NSEN updates, member news and events, calls to action, green job opportunities, and more!
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NSEN News & Updates
Member Updates
Calls to Action
Nova Scotia Environmental News
Green Job Opportunities
Volunteer Opportunities
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NSEN Updates
Coming Together at Our Annual NSEN–NSECC Meeting
Another successful year of connection, collaboration, and relationship-building
Our annual meetings between NSEN members and the Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Climate Change (NSECC) provide an opportunity for organized citizens to discuss important issues with top provincial environmental officials, and likewise provide an opportunity for the Minister to listen and learn about the activities and priorities of local environmental organizations of all sizes. These meetings help maintain open communication between Nova Scotians and the government, ensuring our voices and on-the-ground insights are recognized.
Giving Tuesday 2025
On December 2nd, after Black Friday and Cyber Monday, let’s counter the noise of consumerism with community, generosity, and local impact.
This Giving Season, we’re shining a light on our NSEN-NSECC meeting. Your support means these annual meetings can continue to:
Foster long-term relationship building: Trust between NGOs and government is built over time through consistent, structured engagement. These meetings create a dependable foundation for cooperation year after year.
Build government accountability: These meetings create a structured, recurring opportunity for the Department of Environment and Climate Change to report back, respond to concerns, and demonstrate progress on issues that matter to Nova Scotians.
Amplify grassroots organizations' expertise: Local environmental experts bring invaluable knowledge about ecosystems, climate impacts, and environmental justice. These discussions aim to elevate this expertise and ensure evidence-based, on-the-ground insights influence provincial environmental decisions.
This Giving Season, our goal is to raise $1,000 to establish a budget for staff capacity to carry out the requirements of our growing network!
On November 25, we launched our two-week peer-to-peer campaign, and we’re asking for your support to help our network reach wider audiences and raise funds for the work we do year-round.
Setting up a fundraising page is quick and easy! Create your page, share it with your network, and choose the message you want to highlight. You can share your own story about why you support NSEN, or use one of our ready-made packages with copy-and-paste messages and graphics focused on three key areas: advocating for conservation through our Biodiversity Caucus, protecting Nova Scotia’s water through our Water Caucus, or supporting the annual meetings we facilitate between government and NGOs. For more information, click here.
Join the Biodiversity Caucus for our December meeting!
We’ll be kicking off our December caucus meeting with a special guest speaker talk by Jennifer Uhlman, who will be sharing stories and insights from their work with the Blomidon Naturalists Society’s Friends of the Wolfville Trails reforestation project in Wolfville Reservoir Park!
Expect to hear how two seasons of hands-on restoration are transforming one of Wolfville’s most beloved parks, what it takes to remove invasive plants, and how native species rebound when given the chance. You’ll also learn about the surprising role of community involvement (and a brand-new pollinator garden) in supporting a healthy forest ecosystem, and why sustainable agriculture research and native-plant gardening make a perfect combo for ecological restoration.
After the talk, we’ll move into our regular caucus updates and discussions. As always, everyone is welcome: existing caucus members, curious newcomers, and anyone who loves spending time outdoors!
NSEN is growing, and we want you to be part of it! With new members, exciting events, and stronger collaboration across the province, there's never been a better time to be connected.
As a member, you can: ✅ Join provincial caucuses on key topics like water, biodiversity, and environmental education ✅ Participate in our annual meeting with the Minister of Environment and Climate Change ✅ Share your events, projects, job postings, and calls to action through our newsletter and social media ✅ Highlight your work in free webinars hosted by NSEN ✅ Recruit volunteers through our Volunteer Hub ✅ Connect with like-minded individuals and organizations at NSEN events
If you're a past member, we’d love to welcome you back! If you haven't yet renewed for 2025, now’s the time. And if you're thinking about joining for the first time, there's never been a better moment!
If you’re unsure about your membership status or would like to learn more about joining, please don't hesitate to get in touch. We’re always happy to connect!
Swim into the yule-tide season with a unique gift from the Back to the Sea Centre!
This year’s adoptions include new shark and whale buddies alongside your favourite touch tank animals. Each symbolic adoption supports the care of our marine creatures and includes a handcrafted crochet plushie, a personalized certificate, your name on our 2026 Adoption Wall, anda charitable tax receipt. Make a splash for marine conservation this holiday season!
