Join the Biodiversity Caucus for a free, educational event about pollinators in Nova Scotia!
Did you know that bumble bees dance when they find a flower? Or that Monarchs travel over 4,000 km from Nova Scotia to Mexico every year? These small but mighty insects can shape the very fabric of ecosystems and are vital for the survival of all life on land. And yet, climate change, habitat loss, diseases, and industrial agriculture have threatened many pollinators, including the yellow-banded bumble bee (Bombus terricola), gypsy cuckoo bumble bee (Bombus bohemicus), and monarchs (Danaus plexippus). Dwindling pollinator populations could have detrimental effects on global biodiversity and food security. By safeguarding pollinators, we can ensure they thrive and continue their invaluable role in supporting the delicate balance of life on our planet in forests, fields, farms, and beyond.
In this webinar, join us to hear from guest speaker, Hannah de Loë (Kosick), author of "Bumble Bees of Unama'ki" and pollinator researcher with ACAP Cape Breton, and the ACAP team to learn more about the plight of local pollinators, species at risk, conservation efforts, and how you can help protect pollinators in your backyard.
Rally for the Coastal Protection Act: Wednesday, May 8
The Houston government’s failure to proclaim the Coastal Protection Act is jeopardizing ecosystems and communities across the province. We cannot let them ignore this issue any longer.
Join the Nova Scotia Coastal Coalition, The Ecology Action Centre, and Nature Nova Scotia on May 8 at noon for the Rally for the Coastal Protection Act to demand that the NS government do the right thing and protect our coasts! We can't do this without you.
Event details:
Date and time: Wednesday, May 8, 2024 (rain date: Thursday, May 9, 2024)
Time: 12 – 2 p.m.
Location: Nova Scotia Legislature - 1726 Hollis St, Kjipuktuk/Halifax
Hike Nova Scotia’s Intro to Backpacking clinic - Hosted by The Trail Shop, is geared for those interested in trying overnight backpacking trips. It will be offered at 6:30 pm on Thursday, May 2 at The Trail Shop in Halifax (6120 Quinpool Rd.).Nova Scotia Walk Day 2024, Wednesday, May 8 - Welcoming community organizations, workplaces, or schools to join in and host a group walk any time on May 8th. We will provide hosts a poster to help promote your walk, a host package & prize draw!NS Walks Walk Leader Training, online, May 28 - Join our growing network of volunteer walk leaders to help us support more adults in Nova Scotia to get out walking!Hiking Summit, Antigonish: The tenth annual Nova Scotia Hiking Summit is a celebration of hiking culture. Held in a different community each year, the 2024 Summit will take place on May 31, June 1 and June 2 (Friday to Sunday) in Antigonish.
SEED is happy to announce that bookings are now open for its Pollinator Picnic Engagement! This engagement is best done in a public garden and is an awesome way to bring community together. Please reach out to Rebecca at seed.enviroed@gmail.com with any questions or to book.
Crossroads Educational Vegetable Garden - Spring Planting!
May 4, 10:00 - 11:30 AM, St Margarets Bay Crossroads
Join us for Spring Planting!
We will be planting Swiss chard, kale, beets, onions, parsnips, turnips, cabbage, potatoes and carrots – all fairly easy to grow and store into the cold season.
Each year, Transition Bay volunteers grow about 500 pounds of vegetables from these four raised beds for the St Margarets Bay Food Bank. They greatly appreciate this fresh produce. The Crossroads Garden is also intended to inspire everyone about the benefits of starting or expanding a home vegetable garden. This is becoming very important in this era of rapidly increasing food costs.
Transition Bay is always looking for more volunteers to help with the garden. If interested, reach out to us at info@transitionbay.ca.
From The Great Unraveling Towards A Great Turning - Film and Discussion
May 5, 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM, Tantallon Public Library
In October 2023, invited Thinkers from around the world gathered on-site and virtually at the famous Thinkers Lodge, Pugwash, NS. They undertook deep and brave conversation about the Great Unraveling – the global polycrisis facing humanity today. They also explored where seeds are being planted for humanity’s shift towards a new restorative relationship with Mother Earth – a Great Turning.
