Thursday, October 31, 2013

NOVA SCOTIA- check out all the cool environment stuff going on in our communities- gittin r done- Annapolis Valley Regional Library- tutoring on line/WE DAY 4 r Youth Nov 27- From Martin Sheen, Martin Luther King III, Classified- Free the Children- come visit Nova Scotia baby



 HAPPY HALLOWEEN CANADA- 





SOCHI, SOCHI.... O Canada- here we come - Sochi Winter Olympics-Paralympics 2014 in the inchanting old as time Russia Baby untitled



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From Magic 97 AVR- Country Music- 






Annapolis Valley Regional Library sets up homework helpline

By MNN. Last updated: 2013-10-31 05:44:21

A new live online homework help service offered by Annapolis Valley Regional Library is proving to be a hit with students.

It's powered by tutor.com, and will be available for anyone with a library card between the hours of 3:00PM to midnight 7 days a week.

The service is designed to help students in grade school up to Grade 12 in subjects such as math, science, English, social studies, and writing, but also provides resources for college students, adult education students, even job-related services such as resume help and career resources.

95% of students who have used the service say it has helped them complete their assignments and improve their grades.

The service goes online Friday at tutor.com, and a launch party will take place next Wednesday, November 6 at the Kentville Library between 3:00 and 5:00PM.







Tutor.com Launch Party

Kentville

    

3-5 PM

Stop by after school and find out all about Tutor.com, our new LIVE online Homework Help! We'll even have some snacks for you to nibble on while you check it out! 

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

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R KIDS MATTER-






MAKING A MARK


Education Reporter Frances Willick ’s weekly roundup of noteworthy achievements of students and their teachers around Nova Scotia. Have a story about your school that you'd like to share? Contact schools@herald.ca.

Young people will be front and centre at We Day in Halifax-Nov 27-
Martin Sheen, Martin Luther King III, Classified, Kardinal Offishall, Michaelle Jean, the Kenyan Boys Choir and many others.


On Nov. 27, about 8,000 wide­eyed, hyped-up young people will crowd into the Metro Centre in downtown Halifax for a star­studded celebration — of them­selves.

The first We Day in Atlantic Canada will bring together stu­dents from across the region to honour the s o cial justice and charitable work the youth have b een doing in their communities and to inspire them to continu e their effor ts.

The event is organized by Free the Children, a charity founded by children’s rights activists Craig and Marc Kielburger. It will fea­ture the likes of Martin Sheen, Martin Luther King III, Classified, Kardinal Offishall, Michaelle Jean, the Kenyan Boys Choir and many others.

Somewhere in the crowd will be Emma Cru ddas.

The Dalhousie University social sciences student from Dartmouth is part of a theatre group called Project ARC (Action, Responsibil­ity, Choice) that has toured ele­mentary schools and junior highs in the municipality for the past year and a half. Many of the 13 cast members are home-schooled.

The P roject ARC show aims to teach kids about human rights and the importance of empathy and hop e.

“We talk a lot about how we can’t necessarily change how other people are going to treat us, but we can have complete control over how we react and how we behave in our own lives," she said.

Cruddas’s mother, Janice, helps co-ordinate the group. She said the response to the play is “phe­nomenal."

“They got a standing ovation by Grade 6s last year. They’ve had teachers in tears," she said.

“To watch these kids in action is just so amazing. And they really care. They really do care about what they’re talking about."

Members of the group, includ­ing Cruddas, have also organized two rock-a-thons that raised about $4,700 for Supportive Housing for Young Mothers and organized food drives for their local food banks.

Proceeds from Project ARC shows are donated to Free the Children, Hope for Wildlife, Right to Play and Feed Nova Scotia.

Cruddas, who has been in­volved with Free the Children for several years, said she’s very excited to attend We Day.

“It’s great to see that individu­als are being celebrated for posit­ive things in the world," she said.

“It’s so often that we hear about youth doing negative things. But it’s great to see that people are being celebrated for reaching out with empathy and making positive change in the world."