Adoptions $25–$100 | Canada-wide shipping & local pickup available until Dec 18th
The Scotian Shore Cleanup Project is capping off a successful year with a final push for cleaner coastlines, inviting volunteers to participate in two critical group cleanup events this December. Our efforts are powered by dedicated community members, and these final events offer a wonderful opportunity to contribute before the year's end.
Saturday, December 7th: Join us on Long Island, Digby County, as we continue our dedicated, ongoing work to restore the island's natural beauty and ecological health.
Saturday, December 14th: We shift focus to Hillsburn, Annapolis County, welcoming all to lend a hand in preserving this scenic coastal area.
Detailed information, including specific times and meeting points for both events, can be found on our official website calendar:https://www.scotianshores.com/calendar
Beyond the Group Cleanups
We recognize that not everyone can make our scheduled dates. The Scotian Shore Cleanup Project encourages and supports all forms of environmental action. You can organize your own cleanup event or simply report your solo efforts to our official Facebook group to contribute to our annual impact statistics. Together, we can ensure the majestic Nova Scotian shores remain a clean, vibrant habitat for all. We look forward to seeing you on the coast!
Announcing our winter webinar series — Health and Climate Resilience: Physical, mental, and community wellbeing.
Mark your calendars at 12 pm Atlantic on these dates:
December 10th, 2025 - Breathing together: Connecting climate change and respiratory health
Join Melanie Langille, President of NB Lung, to learn about protecting your respiratory health and actionable steps to get involved.
January 14th, 2026 - Nurturing connection: nature, mental health, and climate change
Join Wil Brunner of Soft Pine Wellnessto learn about taking intentional steps to reconnect with nature and build community as a way to improve mental wellness and climate resilience.
February 11th, 2026 - Mapping our future: How spatial health data can enable climate resilience
Savayda Jarone from theBloom Institute will lead a gentle woods walk sharing her passion for and knowledge about local plants exploring ideas around "forest as refuge and evergreen wellness" (a different way to bring holiday greenery indoors!). Back at the Hall we will get into hands-on medicine making with foraged plants.
The first Sunday of every month, the Hall fills with music as Bill Dawe and a crew of passionate, talented musicos lead an inspiring community jam. Everyone is welcome to join in or just sit back and enjoy.
Call to all fishing communities to report any Sea Vomit sightings
You might spot this species when scuba diving, fishing, or on the bottom of your boat. Please report any records to us (fundyseavomit@gmail.comor text us at (506) 607-9148) – take a photo along with a sample and freeze it if possible so we can confirm your identification.
Open House Debrief – and Here’s What’s Next
We have until December 3rd to fill out the official survey found on the HRM webpage.
Tell them you oppose the current plan. Data will be tabulated, from which they will draw conclusions. If many park-protection responses are received, the government would have to reveal that development is not wanted by the people. (note the survey is biased, but you can write whatever you want in the ‘Other’ boxes and leave development questions unanswered).
More actions you can take: We need the political will to do the right thing. We urgently ask you to please do all you can to generate a clear message to the Province.
Individual Submission: Wider Roads Make Worse Cities—Help Save Robie Street's last historic neighbourhood (North to Cunard).
Help Save Robie Street's last historic neighbourhood (North-Cunard). Tell HRM Mayor & Council to stop the $200m plan to make Robie a uniform width between Young - Cunard, save 50-70 homes, protect 80 historic trees & use money for Transit Priority Signals, more buses, drivers, shelters, lower fare & public safety. Widening Robie even for public transit won't reduce traffic or congestion.
Individual Submission: Help Save the Halifax Common Wanderers Field
Tell HRM Mayor & Council to stop plans for a $116 - $122 redevelopment of the Halifax Common Wanderers Block for a permanent stadium. The Wanderers Field was 100% used by amateur players prior to Sports Atlantic take over with its “temporary pop-up stadium” for its private, for-profit, professional soccer team (2018). Just like West Mabou Beach, private developers should buy their own property not predate on public lands. Please sign the petition to take back the Wanderers Field
Glooscap First Nation has a big appetite for renewable energy projects. Here’s why
Michael Peters, CEO of Glooscap Ventures, said investment in renewable energy was the No. 1 priority in the latest round of community consultation.
Since the initial interest in this topic, Peters notes solar installations have made many of Glooscap’s community buildings and businesses energy self-sufficient. Now the community is focusing on renewable energy production as an enterprise, with the goal of turning it into a significant part of the business portfolio alongside fisheries and gaming, he said.
