Upcoming webinar! Coastal Restoration: A Case for Integrating Innovation, Collaboration and Equity
Join the Nova Scotia Environmental Network for a free, educational event about environmental restoration efforts in Nova Scotia! Explore the success, resilience, and Indigenous ways of knowing behind Coastal Restoration Society's initiatives in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona.
Founded in 2017, Coastal Restoration Society (CRS) specializes in industrial-scale environmental restoration initiatives, mobilizing projects from headwaters to coastlines with an emphasis on developing long-term, strategic partnerships. 2023 marked CRS’ first season of restoration work in Nova Scotia, thanks to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Ghost Gear Funding, allocated to address the damage and fishing gear loss resulting from Hurricane Fiona in September of 2022.
Ghost Gear Project Lead, Rheanna Drennan, Health and Safety Director, Pete Clarkson, and Indigenous Engagement Lead, Earl Hope, will discuss the origins of CRS, the importance of centering Indigenous knowledge in restoration, and CRS’ successes and aspirations surrounding restoration projects here in Nova Scotia.
Have you ever heard of Giving Tuesday? November 28th is a global day of giving where people all over the world come together to support their favorite nonprofits.
This year, the Nova Scotia Environmental Network is participating in Giving Tuesday! Our goal is to raise $1500 that will help us achieve our goal of organizing an environmental summit in 2024 —but we’ll only reach that goal through the kindness and generosity of people like you. Will you help?
Upcoming Webinar: Hike Strength Training & Injury Prevention
Taking place on Wednesday, November 29 at 7 pm, Hike Nova Scotia’s Strength Training & Injury Prevention webinar is geared for hikers interested in getting in shape for hiking and learning how to prevent injuries.
Hike Nova Scotia invites groups across NS to partner with it on delivering guided hike, walk or snowshoe events in winter 2024. Hike NS will help promote events and provide a how-to guide and trail prizes to give away. If your municipality, First Nation or organization can organize a hike, walk or snowshoe event (or already plan to host one), please register your event by December 10, 2023 for events between January 12 and March 17, 2024.
As we approach the season of giving, we are reaching out to you, our valued community, with a heartfelt request.
Funding for outdoor education is increasingly rare in Nova Scotia. Federal granting bodies often consider natural history to fall outside of STEM-based science education priorities and there is little available at the provincial level to support multi-year programs. Donations give us leverage to maximize the funds provided by our few foundation and government supporters and continue to support vital administrative operations.
This Giving Tuesday, we hope you will support us with your generous donations. Every donation, no matter the size, propels us closer to our mission of connecting people with nature and developing a life-long conservation ethic in individuals. Thank you for helping us keep natural history alive this year.
December 5: Halting and Reversing Biodiversity Loss: Implementing the Global Biodiversity Framework in Canada
Join the Biodiversity Caucus for an enlightening event on December 5 from 4-5:30 PM ET featuring Stephen Hazell, retired lawyer and consultant with Ecojustice and Greenpeace, and Josh Ginsberg, lawyer and director of Ecojustice’s Ottawa U Clinic.
Stephen and Josh will discuss progress in Canada to implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework through legislation and a national biodiversity strategy. They will also suggest ways in which biodiversity activists can mobilize in campaigns so that Canadian governments and industry get serious about halting and reversing biodiversity loss. This insightful presentation will be followed by participant questions and discussion.
Don't miss this chance to gain valuable insights and contribute to the dialogue surrounding crucial biodiversity issues. Mark your calendars and be part of this informative session that promises to inspire action to achieve biodiversity solutions. All are welcome!
Sign onto Petition e-4673 for a federal Nature and Biodiversity Act!
RCEN member group, West Coast Environmental Law, along with Ecojustice and Greenpeace Canada, request your support in their efforts to demand stronger federal, provincial, and territorial biodiversity strategies and action.
"The legislation would ensure accountability for achieving Canada's goals and targets under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) signed in December 2022 at COP15.
The GBF sets binding international targets to, by 2030, halt human-induced extinction of known threatened species; protect at least 30 percent of terrestrial and marine areas; increase by 15 percent the area, connectivity and integrity of natural ecosystems; restore degraded ecosystems; and address other issues such as pollution and climate change."
Tell the Province to Stop Delaying the Coastal Protection Act!
"Nova Scotia has been waiting far too long for the Coastal Protection Act (CPA).
And yet, instead of making real progress on protecting our coast, the provincial government has further delayed action by releasing a public survey filled with broad, high-level, and often leading questions. This represents a complete disregard for the safety of Nova Scotians, and a failure to take the very first step in coastal climate adaptation: stop building in known risk areas!
