In a few words and images, a short video made by Nina Newington for Extinction Rebellion Mi’kma’ki / Nova Scotia at the Last Hope Wildlife Corridor Encampment Dec 18, 2021 conveys a deep sense of ‘what it’s all about”.
From the video:
“Welcome to the Last Hope Wildlife Corridor. This forest in Annapolis County is recovering.
“It is recovering from settler caused fires. It is recovering from from decades of cutting.
“This particular area has not been touched in perhaps 80 years. And gradually it is recovering.
“See the lichen grow up the trees. See trees begin to spread their crowns. There that oak tree. That takes a while.”
“It takes a long time for nature to recover. For us to allow the endangered species, like the Mainland Moose, the wood turtle, the pine martin that are known to be in this area.
It takes a while for them to rebuild their populations and it’ll only happen if we allow their habitat to rebuild also. If we allow connectivity between wetlands. If we allow forest like this to grow old without disturbance.
“Save the Last Hope Wildlife Corridor. Say No to cutting in here.
“Say Yes to protecting and restoring nature. We are all part of nature.
If we are all to survive and thrive, we have to work for nature, not against her.”
I expect many of us in NS have had similar thoughts about patches of Wabanaki forest that have been left largely to their own for some time, on how exceptionally beautiful and rich they are… and about how quickly they can and are being lost all around us and how much we need them.
Thx, Again, NN and XR Mi’kmaki/NS for being there
Some related News Items and posts on Social Media
– Logging blockade in Mi’kma’ki for climate justice and conservation
Crystal Greene on IncaNews Dec 14, 2021 “Darlene Gilbert is a Mi’kmaw grandmother who has no problem confronting industry and government who are the major polluters. “As a Mi’kmaw I’m here to talk to you about what you’re doing, the moose, our medicines, the land, the mess that you’re going to leave afterwards because you’re just tearing trees up and cutting them down,” said Gilbert in a video, speaking to representatives of WestFor Management Inc., an industrial forestry consortium with 13 mills operating in Nova Scotia, which generate $2 billion a year. “We don’t take without leaving something behind, that’s our Mi’kmaw way,” adds Gilbert, referring to ‘Netukulimk’ the traditional Mi’kmaq law of sustainable harvesting.”
– An Update on the Mainland Moose: Progress for Species At Risk in NS
NatureNS Dec 10, 2021. “Last month, the province released the 9 years-overdue updated Recovery Plan for the Mainland Moose in Nova Scotia. We’ve reviewed the plan and outlined some actions you can take now to keep the momentum going.”
– Nova Scotians camp out to save small but mighty patch of forest
By Cloe Logan in the National Observer, Dec 8, 2021. ” “The 80-year-old parcel is relatively small, explained Newington — 60 acres, or around 45 football fields. However, it’s some of the last standing forest in the area, which has seen ample clear-cuts. The trees are important habitat for species in the area, such as the wood turtle and the pine marten. The endangered mainland moose has been spotted in the area by resident Randy Neily. He notes the same cutblock was actually spared around 20 years ago by Bowater Mersey Paper Company Limited, which owned a pulp mill in Liverpool, a couple of hours away from the site. “Twenty-two years ago, I talked Bowater Mersey into leaving this patch of forest alone when they were cutting everything around. They left it because of its value to wildlife. Now WestFor wants to take it,” he said.”
– Protestors camped out at planned harvest site in Annapolis County say cutting “can’t just go on”
ETHAN LYCAN-LANG in the Halifax Examiner, Dec 8, 2021 “Since Friday, a small, rotating group of protestors have been camped out on a small parcel of land in Annapolis County, trying to convince the province to stop a planned cut near Beals Brook. The protestors, who call themselves Forest Protectors, say the land is a wildlife corridor where locals have seen evidence of endangered species. They believe the planned cut is a threat to the habitat of these species and the area’s biodiversity.”
– Day 13 at the Last Hope Wildlife Corridor Encampment: Perry Munro on how Bowater valued this land 14Dec2021
Post on NSFN Dec 14, 2021. “A short video of Perry Munro talking at the Last Hope Wildlife Corridor Encampment earlier today and posted by XR-NS on their Facebook page, says a lot about the place in a few words.”
