Public Lands

Endangered Spaces

Blue Mountain - Birch Cove Lakes

Cumberland

East Hants

Eigg Mountain - James River

Five Bridge Lakes

Fogarty's Cove

Gully Lake

Herring Cove Backlands

Humes River

Kluscap Mountain

Lake Major - Musquodoboit

Liscomb

Nictaux River

Prospect

Sackville - Beaverbank

Shelburne Barrens

Ship Harbour Long Lake

Tobeatic (additions)

Tusket River

News

Issues

Take Action

The Coalition

Links

Site Map

Proposed East Hants Wilderness Areas And Provincial Parks

Size & Location

Proposed Stanley Wilderness Study Area: At 17,164 hectares, this is the largest tract of public land in Hants County
Proposed South Maitland Provincial Park Reserve: 169 hectares
Proposed Long Lake Wilderness Area: Roughly 750 hectares
Proposed Devils Jaws Wilderness Area: 2,400 hectares
Proposed Nine Mile River Provincial Park Reserves: 700 hectares

East Hants

Natural Description

1. Proposed Stanley Wilderness Study Area

The block is generally flat and contains large raised bogs that feed several river systems including the Kennetcook, Tomcod, Cogmagun, and Walton Rivers. Forest types include poorly drained black spruce - larch flats and white pine, red pine, and red spruce in drier areas. The block contains three small lakes.

Despite recent timber harvesting and an extensive road network, the Stanley block probably offers the best opportunity of any Crown property in the Municipality of East Hants to contribute to landscape representation if protected. Whereas public lands account for a small percentage of most natural landscapes within the municipality, Stanley covers over half (52.5%) of the entire Walton Clay Plain natural landscape. This landscape is completely unrepresented in Nova Scotia's protected areas network, despite provincial commitments to protect land in this region. Incredibly, the Province's new proposed strategic land use plan recommends that all 17,164 hectares be left unprotected!

The Municipality of East Hants has called on the Department of the Environment to identify a large protected area candidate within the Stanley block that will capture the diversity of the various habitats found in the Walton Clay Plain, outstanding natural features (e.g., old forests), potential forest restoration areas, and protected corridors between natural areas.

2. Proposed South Maitland Provincial Park Reserve

This site has been a protection candidate since 1974. It is home to a 1,200' bat cave, many rare plants (e.g., bloodroot, dog's tooth violet, ostrich fern, fleabane), and mixed forest on Karst topography. It lies in the Shubenacadie River Rolling Hills natural region, which has virtually no protected areas. South Maitland is a provincial park property but has never been designated under the Provincial Parks Act. It has no legal protection.

3. Proposed Long Lake Wilderness Area

There are dozens of "Long Lakes" in Nova Scotia. This one lies in the midst of old growth forest in central Hants County. The towering white and red pines at Long Lake make up one of the largest old forest concentrations in central Nova Scotia. The site also boasts several thousand feet of undeveloped lake frontage.

4. Proposed Devils Jaws Wilderness Area

Canoeists will find the Devils Jaws at the north end of Parkers Meadows, but many folks use the name to describe the whole area. At 2,400 hectares, the Devils Jaws may be the largest undeveloped public wildland in Hants County. The area is a well known traditional hunting, fishing, and backcountry canoeing destination. It boasts eight lakes, four kilometres of frontage on Herbert River, two kilometres of frontage on Parkers Meadows. It lies in the Central Quartzite Hills and Plains region, which is not fully represented by protected sites.

5. Proposed Nine Mile River Provincial Park Reserves

These two small parcels on the Nine Mile River total approximately 700 hectares. Their protection would safeguard high recreational values and provide some representation for the Shubenacadie River Rolling Hills region.

Threats

It is one of only four counties in Nova Scotia without a single acre of designated Wilderness Area.
Just 168 of the County's 313,050 hectares are protected (0.05% of the County).
The Province considers the level of land protection to be "inadequate" for seven of the eight natural regions found in the County.
The County's population is expected to increase by 24% by 2021.
It is being logged faster than most other regions.

Crown lands account for just 12% of Hants County, compared to 28% province-wide. The low proportion of public land is the main reason for the lack of protected spaces. Yet a 1998 evaluation of Crown lands in central Nova Scotia by the Ecology Action Centre found that many of the County's public lands merit protection to safeguard old forests, tourism and recreation values, watercourses, and to provide adequate landscape representation.

In September 2000 the Municipality of East Hants called on the provincial government to legally protect five tracts of public wilderness within the municipality: South Maitland, Long Lake, Devils Jaws, and two sites at Nine Mile River). Their resolution also called for a development moratorium in these areas. Council also called for a Wilderness Area assessment of the County's largest Crown land block near Stanley.

Take action to help save this important wilderness area!