The Ecology Action Centre has put together a submission to the province's survey, urging them to finally make good on their promise to implement the CPA. We need your voice to help amplify our message: click here to see our submission and make your own!"
"Sandy Lake is drawing ever closer to the spring "shovel ready" date the province is saying is Sandy Lake’s date for development in the Sandy Lake Special Planning Area. Development on this land west of Sandy Lake will have multiple negative effects: it will put a harsh end to our goal of an expanded Sandy Lake-Sackville River Regional Park; it will be detrimental to the health of the lake and watershed, as it encompasses a portion of the system's headwaters; it will cut off key wilderness corridors listed in the Halifax Green Network Plan; and, it will add significantly more traffic to the already taxed Hammonds Plains Roadway.
Thank you to everyone who has already posted lawn/deck/window signs and has joined us in asking the NS Provincial Government to reverse the decision. If you have not yet, please visit https://www.sandylakecoalition.ca/copy-of-about- from here you can easily send a letter to the province, and request or print a yard sign. We are especially needing signs to go up outside of HRM. For more info, please email sandylakecampaign@gmail.com.
This place will only be saved if many people speak up."
Carlton Block Update: Two towers over 30 stories, proposed by the Lawen family, will head to HRM Council and a Public Hearing in early January. Together with the approved Rouvalis’ family 29 & 30-story towers, these four towers will demolish 12-14 multiunit buildings. In "Planner-Speak", these 110-112 small-scale affordable commercial/residential units in central Halifax already are a "complete community” that can't be replaced. With our labour shortage and high-interest rates even building new high-end units will take years.
As of August 2023, Halifax has issued over 200 demolition permits. Why aren't HRM Mayor Savage and Premier Houston taking care of citizens’ needs not just private developer profit? We know buildings between 4-6 stories are better for density, construction time, affordability, and climate. We also know there are acres of empty and under-utilized land, including Cogswell, Shannon Park, Bloomfield, St Pat’s, and St Pat’s Alexandra that don’t require demolitions. Learn more: developmentoptionshfx.com
Help Strengthen the Development Options Halifax Petition to Stop the Demolitions. Please ask others to sign and share our petition."
Proposed Goldboro LNG plant officially abandoned after more than a decade
Alberta energy company Pieridae is pulling up stakes in Nova Scotia and abandoning plans for a liquefied natural gas terminal at Goldboro on the province's Eastern Shore.
Pieridae is selling its Goldboro subsidiary, associated assets, licences and permits that include more than 108 hectares of undeveloped coastal industrial land in the province.
The company says the asset sale concludes a "strategic pivot away from east coast LNG and toward an Alberta-focused natural gas production and processing business."
The decision was disclosed in financial results released earlier this month.
Nova Scotia government retreats on plan to fast-track wind farms in coastal bays
The Nova Scotia government is tapping the brakes on its plan to fast-track wind farms inside bays where it has sole control of development.
"We're pausing any consideration of waters within provincial jurisdiction until the framework for jointly managed offshore areas is in place," Natural Resources and Renewables Minister Tory Rushton said in a statement issued Wednesday.
Canada and Nova Scotia share jurisdiction of waters extending from shorelines outside bays within the country's exclusive economic zone, which extends 200 miles.
Both levels are working together to create rules to approve and manage offshore wind farms in Nova Scotia that will produce electricity without creating greenhouse gases that cause climate change. Public consultations are underway.
Fines for illegal dumping in N.S. more than double
The Nova Scotia government has increased penalties for people who dump their garbage on provincially owned land from $352 to $812 for a first offence, and $2,422 for subsequent offences.
But according to information supplied by the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables, few are prosecuted for illegal dumping and convictions and fines are rare.
Between 2017 and 2022, 21 people were charged with dumping on Crown land and those charges resulted in 11 convictions. The other 10 charges did not go ahead.
The minister responsible for the department, Tory Rushton, told CBC News Tuesday he hoped the increase in fines would deter people from dumping their garbage illegally.
N.S. First Nations to exercise right to moderate livelihood during upcoming lobster season
For the third consecutive year, four First Nations in southwestern Nova Scotia will exercise their treaty right to fish for a moderate living when Canada's most lucrative lobster fishery opens next week.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans announced Monday that it has again issued an interim authorization to Wasoqopa'q (Acadia), Annapolis Valley, Bear River and Glooscap First Nations.
