Bras d'Or HE LUE ERON TThe Bras B d’Or Stewardship H Society P.O. Box 158, Baddeck, Nova Scotia B0E 1B0 St y ew iet ardship Soc VOLUME 14 JULY 2011 NO. II nce again, it is time for Issue very costly proposed 70 slip marina have caused costly siltation and Onumber 2 of the 2011 Blue facility at the head of East Bay erosion within the Bras d’Or Lakes Heron Newsletter. The Bras d’Or adjacent to the Ben Eoin Golf course. watershed. Stewardship Society is approaching Minimal public discussion has been its 13th full year as a non-profit aired regarding these two projects. membership entity championing As usual, debates do not arise until the responsible stewardship of the people are made aware of the threats NOTICE Bras d’Or Lakes and its watershed. to the environment or concerns over THE ANNUAL GENERAL Just as you think stewardship and personal property surface. More environmental matters are at rest, detailed clarification is a must. MEETING OF THE SOCIETY WILL BE HELD ON items arise that need to be addressed. Fortunately, there have been recent If the Society was not extent, there community meetings that will lead SatURDAY, would be no collective credible voice to hopeful further debate regarding AUGUST 6, 2011 to deal with issues that are brought these two potential projects. However, at 10:00 A.M. to the Society’s attention. one or two meetings are not sufficient MASONIC HALL The two current issues that stand to address the concerns, as much BaDDECK out are a proposed expansion of a information is lacking with regards ALL MEMBERS ARE INVITED rock quarry on the New Harris Road to the long term economic and to attenD AS WELL AS south of the Seal Island Bridge and a environmental repercussions. INTERESTED CITIZENS WHO Weather is still a major concern ARE CONCERNED WITH THE given increased volatility of weather FUTURE STEWARDSHIP OF In This Issue systems that pass over Cape Page Breton. Spring 2011 has been an THE BRAS d’Or LAKES. unpredictable one as low pressure News Items 2,3 systems stalled in the area creating AGM Nova Scotia Naturalists 3 cloud, rainy and windy weather. “Our goal Summer Student Projects 2010: A presentation by Bill Danielson A Review 4 author of “Cape Breton Weather is to Summer Student Located at Watching” at the Society’s AGM Highland Village, Iona 5 in April 2011 provided excellent protect, 2011 Summer Student Profile: Emily information on changing weather MacDonald 5 patterns based on the warming conserve 2011 Summer Student Profile: Elizabeth of the ocean temperatures that MacLellan 5 increases Cape Breton’s vulnerability and Quarries: Must Development Negate The Environment 5 of experiencing storm conditions. The dollar value of damage to land restore the The Highway is a Path of Life: A Clean Running Brook Sustains Life 6 and harbors in Cape Breton from storms in the fall of 2010 was in the Bras d’Or Evolution of Transportation in the Bras d’Or Watershed 6 millions of dollars. Both fisherman and private property owners were Lakes” Letter to Malcolm Gillis 7 storm victims. Excessive rains also www.brasdorstewardshipsociety.org dust, truck traffic and future accretive Lakes as a recreational boating mining rock from the hillside. A destination. A committee has been NEWS ITEMS: meeting was held with the Nova formed to work with Enterprise Cape Scotia Department of Environment. Breton Corporation to embark upon ANNUAL AGM: (See article by Pate Bates) a three year marketing campaign he annual general meeting of that would target both Canadian Tthe Society was held on April 30, and American recreational boating 2011 at St, Michaels Hall in Baddeck. BEN EOIN MARINA: markets. About 25 individuals attended. Both he proposal to construct a 70 the President’s report and that of Tberth marina at the head of the Treasurer were presented. East Bay adjacent to the Ben Eoin BRAS d’OR LAKES William Danielson was the guest Golf Course property is moving FESTIVAL: speaker. His book “Cape Breton ahead. ECBC has been petitioned ork still continues under the Weather Watching” is an excellent for financial assistance by the egis of Enterprise Cape Breton read. Bill resides in South Harbor proponents who also have an interest W Corporation to build a program of after retiring from a professor of in the golf course. The shorefront festivals for the communities on meteorology at the University of property requires rezoning. An the shores of the Bras d’Or Lakes. Hartford in Connecticut. His weather application has been made to the A committee has been selected knowledge is exemplary and his municipality of Cape Breton county to work with ECBC to bring this book a great addition for those for rezoning. Meetings have been program to fruition. ECBC has interested