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Hi all, Well, we "went public". The campaign to save Gully Lake and Eigg Mountain-james river is on! Letters would be appreciated. If you can't write, please consider at least cutting and pasting the sample letter and e-mailing to the Hamm man (premier@gov.ns.ca). Thanks to Mark Brennan and Ken McKenna for their work on this. For additional info check out http://www.auracom.com/~mbrennan thanks, Kermit. PS. There was a good article in the Herald on Tuesday re: NS Power dams at East River Sheet Harbour. ------------------------------------------------------- Ecology Action Centre, 31-1568 Argyle St., Halifax, NS, B3J 2B3 for immediate release: October 5, 1999 NORTHERN MAINLAND WILDERNESS CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED Imagine not being able to find a large area of wild forest along Nova Scotia’s northern mainland. That could happen unless the Province steps up its efforts to finish Nova Scotia’s protected areas network, according to two conservation groups meeting today in New Glasgow. The Pictou County Naturalists and the Ecology Action Centre are calling on the Province to protect two blocks of Crown land in the region from industrial resource development. The groups are asking the public to write Premier John Hamm to request that Crown lands at Gully Lake, northeast of Truro, and near Eigg Mountain in Antigonish County, be designated under the province’s Wilderness Act. The Gully Lake site, which straddles the watershed divide between River John and the Salmon River, boasts about 4,600 hectares of primarily hardwood-dominated forest, and is a popular backcountry recreation destination. The proposed Eigg Mountain – James River Wilderness Area would protect up to 6,000 hectares, including hardwoods on the Antigonish Highlands, deep ravines, waterfalls, and the headwaters for the Town of Antigonish water supply. “Both sites are extremely beautiful, and are teeming with wildlife. Protecting these forests is a great way for people along the northern mainland to hang onto a remnant of our natural heritage”, says Mark Brennan of the Pictou County Naturalists. The sites likely represent the last opportunities for large protected wilderness areas in a region where forests have been badly scarred by logging roads and clearcutting. “There isn’t a single acre of designated wilderness in Antigonish or Pictou County, and nothing north of the Trans Canada Highway between New Brunswick and Cape Breton. The Province has promised wilderness areas for this region, and we’re reminding them tonight”, says Kermit deGooyer of the Ecology Action Centre, making reference to the Province’s 1992 commitment to establish protected sites in each of Nova Scotia’s 80 natural regions. The Department of Natural Resources will announce in December whether the sites will be protected or made available to industry, as part of a long-term regional land use plan for Crown lands in eastern Nova Scotia. If protected, both sites would be off limits to industrial uses like forestry and mining, but would remain accessible for outdoor recreation, including hunting and fishing. Contacts: Mark Brennan, Pictou County Naturalists, (902) 396-4397 / (902) 752-7600 ext. 3470 Kermit deGooyer, Ecology Action Centre, (902) 429-2202 / (902) 492-4340 - 30 - ------------------------------------------ RESCUE WILDERNESS IN NORTHERN NOVA SCOTIA - WRITE A LETTER!! Letters work. The Province will protect the Crown lands at Gully Lake and Eigg Mountain – James River only if they receive LOTS of supportive letters. Every letter makes a difference. Write straight to Premier John Hamm, it will only take a minute. His office will also send copies to the Ministers of Natural Resources and/or Environment. Please “cc” a copy of your letter to other MLAs in the region (addresses below), and, if you wish, to the Ecology Action Centre, 31-1568 Argyle St., Halifax, NS, B3J 2B3. A sample letter is provided on the reverse, but explaining in your own words why you’d like to see these lands protected would be more effective. Remember to ask for three things: (1) legal protection: anything less is open to abuse. Designation under the Wilderness Areas Protection Act is the most realistic option, because it leaves the sites available for traditional recreational activities like hunting and fishing, but keeps industrial resource development out. (2) a development moratorium until the lands are legally protected (3) a response to your concerns: for your own records and to keep the issue active. Supportive letters to the editor will also go a long way to protect these areas. Important addresses: Government: Dr. John Hamm Premier of Nova Scotia PO Box 726 Halifax, NS B3J 2T3 e-mail: premier@gov.ns.ca The following MLAs for the northern mainland can all be reached via the PC Caucus Office, Suite 805 – Centennial Building, 1645 Granville St., Halifax, NS B3J 1X3 (fax: 424-7484): Muriel Baillee MLA for Pictou West Jim DeWolfe MLA for Pictou East Bill Langille MLA for Colchester North Angus MacIsaac MLA for Antigonish Newspapers: Chronicle-Herald Voice of the People PO Box 610 Halifax, NS B3J 2T2 fax: 426-2810 e-mail: newsroom@herald.ns.ca Antigonish Casket PO Box 1300 Antigonish, NS, B2G 2L7 fax: 863-1943 e-mail: thecasket@auracom.com New Glasgow Evening News PO Box 159 New Glasgow, NS B2H 5E2 fax: 752-1945 e-mail: evening.news@ north.nsis.com SAMPLE LETTER TO SAVE PUBLIC LANDS IN NORTHERN NOVA SCOTIA Premier John Hamm PO Box 726 Halifax, NS B3J 2T3 fax: (902) 424-7648 e-mail: premier@gov.ns.ca Dear Dr. Hamm: I am writing to ask you to protect Crown lands at Gully Lake, near Truro, and at Eigg Mountain in Antigonish County. These two areas are spectacular wildernesses – they contain hardwood forests, waterfalls, and the headwater streams of important rivers, including the Salmon River and River John at Gully Lake, and the James River in the Eigg Mountain block. Both sites have been outdoor recreation destinations for generations. I do not want to see them lost to forestry or other industrial land uses. These lands may represent the last chance to hang onto some wilderness in the northern mainland region of Nova Scotia. As you know, there are no protected Wilderness Areas in Antigonish or Pictou Counties, nor are there any north of the Trans Canada Highway between Cape Breton and New Brunswick. I understand the Province has committed to establishing protected areas in every natural region of Nova Scotia, and that the commitment has not yet been satisfied for most of the North Shore. It would be unfortunate if people from this area were forever unable to access or enjoy true Nova Scotia wilderness. Please give these two wild forests lasting formal protection by designating them under the Wilderness Act. As an interim measure, I ask that the Department of Natural Resources place both sites under a development moratorium immediately. I look forward to receiving a written response regarding the future status of these lands. Sincerely, -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- You received this because you are subscribed to "sust-mar", the Sustainable Maritimes mailing list. To unsubscribe, send email to <majordomo@chebucto.ns.ca> with "unsubscribe sust-mar" (without quotes) as the body of your message. To post a message to sust-mar subscribers, send it to <sust-mar@chebucto.ns.ca> Posts that are off-topic or excessive length (10K) will be rejected. For help contact <sust-mar-owner@chebucto.ns.ca> Archives: http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/lists/sust-mar
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