March 20, 2000
Belle Hatfield, Assistant Editor 
The Vanguard, Yarmouth, NS

A Vancouver-based junior mining company is excited about a seven-kilometre-long stretch of terrain near the Shelburne County-Yarmouth border. 

Black Bull Resources Ltd. has found a rich deposit of kaolin and silica in an area of Yarmouth County near the site of the former Rio Algom tin mine. It has already spent about $400,000 in exploration and drilling and is now preparing for the next phase in what they hope will culminate in a commercial mining operation. 

Company vice-president Gregory Thomas says bulk sampling will be done at the site of the company’s claims commencing in April. If the results from the bulk sampling prove to be as positive as initial testing of drill core samples indicate, the company will be seeking partnerships with one of several leading producers/distributors of industrial minerals to provide the marketing, mining and processing expertise needed to move the Yarmouth project into production. 

Kaolinite, a type of clay, is used in the printing industry as a filler for certain grades of paper – for instance papers used in popular catalogues are typically up to 40 per cent clay. Coater clay, which is the highest grade, is actually used as a coating for the high-quality papers produced for high-gloss magazines and brochures. Thomas describes it as ”almost a latex type of paint.” 

Stora Port Hawkesbury Forest Industries’ recent move into the production of this high-end paper product at its Abercrombie Point mill has generated the impetus for exploring the site, says Thomas. Location is everything because it is the user that will pay the freight. For Stora, having ready access to a commercial deposit of kaolin would give it an incredible cost advantage. Thomas says one of the closest commercially-mined deposits of kaolin is in Georgia. 

A geologist involved with the Shell Canada Resources project in the 1980s that found the tin deposit in East 
Kemptville recognized the potential for the area to also have commercially exploitable reserves of kaolinite. 

Indeed the kaolinite content in the rock quarried at the tin mine was so high, it created environmental problems during the mine’s start-up when water from the holding ponds began escaping into the Tusket River system. The water had to be treated with flocculents in order to precipitate the clay particles out of the water. 

So it was with information based on old research that the geologist staked the 106 claims spread over 4,190 acres and, through a fellow geologist working in New Brunswick, got Black Bull Resources involved to finance the search for deposits. That exploration has proved the presence of not only kaolinite in the zone. Intertwined with it has been found a significant deposit of silica quartz. Silica is an important industrial mineral used in fibre optic cable and micro-processors. Results of sampling done with the help of the Technical University of Nova Scotia suggests the deposit contains ”in excess of 97 per cent pure silica,” says Thomas. 

Current estimates suggest reserves in the range of four mil- lion tonnes for clay and up to 15 million tonnes of silica. Thomas calls those figures conservative. What the bulk sampling has to determine now is how bright the clay in this deposit is. By bright, read white. There’s a lot of clay in Nova Scotia, most of what the public sees along shoreline outcrops or in the woods is dark red. But kaolinite, used for industrial purposes, is white, the whiter the better. 

More than 120 years ago it was reported there were so moose running Nova scotia that even the most inept hunter could return from the woods with a trophy-sized rack for his wall.

Today, while there is a healthy population of moose in Cape Breton, provincial biologists report the number on the mainland is inexplicably small.

"There has been a complete ban on hunting moose in the western end of the province since 1937, but the numbers havy remained stable or even dropped a bit, says Tony Nette, the province's big- game specialist. 

"At one time they were the most abundant large animal in the province. Now there may be less than 1,000 on the mainland. 

"Finding the reason is the focus of a three-year, $100,000 study tracking moose in the remote and boggy Tobeatic area of southwestern Nova Scotia. 

In the winter of 1998, 11 moose in the area were located, sedated and outfitted with a collar tracking device. Every two weeks since then, Dennis Brennan, an Acadia University student, seeking a master's degree in science, has flown into the area and plotted the movement of the beasts.

Mr. Nette said three of the 11 have died. Two could not be reached before the carcasses were stripped by predators, but the third and another dying adult cow that had to be put down were recovered and sent to Prince Edward Island for examination by experts at the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre.

"There's been some strange deaths," Mr. Nette said in a weekend interview. "It also appears calf survival rates is a problem. We can only find one of the five calves that were originally located in 1998. 

" In years past, he said, rescerchers might have concluded the moose deaths were the result of brain worms, which are common in white-tailed deer but are always fatal if passed on to moose. 

Mr. Nette is not convinced that's the answer. There are few deer in the study that could pass on the worms and some of the symptoms he's seen don't fit the disease.

While it may be more than a year before he start drawing definitive conclusions, Mr. Nette said it is possible the problem  may be tied to acid rain. It would be a finding consistent with recent published research from Maine and Ontario.

"Our fishery is hurting as a result acid acid rain.... Could it be impacting our moose in some way? It's something we have to look at seriously." 

So seriously, in fact, that tissue samples of the dead moose have been sent to a Swedish researcher who has done extensive work on the level of contaminants, heavy metals and trace minerals in moose.

Until more information is.gathered, Mr. Nette said, the study will continue to look at tick infestation, predation by humans,  and black bears, diet deficiency and habitat concerns as possible factors in the anemicnumbers.