Step into these discussions, thoughts and feelings of Thinkers, including Mi’kmaq Elders Joseph Michael and Albert Marshall, in this 30 minute documentary film. There will be a group discussion about these topics following the screening.
This event is free and open to the public. Donations are greatly appreciated. We welcome new volunteers to help with events like this one. Please contact us at info@transitionbay.ca for more information.
Join Nature Nova Scotia for a celebration of nature with several events scheduled between May 24 and 26!
The Annual Symposium for Naturalists will be taking place entirely in person at the VCLA Community Hub, situated at 118 Oakdene Avenue in Kentville, Nova Scotia.
This weekend-long event includes presentations, field trips, locally catered lunches, member booths, Blomidon's 50th-anniversary celebration, Nature Nova Scotia's AGM, and networking opportunities. All lunches are catered to feature locally sourced sustainable food, in line with the vision of Nature Nova Scotia and Blomidon Naturalist Society. The food provided is gluten-free and vegetarian-friendly, with a meat-based option.
Tickets will be available until May 10th, 2024. Shortly after tickets close, we will send out more information regarding registration for field trips. You can purchase your tickets online on the Eventbrite site here.
"The Houston Government’s March 31 Sandy Lake pre-development studies have been postponed for release sometime in the summer. We think it is a good sign that they are taking more time to get it right.
The other good news is that the city continues to acquire land for Sandy Lake Regional Park. It added 50 more acres recently! That is 260 more acres since 2015. Thank you, HRM for actively building the park!!
But does the right hand know what the left hand is doing?
We have to wonder if the Premier and Housing Minister realize that the park area being preserved by the city will reduce in ecological value if the housing plan for the west and south Sandy Lake watershed goes ahead. Even well-meaning people who work with property lines often do not understand how watersheds work. How tragic it would be to have all this investment in the park and the beach turn out poorly when algae blooms, for example, limit the beach’s usefulness. Citizens love that beach and park. The original boundary for the park in 1970s included those crucial watershed lands to the west and south for good reason.
Help us encourage the Premier to make the wise decision, join citizens and the city to Save Sandy Lake together!
Help Save Sandy Lake. Write letters and post a sign(s) or print a PDF sign. Please tell your friends about this:
Ottawa moves to rebuild white shark population in Atlantic Canada
Ottawa is moving ahead with plans to rebuild the white shark population in Eastern Canada — fulfilling a legal requirement in effect since 2011 when it was listed as endangered under the Species at Risk Act.
But one Canadian scientist says a draft recovery strategy proposed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada should be thrown overboard until the federal department has a clear understanding of how many white sharks there are in Atlantic Canada, and where they are.
Canadian health-care professionals urged to share climate disaster mitigation information
After last summer's heat waves, deadly floods and record-breaking wildfires, some scientists are urging Canadian health professionals to help their patients better prepare for climate change-related extreme weather and natural disasters.
Blair Feltmate, head of the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo, told a national public health conference in Halifax Wednesday there are inexpensive and effective ways of reducing harm caused by climate-related disasters — some of which are as simple as cleaning out gutters, backwater valves, storm drains or installing blinds in windows.
Nova Scotia nixes spring bear hunt pilot following public consultation
Nova Scotia will remain the only province in the country with a black bear population and no spring bear hunt.
The Department of Natural Resources and Renewables made the announcement in a news release on Wednesday. It comes after the department held public consultations, including an online survey, soliciting opinions on the issue.
Over 17,000 Nova Scotians responded to the survey, with 51 per cent opposed to the hunt and 47 per cent in favour, while two per cent were neutral.
Piloting a high school environmental science course guided by two-eyed seeing
Some Grade 12 students in Nova Scotia are learning a new way of looking at environmental science. They're taking a course called Netukulimk 12 that's being piloted at four schools in the province. It uses a two-eyed seeing approach, combining both western and Mi’kmaw knowledge.
