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New provincial parks proposed for Shelburne

KATHY JOHNSON TRI-COUNTY VANGUARD

Five Shelburne County locations are on the list for provincial designation as protected parks.

The Nova Scotia government announced on Earth Day it intends to designate 61 more wilderness areas, nature reserves and provincial parks across the province to protect Nova Scotia’s unique biodiversity and habitats.

Included on the list of 12 proposed sites slated for a soon-to-be launched consultation process is the 9.82 Hectares Port LaTour Provincial Park in the Municipality of Barrington.

“The province will be consulting with Nova Scotians on these proposed sites. A 60-day, online consultation will launch soon, and Nova Scotians will be notified,” states a media release.

Four more Shelburne County locations are listed as sites intended for protection, including three more in the Municipality of Barrington.

The Blanche Provincial Park reserve is 25.50 hectares of Crown land with salt marsh and rich estuarine mudflats. On Cape Sable Island is the Baker Inlet Provincial Park reserve and Bulls Head Provincial Park reserve. The eight hectares Baker Inlet provincial park reserve is on the south end of the Stoney Island beach while the three-hectare Bulls Head provincial park reserve is at the north end.

The municipality has recently made improvements on land they own at the Stoney Island beach, including the construction of a parking lot.

In the Municipality of Shelburne, 16 hectares of beach property has been designated Roseway Beach Provincial Park reserve. Located on Round Bay, in conjunction with adjoining Crown and Nature Conservancy of Canada lands, the park reserve has important conservation values, including nesting grounds for the endangered Piping Plover.

“In this list of 61 new protected areas there is an important mix of natural environments that Nova Scotians want protected: coastline, mature forests, waterways, corridors for wildlife, and parks that are accessible," said Environment and Climate Change Minister Keith Irving. "The diversity of these parks and protected areas is an impressive representation of the extraordinary beauty of our province.”

The additional 61 sites will support government’s new 14 per cent land protection goal. Since 2013, more than 150 sites have been protected, providing habitat for mainland moose, migratory birds, and Atlantic salmon, and to help efforts to conserve species at risk, old and mature forests and coastal ecosystems.

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2021-05-05T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-05-05T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://saltwire.pressreader.com/article/281590948430601

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