Valued Environmental Components Compiled by Marilyn Stanton and Christine Callaghan
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Digby Neck and Islands Valued Environmental Components Compiled by Marilyn Stanton and Christine Callaghan At the scoping session in Sandy Cove, Dr, Fournier said that anyone is free to submit a list of VEC’s. We would like to begin this submission with a poem written by a lifelong summer resident of Sandy Cove. LIST OF VALUED ENVIRONMENTALCOMPONENTS by Judith Morehouse My family, Morehouses, were Loyalists and they fled for their lives from the USA . .Fairfield Judith’s Mountain View Conn...and landed on this empty Neck . 1783 . old foundations are still there to see ravens soaring...from Fundy shore to St Marys I value . .that their souls are in every square inch shore. of rock on this land . The FOG and its silence ... As it rolls up the I value FAR beyond words: Seawall coast and into the cove . .the colours of The nothing to Do-ness. flowers in the grey fog . Peacefulness, The clear sweet smelling air . The Quiet,Spiritual SILENCE . and stillness of the air. NIGHT-time lazy Quiet How sleepy it makes me feel . Looking up at the billions of stars... Some shooting...making wishes. Sight and Sounds of gulls, hawks, eagles and Seeing the lights of planes as they fly on their way to Europe Seeing the light from Grand Manan Island through my window . The Sunsets with the occasional whale spouting as it swims up the shore line silently past Sunset Look-out . .Sitting on the beach watching 7-8 whales playing and splashing . .or a seal poking its head up to look at me curiously Lots of clean safe good WATER, Going for Ice Cream at Royces in Little River Rug Hooking with friends at the “The nothing to-do-ness...” Library. (Bench atop Tommy’s Reach, Little River) 1 Partnership for Sustainable Development of Digby Neck and Islands Society The Annual Library Tea Being with my many cousins I grew up with from all over the world, who return here every summer Blueberries in the fields, and blueberry PIE! year after year – Taking the ferries Being able to walk in from Neck to the woods, or pick Islands with all the Chanterelle “tourists!” mushrooms Sitting on top of MAGNIFICANT Mount Shubal . WONDEROUS And being FAR, FAR, beautiful landscape far from the rat race, Rocks, basalt still Recharging my being. shorelines as seen from a boat... Having fresh fish The most beautiful brought to my door, neck and islands or sitting on the rocky on the shore line and looking sea...anywhere . for miles and feeling We are frightened that the quarry will affect the whales it all and seeing Getting together off the Digby Neck shore nothing but rocks and with friends at The trees and sky and weekly Garden birds and all alone in Party. … . .(In a real Garden ) its quiet and still . .beauty. .. Weddings . .dancing . .together Traditions . Singing in church. such as Knowing that I am here with 8 generations of my Always visiting by the Back door . family. All buried in the churchyard outside . .. .and my children Caring people who take the time to talk to each grew up here and so other . even if they have never met you before . maybe will my .. neighbourliness, grandchildren . one Such as help when the well runs dry from more day . than 2 showers a day! ..and A chance to teach my children that water is a thing it will remain the to be RESPECTED!. and taken care of. .. same . and that teeth can be brushed with 2 teaspoons of .”Roses in water and not 2 buckets! December “ for all who are lucky Sitting with my father aged 98 every summer on enough to know and the porch . come to this Digby and hearing and recording stories about long ago Neck of the Rocks.. life on the Neck, and Islands . Judith Getting together with family and friends. 2 Partnership for Sustainable Development of Digby Neck and Islands Society those sounds. And there are so many more: The We Value… predictable, excited “Oohhhh” from the passengers on a whale-watch cruise a mile offshore, as a huge, We value the bouquets of wildflowers that shiny black back emerges near their vessel. The decorate the tables at community events, and we patter of thousands of herring “boiling” at the value that people will take the time to pick them. surface of the water. Spring peepers in the night. And those who pick them cherish the chance to spend an hour in a This little spit of wildflower meadow. land is so An hour in a narrow, you can wildflower meadow – often hear the what a gift to the ocean when senses! The riotous you’re walking mix of colours – in the woods. vermillion Indian