Category: Halifax Green Network

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Monument on BLT dedicated to Catherine Klefenz & Lindsay Gates on International Trail Day

Past WRWEO Chair and trail builder Richmond Campbell, Ben Armstrong (current board member)  and I (David P, past board member and co-chair) attended the dedication of a memorial monument to Catherine Klefenz & Lindsay Gates today (June 1, 2019), International Trail Day.

The monument is located beside the BLT with the Six Mile Waterfall as a backdrop, a lovely site. Reg Rankin, who was the Councillor of the day when the BLT was launched, gave a speech well worth viewing, then he and Catherine’s husband Eric unveiled the monument.

It was a beautiful day; about 60 people  attended the ceremony.

The Bluff Wilderness Hiking Trail is accessed via the BLT. The organization Catherine founded – the BLT Rails to Trails Association – and WRWEO have had a close relationship over the years.  I always think of Catherine when I go  though the underpass for Hwy 103 – Catherine, I am told, insisted on this large, airy and safe underpass when the BLT was developed (1995). More recently, WRWEO, the BLT Rails to Trails Association, and the Five Bridges Trust collaborated to sponsor the wonderful artwork we see there now.

View a Video of the Dedication Ceremony.

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Please help NS Nature Trust to protect Frederick Lake Peninsula

Spectacular oak drumlin on the Frederick Lake property

A nice surprise arrived a couple of days ago – an announcement by NS Nature Trust that a Frederick Lake property ( the “Frederick Lake Peninsula” in WRWEO jargon) had been added to their Lasting Landscapes campaign; it came with an appeal to contribute by April 5, 2019, as any donations will be matched 4:1 from a federal program.

“The other new site is a 100 acre property, just outside of Halifax, with extensive shoreline on Frederick Lake. The land is surrounded by the Five Bridge Lakes Wilderness Area, a vast, wild landscape of rugged, rocky barrens, unique forests and lakes, home to Endangered Mainland Moose and rare plants, birds and lichens…

“All donations will be matched 4 to 1, but only until the April 5 deadline. Please help us save even more land through our Lasting Landscapes Campaign – now up to 17 sites – by donating today!”

The property boasts a spectacular oak drumlin, a large fen, patches of barrens and a black spruce swamp; bears had been very active feeding on large sweeps of wild raisin when I (David P) visited the area in the fall of 2018.

Click here to learn more about the special features of the Frederick Lake property

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Monday October 22, 2018: The Natural History of the Halifax Backlands

The Jack Pine-Broom Crowberry fire barrens are nationally unique and globally rare. Some of the best sites occur in the Backlands

A public lecture for SCANS (Seniors’ College Association of Nova Scotia) by David Patriquin on The Natural History of the Halifax Backlands 

Date and Time: ​October 22, 2018 – Monday, 1:30 – 3:30 pm

Place: Captain William Spry Community Centre

The “Backlands” is a Thomsonesque wilderness located only a few kilometers from peninsular Halifax. It includes nine lakes, spectacular views and dozens of informal hiking and biking trails. David will take us on a virtual tour through the area, describing what we see, discussing what makes it all work and explaining what is needed to sustain it.

View more details on SCANS website

View/download  Poster

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Thurs Sep 20, 2018: Event for Proposed Halifax Wilderness Park

Thursday, September 20, 2018
Neptune Theatre, 1593 Argyle Street, Halifax
Doors open at 4:00 p.m | Presentation begins at 4:30 p.m.
Light refreshments will be provided and a cash bar is available.

Please join the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) and partners, The Shaw Group, and HRM for the launch of our fundraising campaign for the Halifax Wilderness Park.

The site of the proposed Halifax Wilderness Park is mere minutes from downtown on Purcell’s Cove Road. With lakes for swimming, hiking trails to explore, and stunning panoramic views of the city, the property also contains rare forest and intact wildlife, including more than 40 species of breeding birds.

We’d love to tell you more about this community initative, so please join us at this event to learn more about this proposed wilderness park

View More about it

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Friday September 14th, 2018: Sackville Rivers Association dinner & auction

“Dear Friend:

“Last year, community contributions to the Sackville Rivers Association’s (SRA) Annual Dinner and Auction helped us raise over $8,000 for the improvement and conservation of the Sackville River and surrounding watershed.

