Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes

Last updated
Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes Wilderness Area
Blue Mountain Birch Cove Lakes map.png
Map of provincially owned (red) and non-provincial (yellow) protected area
Canada Nova Scotia location map 2.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within Nova Scotia
Location Halifax, Nova Scotia
Coordinates 44°40′35″N63°43′09″W / 44.6765°N 63.7193°W / 44.6765; -63.7193
Area1,767 ha (6.82 sq mi)
Designated2009 (2009)
OwnerProvince of Nova Scotia

The Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes Wilderness Area is located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Considered to be of high ecological value, it is one of 40 designated wilderness areas in the province.

Contents

The wilderness area would form the heart of the larger Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes Regional Park, which has been proposed by the city since 2006.

History

The Metropolitan Area Planning Committee (MAPC), a former regional planning body, identified the area in the 1970s as having high conservation value. [1]

Wilderness area designation

In 2009, the province created the Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes Wilderness Area out of 1,316 hectares of Crown land. [2]

In 2015, the wilderness area was expanded from 1,316 to 1,767 hectares. [3]

There is a linear corridor through the wilderness area that is not protected. This is the intended alignment of Highway 113, a suburban freeway proposed by the province. [3]

Regional park

Conceptual plan

In 2006, the Halifax Regional Municipality adopted a conceptual plan to turn the area into a regional park. The wilderness area, designated in 2009 from provincially owned lands, would form the heart of this park. Major private landholders include Susie Lake Developments, The Stevens Group, and the Annapolis Group. [2] The current municipal zoning does not permit development. [4]

Development plan controversy

The Annapolis Group brought forward plans for a low-density subdivision in the eastern area of the conceptual regional park, and proposed that the park be made smaller to accommodate the development. An independent facilitator, Heather Robertson, released a report supportive of the developer's plans. [5]

The report was met by an "intense backlash" from the public. [5] It was presented by Robertson at the Future Inns in Clayton Park on 20 June 2016, where the mood was one of "great frustration and anger" and the public was not allowed to speak or ask questions. [6] A report published by city staff on 31 August 2016 also disagreed with the report, and recommended that the lands not be developed. [7] Regional council received more than 1,400 letters from the public, the vast majority supportive of the proposed park and critical of Robertson's report. On 6 September 2016, council voted 15-1 against allowing the development plans to proceed. [2]

In January 2017, the Annapolis Group announced a lawsuit against the city. It claims the city "effectively expropriated" its land by rejecting the development plans and is seeking $119 million in damages as "fair compensation". [4] The city asked the courts to dismiss the case on the basis it had no chance of success, but this request was denied by a judge in November 2019. In 2021, the Supreme Court of Canada agreed to examine the case. [8]

Land acquisition

The Halifax Regional Municipality is acquiring land that, together with the provincial wilderness area, will form the proposed regional park. The first such purchase was made on 18 January 2018 when the city bought approximately 80 hectares (200 acres) of land around Hobson Lake from West Bedford Holdings, a private company. This land is intended to serve as a buffer area for the future park, as well as a future access point to the new park. [9]

An aerial shot of two of the many small lakes in the Blue Mountain Birch Cove Lakes Wilderness Area, along with a hiking trail crossing a brook. Aerial of southern lakes in Blue Mountain Birch Cove Lakes Wilderness Area, May 2024.jpg
An aerial shot of two of the many small lakes in the Blue Mountain Birch Cove Lakes Wilderness Area, along with a hiking trail crossing a brook.

In March 2019, regional council approved a second land purchase for the park. [10] The purchase included 49 hectares (120 acres) of land beside Nine Mile River in Timberlea, acquired from Armco Development, as well as 81 hectares (200 acres) near Blue Mountain, purchased from the Barrett Lumber Company. [11] The latter acquisition is bisected by the aforementioned Highway 113 right-of-way. [12] Forming a total of around 130 hectares (320 acres), this purchase was made with the help of a $860,000 contribution from the federal government. [13]

Nova Scotia Nature Trust fundraising campaign

The lands protected up to late 2019 comprised two separate chunks: a larger portion in the south (subdivided by the aforementioned Highway 113 alignment), and a smaller portion to the north-west. In October 2019, the Nova Scotia Nature Trust announced a fundraising campaign that aimed to help purchase a 232-hectare (570-acre) property connecting the two chunks. The private owners of this land, Robin Wilber and Bill Fenton, agreed to donate a portion of the land's value as a charitable gift. The nature trust aimed to fundraise C$2.1 million by June 2020. [14] [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middleton, Nova Scotia</span> Town in Nova Scotia, Canada

Middleton is a town in Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, Canada. Situated on the north bank of the Annapolis River, it is located close to the centre of the Annapolis Valley, from which it gets its nickname, "The Heart of the Valley".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halifax, Nova Scotia</span> Capital and most populous municipality of Nova Scotia, Canada

Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2023, it is estimated that the population of the Halifax CMA was 518,711, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The regional municipality consists of four former municipalities that were amalgamated in 1996: Halifax, Dartmouth, Bedford, and Halifax County.