CLASSIFIED- INNERNINJA





CLASSIFIED- 3 FOOT TALL



Classified - 3 Foot Tall


comment:
thts wut i feel lik when im being bullied in real life :(







LINKS ON BULLYING AND CHILD ABUSE- (Mind Rape/Physical Torture/Sexual Assault)
FOR KIDS- TWEENS-TEENS-YOUNGBLOODS- But perhaps most of all….. each and every Canadain Adult- we must take more responsibility and be more vigilant:

To learn more about bullying and if u r being abused- check out:















RespectED: Violence & Abuse Prevention








If you are a victim of bullying, call The Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868.




Aaron posted on facebook


The Girl you just called fat? She has been starving herself & has lost over 30lbs.

The Boy you just called stupid? He has a learning disability & studies over 4hrs a night.

 The Girl you just called ugly? She spends hours putting makeup on hoping people will like her.

 The Boy you just tripped? He’s abused enough at home. There’s a lot more to people than you think.


Put this as your status if you’re against bullying!


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Goodbye, Berwick 'nail trail'

Nancy KellyPublished on October 30, 2013

By Nancy Kelly nkelly@kingscountynews.ca

KingsCountyNews.ca

Berwick’s multi-use trail is getting a bit of a sprucing up.

The town’s new community development director, Julie Glaser, said efforts are underway to make the 2.2-kilometre trail more user-friendly.

“It’s a very valuable asset to the town and we need to invest in maintaining and upgrading it,” added Glaser, who has been working with the Annapolis Valley Trails Coalition to identify and plan for future improvements. The trail group is currently in the midst of a mapping project and creating a work plan. Trail resurfacing and improvements to signage are among activities now being done by town public works employees.

Glaser’s goal is to complete improvements that will ultimately make it easier for people to access the trails, as well as local businesses and services located nearby.

The trail issue was raised at the most recent recreation advisory committee meeting, she said, as was the need to end the “nail trail” legacy that has dogged the former rail bed trail since it was surfaced with ground roof shingles. Nails from the recycled materials are still being collected, five years later.

“The committee said we have to put an end to the nail trail,” Glaser said, pointing out the new surface, consisting of crusher dust and gravel, should remediate the issue. It will also create a surface more suitable for walking, cycling and for people pushing strollers and wheelchairs.

“Active transportation means a whole range of activities, not just walking. The trail needs to accommodate that.”

Glaser said the trail has not only has recreational value but economic value as well. She said trail counts indicate it is well used – over the summer months up to 90 people were accessing the trail on a daily basis.

“The trail is popular and people come from a long way to use it and its connectors and they know Berwick is open for business. We need to be able to sell it as an attraction better and make it easy for trail users to access all the town has to offer,” she added. 




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AMAZING.... ACTUALLY MONITORING FISH FARMS....Nova Scotia





Shelburne may get a new lab

By MNN. Last updated: 2013-10-31 05:41:23

The Nova Scotia government is considering whether to construct a 2.8-million-dollar secure laboratory in Shelburne.

The lab would be used to monitor aquaculture sites.

Fisheries Minister Keith Colwell confirmed that the newly elected Liberal government is reviewing the idea.

However, he says building a new, bio-secure lab in Shelburne would be the most expensive option among three proposals aimed at increasing aquaculture monitoring.






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Valley Waste celebrates creative reuse of refuse



Published on October 30, 2013

Janette MacDuff’s stained glass mosaics made from recycled material won the People’s Choice award at the Valley Waste re-used material exhibit. All the materials, including the glass and grinder, were purchased at Valley Waste’s Last Re-Sort re-use centre.

John DeCoste - kingscountynews.ca

By John DeCoste

jdecoste@kingscountynews.ca


It can boggle the mind the wonderful creations some people can come up with from things others throw away.

Andrew Garrett, communications manager for Valley Waste Resource Management, knows that first-hand after organizing an exhibit of refurbished and repurposed items purchased at Valley Waste’s Last Re-Sort centre.

The centre opened in August of 2012 in the Valley Waste administration building in the Annapolis Valley Regional Industrial Park, to provide a retail outlet for some of the better items turned in for recycling. Business has been fairly brisk ever since.

