Nature group wants Crown land in Kings County protected from potential logging

A Nova Scotia environmental group is calling on the province to protect a sectionof Crown land in Kings County from potential logging and development.

The Blomidon Naturalists Society wants the Nova Scotia government to conserve a portion of land in the southwest corner of the county next to the Cloud Lake Wilderness Area that includes vulnerable and endangered species and old-growth forest.

"There are quite a number of species down there, lichens and birds and other plants, that are listed as vulnerable and endangered in that area," said Soren Bondrup-Nielsen, president of the society.

The Nova Scotia government has a goal of protecting 20 per cent of the province's land and water by 2030. Approximately 13.2per cent is currently protected, according to the province.

This is what led the Blomidon Naturalist Society to request the land south of Greenwood, N.S., be protected, Bondrup-Nielsen said.

He said only four per cent of Kings County is currently protected and the land they've chosen would be perfect because it's a popular destination for hunters, fishers and people who like to explore the outdoors.

"It's really important that this area remains an area ...people can enjoy however they enjoy nature," Bondrop-Nielsen said.

Garnering support

The society has asked the Municipality of King's County to support its request, but the county has one condition wind turbines need to be allowed in the protected land.

"When we redid our municipal planning strategy and land use bylaw in 2019, we did a lot of work around how we can support renewable energy in Kings County and where are large-scale renewable energy projects best suited in the community?" said Emily Lutz, deputy mayor of Kings County.

Lutz said the southwest part of the county has been identified as perfect for generating wind power.

The municipality wants to invest in renewable energy to do more to mitigate climate change, she said.

Bondrup-Nielsen said accommodating the municipality's wish for wind turbines in the area won't be a problem, but the province's plans for forestry could be.

The Nova Scotia government has released the locations where clear cutting may be allowed under its new model of forest management. Some of the locations are near the area the society wants protected.

""There will probably be push back, but I think it's important to realize that we do need to protect biodiversity," Bondrup-Nielsen said. "And I mean, it's the province that has decided on protecting 20 per centof the landscape."

Protecting land that's been identified as suitable for high-production logging would be concerning to members of the forestry industry, said the president of Forest Nova Scotia.

"The amount of land available for tree farming in Nova Scotia on Crown land was already reduced down to 10 per cent," said Stephen Moore.

"If this is going to try to take away from the area that would allow for that type of forestry to happen, we would not be able to support that proposal."

Under the province's new ecological forestry model, Crown land is split into three parts with some reserved for conservation,the majority reserved for light-touch ecological forestryand some for high-production forestry.

In an email, the province said it's committed to releasing a strategy bythe end of the year for protecting the land and water needed to reach the 20 per cent goal.