“Sharing the Care of Williams Lake” 12Jun2023

Posted on June 12, 2023 by admin

Sunset on Williams Lake

“At their Annual General Meeting, on Tuesday May 23 at the Captain William Spry Centre, WLCC directors showcased the impacts of the environmental projects they completed in the past year. Projects ranged from guides on invasive plant species, a series of bird walks plus surveys, efforts to fix the Williams Lake dam, results of lake water-quality testing, and records of lake-levels as well as numerous collaborative projects with the local community and government.” Read more in this article by Cathy Vaughan in the June 2023 issue of the Chebucto News

Posted in Community, Conservation, Watershed | Comments Off on “Sharing the Care of Williams Lake” 12Jun2023

Jack Pines are in flower in the Backlands (Halifax, NS) 30May2023

Posted on May 30, 2023 by admin

JackPine. male at right is about 10X lager relative to the female, left (the female above was 6 mm in height, the male 6 cm). Tap the males when they look like that above and they will release a cloud of pollen.

We generally don’t think of conifers or Gymnosperms as flowering and if you follow the strict definition of flowers as ‘the reproductive structures of Angiosperms – the flowering plants’, they do not.

However conifers do produce the reproductive structures equivalent to those in wind-pollinated Angiosperms. The formal name for conifer flowers are “strobili”.  They can be fun to recognize and sometimes suffer from (pine pollen!).

The bright red female strobili (later to become cones) of many conifers are especially attractive. Those of Jack Pine are miniscule and you may have to look for them amongst the much more obvious male structures. Continue reading →

Posted in Fire Ecology, Nature Stuff | Comments Off on Jack Pines are in flower in the Backlands (Halifax, NS) 30May2023

Full year of citizen science water quality monitoring reveals episodic salt events in Governors Brook (Halifax, NS) 29May2023

Posted on May 29, 2023 by admin

Charles Bull records water EC and temperature at Governors Brook on  Nov 30, 2022.
Click on image for larger version

Governors Brook, originating near Herring Cove Road, feeds into Colpitt Lake (unsettled), which in turn drains into the partially settled Williams Lake.* A study conducted in December of 2015 suggested that Governors Brook/Colpitt Lake is the major source of salt entering Williams Lake, also that some “salt stratification” was occurring in Williams Lake. Salt stratification is  a concern because it can lead to impaired turnover of the lake in spring and the associated re-oxygenation of the deeper waters.
*Both lakes occur in the Williams Lake Watershed, a large part of which lies within the ‘Backlands’ (see Watersheds) Continue reading →

Posted in Lakes, Water Quality, Watershed | Comments Off on Full year of citizen science water quality monitoring reveals episodic salt events in Governors Brook (Halifax, NS) 29May2023

Fire-scarred white pines are a reminder that it’s Fire Season – especially in the Backlands (Halifax, NS) 19May2023

Posted on May 19, 2023 by admin

Contributed by David Patriquin

Update May 28, 2023: Out-of-control fire in Upper Tantallon Area, All of HRM under Fire Ban. View The Coast
———-

Fire scarred white pines. Left by eastern corner of Williams Lake. Middle and right: on the barrens by the Osprey Trail.
Click on images for larger versions.

On the last weekend in April, I participated in two walks in the Backlands in which we encountered fire-scarred white pines.

The first was on a birding walk with Fulton Lavender in the Shaw Wilderness Park. As we moved on the single track trail by the eastern corner of Williams Lake, we passed by a large white pine with a prominent fire-scar at its base; at least I had always assumed that’s what it was. There was some discussion about whether it might have been caused by a lightening strike on that tree rather than associated with a forest fire. Continue reading →

Posted in Fire Ecology, Recreation | Comments Off on Fire-scarred white pines are a reminder that it’s Fire Season – especially in the Backlands (Halifax, NS) 19May2023

Trout stocking of Williams Lake on May 30, 2023

Posted on May 5, 2023 by admin

Received today:
“Trout Stocking of Williams Lake
Cunard Pond Beach and Wyndrock Dr. May 30 at 10:00 a.m
Williams Lake is a popular recreational sport fishing area.  The trout-truck from McGowan Lake Fish Hatchery will arrive at HRM’s Cunard Pond Beach for the Learn2Fish program organized for students at Cunard Junior High.  More trout will also be put into Williams Lake from Wyndrock Drive.  Joins us for the excitement!”

