Archibald Lake Wilderness Area protected
KJIPUKTUK / HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia Chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS-NS) welcomes today’s announcement by the Nova Scotia government that it has applied legal protection to the public lands and waters of Archibald Lake, in Guysborough County.
“Archibald Lake Wilderness Area is an ecological hotspot,” says Chris Miller, Executive Director for CPAWS-NS. “The Nova Scotia government has done the right thing by protecting this very special place. It will be a lasting legacy for future generations. We are delighted by this decision.”
Archibald Lake Wilderness Area occurs within the St. Mary’s River watershed, home to wild populations of Atlantic Salmon, American Eels, Brook Trout, Wood Turtles, Snapping Turtles, and Brook Floaters.
For the past three years, CPAWS-NS has been conducting field surveys in the vicinity of Archibald Lake. In total, 37 rare species have been identified, including seven that are listed under the Endangered Species Act. Some of these species include the endangered Mainland Moose, Blue Felt Lichen, Canada Warbler, Common Nighthawk, Olive-Sided Flycatcher, Black-Saddle Pelt Lichen, and Green Starburst Lichen.
Nearly half of the entire area of the new protected area contains old-forests. This includes drumlins with tolerant hardwood stands and mixed coniferous/deciduous stands in the valleys. Fieldwork undertaken this summer identified trees greater than 200 years of age. Archibald Lake Wilderness Area also contains several patches of genuine old-growth forest, which is rare in Nova Scotia due to industrial impacts.
“I’ve done fieldwork all over Nova Scotia,” says Miller. “Archibald Lake really stands out for the sheer density of conservation values, including the presence of rare and endangered species, old-growth forests, and important wetlands. There’s a lot packed into a fairly small space, and many of the elements of a functioning ecosystem still occur here.”
The CPAWS-NS fieldwork this season focused on Archibald Brook, the river that connects Archibald Lake to the St. Mary’s River. Our aquatic surveys have found Atlantic Salmon, Brook Trout, Gaspereau, American Eels, and Eastern Pearlshell Mussels. The water flowing into the St. Mary’s River from Archibald Lake provides important habitat and ecosystem services for numerous rare species.
“Archibald Brook provides critical thermal refugia for migrating fish, as well as habitat for populations of globally rare freshwater mussels and other species,” says Hunter Stevens, a biologist with CPAWS-NS. “Our snorkel surveys turned up lots of interesting results and confirmed that the aquatic ecosystems of Archibald Brook are hugely significant.”
Archibald Lake Wilderness Area was first proposed for protection way back in 2008 by scientists working on the Colin Stewart Forest Forum, a process to identify lands for protection for the Nova Scotia government. It was subsequently announced as a proposed protected area by the Nova Scotia government in January 2020 and underwent public consultation, but the official designation was delayed for unknown reasons. In December 2022, at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal, Nova Scotia Minister of Environment Timothy Halman stated that he had directed Departmental staff to bring forward Archibald Lake for final decisions. In May 2023, the Nova Scotia government released the socio-economic study for Archibald Lake Wilderness Area, which is a required step before legal designation can occur. That study found that Archibald Lake contains numerous conservation values, as well as socio-economic benefits for the people of Nova Scotia.
Today’s announcement by the Nova Scotia government means that Archibald Lake Wilderness Area is now officially protected by law. An Order-in-Council was passed by the Executive Council to declare the public lands and waters of the Archibald Lake site to be a designated protected area under the Wilderness Areas Protection Act. Legally designated wilderness areas allow for a wide range of activities, including recreation, hunting, fishing, and camping, but prohibit harmful industrial activities such as clearcuts, open-pit mines, road construction, and pipelines.
A mining company has proposed Archibald Lake as a source of water for a proposed open-pit gold mine at nearby Cochrane Hill. That proposal was under a federal environmental review, until it was terminated by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada in June 2022. The St. Mary’s River Association has been raising concerns about the potential impacts of gold mining on the river and have led efforts to stop the proposed open-pit gold mine at Cochrane Hill.
“By protecting Archibald Lake, the Nova Scotia government has made a clear decision in support of biodiversity conservation,” says Taylor Creaser, a Conservation Campaigner with CPAWS-NS. “The waters of this important wilderness area provide crucial habitat for species-at-risk downstream, including in the St. Mary’s River. The proposed open-pit gold mine presents an unacceptable ecological risk to the ecosystem, species, and local community.”
CPAWS-NS would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the St. Mary’s River Association for protecting Archibald Lake. They have led the fight at every step of the way, and we congratulate them on their important victory. We also want to acknowledge the efforts undertaken by volunteers to protect Archibald Lake, including citizen scientists who organized several bioblitz events and installed trail cameras and audio recorders to document the presence of rare species. Their work led to the discovery of bats at Archibald Lake, which have suffered steep population declines in Nova Scotia and are listed as endangered.
Protected areas are crucial in the fight against the dual crises of biodiversity loss and the climate emergency. At COP15, new international protected area targets were established to protect 30% of Earth’s land and ocean by 2030.
“The salmon, turtles, moose, lichens, songbirds, and bats of Archibald Lake will all benefit from today’s conservation announcement,” says Miller. “The local community has been very vocal about the need for more conservation. It’s reassuring that the Nova Scotia government has listened to these concerns and has taken the necessary steps to protect this irreplaceable wilderness.”
The Nova Scotia government has a legislated target to protect at least 20% of the provincial landmass by 2030. Last week, the province launched a public consultation for the Protected Areas Strategy that runs until October 6th. Currently, about 13% of Nova Scotia’s provincial landmass is protected.
Archibald Lake Wilderness Area is about 684 hectares in size and includes four lakes; Archibald, Rocky, McDonald, and Little.
Contact:
Chris Miller
902-880-0726
High resolution photos and videos of Archibald Lake available upon request