“The SRA continues our mandate of conservation, including in-stream habitat improvements at various locations throughout the watershed, fish stocking, and river clean-ups by volunteers of all ages. We have continued improvements to our Bedford-Sackville Connector Greenway trail that now stretches from Bedford Basin to Lower Sackville and is used by thousands of walkers, cyclists and runners and are currently constructing phases 2 and 3 of Section B of the Sackville Greenway from Glendale Drive to Sackville Drive along the Little Sackville River.
Continue reading “Friday September 14th, 2018: Sackville Rivers Association dinner & auction”

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Question called, and Motion passes!! The Halifax Green Network Plan has been passed at Council!!!

A festive group greeted Councillors this am
including Lisa Blackburn
(Middle/Upper Sackville, Beaverbank, Lucasville,
3rd pic down)
& Lindell Smith (Halifax Peninsula North, 4th pic)

So reads a final Tweet from this morning from Our HRM Alliance.

View Council eagerly approves Halifax Green Network Plan by Yvette D’Entremont in the StarMetro Halifax (Aug 14, 2018) for more details and comments by Walter Regan of the Sackville Rivers Association.

The sequence of Tweets from @OurHRMAlliance:

@OurHRMAlliance
56m56 minutes ago
More
HRM Planner Ben Sivak is here to present the final draft of the Plan and to introduce the background. “There has been 3 rounds of public engagement, the State of the Landscape Report, and this is the first time we’ve been able to look at HRM as an entire landscape.”

@OurHRMAlliance
54m54 minutes ago
More
Sivak – “The Halifax Region has incredible assets in wilderness and recreation. The intent of this Plan is to build on these assets and protect what we have here.”

Continue reading “Question called, and Motion passes!! The Halifax Green Network Plan has been passed at Council!!!”

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Tues Aug 14, 2018: Rally to support the Green Network Plan

Our HRM Alliance Photo
From OurHRM Alliance:

“Join us on Tuesday, August 14th at 9:00 (ish) to show your support for the Halifax Green Network Plan!

“The Green Network Plan will FINALLY be going to Council that day at 10:00AM. We want to be there with signs, smiles, and support to ask the 16 Councillors to vote YES to pass this incredible plan. The Councillors typically begin arriving around 9:00, so pop by while you can during that hour, or come and stay the whole time!

“We’ll be having a sign-making party the night before at Ecology Action Centre. Either make your own sign, or borrow one of ours for the day!

“There will also be a crew of people attending the Council meeting to watch the presentation and debate and show our support. Feel free to join for this as well, if you’re interested. Want some more info about the Green Network Plan? Check out http://ourhrmalliance.ca/halifax-green-network/”

View Facebook Event Page

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Halifax Green Network Plan goes to CPED today

Map 9 in the Halifax Green Network Plan
Click on map to enlarge
The Halifax Green Network Plan, under development since 2014, was released on June 21, 2018 and today goes to the Community Planning and Economic Development Standing Committee (see Agenda).

WRWEO/The Bluff Trail has been actively involved in development of the plan as a member of Our HRM Alliance. We have written a letter supporting the plan, with emphasis on two areas: landscape connectivity, and the need to provide more trails in HRM.

View
– Halifax Green Network Plan
(Attached to CPED Item #151, June 21, 2018)
– Our HRM Press Release
–  WRWEO Letter

ADDENDUM 7 p.m.: “HGNP passes with flying colours. They noted how many letters of support they’d received.” – Walter Regan (Sackville Rivers Association)

SUMMARY OF THE WRWEO LETTER
Continue reading “Halifax Green Network Plan goes to CPED today”

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April 12, 2018: Blue Mountain Birch Cove Lakes Regional Park Citizen’s Meeting

“All are invited to a public meeting on April 12th for updates and information on park progress. We will also explore interest in forming a citizen’s group, such as a “Friends of Blue Mountain” group, to speak up for creation of the promised park and collaborate with the municipality and other levels of government.
Please come to St. Peter’s Anglican Church Hall from 7-9pm on Thursday, April 12th.
There will be a formal presentation at 7:15, and opportunity for questions and public comments at 8pm.”
Read More

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May 15-June 12: Final Public Engagement, Halifax Green Network Plan

The Halifax Regional Municipality is conducting the third and final phase of public engagement for the Halifax Green Network Plan, a decision-making framework for the conservation of a region-wide network of open space. A number of planning and implementation directions have been drafted using public input and study results from the earlier phases of work and are contained in the Halifax Green Network Plan Primer Report.

Public engagement for this phase will occur in a series of public meetings across HRM from May 15 to June 12, 2017. The most convenient session for most Backland folks will be May 16 6:00 – 8:00 pm at the Atlantica Hotel Halifax (Guild Hall) 1980 Robie Street.

Read more on HRM website