Barry Sabean, Director of Wildlife with the Department of Natural Resources, said the project has received financial support from big companies like Irving and Bowater Mersey, as well as from wildlife groups across the province. 

"It's gratifying to see wildlife groups willing to contribute, even though no one expects to see this result in a hunting season any time soon. They simply want to see the moose remain as part of the nrovtnce's biodiversity.

March 24, 2000
John Barker
Halifax Herald, Truro Bureau

Foresters need to do a better job of communicating with the public because "We're under the gun" from the environmental groups and the media, says a Stora ENSO official in Port Hawksbury.

Bevan Lock, superintendant of forest resources, said environmentalists are effectively using high-tech Internet resources to get their message out.

"Foresters could be a threatened or endangered species themselves" if they don't do a better PR job, Mr. Lock told a meeting of forest technicians in Truro.

Stora ENSO has a paper mill at Point Tupper that makes magazine paper, newsprint, fine paper and packaging boards. The company employs 40,000 people worldwide.

Mr. Lock, a wildlife expert, said the public must understand that foresters are not automatically at odds with environmentalists and they work together in many areas.

But he said foresters should be concerned about the Halifax-based Ecology Action Centre mounting a huge campaign to increase protected areas under the 1997 Wilderness Areas Protection Act. They should also carefully watch the Centre's efforts to protect tracts of land at Gully Lake on the Pictou/Colchester County boundary, and Eigg Mountain, which borders Pictou and Antigonish Counties.

Mr. Lock also said the province's new Endangered Species Act is working well. He said in coming years it's likely the American Martin, Lynx, Southern Flying Squirrel, Eastern Wood Turtle, Bicknell's Thrush and the Short-eared Owl will all be added to the endangered list in Nova Scotia.

Protection needed

Dear Editor:

With the recent Stora article calling for better public relations in the forestry industry, I feel this is a good time to advise the public that Stora has a massive lease of 600,000 hectares of public land in the eastern region of Nova Scotia. The province owns around 1,157,000 hectares across the province.

This means that almost all of our forests in the eastern region, on public land, are being managed by a pulp company whose goal is to profit from our natural areas.

The Eigg Mountain and Gully Lake campaign has come into being because nothing in the counties of Pictou, Antigonish and most of Colchester is safe from industry. There are no, or very few, protected areas. Nova Scotians will lose both these wilderness places if we do not act by asking the provincial government to reflect a better balance.

Forestry is an important part of Nova Scotia's economy. We recognize, however, that maintaining our biodiversity and wilderness recreation areas for future Nova Scotians is equally important. This is especially true with  the fast growing tourism industry, on which Nova Scotians rely heavily.

Mark Brennan, Westville

Dear Editor:

Bevan Lock of Stora was quoted as saying, "Foresters should be concerned about the Halifax-based Ecology Action Centre mounting a huge campaign to increase protected areas under the 1997 Wilderness Areas Protection Act. They should also carefully watch the centre's efforts to protect tracts of land at Gully Lake . . . and Eigg Mountain" (March 25 story).

I agree. Foresters should be concerned about how slowly the battle is going! Foresters should be concerned that areas of genetic diversity be maintained and that can only happen in wild areas, not in labs or monocultures. Surely, foresters cannot be worried about a few areas being set aside as harvest-free. In the long run, this will benefit forestry (and tourism, hunting and fishing, and the general health of the environment).

Gully Lake and Eigg Mountain are areas of about 9,200 hectares. Currently, DNR is trying to categorize 1.2 million hectares in its integrated resource management plan (about half of which is leased to Stora). Gully Lake and Eigg Mountain combined represents about three-quarters of one per cent of the total Crown land. Really, should foresters worry?

In addition, it's not just the Ecology Action Centre that is trying to save these lands. It's a large grassroots movement of people, and I am proud to be one of them.

Foresters should stand up for their future and their industry's future by insisting we maintain reservoirs of genetic diversity for them, and places to relax for all of us.

Randy Lauff, 
South Side Harbour

Mine Interests prepare bulk samples for testing: Geologists upbeat about kaolinite in Yarmouth County:

Nova Scotia's newest mineral exploration effort has entered a crucial stage. An open- pit Kaolinite mine in Yarmouth County will soon yield bulk samples for testing in the United States.

Two pits have been opened little more than a stone's throw from the former Rio Algom tin mine...two pits were opened up to bedrock, one on either side of Highway 203, in preparation for bulk sampling. Silica, a form of quartz, is also being sought at the site. 

" We have a zoneof high- grade quartz,"said Mr. MacGillivray. The former Shell geologist staked out 106 claims on 1,676 hectares..." We've drilled 30 holes over 1200 metres...along the srike of the stake, we've hit it all along...about four million tonnes of kaolonite and about 15 million tonnes of high grade silica."... Open pit mining is inexpensive" 

This is as cheap as you can go. If you mine it like that it'll cost you about 50 cents a tonne...kaolonite is probably worth $60-$80 US a tonne. Silica is worth $20-$30 US a tonne...