“Over the course of the year, our customers have been telling us about some of the things they’ve done with items they’ve purchased at the centre,” Garrett said Oct.  19.

“We decided to have an exhibit to show off some of their creations and also spread the word about what it’s possible to create from reused material.”

The exhibit featured two categories: refurbished, for items, including furniture, which had been cleaned up or refinished; and repurposed, for items made from recycled material or given a different use than originally intended. Garrett described the latter as “upcycling: adding value to recycled material.”

Visitors to the exhibit were also given the opportunity to vote for a People’s Choice award among the 35 entries. Garrett said the quantity and quality of entries is “inspiring to us.

“These are our customers,” he said, “and the items are all made from recycled or re-used materials bought (here.) It really shows you the amount of creativity and ingenuity there is out there.”

Valley Waste chairman Mark Pearl, board member Jane Bustin and Valley Waste Manager of policy and planning Brian VanRooyen served as judges.

Pearl described the entries as “a super effort by everyone. They’re all winners.”

In the refurbished category, first place went to a cedar chest by Blair Brown. A floor lamp by Brian Graves took second place, and third went to a Shaker chair by Michael Robinson.

In the repurposed category, first place went to a glass totem by Ann Cornwall. A stained glass display by Janette MacDuff took second,and third went to “Jesse’s Place” -  a child’s playhouse by Barb Thompson completely from recycled material.

In the People’s Choice category, MacDuff’s stained glass took first place, second went to Brown’s bulrushes crafted from scrap metal, and third to Jesse’s Place.

MacDuff said all the materials in her stained glass display, “including the glass and the grinder for cutting it,” were purchased at the reuse centre. She added the scenes depicted “are actual places from our family’s history.

“I’ve been doing this for about a year,” said MacDuff, who works at Northeast Kings Education Centre. “The big one took me pretty much my whole summer off.”

Asked about his inspiration, Blair Brown, who works with scrap and recycled metal, said he wasn’t sure.

“I just see things in steel, and what they might become.”

Garrett was very pleased the event.

 “This was our first year,” he said, “but given the great response, we’re planning now to make it an annual event.”

 






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New Canada Post stamp series will feature Africville


October 31, 2013 - 11:58am BY SHERRI BORDEN COLLEY STAFF REPORTER

Africville, a historic black settlement in Halifax, will be featured on a stamp in Canada Post’s 2014 black history series.

Canada Post announced Thursday that the series will recognize Africville and Hogan’s Alley, a Vancouver neighbourhood with significant links to black history. The stamps' images will be revealed in January 2014.

The City of Halifax dismantled Africville, one of Nova Scotia’s oldest black communities, and evicted residents in the 1960s in the name of urban renewal.

During Africville's existence, the city neglected the community, failing to provide water or sewer services even though residents paid property taxes like everyone else. The edges of the community were also home to a garbage dump, a fertilizer plant and an infectious diseases hospital.

Africville's location, in the city's north end along the shore of Bedford Basin, is now a national heritage site.

In 2010, Halifax Regional Municipality announced a multi-million settlement, which included a formal apology, that covered reparations for former residents of the defunct neighbourhood and their descendants. No personal compensation was given.

(sborden@herald.ca)




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KENTVILLE RAIL TRAILS-  the view



If you’re in the area, check out some of Kentville's Rail Trail- check out the view- come take a walk with nature... feed the ducks, the wildlife, the dykes come visit Nova Scotia 021-2



Postcard: Kentville, NS Rail Trail

 

It was simply too beautiful outside to spend Good Friday inside. I’m home visiting my parents in Kings County, Nova Scotia, our province’s agricultural heartland and my family’s home going back hundreds and hundreds of years.

After dropping my mother off at church, I headed out for a short walk on one of Kentville’s trails. Like a lot of communities, the Town of Kentville has taken advantage of abandoned rail lines and converted them to multi-use trails for the community.

