Thus letter from Bob Bancroft was shared on Annapolis Royal & Area – Environment & Ecology Nov 18, 2020
From Bev W.
LETTER::: This is a letter from Bob Bancroft – biologist and president of Nature Nova Scotia – to Bob Petrie, Director of Wildlife for the NS Department of Lands and Forestry. I have Bob Bancroft’s permission to post his letter here for our group. Thanks to Bob for continuing to stand up for wildlife in this province.
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November 17, 2020
Dear Bob,
I’m writing you again after spending several days on Crown land in western NS where large clear-cutting is either taking place, or about to take place, and where moose are present. I spoke with and interviewed a number of well-informed citizens who outlined traditional moose areas on my NS Map Book and other places where they had seen moose that were recently displaced by harvest activities. I saw moose tracks myself.
I feel confused after reading letters from Lands and Forestry (L&F) saying that they appreciate it when citizens come forward with moose information. But when they do that, massive cutting continues in known mainland moose areas. L&F is allowing extensive forest flattening in some of the last refuges for mainland moose in this province.
Please don’t tell me that the current additional protections for moose are adequate. I first began studying moose around the province in the late 1960’s as part of a Masters thesis study that Bill Prescott completed at Acadia. I undertook a considerable amount of moose work as a regional biologist. I do not know everything, but I know better than to accept that moose are being carefully accommodated now. It seems instead that L&F has written them off.
In my time as an employee, I was issued and still have a Lands and Forests jacket. The crest on the front says “Conserve our Resources”.
The folks at the blockade would agree that you are not doing that. And the Minister ignores them?
You and the Wildlife Division are presiding over mainland moose demise.
This makes me very sad.
Bob