Good afternoon folks,
Parks Canada has created an opportunity for us to be heard. They are calling it "2020 Ministers Round Table Ideas Form".
Goal Statement: Parks Canada will work with experts and partners to identify ecological corridors between protected areas and support their restoration and recognition to help reverse fragmentation of habitat and stop the loss of biodiversity in Canada and around the world.
We believe that St. Mary's River and its Valley is one of Nova Scotia's opportunities to meet the goal statement and protect biodiversity.
Mark Dort, a new SMRA board member, has created one idea on the government web page on behalf of SMRA and his brother Matt has created the second.
The first idea on the board is to create Nova Scotia's third Heritage River System which we have initiated this summer past. We hired a student to create the required pre-screening report, gather support letters and start the process with Minister Wilson's department. This was all completed and awaits movement from Minister Wilson.
The second idea on the board is to protect Archibald Lake and the Mckeen Lake drainage basin. If you recall this is the tributary that Nick Hawkins recently filmed spawning Atlantic salmon. The footage is a first of its kind in the Maritime Provinces. One property that has been identified for some time is called the Nine Mile Woods Wilderness Area and it is directly below Atlantic Gold's proposed Tailings Impoundment and effluent release. This area is one of St. Mary’s most productive Atlantic salmon spawning habitats and must be protected. You can see both Archibald Lake and the Nine Mile Woods Wilderness Area on the attached map dated 2011. They are site 10 and site 11.
Of course, both projects will contribute and help stave off the proposed Cochrane Hill gold mine and help Governments meet new targets set to protect biodiversity by 2025 and 2030.
I am asking folks to simply go to the links below and both follow and rate these two ideas. There are not a lot of ideas there so you just have to skim through the list and find Matt on the first link and Mark on the second.
Matt Dort posted under Ecological Corridors about protecting Archibald lake and Mackeen lake areas.
https://www.letstalkparkscanada.ca/ideas?challenge_id=4
Mark Dort used our letter to the Environment Minister to submit a topic under Protecting our Cultural Heritage.
https://www.letstalkparkscanada.ca/ideas?challenge_id=7
Thank you all