A lovely day for a walk along the red banks of the Cornwallis River:





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 Nova Scotia's Mi'kmaq Peoples- 10,000 years

Keji earns national conservation honour


The Canadian Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Network (CARCNET) has designated Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site an Important Amphibian and Reptile Area (IMPARA).   The IMPARA designation program is a major conservation initiative of CARCNET, with the objective of raising awareness and stewardship of the sites and species.




Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic site is the first area in Atlantic Canada to receive the Important Amphibian and Reptile Area designation, and they received it because of their high diversity of amphibians and reptiles. Pictured are Dr. Stephen Mockford from Acadia University and Eric LeBel, Superintendent, Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site and some of the volunteers at the park.






Kejimkujik is the first IMPARA site designated in Atlantic Canada, and only the sixth designation in Canada to date. Kejimkujik received this designation because of its high diversity of amphibians and reptiles (the most diversity east of Ontario) as well as the contribution to recovery and conservation that Kejimkujik continues to make to Blanding’s Turtle, Eastern Ribbonsnake and other amphibians and reptiles.

“Kejimkujik is being recognized by this IMPARA designation, not only because it is home to most of Nova Scotia’s amphibian and reptile species, but because of its commitment to the conservation and care for these species. This conservation work does not only take place within the park itself, but extends beyond its boundaries through Keji’s public engagement program, participation on recovery teams and collaborations with organizations like the Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute,” said Steve Mockford, CARCNET chair.

Parks Canada is committed to the conservation and recovery of species and ecosystems, including species at risk like the Blanding’s Turtle and Eastern Ribbonsnake. Parks Canada has worked toward recovery of these and other species, with partners from more than 20 years.

The work at Kejimkujik has helped develop a large volunteer program in the area, where visitors and local residents contribute to species conservation each year. This program is led by Parks Canada and partners like MTRI, and involves more than 350 people annually.

“We are very excited and honoured to receive this designation. It is another reason why Kejimkujik is so special. This recognition would not have been possible without the great efforts of our staff, partners and volunteers, who contribute countless hours to species recovery each year”, said Eric LeBel, Superintendent, Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site.

The conservation work continues this year at Keji. To learn more about volunteer opportunities such as protecting turtle nests, surveying for piping plover, monitoring water quality and helping restore the coastal estuary, visit www.parkscanada.gc.ca/keji-volunteer. To learn more about the Canadian Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Network and the IMPARA designation, visit www.carcnet.ca.



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CANADA
Fish processors cheer new EU trade deal


Updated on October 26, 2013 - By Belle Hatfield The VANGUARD Fish processors throughout southwestern Nova Scotia are applauding a Canadian trade deal reached...






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Tourism group gets go-ahead to recognize the region’s sky as tourist draw


Updated on October 24, 2013 - The UNESCO-supported Starlight Foundation has officially given the green light to an application from La Société Touristique Bon...



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Windsor commits to not processing fracking wastewater


October 30, 2013 - There will be hoops to jump through if anyone hopes to have fracking wastewater disposed of through the Town of Windsor’s wastewater treatment facility again in the future..


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Coffee cup display showcases importance of recycling


Updated on October 30, 2013 - When it comes to reducing waste, switching from disposable coffee cups to reusable travel mugs can work wonders..





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Yarmouth Town receives environmental award in national competition

Anonyme Published on October 29, 2013






Published on October 29, 2013


The Town of Yarmouth has received a national Environmental Action award in the Communities in Bloom competition. It also received special mention/recognition for the Lost to the Sea Memorial.



The Town of Yarmouth continues to shine in the national Communities in Bloom (CIB) competition. This year it was awarded the Canadian Nursery and Landscape Association Environmental Action award, in addition to receiving the maximum rating of five blooms.


The award was presented in Ottawa recently.

The Town of Yarmouth was selected by the jury in regards to its multiple initiatives demonstrating its commitment to the environment. These include wastewater treatments, the development of forest management plans, utilizing compost for reclamation for the landfill closure project, annual curbside Christmas tree chipping along with green policies and a monthly special waste collection for metal recycling and wood items.

“Yarmouth's environmental actions are a true demonstration of providing solutions to our environmental challenges,” said CIB founding chairman. Raymond Carrière added.

Mayor Pam Mood was pleased to hear the news.