The "understanding" between DFO and the groups authorizes an overall number of 5,250 traps distributed across Lobster Fishing Areas (LFA) 33 and 34 which run from Halifax to Digby and LFA 35 in the upper Bay of Fundy, where there is a limit of 1,000 traps.
Federal government loans EverWind Fuels $125M for proposed green hydrogen plant
The federal Liberal government is making a $125-million loan to a proposed green hydrogen facility in Nova Scotia's Strait of Canso area.
The proponent, EverWind Fuels, says the funding makes the project closer to reality than any other of its kind in the Western hemisphere.
More than 50 municipal and business officials from around Cape Breton and the mainland near the Strait crowded into the Port Hawkesbury civic centre late Friday afternoon.
There were cheers as Sean Fraser, Liberal MP for Central Nova, announced the funding.
He and EverWind CEO Trent Vichie said the project is expected to bring thousands of jobs to Cape Breton and Nova Scotia.
Every Wednesday we share a Nova Scotia Nature Photo on our Facebook and Instagram pages. Have you taken photos of beautiful places around the province? Share them with us for a chance to be featured on our page!
This photo of a bumblebee was captured by Brogan Bentley in Nova Scotia.
Green Job Opportunities
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: Council Supervisor
The Council Supervisor will be responsible for managing and coordinating all NSISC programs and supervising NSISC staff. The position will oversee program development, implementation, and evaluation, ensuring that programs align with the organization’s mission and goals and effectively address invasive species challenges. The Council Supervisor will also work closely with the Chapter’s Steering Committee, the CCIS National Manager, and other regional staff members to identify opportunities for program growth and funding.
Nova Scotia Nature Trust: Senior Biologist/Conservation Planner
In this pivotal lead scientist role, you are responsible for shaping our conservation priorities and actions, and providing expert guidance across all facets of conservation operations. You are part of our vibrant conservation team, working together to identify, secure and steward priority conservation lands across the province. It is a diverse role, with responsibilities ranging from ecological field assessments and GIS-based conservation planning and prioritization to serving as expert member of conservation collaborations. As a senior leader in a small, nimble non-profit, you have space to propose and implement innovative ideas and to make a tangible and lasting impact for nature conservation.
Regeneration Canada: Director of Regenerative Transition
Reporting to the Executive Director, you will develop and oversee RC’s supply chain transition programs and initiatives. This will involve contributing to the development and implementation of strategies, ensuring the application of internal policies, and co-leading fundraising efforts with other directors in the organization. You are available to meet with producers and other stakeholders outside of business hours if needed.
Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment: Regional Committee Coordinator — Atlantic Canada
CAPE is seeking a regional committee coordinator for Atlantic Canada to support the work of our regional committees in this region. The coordinator will work in a collaborative team environment alongside their counterparts for Quebec, Ontario and Western Canada and will report to the climate program director. This is intended to be an early career position.
The coordinator will be responsible for supporting CAPE volunteer-run committees in Atlantic Canada. The committees are mainly composed of physicians, medical students, other health care professionals and scientists.
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.
Our organization has a small budget ($5,000 - $10,000) annually, but we must follow HRM approved accounting practices. We are seeking a new treasurer to keep our organization on the right track. The past treasurer has had to step back for family commitments, but will train and guide the new replacement.
Commitment: 3 flexible hours per week, 1 monthly board meeting
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.
Cultural Survival: Indigenous Youth Fellowship Project
Cultural Survival’s Indigenous Youth Fellowship Project supports young Indigenous leaders between the ages of 17-28 in creating and disseminating knowledge through creative ways and critical thinking. It is an opportunity to build capacities in Indigenous rights, Indigenous languages, cultures, and Traditional Knowledge. Fellows work to represent the voices of their communities and bring awareness of local issues to global conversations through their proposed projects while strengthening their cultural identities and leadership.
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.
Solar Nova Scotia: 2023 Atlantic Solar Summit
Solar Nova Scotia is pleased to launch the website for the 2023 Atlantic Canada Solar Summit. This year's event will include a solar industry training day at the Hampton Inn in Halifax on December 5th followed by the Solar Summit and Solar Mixer at the Halifax Convention Centre on December 6th.
This event will bring together industry professionals from across Atlantic Canada for learning, networking, and celebrating the success of the ever-growing solar industry. We welcomed 300 delegates to the 2022 Atlantic Canada Solar Summit and are hoping to build off that this year, making the 2023 Summit the best one yet! We have great opportunities for sponsors, exhibitors, and presenters. Click here to visit the website.
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