March 31, 1994
Press Release
NATURAL RESOURCES:PARKS and PROTECTED AREAS PLAN WILL BENEFIT NOVA SCOTIA

More than 7000 acres of provincial Crown land is proposed for protection under a Parks and Protected Areas Systems Plan introduced today by Natural Resources Minister Don Downe.

Under the plan, 31 new sites including the 250 thousand acre Tobeatic Wilderness area in southwestern Nova Scotia, have been identified as candidates for protection.

Mr. Downs says the plan will benefit Nova Scotia in many ways. "Protected natural areas have a positive impact on a variety of outdoor activities and make Nova Scotia more attractive as a tourist destination, especially to the expanding eco-tourism industry. The plan will also enhance our image abroad, showing the world that Nova Scotians care about their environment."

Premier John Savage supports the systems plan in principle and says it will be a cornerstone of the government's objective to acheive sustainability of our natural resources.

"Parks and protectes areas are one of the greatest legacies that we can leave for our children and for future generations," says Premier Savage. "This plan will also play an important role in striking a balance between the environment and the economy."

Combined with 45 protected sites in existing parks, ecological reserves and wildlife management areas, the 31 sites proposed in the plan would increase the area of protected spaces in Nova Scotia to approximately 8 per cent of the province.

There are foue main components in the plan. First, it provides a strategy for protection of natural areas. Second, it identifies the 31 candidate sites for protection. Third, it initiates a process for public consultation and fourth, it calls for development of management plans for individual protected sites.

"Hunting, fishing, trapping and other established uses will be permitted within candidate areas until they are formally designated for protection," says Mr. Downe. "The future of these activities will be considered on a case by case basis."

The Minister says he will soon appoint an advisory committee to conduct a series of meetings as part of the public consultation process. Department of Natural Resources staff will also be available to meet with people and groups who are interested in the plan and in the process.

Some candidate areas, such as the Tobeatic, may require more extensive review and discussion than others. Because of the existing timber commitment, a small area of the Tobeatic immediatelt north of Kejimkujik National Park is not part of the site proposed for protection. Many people feel it is an area that should be protected.

"If an alternative timber supply can be found, the area in question WILL be included," says Mr. Downe. "And I want to stress that, in cases like this, the proposed systems plan is designed to initiate and encourage public consultation rather than discourage it."

The Minister says the overriding purpose of the protected natural areas is to provide representative examples of natural landscapes and to maintain biodiversity.

There are 77 distinct landscape types in Nova Scotia. Twenty-six of them are represented in existing protected sites combined with the new sites proposed for protection.

Mr. Downe says a moratorium that currently protects the 31 sites from new land uses, development, timber harvesting or mineral exploration will remain in effect until the systems planning process is completed.

"This plan is consistent with our government's environmental and resource policies," says Mr. Downe, "and with our desire to maintain a healthy quality of life for ourselves and future generations."

He says it also honors a National Forest Strategy commitment to protect old-growth forests and establish a network of protected areas that represent Nova Scotia's landscapes and ecosystems. It is also consistent with the Province's endorsation of the Endangered Spaces Campaign and other national and global initiatives to conserve and protect natural areas.

"Most important," says Mr. Downe, "it provides a mechanism to protect some of Nova Scotia's most precious assets before the opportunity to do so is lost forever."

Trafalgar - Opposition to a new provincial policy allowing hunting in the Liscomb game sanctuary is 20 years too late, Trafalgar resident Dave MacKenzie told 16 protesters gathered at the park gate Monday.

Two decades of clearcutting and chemical spraying by pulp and paper companies have sent all the deer elsewhere looking for better habitat, he said. "There's absolutely no deer in there. If 50 goin to hunt, 49 will come out without a deer. ...Let them have their black powder."

Mr. MacKenzie was referring to muzzle-loaded firearms. A seven-day season for hunting deer with such weapons opened Monday in the Liscomb sanctuary. It's the first time hunting has been permitted in the preserve. The Tobeatic sanctuary in western Nova Scotia has been open to blackpowder hunters since 1990, and the Chignecto sanctuary has been open for bow hunting since the mid-1970s.

The demonstrators, from Pictou, Antigonish and Guysborough counties and Cape Breton, included students, environmentalists, landowners and hunters.

"This is one place left for (animals) and now we're taking it over," said Kate MacDonald, a student at West Pictou High School. "The whole point of a sanctuary is a safe haven for animals."

The decision to allow limited hunting in the sanctuaries was based on biological studies that indicate modern conservation methods such as bag limits and shorter hunting seasons work better than expecting deer to congregate in a sanctuary, away from hunters, said Blain Henshaw, spokesman for the Natural Resources Department. The deer population is increasing inside and outside the sanctuary, government biologist Mark Pulsifer said. "This is not the last bastion of deer."