The work Glooscap is doing on renewable energy was recognized this fall by the Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanREA), which named Glooscap Ventures the Indigenous Clean Energy Company of the Year.
Glooscap Chief Sidney Peters, uncle to Michael Peters, said diversifying his community’s revenues has been a longtime goal for him. But he said getting into renewable energy is about more than dollars and cents, the chief said he wants to see Mi’kmaw values integrated into any new industrial endeavour. “I want to ensure that the projects that we do are good, clean projects, and we're not abusing the environment,” he said in an interview.
Tourism industry says parks and protected areas should be off limits for development
Natural Resources Minister Kim Masland confirmed earlier this month that her department was entertaining a proposal for an 18-hole golf course in West Mabou Beach Provincial Park.
Darlene Grant Fiander, president of the Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia responded to this, “While we very much support new tourism investment and new development — not in our protected areas, not in our public parks.” Saying this mindset overlooks the economic development that already comes from parks and protected areas; adventure tourism and recreation is one of the fastest-growing segments of tourism. Also stating, “There’s lots of land available for sale in Nova Scotia and we feel very strongly about that for this one and every other protected area.”
Becky Parker, the executive director of Nature Nova Scotia, said allowing a protected area to be delisted, sold or leased for a development or activity that is objectively harmful to the land means no protected area is safe.
Coastal communities help track N.S. marine life using environmental DNA
Dalhousie University PhD candidate Samantha Beal leads a project that brings community members together to gather coastal water samples on behalf of the Community-Oriented Coastal Observatory. They recruit and train volunteers to participate in this citizen science lead research all across the province.
Beal’s project aims to create a better understanding of what species live in Nova Scotia waters, and where they go. Research has shown that as ocean water temperatures rise, some species, like lobster, are affected. In some cases, groups of marine animals may start moving north, seeking colder waters, which is what Beal wants to monitor.
Beal gives groups of volunteers in different communities the sampling bags, filters, water-sampling machine and all other tools to collect the DNA that could be lurking in the ocean water. The goal is to collect samples three times a year — in March, July and November. This allows them to get a sense of seasonal migration patterns, too. “Hopefully, by doing this sort of continual monitoring, we'll be able to … establish a baseline, then identify any trends in the species observations,” Beal said.
New N.S. study finds microplastics in edible portions of lobster tails
Dalhousie University researchers found an average of 6 to 7 microplastic particles per gram of tail meat in lobsters collected from four commercial fishing areas in Nova Scotia.
The researchers were able to analyze the particles to determine what types of plastic were present, and found that the majority were polyethylene vinyl acetate, commonly found in packaging, coating and sealants, as well as in parts for vehicles and boats; polyester potentially from clothing fibres; and polysulfone, a marine industrial-grade plastic.
The researches caution however, that given the small sample size of 16 lobsters, more research is needed to learn whether the geographic differences are a trend.
Stewart Lamont, the managing director of Tangier Lobster Company, which exports lobsters to clients in 13 countries, said he would like to see a comparative analysis of microplastic concentrations in different foods. “Microplastics are common throughout the entire food chain. So I'm fairly confident this is not exclusively a lobster issue. I suspect it's a food issue, a societal issue that we need to address on a national basis.”
Researchers find gaps in environmental impact assessments of Canadian mining projects
A new report from Dalhousie University's co-authors Westwood and Collison, shows flaws in the environmental review process for mining operations in Canada, with researchers finding that data for 20 per cent of the projects they reviewed was incomplete or missing entirely from public records.
Without complete data from environmental assessments, researchers aren't able to properly judge how a mine is impacting the surrounding community. And regulators can't establish a baseline for measuring cumulative environmental damage
Westwood and Collison have made their report publicly available and searchable. They say they hope that by doing so they can encourage provinces to work together on improving environmental assessments.
Don't forget that you can check out the NSEN Job Board at any time to see the latest job opportunities with NSEN members. Submit a new position or apply today!
As Manager of the Clean Buildings team, you will have the unique opportunity to help shape, guide and support the development of climate change mitigation policy and programs in the buildings sector. This includes energy efficiency, beneficial electrification, demand response, green workforce development and other buildings related initiatives.
Small Change Fund acts as a catalyst for individuals and grassroots organizations to improve the environment, reduce poverty, and promote reconciliation efforts across Canada, working with Indigenous Peoples to support the protection of their lands, waters and communities.
