be within walking distance of the wild and that’s something urban life simply couldn’t offer, not like the Confederation Trail in rural P.E.I. or the uncleared lots of farm country Ontario. But Halifax surprised me, because my house hunt took me to Purcells Cove and, consequently, the Purcells Cove Conservation Lands…”

View Purcells Cove’s elegance uncovered (CH, Feb 12, 2017)

Are you wondering what the Halifax Green Network Plan is? Are you wondering how a Greenbelt could lower your taxes and boost the economy? Or maybe you’re wondering which parks and corridors would be included in the Greenbelt? Join us to learn about all this and more!

When: Wednesday January 18th, 2017, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Where: Room 1020, Kenneth C. Rowe Building, Dalhousie University. 6100 University Avenue, Halifax.

The evening will begin with a brief presentation by each of the panellists on creating a Greenbelt for a livable city, and then audience members will have a chance to pose questions on urban growth boundaries, economic benefits of the greenbelt, regional park creation, rural economic viability, urban and suburban business districts, natural heritage corridors, and many other topics!

About the Panellists:

Karen Beazley is a professor at Dalhousie’s School of Resource and Environmental Studies.
David Donnelly is an environmental lawyer and Greenbelt expert from Toronto, Ontario.
Dusan Soudek is the Director of Environment at Canoe Kayak Nova Scotia,
Graziella Gbrac is the Executive Director of Village on Main, Dartmouth.