Sunday (28th), Heather and I attended two meetings.
First, it was the Save Our Old-growth Forest (SOOF) meeting at the Bridgetown Legion (see also previous posts Saving Forests, Twice To Annapolis Royal, and A Day in the Life). The Arlington Forest Preservation Society provided an update for the community. Nina Newington gave an update on their work on South Mountain between Highway #10 and Highway #8, and included a proposal to protect some rare lichen habitat.
Later, Heather and I met with John Wightman. John was interested in the status of lichens in the region and their relationship to his mineral exploration activity. Heather came with a selection of authoritative lichen texts (check out previous post The Bookshelf, and also listen to Montana Public Radio’s Whether Lichens Coceal or Reveal Depends on What You’re Looking For).
At the end of the day, we were both exhausted; trying to understand the position of the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables.
It left me with two simple questions. However, before I pose the questions, overnight there was time for reflection. In the mid-70’s we were in Ottawa. I was working at the National Herbarium. I produced a publication on the Rare Plants of Nova Scotia. Besides helping to raise two boys, I was surrounded at work by taxonomists: lichens (Irwin Brodo), mosses (Bob Ireland) willows (George Argus). For the publication, we worked with Paul Keddy and David White.
Here are my two questions:
- Given that the streams of South Mountain flow into the Annapolis Valley, why are we spraying glyphosate on the forests in the region? It impacts the water supply and the forest ecology.
- Given the presence of old-growth forest on South Mountain, why can we not map these forest stands and ensure that they are part of the ecosystem complex into the future?
These lands could be the basis of a provincial commitment to conserve a percentage of crown land from forest activity (see previous post What is Truth?).
It is hard for Heather and myself with our botanical and geographic interests to simply sit back and watch the squabbling in our own backyard. Can we not take a more collaborative approach to answering these two simple questions, based on good science?
Reference
Robert Maher, David White, George Argus and Paul Keddy, 1977, The Rare Vascular Plants of Nova Scotia, Syllogeus 18, Published by the National Museum, Ottawa.