We are seeking a President who will guide the organization’s next phase with clarity, care and vision. The President will bring seasoned leadership to a high-performing team, ensuring that Small Change Fund continues to deliver meaningful results for communities and the environment across Canada. They will champion fundraising excellence, nurture strong partnerships, and foster a healthy, inclusive workplace — positioning the organization for long-term strength and resilience.
The Chemist internship program is designed for 3rd or 4th year students interested in maintaining a sustainable environment. The intern will be responsible for tasks associated with handling, segregating, packing, and inspecting chemical waste. This position will work both indoors and outdoors at plants, labs, and customer sites assisting with lab packs, household hazardous waste (HHW) collections and lab moves. Students will have the opportunity to shadow other positions within the Company. Interns can expect to participate in networking events and complete a final presentation at the conclusion of the program.
Location: Debert, NS
Application Deadline: Positions will remain open on an ongoing basis.
Department of National Defence: Water, Fuels and Environment Technician
The Water, Fuel and Environment Technician is responsible for the inspection, maintenance, repair, and installation of water, fuel, and environmental systems and equipment at Department of National Defence facilities. This includes potable water systems, sewage and stormwater infrastructure, petroleum storage and distribution systems, and environmental monitoring and spill response. The technician conducts routine testing, operates computerized control systems, and ensures compliance with federal, provincial, and municipal regulations. Duties also involve responding to hazardous material incidents, overseeing contractor work, maintaining safety equipment, and supporting environmental investigations.
The role requires technical expertise in mechanical systems, environmental protection, and safety protocols, and involves physically demanding tasks in varied and sometimes hazardous conditions.
Municipality of Colchester: Wastewater Treatment Process Technician
The technician is responsible for maintaining and operating all process control and other related equipment in the operations of the Municipality’s Wastewater Plants and related pumping stations in a safe manner, ensuring legislative compliance and public safety. Responsible for collecting samples in conjunction with the Sewer Use By-law. Must be available for call-out and on-call work, as required.
Have you visited NSEN's Volunteer Hub yet? This tool is a powerful one-stop-shop where NSEN members can post volunteer positions and our network of volunteers can view and apply for opportunities that fit their interests. Submit a new position or apply today!
Re-Imagining Atlantic Harbours: Love Your Lake Project Advocate
Potential Duties
Supporting community events.
Supporting field technicians.
Designing and delivering story collection opportunities!
Promotion of program.
Skills Needed A passion for Lake ecosystems and community engagement. Experience based on the Eastern Shore and a demonstrated love of the lakes and community.
Meet with other committee members monthly to discuss strategic actions and take on tasks as needed.
Take on one or two targeted actions that help us achieve our goals (ex: conduct a review of similar corporate giving programs at other charities, conduct cold calls to businesses about opportunities to sponsor Nature NS, conduct a review of fundraising policies at other charities, etc.).
Help plan fundraising events.
Attend market booths.
Send any relevant grant applications to staff.
Help the committee prepare and present recommendations for policy and practice to the board.
Skills Needed Interest in business, social purpose operations, fundraising, etc. Sales experience is an asset.
Commitment: 1-2 hours per month for an expected committee term of 1 year.
NSEN is always looking for skilled volunteers to contribute environmental blog posts to feature on our website, newsletter, and social media platforms.
Potential Duties
Interviewing environmental experts for Q&A style posts.
Conducting online research on topics of interest.
Writing op-eds on topics you are knowledgeable in.
Acquiring appropriate images to include with the article.
Mi’kmaw is the language of the Mi’kmaq. Reclaiming Mi’kmaw language is an act of liberation for Indigenous people and allyship of community peace for non-Indigenous people.
This course is open to everyone – Indigenous and non-Indigenous adults who wish to learn to uplift language revitalization. If you are a non-Indigenous language learner, we invite you to review these reflections on what it means to be a non-Indigenous learner in an Indigenous language learning course.
Dates and Times:
6 x 90min Online Classes: January 21 – March 4
Wednesdays at 6pm Atlantic Time
6 Sessions on Zoom: January 21, 28 / February 4, 11, 25 / March 4
Recorded and made available to registrants after for those who can’t attend live (available for 3 months after the session)
A Certificate of Attendance is available for the sessions that are watched (live or recorded)
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