The 1996 season is seen as a test case, held in response to a request from about 30 black-powder enthusiasts for a hunting season without competition from other hunters. "I don't call them hunters, I call them shooters," said Mack Cohout of James River, Antigonish County. "I question their skill level." He said if he were a hunter, he would be embarrassed to admit he killed a deer in the sanctuary.

Mr. Cahout said as a property owner, he's concerned about walking safely in the woods during hunting season. Hunting-free sanctuaries provide safe places to hike, he said. Environmental activist David Orton charged that the government defends the pulp industry, manages the forests for the pulp and paper companies, and permits hunters and trappers to take any wildlife left over.

Black-powder hunters, like all deer hunters, must follow the provincewide buck law. The law permits them to kill just one buck, and its antlers must be longer than 7.6 centimetres. "Whether the animal is killed with a musket, bow or during the regular season, one is the limit," Mr. Henshaw said.

In 1995, 52,000 deer hunting licences were issued to hunters and 7,100 bucks were taken.

November 6, 1996
Press Release
NATURAL RESOURCES: NORRIE LAUNCHES NEW MINERAL POLICY

A new mineral policy for Nova Scotia has been unveiled by Natural Resources Minister Eleanor Norrie.

The document, titled "Minerals - A Policy for Nova Scotia," is the government's blueprint for continued growth of the mineral industry and wise management of the province's mineral resources.

Mrs. Norrie introduced the new policy in Halifax today during an address at the annual review of activities of the Department of Natural Resources.

"This new policy defines responsibilities for government, industry, and the public and it also advocates change in the way we work together," said Mrs. Norrie. "Perhaps most important, it is a framework for mineral resource development that is economically and environmentally sustainable."

There are seven key objectives in the new policy:

to improve knowledge of Nova Scotia's geology and mineral resources;

to provide a competitive business climate for the mineral industry;

to improve public knowledge of geology and mineral resource development;

to provide greater certainty of mineral rights tenure and access to land;

to ensure protection of the environment;

to protect health and safety of mining industry workers and the general public;

to encourage cooperation among mineral industry stakeholders.

Under the new policy, greater emphasis will be placed on the safety of mineral industry workers. Industry, labour and government agencies and departments will be encouraged to develop a 'safety culture.'

"As we have learned from the tragic lesson of Westray, safety is everybody's business," said Mrs. Norrie. "That means everyone, including companies, workers, citizens and government, simply must share responsibility for safety."

The new policy was developed over three years. It involved extensive consultation with mineral industry stakeholder groups, the minerals sector group of Voluntary Planning, the Chamber of Mineral Resources, the Mining Society of Nova Scotia, and a mineral policy steering committee comprised of members from the private sector and representatives of the Departments of Natural Resources, Housing and Municipal Affairs, Environment and the Economic Renewal Agency.

The mineral industry is a mainstay of the Nova Scotia economy. It employs more than 4,000 people, with an annual payroll of $170 million. The total value of mineral production in 1995, including crude oil from offshore, was $595 million.

Contact: Blain Henshaw 902-424-5252

trp Nov. 06, 1996 - 1 p.m. 

December 3, 1996
Press Release
NATURAL RESOURCES: CAMPBELL BARREN WITHDRAWN FROM PROTECTED STATUS

The Nova Scotia government has decided to withdraw the 1,700 hectare "Jim Campbell barren" in Inverness County, near Cheticamp, from its status as a protected site candidate.

Natural Resources Minister Eleanor Norrie said, "Cabinet made this decision after considering a recommendation from the Cheticamp Development Commission to open the area for mineral exploration."

Mrs. Norrie said, "This is in response to the wishes of the local community, which wants the jobs and economic diversification that mineral exploration and potential development can bring to the area."

The Jim Campbell barren is one of 31 sites across the province proposed for protection under the Parks and Protected Areas Systems Plan. It contains two mineral rights claims that have existed for 14 and eight years. Under the Mineral Resources Act, the province has a legal obligation to honor the claims.

In its 1995 report, a public review panel that conducted public meetings on the proposed plan, recommended that existing mineral rights in proposed sites "should be recognized while they are in good standing."

The Jim Campbell barren lies in the middle of a large area of Inverness County where considerable gold exploration activity is currently underway. The Cheticamp Development Commission said the barren has a high potential for gold deposits and it has support from the local population and from the Municipality of Inverness in seeking withdrawal of the site.

Contact: Blain Henshaw 902-424-5252

jlw Dec. 03, 1996 5:15 p.m.