"I am absolutely elated to hear the Town of Yarmouth had won this national award.  The committee's hard work and commitment to our community gives us all one more reason to take pride in this place we're so fortunate to call home. This is what community is all about,” she said.

This is the second national award the town has won in the past three years. In 2010, it won the National Heritage Conservation Award.

“These awards are not the efforts of a few people, but of our entire community,” said Communities in Bloom chair, Ken Langille.

“We have an excellent committee that works very hard to show to our province and Canada what Yarmouth is all about … a community that pulls together and demonstrates incredible pride in all facets of our town.”

Yarmouth received five blooms in the 5,001-10,000 population category, which also the Municipality of Southwest Middlesex, ON (5); Town of Amherst, NS (4); Town of Bay Roberts, NL (4); City of Humboldt, SK (5); and Town of Vegreville, AB competing. (4); Town of Yarmouth (5).

The Town of Yarmouth also received special mention/recognition for the Lost to the Sea Memorial.









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Meetings set to deal with recreational fishing

Published on October 31, 2013

        


Nova Scotians  are being invited to take part in consultations about recreational fishing. (The one for the Yarmouth area is set for Wednesday, Nov. 13,  in Cornwallis.)

The Recreational Fishing Advisory Council meetings are held annually by the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture to share sportfishing information, research and promote discussion.

"The sportfishing industry is valued at $58 million and attracted 70,000 licensed anglers in 2012," said Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Keith Colwell in a media release.

Feedback from past meetings brought regulations to help eliminate the spread of invasive species.

There will be six Recreational Fishing Advisory Council meetings throughout the province, from Nov. 5 to 14.

 Following is a list of Recreational Fishing Advisory Council meetings, which will take place from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

 Tuesday, Nov. 5

Area 6 - Northern (Cumberland and Colchester Counties)

Oxford Regional Education Centre, Cafetorium, 249 Lower Main St. Oxford.



Wednesday, Nov. 6

Wagmatook Area 1 - Cape Breton (Cape Breton, Inverness, Victoria and Richmond counties)

Wagmatook Culture and Heritage Centre, Great Room, 10765 Hwy 105



Thursday, Nov. 7

Area 2 - Eastern Northern (Antigonish, Pictou, and Guyborough counties)

The Claymore Inn and Suites, Cameron Room, 137 Church St., Antigonish

Wednesday, Nov. 12

Area 5 - Western (Annapolis, Kings and Hants counties)

Old Orchard Inn, Salon C, Exit 11, Hwy 101, 153 Greenwich Rd., Wolfville

 Wednesday, Nov. 13

Area 4 - Southern (Yarmouth, Digby Shelburne, and Queens counties)

Annapolis Basin Conference Centre, Cornwallis Room, 761 Broadway Ave., Cornwallis Park 

 Thursday, Nov. 14

Area 3 - Central (Halifax and Lunenburg counties)

Park Place Hotel and Conference Centre, Akerley Room, 240 Brownlow Ave., Dartmouth

More information on angling and meeting dates can be found at http://novascotia.ca/fish/programs-and-services/industry-support-services/inland-fisheries/ or by calling 902-485-5056.



 





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INCREDIBLE... INCREDIBLE.... ACTUALLY SETTING UP GUIDELINES 2 STUDY FISH FARMS... AND DOING AUTHENTIC STUDIES....  this is awesome-  fish farms = sea lice  killing our environment in Nova Scotia...



Province mulls laborator y to monitor farmed fish


Possible Shelbur ne facility would track aquaculture industr y



THE CANADIAN PRESS

The Nova Scotia government is considering constru ction of a $2.8-million secure laboratory in Shelburne, where a veterinarian would monitor the health of fish raised in aquaculture sites along the southwest coast.

The prop osal is contained in do cuments obtained by The Ca­nadian Press under freedom of information laws.

Fisheries Minister Keith Colwell confirmed Wednesday that the province’s newly elected Liberal government is reviewing the idea.

However, he said building a new, bio-secure lab would be the most exp ensive option among three proposals aimed at increas­ing monitoring of the aquaculture industry.

