thebigwild.org is running an on-linevote event to give away some funds. Our Ecology Action Centre is one of the five choices from around Canada. EAC is involved in many issues that TREPA supports including playing a major role in coastal policy that is currently under study.
It will take you about 10 seconds to go on-line and give EAC a vote. You get an instant view of the standings.
Thank you for your interest in the development of the new Fur Industry Act Regulations. The regulation development process, which is now underway, requires considerable research of engineering and scientific information and advice from a variety of technical experts. This will take some time to compile.
We find consultations are more effective when parties have specific content to focus and comment upon; therefore once draft regulations are available, we will be contacting selected stakeholders to provide feedback on the technical and effective aspects.
If you have further questions about the new Act or regulations you may contact Bonnie Rankin, Acting Manager, Legislative and Policy Services at 424-4560.
Yours truly,
John MacDonell Minister Department of Agriculture
We have added the underline above to highlight the vagueness of process in development of regulations. Who are “selected stakeholders?” Does this mean that the people who live in the watershed or other “non-selected” experts will have no chance to provide feedback on technical and effective aspects? We will be seeking clarification.
For a review of the issue in our Southwest Nova Scotia area see:
In recognition of National Forest Week in PEI the Department of Environment, Energy and Forestry announced it will pursue Forest Stewardship Council certification for public lands which includes 75,000 acres of forest across the island, said Minister Richard Brown.
“This international certification will ensure that forests under public management are meeting international standards for sustainable management,” said Minister Brown. “It will also create awareness among Islanders of the significant role forests play in our environment, our economy and our rural communities.” The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an independent, not-for-profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests. FSC certification sets standards for forest management and audits compliance to ensure standards are being met.
The Province is applying for FSC certification through the Nagaya Forest Restoration Ltd., which certifies thousands of acres of forest throughout the Maritimes. “FSC certification is in line with our Provincial Forest Policy which commits to demonstrating forest certification on public lands as well as increased forest restoration,” said Mr. Brown. “Not only will certification improve forest quality, it will also increase opportunities in the marketplace where demand for FSC products currently exceeds supply, and buyers pay a premium for certified wood in some markets.”
The department plans to apply for FSC certification of selected parcels this year and will proceed with additional properties until all the lands are certified.The purpose of National Forest Week is to celebrate our forest resources and to raise awareness of the beauty of this natural resource and the vital role it plays in our quality of life and economic development. To learn more about the Forest Stewardship Council, go to www.fsc.org/about-fsc.html.
This film provides an example of what could be the basis of a green industry in Nova Scotia. We have plenty of plastic with our efficient recycling program and this looks to be a fairly straight forward machine to process it.
Simple machine turns household plastics into oil.
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.
If you go back just a few years ago this site was part of Yarmouth’s wetlands and Broad Brook, the central drainage basin of our town, ran through it. The wetland was filled and the brook placed in a pipe. TREPA made a good case, we thought, for alternative sites that would leave the brook and wetland in its natural state providing the values that wetlands serve – like buffering to flooding and a conduit for water to get back to the ground water system.
This is a lesson in impermeable surfaces. Paving sheds over 95 percent of the water that falls on it. Thus, it pushes water quickly into the natural drainage system and overwhelms it causing downstream flooding. We might see this photo as just reward. The runoff from this site and other paved areas has so completely overtaken the natural drainage system that even they can’t drain and have become surface storage areas – not a part of the original engineering scenario to be sure.
Fortunately, the lower Broad Brook wetlands, south of the golf course, have not been developed and are now fully flooded with no damage to property or homes. TREPA has requested of the municipality that these wetlands and bogs be protected.
