The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) wants to see 379 acres of the Purcells Cove Banklands turned into an urban wilderness park.
The land, which borders on Willams and Colpitt Lake, is located less than five kilometres from downtown Halifax.
The NCC is partnering with current land owners, the Shaw Group, in an effort to try and conserve the area for recreational purposes and wildlife habitat.
They submitted a joint proposal to Halifax Regional Council in April of this year.
READ MORE: Mayor Savage weighs in on protecting Birch Cove Blue Mountain area
“It’s an extraordinary opportunity to protect the largest, undeveloped urban green space within the core of the city,” Craig Smith, the NCC’s Nova Scotia program director, said.
“It’s a diamond on our doorstep.”
The area is home to a unique and sensitive ecosystem – the jackpine and crowberry plant community – and supports more than forty species of birds.
The Backlands Coalition has been fighting to conserve the area for years. They said purchasing the land so it can be used as a wilderness park would protect it for years to come.
“This site that we’re talking about today is the largest privately-held block,” Kathleen Hall said. “We see it as a northern bookend, so if we were able to secure this as a wilderness park then I think it’s fair to say that the rest of the backlands could be easily saved from development.”
- Enter at your own risk: New home security camera aims paintballs at intruders
- Boston Dynamics unveils ‘creepy’ new fully electric humanoid robot
- Ontario First Nation calls for chemical plant to be shut down amid ‘dangerously high’ benzene levels
- Nova Scotia scraps spring bear hunt idea, public ‘very divided’ on issue
The lakes and trails in the area are easily accessible by foot, car or metro transit, which the NCC says would make it a “backyard wilderness” for residents of the Halifax Regional Municipality.
READ MORE: Halifax chips in to make 100 Wild Islands conservation project a reality
The area was highlighted in Halifax’s Green Network Plan as one of the top three areas for urban protection.
The NCC hopes city staff will present their report to council on Sept. 16.
In the meantime, they’re holding a public information session at the Captain William Spry Community Centre in Spryfield on Aug. 30 at 6:30 pm.
Comments