Tagged Trees at the Williams Lake dam Photo by Cathy Vaughan
By Cathy Vaughan, published in Chebucto News Vol 26 No 8 April 2025. Reproduced on backlandscoalition.ca with permission from Chebucto News.
Multiple coloured ribbons were no- ticeable in the Shaw Wilderness Park in mid February. The ribbons were wrapped around various trees next to the path leading from the car park to the Williams Lake dam to identify trees proposed to be removed or kept.
Specific colours were used by Forestry Technicians with HRM and Build Nova Scotia to identify trees proposed to be removed or kept along the trail to the dam. The team began measuring the width of the path to ac- commodate the construction machin- ery that will use the path as the main route from the car park to the staging area close to the dam.
Only trees that would be a safety hazard or impede the bigger and more bulky construction machinery were tagged for removal. The path will also be enhanced to handle the weight of heavy equipment that will need to access the dam site. In addition to the tagged trees, the area around the dam construction site will also be cleared of trees and brush.
Map from Williams lake Water Report 2020 www.williamslakecc.org
The month of March is considered a critical window of timing for tree removal to avoid disrupting the annual bird nesting season. Returning migratory birds and local populations of birds live and thrive in the surrounding woodland and wilderness areas in the Williams Lake watershed. The Bird Team of experts from the Williams Lake Conservation Company (WLCC) provided information to Build Nova Scotia on how the impact of the noise and removal of trees could possibly reduce the success of breeding and nesting bird populations.
Build Nova Scotia, in collaboration with HRM, are working together to advance the required repair work at the dam while ensuring that the expe- rience of the Shaw Wilderness Park is maintained.
WLCC has been providing scien- tific documents and historical data on lake levels, water quality, as well as information on globally rare plants and endangered bird populations and their migratory habitats in the Wil- liams Lake watershed. Consultation is also taking place with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC,) which partnered with HRM and The Shaw Group to establish the Shaw Wilderness Park in 2020. The urban park was made possible thanks to the support of numerous partners and donors.
Communication from Build Nova Scotia and HRM will help keep the public informed of when construction crews are active on the site. Information will be available to the public as Public Service Announcements on Build Nova Scotia and HRM’s websites.
This is a collaborative, project which brings together government, community, politicians, neighbours, and lake lovers from all over HRM who voiced their concern over saving Williams Lake.