Please email us at coastalnet@ns.sympatico.ca if you have any suggestions for inclusion into this page.
This includes festivals both summer and winter :
This is a good link for weekend activities.....
http://museum.gov.ns.ca/news/index.htm
Hikers, walkers and paddlers in Nova Scotia have a chance to go on free guided tours of the province's protected areas.
The Department of Environment and Labour has arranged guided outings in nine protected areas in different parts of the province. The tours will be conducted by specialists from the department and from community groups. The first guided tour takes place on Saturday, April 29, and the final tour is Feb. 10, 2007.
The tours will offer nature lovers a range of experiences in Nova Scotia's great outdoors, including: a late evening owl survey, an easy walk through an old growth forest, a day-long paddle beside coastal sand dunes, a hike to the top of a mountain, and a survey of mosses and lichen on the way to a waterfall.
"Our protected areas provide a secure place for nature and wildlife to prosper in Nova Scotia," said Carolyn Bolivar-Getson, Minister of Environment and Labour. "These guided tours are a good way for Nova Scotians to enjoy and learn about the natural history of the province that is protected by these areas."
The guided tours are:
Saturday, April 29
Owl Prowl at Eigg Mountain-James River Wilderness Area, Antigonish County
Rob Cameron, ecologist with the Department of Environment and Labour's protected areas branch, and Mark Pulsifer, a wildlife biologist with the Department of Natural Resources, for a late evening owl survey to determine species and numbers around Eigg Mountain. The survey will consist of a drive along a pre-determined route with stops every 1.6 kilometre. At the stops, owl hooting recordings will be played and the owls' responses documented. To register, contact Rob Cameron at 902-424-2176 or at camerorp@gov.ns.ca .
Sunday, June 11
Abraham Lake Old-Growth Forest Walk at Abraham Lake Candidate Nature Reserve, HalifaxCounty
An easy walk through an impressive old-growth red spruce forest -- a remnant forest type which has all but disappeared in the province. Suitable for all ages. Contact David MacKinnon for more information at 902-424-2027, 902-223-1760 or at mackinds@gov.ns.ca .
Saturday, June 24
Hike the Kenomee Canyon Trail at EconomyRiver Wilderness Area, ColchesterCounty. Join Garnet McLaughlin of Kenomee Trail Society (KTS) for an all-day, guided hike of the 18-kilometre KenomeeCanyon hiking trail. The tour features beautiful hardwood and spruce forests and waterfalls of the upper EconomyRiver. This hiking trail is managed by KTS through an agreement with the Department of Environment and Labour. Good fitness is required. For information, contact Garnet McLaughlin at 902-897-3180 or at gmclaughlin@colchester-county.ns.ca .
Saturday, July 8
Family Adventure Treasure Hunt at Cloud Lake Wilderness Area, Annapolis-Kings County
Spend the day exploring CloudLake by canoe, learning about the natural and cultural history of the area through a self-guided nature treasure hunt. Participants will locate seven learning stations and solve each riddle to gather clues, leading to the hidden treasure. Safe canoeing practices and basic paddling experience are required. For more information and to register, contact Leif Helmer at 902-543-4685 or at helmerpl@gov.ns.ca .
Saturday, July 22
Paddle to the Coast at Gabarus Wilderness Area, Cape Breton Co.
Enjoy a day-long paddle along the shores of Gabarus and Belfry lakes to the coastal sand dunes bordering FourchuBay. This is a unique opportunity to canoe or kayak scenic, wilderness freshwater lakes while enjoying lunch on BelfryBeach. Suitable for teens and adults with some canoeing or kayaking experience. For more information and to pre-register, contact David Williams at 902-563-3428 or at williadc@gov.ns.ca .
Saturday, Aug. 12
Coastal Barrens Interpretive Hike at Duncans Cove Nature Reserve, Halifax County
Explore footpaths within the recently designated Duncans Cove Nature Reserve. Overlooking outer HalifaxHarbour, these rugged coastal barrens are home to many species adapted to wind, fog and thin soils. Participants might find blueberries, or even see whales. Register by contacting Oliver Maass at 902-424-2123 or at maassoc@gov.ns.ca .
Saturday, Aug. 26
Mosses of Eigg Mountain-James River Wilderness Area, in Antigonish County
Learn how to identify common mosses, liverworts and some lichens. Lunch will be at James RiverFalls. This is a rugged trail with wet spots, and some steep slopes and slippery areas. Register by contacting Rob Cameron at 902-424-2176 or at camerorp@gov.ns.ca .
Saturday, Sept. 16
Climb a Mountain Today -- The Sugarloaf! at Sugarloaf Mountain Wilderness Area, InvernessCounty
This guided hike through a hardwood forest trail to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain will reward hikers with fabulous views of the upper and lower sections of MargareeValley. This hike is demanding in terms of length (10-12 kilometres) and elevation. To preregister, contact David Williams at 902-563-3428 or at williadc@gov.ns.ca .