Posted in Events, Recreation, Shaw Wilderness Park | Comments Off on Trout stocking of Williams Lake on May 30, 2023

Sat Apr 29, 2023: NS Wild Flora Society hosting iNaturalist/City Nature Challenge hike on Osprey Trail (Halifax, NS)

Posted on April 25, 2023 by admin

Posted in Community, Conservation | Leave a comment

In Kjipuktuk/Halifax Today: The People’s Parade for Life on Earth 22Apr2023

Posted on April 22, 2023 by admin

From EAC

Join us for a joyful community parade on Earth Day, April 22, 2023! Let us all come together to celebrate Mother Earth, to celebrate water which is life and to celebrate our beautiful communities and our continued resistance for love, justice and life on this planet.

Date: Saturday, April 22, 2023 (Rain Date: Sunday, April 23, 2023)
Parade Start Time: 2:00 p.m.
Post-Parade Celebration: 3:00-5:00 p.m. Continue reading →

Posted in Conservation, Events | Leave a comment

Backlands Coalition presents to HRM Community Planning and Economic Development Standing Committee 20Apr2023

Posted on April 21, 2023 by admin

Boris Worm and Kaarin Tae presented to the Community Planning and Economic Development Standing Committee (aka CPED) on Thursday Apr 20, 2021. View Youtube Archive. The presentation by Boris and Kaarin begins at minute 8:52.

Later that same day, Boris was interviewed by Jeff Douglas on the CBC Radio program “Mainstreet”. The link below will take you to the CBC News article which includes an audio recording as well as the text of the interview.

Why this Halifax citizen group wants to protect the backlands from development
CBC News

Posted in Community, Conservation | Comments Off on Backlands Coalition presents to HRM Community Planning and Economic Development Standing Committee 20Apr2023

MRWA to add 16 km of new trails in Backlands (Halifax, NS) 19Apr2023

Posted on April 19, 2023 by admin

From  McIntosh Run Watershed Association (MRWA) Press Release

Map showing existing and planned trails (from MWRA Press Release)
Click on image for a larger version

HALIFAX (Kjipuktuk), March 28, 2023 — The McIntosh Run Watershed Association (MRWA) is expanding the McIntosh Run trail system and will be adding 16 km of new backcountry singletrack trails to the network. Over the last 24 months, MRWA completed a detailed plan for the expansion and secured landowner approvals. The first 3 km of new trails are under construction and will open this spring. MRWA is looking for community help to complete the project.

Local HRM Councillor Patty Cuttell (Spryfield-Sambro Loop-Prospect Rd.) applauds the volunteer-run organization’s efforts, saying “The MRWA trail network makes Spryfield a more vibrant, healthy and liveable community. I’m proud of the work MRWA has done in partnership with HRM.”
Continue reading →

Posted in Recreation, Watershed | Comments Off on MRWA to add 16 km of new trails in Backlands (Halifax, NS) 19Apr2023

City Nature Challenge Apr 28 to May 1, 2023

Posted on April 18, 2023 by admin

Photo from Canadian Wildlife Federation page on the City Nature Challenge

Halifax is participating in the iNaturalist-based City Nature Challenge again, this year over the days Friday May 28 to Monday May 1.

It’s pretty simple to contribute to Halifax’s effort to document our natural world and illustrate citizen’s love of that world.

Participants photograph a nature observation of a “species” (e.g.a robin, or a flower) within the boundaries of HRM within the Apr 28-May 1 timeframe and upload it to iNaturalist. (HRM refers to Halifax Regional Municipality, now just called Halifax. It encompasses all of Halifax County.)

The only requirement on the iNaturalist end is that one must first sign up to be a member of iNaturalist, and with the photo observation provide a location (approximate or precise), and a guess at the species name.You can give your own guess for the name of the species, but iNaturalist can also offer its own guess at the species name and you can just select one. (Over time, the name is reviewed and eventually the correct is given or confirmed.)

The iNaturalist App can be put on a smart phone or computer. If the photo is taken and uploaded with a smartphone and is automatically location (GPS)-tagged, the location will be automatically uploaded – so both the location and the species name can be given by iNaturalist. If the photo is taken with a camera, it can be uploaded separately via a computer. While the photos must be taken over the interval Apr 28 to May 1, they can be uploaded April 28 through May 7, 2023

There’s lots more info here:

City Nature Challenge |Canada 2023| Défi nature urbaine

About the City Nature Challenge 2023: Halifax Regional Municipality, NS, Canada

Continue reading →

Posted in Conservation | Comments Off on City Nature Challenge Apr 28 to May 1, 2023