Proposed Sackville River Wilderness Area Addition – Spending Time At Feely Lake
By Racheal Opoku-Afriyie
If you live in Millwood, Beaver Bank, or Middle Sackville, there’s a good chance you already know this place. Located just outside Lower Sackville and Millwood is Feely Lake, a thriving natural landscape that supports wildlife, protects water, and gives people a place to connect with nature in a rapidly developing part of the HRM.
The first time I learned about Feely Lake through my work at CPAWS-NS, I was struck by how much people loved it. For the thousands of residents of nearby Millwood, Beaver Bank and Sackville, this isn’t just another green space, it is a valued community treasure. It is a place where children experience nature for the first time, where families can hike, fish and paddle, where friends hang out after a stressful week, and where neighbours come together to enjoy the peace and quiet. The more I learned, the more I realized that what makes Feely Lake truly special goes far beyond its beauty. Walking through the area, it’s impossible not to notice the towering trees and the feeling of being surrounded by old forest; habitat that is becoming increasingly rare in Nova Scotia. Feely Lake and the matured stands of red spruce, eastern hemlock, yellow birch, and sugar maple that surround it, provide habitat for turtles, Atlantic salmon, insects, fungi, birds such as the vulnerable Eastern Peewee, and other species that depend on healthy waterways and woodland ecosystems.
While many people may only be beginning to discover this near-urban wilderness, others have been working tirelessly to protect it for decades. For years, Walter Regan and the Sackville Rivers Association have been championing the protection of Feely Lake and the broader Sackville River watershed. Through community engagement, education, stewardship, and countless hours of advocacy, they’ve helped many discover just how special this place is. Their work is a wonderful reminder that conservation isn’t only about protecting remote wilderness, neither does it happen because of one organization but because communities come together to protect the places they love. That is exactly why protecting Feely Lake matters.
Today, we have an opportunity to ensure Feely Lake receives the lasting protection it deserves. The government of Nova Scotia has proposed protecting Feely Lake as part of an expansion to the Sackville River Wilderness Area. It’s a significant step toward ensuring this remarkable landscape remains protected for wildlife, clean water, and the thousands of people who enjoy it every year. If you’ve hiked the trails at Feely Lake, fished, paddled across its waters, watched wildlife along its shoreline, or simply found a moment of peace beneath its trees, then Feely Lake needs you now.
Submit a comment in the Spring 2026 Protected Areas Consultation (Question 8, Sackville River Wilderness Area Addition) on what Feely Lake means to you and why it should be protected. It is quick, easy and takes less than 2 minutes. Every comment counts towards ensuring that Feely Lake is legally protected.
The deadline to submit your comment is July 28, 2026. Whether you’ve spent years exploring Feely Lake or you’re only hearing about it today, your voice matters. Protected areas are stronger when communities stand behind them, and this is one of those moments where a simple action can help shape the future of a truly special place leaving something better for the next generations.
Learn more about the Spring 2026 Protected Areas Consultation Sites