N.S. government to educate communities on need for wind turbines
Although wind turbines are a key part of Nova Scotia's strategy to reduce emissions to net zero by 2050, a senior official told a legislature committee Tuesday that the provincial government hasn't done a good enough job of explaining the value of renewable energy.
Karen Gatien, deputy minister of Natural Resources and Renewables, told committee members the province needs community buy-in for turbines to meet its legislated targets.
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!
Nova Scotia Invasive Species Council: Aquatic Invasive Species Field Assistants (3 positions available)
This is an excellent opportunity to gain valuable experience working in invasive species public outreach and education, prevention, response, monitoring, and management initiatives.
The main responsibilities in this role will include inspecting trailered watercraft, operating a Mobile Decontamination Unit for watercraft on trailers, conducting fieldwork that may include invasive species removals, water monitoring, and collecting samples and data in the field. The field assistant may also participate in public outreach events and awareness campaigns. If you are comfortable approaching people, enjoy public outreach, and working outside, this role may interest you.
The Confederacy of Mainland Mi'kmaq: Climate Change Adaptation Coordinator
You will be responsible for coordinating the implementation of Nova Scotia’s water sector’s 2023 Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, by bringing together stakeholder organizations representing governments, industries, researchers, environmental organizations, etc. The water sector adaptation strategy encompasses all of Nova Scotia’s inland waters, freshwater ecosystems, and the watersheds on which they depend. The strategy addresses climate impacts to the water sector, by building the water sector’s capacity to meet the freshwater needs of ecosystems, communities, and economies – all under the influence of climate change – while addressing competing demands for a finite resource as well as current inequitable access to water services.
Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute: Co-Director/Ecosystem Program Manager
The Co-Director/Ecosystem Program Manager (CD-ECO) will work collaboratively with the Co-Director/Species at Risk Program Manager (CD-SAR), to oversee MTRI’s programs. While many duties will be enacted jointly with the CD-SAR, the CD-ECO will take the lead responsibility on overseeing MTRI’s ecosystem based-programs and personnel, supervising staff and interns, and overseeing outreach programs, safety, and facilities management. In addition to the management role, the CD-ECO will help deliver ecosystem projects with an emphasis on building and maintaining partnerships with land stewards and organizations.
Clean Annapolis River Project: Coastal Wetland Project Coordinator
The Coastal Wetland Project Coordinator will oversee the delivery of a collaborative project to conduct the monitoring of two coastal wetlands located within the Annapolis River watershed. The “Protecting Coastal Wetlands in Nova Scotia through stewardship and collaboration” project aims to engage Nova Scotian organizations and communities in ocean conservation using coastal wetlands as indicators for ocean health.
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!
Earthub is looking for volunteers to support the "Items to Keep Out of the Landfill" program through the collection and distribution of items. Potential duties include drop-off location/transportation coordination, sorting and counting of items, cleaning of items, and promotion of the program.
KAIROS Halifax is seeking a volunteer to help promote social justice events and activities among university students and help find ways to work together on common interests related to social justice such as environment and climate justice and human rights.
Nature Nova Scotia is looking for volunteers to conduct research on the moose population in Nova Scotia. Potential tasks include assisting fundraising efforts, trail camera setup, guided hikes, and conducting a literature review on moose health, behaviour, and ecology.
Nova Scotia Environmental Network: Blog Contributor
NSEN is always looking for skilled volunteers to contribute environmental blog posts to feature on our website, newsletter, and social media platforms. Potential duties include conducting online research on topics of interest, writing op-eds on topics you are knowledgeable in, and interviewing environmental experts for Q&A-style posts.
Climate Story Network: Free Articles on Climate Solutions in Nova Scotia/Mi'kma'ki
The Climate Story Network (CSN) is offering professionally written and edited, copyright-free articles about positive climate change projects in Nova Scotia/Mi’kma’ki.
CSN delivers content on local initiatives and solutions to community media. The free stories are available to community newspapers, newsletters and magazines, First Nations publications, radio broadcasts, online curators…and anyone else looking to deliver impactful climate content to their audiences. Click here to visit the website.
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Rally for the Coastal Protection Act: Wednesday, May 8
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