Shanni BeeStop on Spraying & Clear-Cutting Nova Scotia
November 19 at 6:14 PM ·
Map-making as a subversive activity, Southwest Nova Biosphere Edition.
I tried to make things as clear as I could, but there is still a lot going on in these maps. So, I will provide some additional information to help you better interpret. (Note that all datasets listed below are maintained & distributed by NS Lands & Forestry.)
For harvest types, opaque-coloured polygons cover the data years 2010—2011. (They are from the most recent version of the Forest Inventory Database.) Harvest-type polygons which only have coloured outlines are from the Crown Harvest Plans (data years: 2016—2020).
The Mining Exploration layer is from the Nova Scotia Mineral Rights Database. To be honest, while I am very, very familiar with the provincial forest database, the mineral rights database is new to me …And the province doesn’t offer a whole lot of easily downloadable metadata to explain it. :-S Nonetheless, the data years listed are 2019—2020.
The first two images focus on the area proximate & south to where our heroic forest protector encampment is stationed. This is the mainland moose habitat they are trying to protect. It contains some of the last remaining areas of old-growth in the province. Look at the devastation. Look at the fragmentation. Look at the pristine ecosystems scheduled for clear-cut/already gone. Look at the plantations that have been created around protected areas. Just disgusting.
As for the third image, which shows mining exploration license renewals in the Southwest Nova Biosphere Reserve… My jaw dropped to the floor when I saw this. **Edited after receiving clarification from another group member. –> Exploration typically means doing core drilling, analyzing samples, finding that there isn’t enough of any particular ore in an area to attract investment, and then moving on . So the reality on the ground might not be as bad as it looks on the map. But it is worrying that there is so much exploratory activity in this area all the same.
Either way, the situation is obviously very dire. But this is one battle I feel we can actually win. It is so incredible how so many amazing people came together so quickly to fight this travesty from so many different angles. Let’s keep up this energy and momentum every day. Call. Write. Protest. Join the camp. Spread the word and encourage others to do the same. We got this!
Peace. Love. Solidarity.
