Category: Stories

When you ask Don and Sheila what their favourite part of stewarding their 232 acre woodlot is, their answer is simple: sharing.  

Whether it’s sharing knowledge, tradition, accessible trails or homemade maple syrup, the privilege that comes with stewarding a woodlot is not lost on Don and Sheila. One of the most significant ways they share their woodlot is through the more than 10 kilometers of accessible trails, which they enjoy along with their neighbours.

“My favourite thing about owning a woodlot is sharing it,” says Sheila. “Sometimes we will have a group of people who are learning about trees and nature, and we’ll take them for a walk through the woodlot.” 

“It’s been really special sharing the woodlot with them; being able to say ‘anytime you’d like to come back and walk the trails, you’re more than welcome’.”

The building and naming of trails is one way Don and Sheila preserve some of the rich history of their woodlot – the history that came before they started stewarding it, as well as their own stewardship legacy.  

The Nova Scotia Working Woodlands Trust (NSWWT) is the only land trust in the province that permits certain human use practices on land steward’s woodlot, including trail clearing. When land stewards sign a Working Forest Community Easement, they maintain ownership of their land and can continue to steward it in the way they want to.  

When land stewards sign on with the NSWWT, they join as partners. The team of knowledgeable staff works with land stewards every step of the way.  

“What really excites us about working with the NSWWT is the support and the passion,” says Sheila. “Everyone we have worked with has been so passionate, interested and well-informed, and we’ve learned a lot from the team.” 

You can read the full story on the NSWWT website, here.

Nova Scotia Working Woodlands Trust
Email: [email protected]

Over the past year, the Nova Scotia Nature Trust introduced several stewardship interventions at Sand Beach, a protected conservation land that is also a popular local recreation destination. Staff and volunteers installed a gate and boulders to reduce vehicle entry onto the land, as well as educational signage in conjunction with targeted community outreach to help users understand the vulnerability of the species at risk who also use the land. 

During a monitoring visit in June, the Nature Trust were thrilled to find multiple tracks of Snapping Turtles looking for nest sites!  

June is nesting season for snappers, and there had clearly been several females out the night before, all looking for the right nest site.  Turtle nests look like not much more than a patch of disturbed soil, and even this disappears as the rain and wind smooth it away and the eggs incubate.  A recreational vehicle (like an ATV) passing over a nest would crush the eggs, and even the adult females could be killed if they were hit. 

While Snapping Turtles remain fairly common in most watersheds in Nova Scotia, they are listed as provincially vulnerable and any activity that causes adult mortality poses an elevated risk to this species. We are hopeful that these tracks mean that multiple clutches of eggs are slowly incubating and will hatch into tiny, grumpy-looking turtles in the fall.

When Stewardship Manager Joanna Skomorowski saw these Snapping Turtle tracks, she exclaimed, “It looks like a turtle convention!”

Nova Scotia Nature Trust
Email: [email protected]

Old growth forests are special ecosystems created when forests reach an old age and develop unique characteristics that younger forests don’t have. Old-growth forests don’t only have old trees, but they tend to have less trees that are more spaced out, lots of standing and fallen dead trees, and they support many unique species of wildlife. These forests are rare in Nova Scotia’s Wabanaki forest because of centuries of land development and forestry. Estimates vary but experts generally agree that less than 1% of the province remains as old growth. Most of the remaining forests are small and isolated, threatening their existence further. Kespukwitk contains the province’s largest remaining intact forests, roughly 37% of provincially identified old growth forest.

At the Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute, we are interested in exposing the value of old growth. The video series, Wandering Through Ancient Woods, highlights the multiple ways we are supporting education and conservation surrounding old growth forests.

In the most recent episode, a Land Based Learning class from the Region of Queen’s County had the opportunity to get outside of the classroom and experience an old growth forest. Students traveled to 4-Mile Stillwater Trail near Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site and learned about the ecological features researchers use to identify old growth stands. Watch the newest video in the series here:

Old growth is classified using the ages of trees in the stand and characteristics like forest composition. Land based learning allows students to learn practical skills like species ID and develop a sense of place and belonging. Having a connection with the land and with one’s community can help youth build resiliency in the face of climate change and widespread habitat and species loss. 

