Halifax Field Naturalists

Marcos Zentilli, geologist and resident of Purcell’s Cove, will lead us to a few local quarries  in the Backlands.  Read More Update (Nov 16): It was a well attended & wonderful walk. View some photos

Clarence Stevens, Vice President, Halifax Field Naturalists has created and maintains a Facebook page for HFN. It’s a great place to share nature photos, comments about recent hikes and talks and more.

See HFN on Facebook

Your 40th Anniversary Committee invites you to take up pen and paper, or to turn on your computer, to compose a 250 -300 word description of, or a poem about, your favourite natural place or wild species, whether it be animal or plant, in Nova Scotia. Or write about any exciting nature encounter or exceptional discovery you may have had. Be sure to include the exact location for the place or species seen. With these ‘pieces’ you’ll be contributing thereby to the celebration of HFN’s 40th year! Submit your write-ups to Stephanie Robertson, HFN Newsletter Editor; they will be published in the Winter 2014 and Spring 2015 issues. The deadline for submissions is November 21st, 2014. See Contact Us page for addresses.

In a commentary posted on the website of the The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Dr. Michael Bradfield clarifies the economics of adopting a serious ban on exploration and exploitation of shale gas reserves. He provides some interesting numbers about the royalties and actual economic benefits, as well as our ‘dependency’ on federal transfers. Bradfield was a member of the Nova Scotia Hydraulic Fracking Review Panel. Read more.

The Blue Mountain – Birch Cove Lakes Wilderness Area (BMBCL) is a spectacular near-urban wilderness located on the doorstep of Halifax. The site is comprised of public land totalling approximately 1,300 Hectares located to the west of Halifax-Bedford urban areas and Highway 102. “Please drop in to our community engagement session on November 2 to discuss the project and share your ideas with us.” Sunday November 2, 2014 2:00pm-6:00pm,St. Peter’s Anglican Church, 3 Dakin Dr, Halifax. More Info|Poster

Meet Lowell DeMond and learn about the transformation he has stimulated on a 32-hectare woodland that was burned over in 1956. This 244-m-wide by 1.6-km-long property contains a mixed forest of hundreds of planted trees, a small Christmas tree lot, and two brooks.. read more

In an opinion piece in the Oct 4 Chronicle Herald, Jamie Simpson cites the clearcutting of environmentally sensitive Western crown Lands as evidence that responsibility for protecting for biodiversity and wildlife should be moved from the N.S. Dept. Natural Resources to N.S. Dept. of Environment. Read more

Chris Mills will explore the history of Canadian lighthouses, interwoven with his own lightkeeping experiences as an assistant and acting Principal Lightkeeper on 11 light stations in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and British Columbia. Read more

Why not have an outdoor WILD MUSHROOM experience? The Nova Scotia Mycological Society is holding its 6th annual foray in Wallace, NS beginning Friday, Sept 26 through Sunday, Sep 28. All are welcome. This event is geared to anyone interested in mushrooms and/or natural history. See the full program, registration and accommodation details at nsmushrooms.org.

With Pat Leader, visit historic Cabin Lake Trail, developed and maintained by the Halifax North West Trails Association (HNWTA). It leads to and around Cabin Lake, both of which are part of Hemlock Ravine Park. Details on our Walks and Talks Page

Read about The Cheticamp raised Bog – before if was flooded for the Wreck Cove Hydroelectric Project – some common edible and poisonous mushrooms in Nova Scotia, and how to recognize ten common N.S. grasses, all in July/Aug 1976 issue of the Halifax Field Naturalist! View Archived Newsletters for those items and lots more.

A Halifax Media Co-op article by Robert Devet asks if our forests are “not a renewable resource after all” and highlights nutrient supply issues as a matter of concern. “Poor soils, acid rain and a history of clearcutting make Nova Scotia’s forests vulnerable to aggressive harvesting practices, a biologist argues. Yet the Department of Natural Resources is not releasing a scientific report that identifies where not to clearcut.” View Article