“If we decide to go with a new building it’ll be down the road a little bit," he said. “We’ve got to review that. We’re taking things slowly and making sure we get the best impact for the dollars we invest."

The proposal was first floated internally last year when the former NDP government was in the process of relocating 34 Fish­eries and Aquacu lture staff in Halifax to more rural locations, including Shelburne.

“We’re going to look at con­struction of a new building again, but the other options on the table are far less expensive," Colwell said in an interview.

He said the province has the option of sticking with the status quo, which means most of the lab work needed to monitor Nova Scotia’s aquaculture sites would continue to be handled at govern­ment facilities in Truro.

“If it works very well, we’ll maintain what we have," the minister said.

The third option on the table is building or leasing a facility in Shelburne that would include a sample preparation room, which wou ld transfer its samples to Truro and elsewhere for analysis.

The documents say that even though building a new lab in Shelburne would be expensive, such a facility would better serve the growing aquaculture industry.

“(Having) fish veterinarian capacity in Southwest Nova and in Truro (would) provide provincial coverage," says a discussion paper prepared in November 2012.

As well, samples taken from sites in the region would be less likely to be “compromised" if they could be taken to a local lab rather than shipped to Truro or outside the province to the Re­search Productivity Council in New Brunswick and the Atlantic Veterinary College in P.E.I.

The proposed lab in Shelburne would be rated as a Level-2 site, which means it would be better equipp ed to contain in fectious diseases, such as infectious sal­mon anemia, the documents say.

The lab in Truro is a less-secure Level-1 facility.

“Today’s standard for fish health labs is Level 2," the docu­ments say. “This increased stand­ard reflects the increased level of risk related to the spread of infec­tious diseases within fish popula­tions."

A new lab would also help the province better cope with its updated aquaculture program that requires an increased number of inspections, the documents say.

But the discussion paper offers a blunt assessment of the cost of such a facility.

“(The) high-cost option will attract negative attention," it says.

Colwell said the $2-million plan to relocate Fisheries and Aquacul­ture staff — part of a larger reloca­tion program introduced by the NDP — has yet to be completed but appears to be within its origin­al budget.

He said of the 34 staff asked to relocate, only four actually moved — two to Cornwallis and two to Shelburne. So far, all but five of the positions have been filled at the two locations, with most of the new workers coming from nearby communities.

“I’m very pleased with the staff so far, the ones that have moved and the ones that have taken up new p ositions," Colwell said.

In Opposition, the Liberals supported decentralization, but Colwell said it was done in to o much haste.

“We’re going to be reviewing it all, but we have no intentions of making any sudden moves."


photo
Fisheries Minister Keith Colwell said building a new laborator y would be the most expensive option among proposals to increase monitoring of the aquaculture industr y. INGRID BULMER • Staff


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soooo awesome...






GREAT WHITE SHARK LYDIA






Great whites frequent visitors to northern waters

October 31, 2013 - 6:36am By CLARE MELLOR Staff Reporter

Tags help researchers track sharks


It’s known that great white sharks visit Atlantic Canadian waters but satellite tracking technology sug­gests those visits are more preval­ent than previously thought, says shark expert Steven Campana.

Lydia, a 4.4-metre, 1,000-kilogram great white, was tagged in March off Florida by American researchers. She was detected a couple of days ago close to Marystown, N.L., which is located on the southern coast of the Burin Peninsula.

“She cruised along, very close to shore for a couple of days," Campana , head o f the Canadian Shark Research Laboratory at the Bedford Institute o f Oceano­graphy, said Wednesday.

Another six great whites, being tracked as par t of another U.S. study, were also detected in wa­ters off Nova Scotia this summer.

“That means seven, tagged, great whites have been in our waters this year alone, “ he said. “It suggests that probably there is a whole lot more than we realize (out there) . . . that we’ll never hear about because they are not tagged."

Various types of satellite tags exist. Lydia has a “spot tag" that transmits her lo cation to a satel­lite whenever her dorsal fin sticks out of the water.

Those detected off Nova Scotia had “acoustic" tags — small sound-emitting devices — at­tached to them , Campana said.