Saturday, Feb. 10, 2007
Cross Country Skiing at Gully Lake Wilderness Area in Colchester County
Explore the hardwood forest trails of Gully Lake Wilderness Area on skis. This new, 3,810 hectare (9,400 acre) wilderness area protects the largest remaining patch of mature forest in the Truro-Pictou area and was home to Kitchener MacDonald, known as the hermit of GullyLake. To register contact Oliver Maass at 902-424-2123 or at maassoc@gov.ns.ca .
For more information and a map showing the guided tour locations, see the Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Labour website at www.gov.ns.ca/enla .
Opportunities for Sustainable Prosperity 2006.
The Strategy is centred on enhancing the quality of life for all Nova Scotians and building stronger communities. It is based on sustainable prosperity and sustainable competiveness that is linked to health, education, environment and social standards. It uses the concepts "circular economy" and "cradle to cradle" of world-renown, sustainable development consultant Bill McDonough who is speaking in Halifax next week.
The strategic focus is on Trade and Competiveness, Productivity through Innovation, Business Climate, recognizing five different types of capital - financial, natural, built, human and social, and calls for the continued implementation of the NS Community Development Policy.
The Strategy points to rural-urban issues as more complicated and more visible today than 6 years ago and builds on the interdependence of urban and rural economies. It requires support and encouragement for effective regional and community planning, a rich sense of community and an attractive cultural environment to appeal to the "creative class". "We need to build effective rural-urban partnerships that take advantage of our relatively small population and compact geography".
The Strategy proposes to build a comprehensive strategy to retain, retrain, repatriate and recruit youth, skilled workers and immigrants.
You are cordially invited to a 2-day workshop entitled Salt Marsh Restoration as a Community Adaptation to Climate
Change and Sea Level Rise in Maritime Canada. The workshop will be held at MountAllisonUniversity in Sackville, NB
June 15 - 16, 2006. It will provide participants with background on climate change, sea level rise, current and historical uses
of dykelands in the Bay of Fundy region, how dykelands and wetlands are economically valued, as well as information and
lessons learned from previous Maritime salt marsh restoration projects. There will also be a chance to discuss among
interested stakeholders topics such as: salt marsh restoration as a community adaptation to sea level rise, identifying barriers
to the use of salt marsh restoration, and exploring the kinds of resources and capacity needed to undertake salt marsh
restoration.
Please register by Friday, June 2nd by telephone (506-364-2386) or email (kasngh2@mta.ca) as space is limited. Provide your
name, title, contact details, and any special food requirements. Registration is free and includes meals, snacks, and
background literature.
PUGWASH — Supporters of the first Pugwash HarbourFest hope their event will attract more than visitors.
"We’re hoping to attract 10,000 to 15,000 during the festival, but more importantly we want to showcase the PugwashHarbour and the potential for harbour development that exists here," festival chairman Bill Kempt said in an interview Wednesday.
"Right now when you mention Nova Scotia as a harbourside retirement spot, you think of Baddeck, MahoneBay or Chester. Well, we’d like to get Pugwash on that list. In fact we’d like it to be the first on the list."
The idea of promoting the harbour as a destination for tourists surfaced in the community about three years ago, but it wasn’t until last November that a team, led by Mr. Kempt, was put in place to turn discussions into reality. The members came up with the idea of the three-day festival, which will be launched July 28.
"We could think of no better way of promoting the harbour, which many studies of yachting in the Northumberland Strait have indicated is the missing link for yachting on the Northumberland Strait, than by inviting people to come and visit it," Mr. Kempt said.
Organizers approached several businesses, organizations and individuals, "and not one of them has turned us down," he said.
"This has turned into an event the entire community is supporting."
The festival will include yacht races sanctioned by the Northumberland Strait Yachting Association; canoe, sculling and raft races; and a sail-past of all the participating vessels. There will also be a sand castle-sculpture contest, a canoe-jousting competition and a contest in which people will try to hit golf balls across the harbour.
For those with a less competitive spirit, there will be dances, maple syrup breakfasts, beer tents and barbecue luncheons, ship tours, a beach party, a comedy festival and tours of the harbour and its estuary.
Among those supporting the event are the local fishermen, whom Pugwash Harbour Authority representative David Allen said are going the extra mile to ensure the success of the event.
"The fishermen have agreed to pull the boats back so there will be more than adequate space for visiting yachts," he said. "Several of them have also offered us the service of their boats during the festival."
Organizers are hoping to attract about 60 yachts to the festival.
"We haven’t really done any advertising yet and we already have 20 confirmed for the event, including Ron Joyce’s 40-metre sloop Destination Fox Harb’r," Mr. Kempt said.
Claude Hudson, director with the Cumberland East recreation and development association, said the community is behind the event because people can see the short- and long-term economic benefits that could result.
Besides the immediate injection of tourism dollars, it could be a catalyst for construction of a Pugwash marina. A marina, along with HarbourFest, the Pugwash Gathering of the Clans and the proposed Pugwash Peace Exchange could help this village immensely, he said.
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