The Backlands Coalition

“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.
Continue reading →

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.

Continue reading →

A very important event will be occurring this Saturday at the Captain William Spry Centre. We encourage you to attend and actively participate in this particular session of the public engagement process for the “Halifax Green Network” (this is the new name for the Halifax greenbelting plan) at the Captain William Spry Centre. At this event you will have an opportunity to express your wishes for the future of the Purcell’s Cove, William’s Lake and Herring Cove Backlands. Here are the meeting details:
Saturday, June 13th 12:00 – 3:00 pm Pop-up Event
Captain William Spry Community Centre
16 Sussex St, Spryfield

The full list of public engagement opportunities is available at the following link: http://www.halifax.ca/HalifaxGreenNetwork/EngagementEvents.php
Continue reading →

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.
Continue reading →

The Annual General Meeting of the Williams Lake Conservation Company will be held at 7:30 on Wednesday, June 10th at the Captain Spry Centre, 10 Kidston Rd, Spryfield. The AGM is also an opportunity for us to review the year’s activities and for you to bring forward your concerns and observations. Everyone is welcome.

Visiting the “Whopper Dropper” (by Kent at Bayer’s Lake) today was a reminder of what has happened to some of our Backlands and could happen to more if we do not value them for what they are… View Requiem