Ocearch is a non-profit group based in the United States that facilitates research on great whites. It is the organization that tagged and is tracking Lydia. It posted a notice on its Facebook site informing Marystown resid­ents about the presence of the great white.

Lydia now appears to be head­ing s outh .

“She is probably about 50 kilo­metres south of Newfoundland right now, so still relatively close and well within Canadian waters but still heading south," Campana said.

Satellite tagging technology has been used in other parts of the world on great whites, however, the tags have only recently been used on them in the Atlantic, Campana said.

“We knew ( great whites) could swim a long way and we susp ec­ted that they would be swimming a long ways in the Atlantic, but without actually having any in­formation, you don’t know where they are going to go," he said.

“What this has done is showed that these great whites are actu­ally coming up mu ch more to Canadian waters than we suspec­ted. We’ve always known that they do come up here but thought that they were very rare occur­rences."

Satellite tags have been used for some time on other shark species in the Atlantic and there is evid­ence of many different kinds of sharks in this region, Campana said.

“The ballpark estimate I put out is 200 to 300 million sharks in the summer off the Maritimes," he said.

“Before you give up swimming forever in the ocean, the vast majority of those are small, spiny dogfish , which is the most com­mon shark in the world, actually.

“Nevertheless, we probably have in the order of one million large sharks in our waters in a typical summer."

The main three would include blue sharks, porbeagle and mako.

The Ocearch website indicates Lydia has travelled more than 16,000 kilometres north since March.

She’s probably been searching for food such as seals, Campana said.

“It has been a very circuitous route. It is definitely not a straight line. She has been doing lots of lo ops and jags and twists and turns along the way. ...Ithas only been in the last couple of weeks (that) she has been in Ca­nadian waters.

“She was o ff the continental shelf when she went by Nova Scotia. I was looking at the satel­lite imagery that shows the ocean temperatures and it appears that Lydia was following the edge of this gulf stream, which is this warm water current coming up from the Caribbean."

A lot of species of shark are in trouble. Great white shark popula­tions have declined by about 90 p er cent during the last 30 to 40 years, Campana said.

Something about great whites always captures people’s atten­tion , he said.

“It’s so charismatic. It sort of falls in the same category, I think, as dinosaurs. It is s omething that just tends to fascinate people."

That means seven, tagged, great whites have been in our waters this year alone.

Steven Campana Shark exper t


photo

_ NOVA SCOTIA- A chart shows the movements of Lydia, a 4.4-metre great white shark.







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A barge with concrete reef balls sits off Black Rock Beach in Point Pleasant Park on Tuesday. The reef balls will become part of an ar tificial reef for a salt-water restoration project in Halifax Harbour Image_0
Irving sinks $200,000 into harbour 


Restoration is compensation for infilling to create shipbuilding facility, firm says



DAVENE JEFFREY STAFF REPORTER

djeffrey@herald.ca @CH_davene

A hundred large pieces of con­crete are being dropped this week into Halifax Harbour, just off Point Pleasant Park’s Black Rock Beach .

R ather than harming the seabed and the underwater creatures in the area, the oddly shap ed balls are designed to im­prove marine habitat. It’s a $200,000 project funded by Irving Shipbuilding to make good for infilling in another part of the harbour.

“We need to repatriate a por­tion of the harbour," Irving Ship­building president Kevin McCoy said during a harbour-side news conference Tuesday.

“This is offset for our land-level transfer facility, where we are going to build both the Arctic operation patrol ship and the Canadian surface combatant.

“It is part of our commitment for the shipbuilding program."

Irving is working on a $300-million expansion of its Halifax operation as it prepares to build warships and patrol vessels for Canada’s navy.

“Right around the end of 2015, we plan to b e cutting steel on the first ships," McCoy said.

Infilling for the transfer facility star ted this week, McCoy said.

While Irving is supplying the cash, the project is part of Clean Nova Scotia’s new Atlantic reef ball program to create artificial reefs around Nova Scotia’s coast.

