Halifax Field Naturalists

Over the past several months, rumours have circulated about possible development of the privately owned lands which HRM had committed to obtain for the planned Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes Regional Park. On January 8, HRM staff hosted an information session to clarify what has been happening. About 75 people attended, including seven of the 23 HRM councilors… Read more

David Chaisson forwarded a wonderful story about the rescue of Great Horned Owl, courtesy of a hiker and the Hope for Wildlife Society, on the Saltmarsh Trail, Jan. 1, ’10. Read story

A public lecture sponsored by NSIS: Land protection in Nova Scotia – How do we get to 12%?. Four panelists discuss this topic at 7:30 p.m. in the Scotia Bank Conference Theatre, Sobey building, Saint Mary’s University.

In our first talk of 2010, Laura Bennett will describe sea turtles in Nova Scotia and the efforts of the Canadian Sea Turtle Network to conserve these animals. Read more

Karen McKendry of the Nova Scotia Nature Trust forwarded a special invitation to join the Christmas Bird Count at the Purcell’s Cove Conservation Lands on Sunday, Dec. 20, and tells us about an ideal gift for naturalists. Read more

The Nova Scotia government’s report on the state of our coast was released on Dec. 9 and is available online. It’s a first step in development of a Sustainable Coastal Development Strategy by the end of 2010. In a press release, The Coastal Coalition of Nova Scotia, of which HFN is a member, applauded the event and expressed its wish to help drive the process forward.

We had to make a last minute switch between our Dec and Jan talks. This week will be Jeremy Lunholm who will talk about the work he and his SMU group have been doing in Point Pleasant park (monitoring post-hurricane recovery), spontaneous urban vegetation in Halifax and Dartmouth, insect communities in vacant lots, and green roofs – along with green- roof ecology, followed by our Christmas Social. Read more

Highway 113 would be a connector highway between Highways 102 and 103 and would skirt the NW boundary of the Blue Mountain Birch Cove Lakes Wilderness Area. The EA for this highway is now available and under review with public comment due by Feb 22, 2010. See NSE: Highway 113 Project for the EA.

An article in the November issue of The Bridge describes old growth red oak and red spruce stands in the Five Bridge Lakes Wilderness Area (now a Candidate for protection under the Wilderness Protection Act). Additional photos are posted at versicolor.ca/forest .

Those of us in Halifax treasure our Long Lake. Another beautiful Long Lake, in East Uniacke, which supports populations of Snapping Turtles (species of concern – COSEWIC) and possibly Wood Turtles (threatened – COSEWIC), as well as being highly valued for its natural history by local residents, is under threat from development. Read more.

HRM endorsed the citation of the Avon Peninsula as the Lady Slipper Capital of the Maritimes, but a major challenge looms: Fundy Gypsum’s plans to construct a strip mine in the forested “watershed commons” at the centre of the Peninsula. Read more

Join the HFN walk led by Peter Webster to explore a little of Long Lake Provincial Park, the largest provincial park in the Halifax area. It begins at 10 a.m. Read more