We often think of ourselves as separate to nature but traditional ways of knowing saw humans as disciples of the land and of other lifeforms, with a place within nature as stewards and knowledge holders. Forest management is one way we can steward the land in a positive way, but it is an important job with many actors and potential pitfalls. Join our conversation around forest management in the first episode of Wandering Through Ancient Woods. This episode was filmed at Asitu’lɨsk (Windhorse Farm), a beautiful location in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia that offers recreation opportunities surrounded by ancient forests. 

Policy is a valuable tool for protecting our forests and in August 2022 a new old growth forest policy called ‘An Old Growth Forest Policy for Nova Scotia’ was enacted. The policy aims to identify and protect old growth on Crown Lands. Listen to Dr. Peter Duinker from Dalhousie University discuss the importance and future of old growth forests in Nova Scotia.

Eastern Hemlock is one tree species found in old growth forests that is important to a variety of wildlife species and to us! Eastern Hemlock can provide habitat for squirrels and nesting birds and adds to forest tree canopies, blocking sunlight, regulating our atmosphere, and keeping the forest cool. 

In the Mi’kmaq language Eastern Hemlock is known as gsu’sgug and they have used Eastern Hemlock needles, roots, and bark for medicines, teas, and as a dye. Learn more about the knowledge we can gain from the land, if we stop and listen for it, in the third episode of Wandering Through Ancient Woods.

Thank you for reading, watching, and engaging with our work. Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information.

Marie Racioppa (she/her)
Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute
Email: [email protected]

Invasive species are a significant threat to biodiversity in the Kespukwitk/Southwest Nova Scotia priority place. The best method to combat invasive species is early detection and rapid response. The longer an invasive species is established, the more difficult and costly it is to eradicate. Therefore, it is important that once a new invasive species has been observed, quick and effective management is used to minimize the impact and reduce further spread. Currently, Dog Strangling Vine (DSV), a highly invasive plant, is contained enough in Nova Scotia that eradication is still possible, and the Nova Scotia Invasive Species Council (NSISC) has focused its management efforts on controlling this species in the province.

DSV actually refers to two plant species, Black Swallow-wort (Cynanchum louiseae) and Pale Swallow-wort (Cynanchum rossicum). These are highly invasive vines that choke out native plant species resulting in dense mats of DSV. In addition, they are a threat to the endangered Monarch butterfly by displacing its larval hosts, milkweeds. Field evidence also suggests Monarchs may mistakenly lay their eggs on DSV plants resulting in larvae that do not develop into adults.

A population of DSV was found in a community in Kentville NS. This is one of the two known locations of DSV in the province. Over the past two years, NSISC has been working with the municipality and the local community providing outreach and applying control measures to remove DSV from the area. NSISC has hosted two community weed pulls to increase community engagement in the project which has resulted in a reduction of DSV in the neighbourhood. Areas that were once dense mats of DSV have seen a reduction in DSV growth in the following year. Support from the community has been a major factor in decreasing DSV presence and reducing the potential for further spread. There are still several years ahead before DSV can be fully eradicated. However, the support from the community and current successes suggests eradication is still a possibility. The next step for DSV management in Nova Scotia is to apply the lessons learned from the Kentville population to the second DSV population in Dartmouth NS.

Hughstin Grimshaw-Surette, M.Sc. (he/him)
Outreach Coordinator
Nova Scotia Invasive Species Council
Email: [email protected]

In summer 2022, Birds Canada initiated a new pilot project in collaboration with the Municipality of the District of Barrington. With many of the beaches in the area being critical habitat for endangered Piping Plover, the Barrington Beach Ambassador project was a step in the right direction towards fostering sustainable beach use and encouraging local beach pride.

Two local Beach Ambassadors shared information, prizes, and kid friendly activities with hundreds of beachgoers at three beautiful Barrington area beaches. They quickly became regular faces on the beaches, providing locals and visitors with important information regarding climate change, Piping Plovers, and healthy beach use tips. This project received overwhelmingly positive interactions throughout the summer, therefore, this pilot project leaves us optimistic for future municipal stewardship on beaches across the Kespukwitk/ Southwest Nova Scotia Priority Place. We are grateful to funding support from the Municipality of the District of Barrington and Environment & Climate Change Canada.

Brenna Martell (she/her)
Nova Scotia Shorebird Engagement and Outreach Coordinator
Birds Canada | Oiseaux Canada
Email: [email protected]