In my last post I wrote about how many of us are finally waking up to the challenges climate change is posing for us right now and in the future. This spring we have seen its effects all across Canada. In the west, Northern Alberta and British Columbia have been hit with wild fires which are devastating their forests and forcing inhabitants to leave their homes. Here in Nova Scotia we can’t believe how far behind we are in our planting. Temperatures below normal, too much moisture, and lack of sun have farmers wringing their hands trying to get their crops to grow and get them to their buyers on time.

I also wrote about the amazing young Greta Thumberg from Sweden and the Extinction Rebellion XR movement born in the UK and am excited and proud to see concerned Nova Scotians adopting their philosophy and tactics as a way to not only educate all of us but to also get our local politicians on board.

After my experience in dealing with the pollution in Chiang Mai, Thailand, I decided to attend some of XR’s  meetings in the nearby town of Bridgetown to find out more about their objectives and how they plan to carry them out.

What I like about this movement is that it’s very much a grassroots organization. Like – minded people wanting to personally do something to ward off the devastating effects of climate change come together to discuss ways to get their message out to everyone in a way that will educate and encourage people to get involved in a peaceful manner. Their aim is to be visible, creative, and persistent, but never violent.

For example, a group of XR followers turned out for the annual Apple Blossom Parade in Kentville dressed in bee costumes with fact sheets in hand to educate those in attendance on how important the bees are in our lives and what we can to do to protect them. Unfortunately, I couldn’t attend this event, but all reports from those I talked to was that our message got out loud and clear. They handed out over 2,000 fact sheets, and it seems that in talking to the parade attendees our bees heard repeatedly how important it is that we do as much as we can to protect them. This is how the XR  organization works. With a little bit of creativity and dedication to the cause, they know we can make a difference by bringing awareness to people in a peaceful manner.

This past Sunday, I made an effort to attend another one of XR’s peaceful protests at an old growth area called the Corbitt-Dalhousie Lake Forest to the west of Bridgetown. This 22 hectare piece of virgin land is wedged in between Lakes Corbitt and Dalhousie surrounded with  crown land that has been clear cut. It’s one of the last bastions of old growth forest in Nova Scotia. We have only 1% of this kind of forest left. It is a nesting place for a reported ten types of song birds. The nearly extinct chimney swift is also living there and generated much excitement as a flock of them flew over us.

We had some passionate and knowledgeable people  who have been watching the situation closely at Corbitt-Dalhousie who took the time to fill us in on what has happened so far.

We learned that XR has been informed by the Department of Natural Resources that their plans are to harvest red spruce and balsam fir trees, only. They are aiming for “service selection”. They have contracted Westfor as the company to carry out the task of cutting down those trees. However, XR has noticed that their huge machines are already mowing down everything in their path as they make roads into the interior of the forest.  It appears they aren’t practising “service selection” at all but clear cutting!

Westfor was scheduled to start harvesting this week but the latest report is now for mid-summer. Our plan was to have a couple of members there on an ongoing basis to erect our banners to prevent their machines from entering. Should we believe this and wait until then or be on guard from now on? Can we trust them to do as they say, or not? These are the questions.

We were also informed that the County of Annapolis had submitted a formal request to the Ministry that the entire 88 hectares of land between Corbitt and Dalhousie Lakes be managed by the county as a climate forest. Unfortunately, I heard that the county’s request was just rejected. Such bad news will mean that we will have to change any tentative plans we had for voicing our concerns. We will need all the help we can get so if there are any good lawyers out there who are committed to preserving our forest, we need you.

Clear cutting has been a contentious issue for some time in this province. Many of us are well aware that our changing climate is putting our forests and the wildlife that live there under great duress. Nova Scotia has been blessed with an abundance of coniferous and hard wood trees which have provided a lucrative living for many over the years. Next to the fishing industry, forestry has been a mainstay for our economy. Unfortunately, our forests have been poorly managed by successive governments who know little about how to manage them. They are good at publishing impressive, scientific papers espousing their plans on what they will do to preserve them but obviously haven’t been practising what they have preached. Clear cutting is their mantra.

Many Nova Scotians are waking up to the fact that we can no longer dismiss what our government is actually doing. We are fed up with accepting their promised actions and failure to deliver them. We are facing a crisis and we want Premier McNeil and Ian Rankin, the minister for Natural Resources, to listen to us and get on board.  We will no longer take  ‘no’ for an answer and will make our presense known until we see the changes needed to save our forests.

Sign at the start of the road into the forest.

Making her point.

Showing off our banners.

The kids are concerned, too.

More creative placards.

GP leader was very inspiring.