UPDATE July 24, 2019: An article in http://www.southcoasttoday.ca provides a little more context, e.g. “Letters ignored
“I wrote to Minister Rankin in May highlighting the section of the Migratory Birds Convention Act relating to disturbance and harm of breeding birds, their eggs, and nests and asked that harvesting plans be halted. I also alerted him to the guidance provided by the Canadian Wildlife Service with regard to protecting breeding birds,“ says Chris Curry, local resident and birdwatcher. “So far there has been no response, so we had to gather the information ourselves.” View Shelburne County clear-cuts would violate Migratory Bird Act by Timothy Gillespie July 23, 2019 in South Coast Today.
Also: Media release: Shelburne County, Nova Scotia clearcut would violate Migratory Bird Convention Act
NS Advocate, July 23, 2019
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Parula warbler, one of the 31 bird species observed on the Walls Brook site during a survey on July 7, 2019
“We, the undersigned, are a group of experienced birders and other residents of Nova Scotia who are gravely concerned about the impacts of clearcutting on many of the Province’s bird species. On July 7, 2019, we visited the site of the approved clearcut known as “Walls Brook” (provincial harvest plan number SH068270) in Shelburne County to document the bird species present on that site. The latest information available to us from the provincial Department of Lands and Forestry suggests that this site will be harvested imminently (although we have been unable to obtain updates from DLF in recent weeks).
“…As indicated by our notes, we observed the presence of 31 bird species on the Walls Brook site during our survey. Those 31 species are as follows (the species listed in bold font are protected
by the MBCA):
(1) Common Yellowthroat;
(2) White-throated Sparrow;
(3) American Goldfinch;
(4) Hermit Thrush;
(5) Dark-eyed Junco;
(6) Red Crossbill;
(7) Blue-headed Vireo;
(8) Yellow-rumped Warbler;
(9) Purple Finch;
(10) Yellow-shafted Flicker;
(11)Broad-winged Hawk;
(12)Mourning Dove;
(13) Parula Warbler;
(14) Red-breasted Nuthatch;
(15)Black-capped Chickadee;
(16)Ovenbird;
(17)Magnolia Warbler;
(18)Black-throated Green Warbler;
(19) Swainson’s Thrush;
“…Based on the information outlined above and contained in the attached Appendices, we have strong reason to believe that the imminent clearcut planned for the Walls Brook site will result in violations of section 6 of the Migratory Birds Regulations, made under the MBCA. We respectfully request that your Department investigate these potential offences, and ensure no harvesting occurs while protected birds are breeding on the Walls Brook site. ”
Read the full submission, dated July 22, 2019, to The Honourable Catherine McKenna (Canada Minister of Environment and Climate Change), The Honourable Iain Rankin
NS Minister of Lands and Forestry), Becky Whittam (Head, Terrestrial and Marine Canadian Wildlife Service (Atlantic Region)
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Related
Op-ed: For our forests to survive, minister Rankin must begin to practice what he preaches
By Community Forests Shelburne County in the NS Advocate, July 22, 2019. “Community Forests Shelburne County is an ad hoc citizens group advocating an end to clearcutting on Crown Lands in Shelburne County pending a thorough and proper review with the community.”
School Strike 4 Climate in Nova Scotia May 3, Shelburne students also target local clearcutting 2May2019
Post on NSFN May 2, 2019
A WestFor 5 year plan emerges in Shelburne
Post on NSFN Jan 5, 2019. On a CBC Info AM interview. “A man who makes his living in the woods of Southwest Nova Scotia says we should be cutting trees one at a time”
Logging at Nova Scotia’s Corbett-Dalhousie Lakes Crown land delayed by company doing the cut to respect Migratory Bird Convention Act 11Jun2019
Post on NSFN June 11, 2019
Save Habitat & Nests
Page on NSFN
Intensive tree cull in Halifax’s Point Pleasant Park delayed until after nesting season; Nova Scotia L&F continues to ignore federal regs 12May2019
Post on NSFN May 12, 2019
Are cats more destructive to Nova Scotia’s forest birds than clearcutting?
Post on NSFN June 8, 2018
Crossland: federal Migratory Birds Convention Act ignored as habitat is cut for chips
Post on nsforestnotes.ca, Jul 22, 2017
Nova Scotia’s Clearcut Refugees
Post on nsforestnotes.ca, March 12, 2017
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Thanks to Mark Butler, Christine Curry, Carmen Williams, Gretchen Fitzgerald, Shelly Hipson for speaking out on behalf of the Birds of Nova Scotia.
Thanks to Annapolis Royal & Area – Environment & Ecology (Facebook Public Group) for posting a note about the submission today.