Published on Mar 11 2019   (Photo: Irwin Barrett) I know many of you care about the protection of the Blue Mountain – Birch Cove Lakes wilderness, just as I do, so here’s a quick update on the news from last week. On Tuesday, March 5th, Halifax Regional Council approved a motion to authorize city staff to finalize [Learn more]

Published on Dec 18 2018  It was another busy year for conservation in Nova Scotia and important progress was made on several fronts. Here are a couple of the highlights. First land purchase for Birch Cove Lakes Hobsons Lake (Photo: Irwin Barrett) In January, the very first land purchase for the Blue Mountain – Birch Cove [Learn more]

Published on Dec 04 2018   “The most important thing that we extract from the ocean is not oil and gas or fish, it’s us.“ In light of current news, I think we could all use a reminder of this. These wise words are from world-renowned oceanographer and explorer, Dr. Sylvia Earle, who I had the [Learn more]

Published on Oct 26 2018 The final report of the National Advisory Panel on Marine Protected Area Standards was recently released. This is good news! From March to September 2018, the National Advisory Panel travelled across Canada to gather perspectives on MPAs from Canadians on all three coasts. The final report includes a series of recommendations [Learn more]

Published on Sep 14 2018   In this blog I will be sharing the tale of a whale, a blue whale to be exact. It’s a sad tale but one that has created a unique opportunity to showcase and preserve our natural history. Before we dive in, let’s take a moment to appreciate just how incredible [Learn more]

Published on Aug 30 2018 Photo credit: DFO The National Advisory Panel on Marine Protected Area Standards publicly released its interim report. This is an important milestone, as the panel is making recommendations on how to better protect our ocean. It can be pretty dry stuff though, so let me take a minute to walk you [Learn more]

Published on Aug 23 2018 On Tuesday, an important independent assessment of Nova Scotia’s forest industry was publicly released. The full report is written by Bill Lahey and can be viewed here. This is a key moment for forest policy in Nova Scotia, since we are clearly at a decision point. Will Nova Scotia stick with the [Learn more]

Published on Jun 07 2018 Photo by: Alisha Posta (divebuddiesforlife.com) Happy World Oceans Day! Today is a great day to celebrate the big blue and reflect on its importance. The ocean is important to all life on Earth. For example, it provides oxygen that we need to breathe. Every other breath that we take comes from [Learn more]

Published on May 11 2018  (Photo from CBC NS website) The federal department of fisheries and oceans (DFO) must publicly release the marine protected area (MPA) network plan for Maritimes Region without any further delays. I really can’t underscore this point enough. It needs to happen, and it needs to happen now. Yesterday, a photo showing [Learn more]

Published on May 07 2018 Photo credit: CBC I’ve been involved with the environmental community in Nova Scotia for more than 20 years, so I’ve seen a lot in my time. Not much surprises me anymore. But, I must admit, reading through this article posted on the CBC Nova Scotia website was jaw-dropping. The Premier of Nova Scotia [Learn more]