Other times, paint brush, purple there is just the and pink and mauve hush of the and cream-coloured forest, and lupins, white daisies, nothing else. blue harebells, yellow And when “the dandelions, stately winds are blue iris – all in a blowing a gale”, shimmering dance Lupins - just one of the many varieties of wildflowers whipping the against a backdrop of that paint our landscape branches this blue ocean. The way and that, breeze carries on it the sweet scent of pink clover, the sound of its force is awe-inspiring. the delicate fragrances of Queen Anne’s lace and sweet hay. And wild roses. There are no words to We value our communities. That everyone in the describe the perfume of wild rose blended with salt village will look out for your child, and your dog. air. “Breathtaking” would be a paltry attempt. That when we go to Digby on errands, it never crosses our mind to lock our doors. And that In a wildflower meadow in early July, there are before one of us goes to Digby, we’re likely to call tiny, sweet strawberries to stain your fingertips red. our neighbours to ask if they need anything. We In August there are blueberries. And always, the value our volunteers, who give so much in time sound of the seagulls, wheeling above. and effort to keep these little villages functioning. We value that a neighbour will bake for your Sounds are so much a part of this place… The Church bake sale – even though she doesn’t go to whisper of a bird’s wings as it flies overhead – on your Church! And that people flock to fund- a still day, we can hear that here. The muffled raising suppers, whether to help a neighbour with moan of the distant foghorn lulling us to sleep. medical expenses, or to protest an unwanted The lapping – or thundering – of waves reaching quarry. That when you go to a fund-raising supper, shore. Bell buoys, church bells, snow crunching the cost is “free will offering”, and everyone underfoot. A whale blowing – my friend has heard donates generously. We value our meeting places – this through her open kitchen window! Or the the little white churches, the little post offices, the repeated slap of a humpback’s flipper on the water. little general stores – the best places to catch up on The “poof” of a harbour porpoise’s short, quick the latest village news. breaths. The melancholy call of a loon. We value 3 Partnership for Sustainable Development of Digby Neck and Islands Society We value so much about this place and our lives here that trying to make a list threatens to become an endless endeavour. (Good thing there’s a deadline!) Here are some Valued Environmental Components our friends and neighbours have asked us to include: Our lifestyle is the envy of tourists and visitors. They perceive it as slow and peaceful and friendly, far from the rat race. “Traveling down the Digby Neck and Islands is You know your air is clean when you dry your fish and sheets on the an excursion into a different same line! (Tiddville, Digby Neck) state of mind, an uninterrupted rural seaside respite.” polluted by the ballast, dust, noise, lights and contaminated aquifer promised to the residents of Our air is clean. You can hang your wash out and it Digby Neck by this quarry. comes in clean and fresh-smelling; there’s no soot in the air. I value the dream of living in a place which is not controlled by the corporate world. On a clear night, we can see thousands of stars. There is no light pollution here. It’s restful and peaceful and natural and undisturbed here. Life-long residents and seniors see this area as their “world”, where things are good and things are We enjoy the unspoiled beauty of a land not dependable. They are a people of the land and the ravaged by greed. sea. There is no place in this world for tearing down the mountains that they visualize are there to It’s an area secluded from ecological and human protect them from sea surges and storms. disaster. Ownership of the culture - residents have always We have a sense of safety and security. enjoyed and celebrated the very things that ‘make them different’ from other, more ‘progressive’ Digby Neck is like one big family: we might areas. They have always felt they had the choice squabble among ourselves, but we band together to keep things this way – ‘unspoiled’ in their eyes. against outside threats! This project, should it be imposed upon the area, will teach people the futility of the decision making process they believed was inherent in We value our heritage; we consider the area to be a Democracy. ‘classroom and a theatre’ for the next generation to ‘learn the ways of the sea’.