The Canadian government is contributing $860,000 to expand one of Nova Scotia’s premier wilderness parks.
Pulling from the Canada Nature Fund the federal governments says the money will help purchase 135-hectares of urban wilderness — pushing the Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes Wilderness Parkland one step closer to completion.
READ MORE: Citizens’ group forming to help create Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes Regional Park
The new area will help connect existing parklands owned by the provincial Crown.
Originally made as a promise in the Halifax Regional Municipality’s 2006 regional plan, the wilderness area is made up of a mixture of natural forest, lakes, streams and wetlands.
More than 1,700 hectares of land have now been legally protected by the province.
WATCH: (January 22, 2019) Halifax has acquired 80-hectares of land for the Blue Mountain-Birch Cove Lakes Regional Park
The two parcels of land being purchased in the deal announced on Monday are owned by Barrett Lumber and Armco Capital.