Hammonds Plains is a suburban area of the Halifax Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia, Canada, located 20 km northwest of Downtown Halifax.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bedford, Nova Scotia</span> District of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Bedford is a former town and now a district of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is situated on the north west shore of the Bedford Basin in the central area of the municipality. It borders the neighbouring communities of Hammonds Plains to the west, Sackville to the north, Dartmouth to the east, and mainland Halifax to the south. Bedford was named in honour of John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford, Secretary of State for the colonies in 1749.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spryfield</span> Suburban Community in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Spryfield is community within the urban area of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diana Whalen</span> Canadian politician

Diana Caroline Whalen is a Canadian politician, who represented the electoral district of Halifax Clayton Park in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 2003-2013, and Clayton Park West from 2013-2017, as a member of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shubenacadie Canal</span> Manmade watercourse in Canada

The Shubenacadie Canal is a canal in central Nova Scotia, Canada. It links Halifax Harbour with the Bay of Fundy by way of the Shubenacadie River and Shubenacadie Grand Lake. Begun in 1826, it was not completed until 1861 and was closed in 1871. Currently small craft use the river and lakes, but only one lock is operational. Three of the nine locks have been restored to preserve their unique fusion of British and North American construction techniques. More extensive restoration is planned.

Rockingham is a community located within the urban area of the Halifax Regional Municipality, in Nova Scotia, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nova Scotia Highway 113</span> Highway in Nova Scotia

Highway 113 is a proposed freeway in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It would provide another connection between Highway 102 and Highway 103, passing through the Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes wilderness area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Shore (Nova Scotia)</span> Region of Nova Scotia

The Eastern Shore is a region of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is the Atlantic coast running northeast from Halifax Harbour to the eastern end of the peninsula at the Strait of Canso.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burnside, Nova Scotia</span> Neighbourhood in Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada

Burnside is a Canadian urban neighbourhood located along the northeast shore of Bedford Basin of the Halifax Regional Municipality in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

The Tobeatic Wilderness Area is the largest protected area in the Canadian Maritimes, located in southwestern Nova Scotia. It contains nearly 120,000 hectares of land and spans parts of five counties, Annapolis, Digby, Queens, Shelburne and Yarmouth. Located adjacent to Kejimkujik National Park, it was formerly known as the Tobeatic Wildlife Management Area, and the Tobeatic Game Reserve.

Timberlea is a community located within the Municipality of Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long Lake Provincial Park (Nova Scotia)</span> Park in Halifax, Canada

Long Lake Provincial Park is located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It was initiated in 1981 by then Premier John Buchanan after Halifax's water supply had been shifted from the Spruce Hill/Long Lake/Chain Lakes watershed to the Pockwock Lake watershed near Hammonds Plains. The 2,095-hectare (5,180-acre) park, formally established in 1984, constitutes the bulk of these former watershed lands. Other portions were deeded to the municipality of Halifax, and the area around the Chain Lakes is still administered by the Halifax Regional Water Commission, since the Chain Lakes remain the city's emergency water supply.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wellington, Nova Scotia</span> Suburban Community in Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada

Wellington is a suburban community of the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia on Fletcher's Lake on Trunk 2 approximately 23.3 kilometres (14.5 mi) from Halifax.

Liscomb Game Sanctuary is a conservation area that straddles the border of Halifax Regional Municipality and Guysborough County in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia Route 374 runs north–south through the sanctuary. Within the sanctuary are two nature reserves and parts of two wilderness areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tufts Cove, Nova Scotia</span> Neighbourhood in Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada

Tufts Cove is an urban neighbourhood in the community of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is situated on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour in the North End of Dartmouth. The neighbourhood boundaries of Tufts Cove are approximately from Albro Lake Road in the south to Highway 111 in the north, and from Victoria Road in the east with the harbour to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clayton Park West (electoral district)</span> Provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada

Clayton Park West is a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Administrative divisions of Nova Scotia</span> Local governance within Nova Scotia

The Canadian province of Nova Scotia is divided into 49 municipalities, of which there are three types: regional (4), town (25), and county or district municipality (20).

References

  1. ↑ "Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes: A Brief History". Ecology Action Centre . Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Tattrie, Jon (6 September 2016). "Blue Mountain Birch Cove Lakes development plans rejected by Halifax". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
  3. 1 2 "Blue Mountain - Birch Cove Lakes Wilderness Area". Province of Nova Scotia. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  4. 1 2 Boon, Jacob (18 January 2017). "Halifax faces $119-million lawsuit over Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes". The Coast.
  5. 1 2 Cameron, Michelle (23 June 2016). "Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes a "sham of a process"". The Coast.
  6. ↑ Patil, Anjuli (21 June 2016). "Blue Mountain park too important for 'McCondos,' critics say". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
  7. ↑ Berry, Steve (31 August 2016). "Blue Mountain Birch Cove shouldn't be developed: HRM staff". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
  8. ↑ "Supreme Court of Canada to hear dispute over undeveloped Halifax-area land". CBC. The Canadian Press. 24 June 2021.
  9. ↑ Boon, Jacob (19 January 2018). "City buys 200 acres of land for Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes park". The Coast.
  10. ↑ Woodford, Zane (5 March 2019). "Halifax council approves another Blue Mountain Birch Cove Lakes land purchase". The Star Halifax.
  11. ↑ Churchill, Carly (24 April 2019). "Blue Mountain Birch Cove addition is double the size of Point Pleasant Park". The Star Halifax.
  12. ↑ "Proposed Blue Mountain Birch Cove Lakes Regional Park". Halifax Regional Municipality. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  13. ↑ Quon, Alexander (24 April 2019). "Federal government invests $860,000 in Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes Wilderness Parkland". Global News.
  14. ↑ Bousquet, Tim (18 October 2019). "Nature Trust fills in the "gap" of the Blue Mountain – Birch Cove Lakes Wilderness". Halifax Examiner.
  15. ↑ Walton, Victoria (20 October 2019). "Another 575 acres of protected land for Blue Mountain-Birch Cove". Halifax Today.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.