Environmentalists pan D.N.R. crown land management plan 

Of all the forest land in Nova Scotia. 28 per cent is crown land. Nova Scotia is second only to P.E.I. as the province with the least amount of crown land. A new Department of Natural Resources plan for managing crown land marks 20.4 per cent as protected or wilderness areas. and those figures have angered many of the groups representing people who use the land. 

The first public presentation of the new "Integrated Resource Management plan put together by a committee of various DNR department representatives and a Department of Environment member was held in Lawrencetown on September 5. The presentation drew primarily negative reaction from the audience. The public meetings, scheduled for each county In the western region of the province. have been advertised as an opportunity for DNR officials to make the presentation and take any comments back to the committee. 

But when the audience in Lawrencetown noted that the two DNR representatives were not recording the session or taking notes. it garnered a heated response. Annapolis County Warden Peter Terauds even tossed a pen at officials during the first of two public sessions. suggesting they get to work. In the second presentation. a DNR representative was taking notes. Gordon Adams, the Regional Resource Manager for the Department of Natural Resources, who made the public presentation, says the confusion over the lack of note taking was a misunderstanding. 

"Our original intent in this phase was to come with an overview of the information and to ask for written comments at the meeting, or  have the audience go home and think about it and give us written feedback. The intent was not to have as much discussion as we have had. If there is discussion, it is obvious we will need to record (the sessions)." 

But Mark Dittrick. Annapolis County E n v i r o n m e n t a 1 Protection Agency member, sees another reason for not recording the information at the first session. He says the plan has had very little real public input from the beginning. and it isn't about to start now. 

"What this whole plan is - our description of the plan is - it's an exercise in obfuscation. It's a sham of a plan: it has no teeth. and it has had no public input at this point. I think it's the way most government agencies deal with public input - grin and bear it. wait and hope it will go away eventually."

 Several environmental groups were present at the meeting to express their concerns about the small amount of protected land in the province. When Adams announced that 20.4 per cent of the crown land would be protected, he was challenged on the figure and asked if any of that amount was newly protected land. He admitted that the vast majority was already designated wilderness area. which is protected under the Department of Environment. A small fraction is newly protected land.

Most of the audience members who spoke in Lawrencetown indicated the plan is not aggressive enough at protecting Nova Scotia's crown land. They say with only 28 per cent of all the land in the province designated as crown land. nearly all of it should be protected C3 land. Currently, the IRM plan has designated 44 per cent as Cl land, which is open to all uses such as forestry and mining, and 35.6 per cent has the designation C2 land, which has limited use for resource-based indus- try, but can be used in that capacity with government approval. 

Jim Todd, a private woodlot owner. questioned why the province should be in the business of allowing any forestry activities on crown land. "Private woodlot owners have to compete with the province. You're undercutting us. Why is the province in the business at all? Get out of the pulp and paper business and into model forests and nurseries." 

Adams says it is difficult to gauge the reaction DNR is going to get from the first Lawrencetown meeting, as the audience was not as diverse as he would liked to have seen. He felt that each meeting would be a bit different depending on who comes. Adams says the comments from all the meetings will be taken back to the committee for consideration. Meanwhile, people like Mark Dittrick and other environmentalists remain doubtful as to how much of a difference that will make.
 

Editorial, The Spectator
Lori Errington, Editor
September 19, 2000

The Integrated Land Management plan of the Department ol Natural Resources certainly has its detractors, and there is good reason: the plan does not go nearly far enough to protect Nova Scotia's crown land. 

Our province is second only to Prince Edward Island as having the smallest amount (28%) of its land set aside as crown land. The rest is privately owned, and is open to just about any practice you can imagine. Of that.28 per cent, the IRM plan will set aside just over 20 per cent as "protected" land that cannot be used for forestry. mining and other resource industry purposes. Twenty per cent of 28 per cent is only 5.71 per cent. 

What is more alarming is that at a recent public presentation, Department of Natural Resources officials said that the plan is fluid". That means that the protected C3 land could be redesignated as C2 or Cl, or that C2 land (which has some limitations on its uses could be deemed C1 land which is open for forestry and mining. along with recreational use. 

Another interesting point raised as that very little of the 20 per cent that would be protected is newly designated. Much of it is wilderness land and it is therefore already protected by the Department of Environment. 

The current legislation regarding crown land has no teeth, and from the information being presented at public sessions like the one in Lawrencetown. the IRM plan is about as tough as lint. Certain groups have asked for areas to be protected, but they were not designated C3 in the IRM plan. For example, the Annapolis Fly Fishing Association had asked for land along the Nictaux River watershed to be recreational use only in order to ensure the health of the river. 

The Tobeatic area is another piece of crown land that citizens have been asking the government to protect from forestry and other development. Their requests, too, have not resulted in C3 status for the land. 

The province only owns 28 per cent of all the land in Nova Scotia. That isn't a whole lot, and environmental groups are right in saying that much - if not all - of that land needs stringent laws to protect it from corporate interests. 

Let the logging giants in the province deal with the other 72 per cent, which would them into offering a fair market value for the wood instead of buying bargain basement from the province. 

It is time that the government get out of the business of selling trees. and put its efforts into protecting our forests before they go the way of the Fishery.