in the details of local held to inform the public about this been concentrating on festival Cape Breton weather phenomena. project. To date little information type promotion to enhance the has been put forward regarding the profile of the Bras d’Or Lakes cost and the long term sustainability as a recreational destination. NOVA SCOTIA of this project. There are concerns Information may be accessed at about the location of this marina NATURALISTS: www.brasdorlakesfestival.com ova Scotia Naturalists held its as excavating and dredging of NAGM at the Gaelic College wetlands are involved. (See Pat from June 3-5, 2011. Society Board Bates’s Letter to Malcolm Gillis, 2010 SUMMER Planner CBRM) member, Dr. J. V. O’Brien, was STUDENT REPORT: instrumental in organizing this ociety board member Lynn very successful gathering. Board CELEBRATE THE member, Tim Lambert, spoke on SBaechler has provided a review the Bras d’Or lakes and its water LAKES: of the work of the two summer students hired in 2010 to carry our shed. Jim O’Brien has provided a summary of the “Celebrate the various projects initiated within detailed summary if the meeting in Lakes” contest is provided in A the Bras d’Or Lakes Watershed. this Newsletter. by Society board member Leah Cumulatively, these project Noble as published in the Victoria introduce students to various issues Standard. This contest asked for as well as build a better knowledge NEW HARRIS artistic and media submissions by base for better understanding of students from schools that were QUARRY: the complexities of the issues that considered to be in the Bras d’Or he Society was informed about require on going attention. Tthe proposed expansion of a rock Lakes watershed. (See Victoria quarry on the New Harris Road. The Standard Reprint) existing quarry is to be increased in 2011 SUMMER size. Residents of the New Harris STUDENTS: Road were not consulted about this BRAS d’OR LAKES expansion. They are concerned MARKETING STUDY: wo students have been about this quarry expansion with Tengaged through the federal regards to environmental issues and ecently, a proposal has been governments ‘Summer Student deleterious Rtabled to create a marketing strategy for promoting the Bras d’Or actions with regards to blasting, ...cont’d on page 3 Page 2 www.brasdorstewardshipsociety.org News Items...cont’d It turned out to be ideal for such AGM Nova Scotia a meeting with accommodation, Employment Program’. Elizabeth Naturalists meals, and all the necessary MacLellan and Emily MacDonald, by J.V. O’Brien, facilities at a remarkably good price. both from Sydney NS, have Society Board Member To top it Gail Montgomery and the been hired to work in partnership rest of College staff did an excellent he Federation of Nova Scotia with the Bras d’Or Stewardship job; they were a credit to the College Naturalists now better known as Society and The Bras d’Or Lakes T and Cape Breton. Biosphere Reserve Committee Nature Nova Scotia (NNS) is, like the Bras d’Or Stewardship Society The week end opened on Friday and the Department of Fisheries. rd (BSS), a legally listed non-profit evening June 3 with a reception A report will follow in the January enhanced by the traditional music 2012 Blue Heron. The Society is corporation and as such has to have by law an Annual General Meeting played by Otis Tomas and Rocky grateful for this opportunity to uses Shore. enthusiastic students to assist in (AGM). On Saturday morning the day projects concerning knowledge However unlike the AGMs of started with a pre-breakfast birder enhancement and stewardship many ‘non-profits’, NNS makes spotting outing lead by Dave Harris. issues. an occasion of their AGM. It is a two day plus week-end with legally After breakfast the day started required business meeting taking with four in-house presentations NATURAL HISTORY up only a few hours of one day. The starting with Don Anderson’s on CB rest is spent on biologically relevant Dragon Flies. This was followed SERIES: indoor presentations and out door by Fenton Isenor on CB’s geology, series of evening talks on natural field trips etc. James Bridgland on the Highland’s National Park and last but not least history of the area will be held Since it is a federated group its A Bruce Hatcher the Bras d’Or Lakes. at the Bras d’Or lakes Interpretive AGMs are held in different locations Center staring on June 22, 2011. each year and sometimes in In the afternoon there were field Two more talks with be given on association with other groups and trips to Uisge Bann Falls lead July 27, 2011 and August 22, 2011. ‘non-profits’. Last year’s (2010) by botanist Sharon Sneddon, to The talks are open to the public and NNS AGM in Sherbrooke was held Meadow Rd.