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All across the world people are coming together to hit the streets on November 29th — hours before the most important climate summit this decade, taking place in Paris (COP21)…The Halifax march will begin at 1pm. We’ll start at Victoria Park… Read More in Halifax Media Co-op

The Halifax Regional Trails Association (HRTA) is holding a Training Workshop for Trail Patrol Wardens on Wednesday, December 2, 2015 at the Lakeside Community Centre, 1942 St. Margaret’s Bay Road, Lakeside beginning at 6:00 p.m.

Work as a volunteer Trail Patrol Warden provides an opportunity to become an ambassador of goodwill while you use your local trail for your own health, wellness, and enjoyment. Wearing a brightly coloured vest takes no extra effort, and greeting other trail users is an enjoyable experience.

Wardens provide a variety of benefits to trail users. More specifically, they provide

• an active “trail watch” program,
• reassurance to other trail users by their visible presence,
• a positive example of volunteerism in their community,
• friendly conversation with other trail users,
• information about trail etiquette, rules, laws, and safe practices,
• information about distances, travel times, and access to amenities,
• reports on issues on the trail that require attention,
• communication with with enforcement officials if required,
• excellent public relations for their sponsoring organization,
• opportunities to recruit other volunteers,
• assistance with event management,
• occasional assistance with mechanical breakdowns, and
• occasional first aid if required.

To become a trail warden, you must

• be nominated by a member organization of HRTA,
• be of good character,
• be willing to spend time on your trail on a reasonably regular basis,
• complete a training workshop, and
• be certified.

For further information, or to put forward your name as a candidate for the December 2 workshop, please contact Tom Musial, BLT R2T Association, tom.musial@bellaliant.net.

The important message to councillors “we need to have people telling their Councillors and provincial MLAs that HRM ought to get on with building cell 7 and stop the deception about a need to build the landfill higher.” For WRWEO comments on the Otter lake Landfill, see Link

Deer hunting season began Friday October 30th. The season always begins on the last Friday of October and goes to the first Saturday of December, inclusive, excluding Sundays Except the first two (new for 2016), i.e. Nov 1 and Nov 8. Wear hunter orange when you are out on The Bluff Trail and put an orange vest on your dog. Deer hunting is permitted on protected land and that includes the area of The Bluff Trail. Both hikers and hunters should use extra caution during this season. Other types of hunting are permitted for specific periods that extend outside of the deer season. Check in with the NS department of natural resources to see what applies to you.

The Bluff Trail Fall Foliage Photo Contest

The 2015 Bluff Trail Fall Foliage Photo Contest is now open. You can win some Fabulous Prizes! Details here.

Send in your best picture of the Colorful Fall Foliage by November 30, 2015 to: info@wrweo.ca

On Saturday, October 24, the public is invited to come to the first ever Open Forest Day for a free, fun, and informative visit to a beautiful wilderness area that is located just outside the Halifax core. The target audience for the event, which has been organized by the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, is anyone and everyone – young and old, landowners, new Canadians, outdoor enthusiasts, and “couch potatoes.” Read more

This first Interim Report on the Green Network Plan will be discussed at a meeting of the COMMUNITY PLANNING & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STANDING COMMITTEE on Thursday Oct 15 in the Council Chamber, City Hall, viewable online. The full interim report is available in sections at http://www.halifax.ca/HalifaxGreenNetwork/Themes.php. View Agenda for the Thursday meeting. View Item 8.3.2 Halifax Green Network Plan which includes highlights of the Interim Report. The full Interim Report bears close reading. There are 52 maps.

You won’t make a bouquet out of them, but flowers of witch-hazel do provide some colour and interest though the fall. Witch-hazel is a common understory shrub in the oak woods of The Bluff Trail. More

It’s prime huckleberry season right now. Sometimes I have reached for what looks like a really delicious-looking cluster of huckleberries, throw them in my mouth and spit ’em out quickly. Then I look at the leaves and realize I had picked black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa), not black huckleberry (Gaylussacia buccata). They often grow together and the berries are not readily distinguished. The leaves are superficially similar, but on inspection can be readily distinguished. Click on these pics to enlarge them and see how the leaves differ – those of chokeberry have distinct “teeth” on the margins while huckleberry has smooth margins. – David P.