A National Urban Park for Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes
K’JIPUKTUK / HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia Chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS-NS) welcomes today’s announcement by Parks Canada and Halifax Regional Municipality that Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes has been prioritized for a National Urban Park designation.
“This is absolutely amazing news,” says Chris Miller, Executive Director of CPAWS-NS. “A national urban park is a great fit for Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes. We are pleased to see the Federal Government and Halifax Regional Municipality take this very important step.”
Parks Canada and Halifax Regional Municipality have signed a “Statement of Collaboration” to work together on the potential designation of Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes as a National Urban Park. That agreement commits the two levels of government to work together on park objectives, engaging with key partners, and assessing natural and cultural features, among other things.
Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes is a near-urban wilderness located only about 5 kilometres from downtown Halifax. It contains numerous lakes and rivers and forests, and provides habitat for a myriad of species and wildlife. It is a popular destination for outdoor recreation, particularly canoeing, hiking, swimming, biking, skating, and snowshoeing.
The Nova Scotia government has placed a protected wilderness area designation on public lands within the Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes wilderness; Halifax Regional Municipality has acquired several key properties for an adjacent regional park; and the Nova Scotia Nature Trust recently purchased a property for conservation in Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes as well.
“Parks Canada can play a very helpful role in protecting this near-urban wilderness” says Miller. “It’s crucial that the agency builds upon the conservation work that’s already been done, so that there is a net-benefit overall. Purchasing new lands for conservation and establishing the primary access point for the park are examples of things that would be really helpful.”
CPAWS-NS has been advocating for a National Urban Park for Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes for the past five years. In 2016, we presented to a Parliamentary Committee in Ottawa about the importance of a National Urban Park designation for these lands and for the federal government to provide funding to help with land purchases.
The federal government announced this week that they will establish a network of national urban parks across the country and allocate $130 million in funding to help make this happen. So far, seven cities have expressed an interest and three have signed statements of collaboration, including Halifax.
“This is a great thing for the city. And a great thing for Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes,” adds Miller. “There’s still a lot of work to do, but this is definitely moving things in the right direction.”
More information:
Halifax Regional Municipality news release
National Urban Park Statement of Collaboration: SoC-for-Urban-Parks_HRM-signed
Contact:
Chris Miller