Clean Nova Scotia executive director Chris Morrissey said he anticipates several announce­ments next spring and summer as his organization partners with other business es.

Tuesday morning, a large crane on a Dominion Diving barge slowly lowered the concrete balls into the harbour.

Two types of balls are being used — one that looks like a dome covered with Swiss cheese-like holes and one that looks like a sloppily piped cone of frosting. Each is about a metre in diameter.

The balls are being placed at a depth of about five metres, shal­low enough so sunlight can filter down and marine life can grow on the rough-surfaced balls, Morriss ey said.

About eight years ago, scientists with the Bedford Institute o f Oceanography were experiment­ing with reef balls in Halifax Har­bour. A few are located just off McNabs Island, not far from where the new ones are being placed.

BIO also created a small artifi­cial reef from balls at Paddys Head in St. Margarets Bay, a pop­ular diving spot.

At the time, BIO was studying whether lobsters would grow and thrive in reef balls, but it turns out the tasty crustaceans didn’t like the concrete structures.

“It didn’t work out for lobsters," retired BIO marine biologist Glyn Shar p said in an interview.

“They need customized shapes for their size."

However, other forms of marine life were thriving .

Artificial reefs are also used in areas where coral reefs have been destroyed, Sharp said.

According to Clean Nova Sco­tia, the balls that resemble frost­ing are designed to attract species like lobster.

And the organization insists the reef balls are good for growing more than just marine life.

“It’s creating that green eco­nomy that we’ve been talking about," Morrissey said.

The balls are made by Domin­ion Diving of Dartmouth. Clean Nova Scotia has bought the moulds and is the only organiza­tion in Atlantic Canada that can produce “certified reef balls," said Morrissey.




photo

A barge with concrete reef balls sits off Black Rock Beach in Point Pleasant Park on Tuesday. The reef balls will become part of an ar tificial reef for a salt-water restoration project in Halifax Harbour. ERIC WYNNE • Staff

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Grits eye plan for shipwreck

Tender expected for removal of MV Miner from island off C.B. after two years




DAVID JACKSON

PROVINCIAL REPORTER

djackson@herald.ca @CH_DavidJackson

The Nova Scotia government will soon take another crack at getting a two-year-old shipwreck off a protected wilderness area, and it will ask Ottawa to help pay for it.

Transportation and Infrastruc­ture Renewal Minister Geoff MacLellan said Wednesday that he expects a request for proposals to remove the MV Miner from an island off Cape Breton will be out early in the new year.

“The tender will give us an idea, obviously, of the detail of the project and how the entire project would unfold, and I think that would give us a better sense of where the federal government can help out," MacLellan said.

The MV Miner, a 230-metre Great Lakes freighter, was being towed to a scrapyard in Turkey in September 2011, but rough seas snapp ed a tow line to an o cean­going tugboat and the ship groun­ded on provincially protected Scatarie Island.

The wreck has been battered by the elements since then . Benning­ton Group of New York was hired last year by the vessel’s owner, Arvina Navigation SA of Turkey, to salvage the vessel but aban­doned the project . Bennington had trouble complying with pro­vincial safety rules and walked away last fall when the province refused its demands to cover $300,000 to $400,000 in ex­p ens es.

The former NDP government was able to get little action from the federal government on the matter. Former premier Darrell Dexter had argued Ottawa had created the problem because it was responsible for lax regula­tions governing the towing of ships through Canadian waters.

But Denis Lebel, the former transport minister, said back in October 2011 that the department had “fulfilled our duties" on the MV Miner file.

MacLellan said he’s hoping for a different response from Trans­port Minister Lisa Raitt, a Whit­ney Pier native who got the job in July.

“I think that this entire relation­ship respecting the MV Miner has been one that was placing blame," he said.

“At this point, we’re now two­plus years into the MV Miner being wrecked off the coast of Scatarie.

“We’re going to take responsi­bility for leading the way in terms of removing the Miner. And again, we want the federal government to be our partner. I don’t think that approach has really been offered to the federal government before, and we’re hoping that with a fresh look, fresh numbers, with a fresh idea of what it’s going to cost, then we can have a reset."

Past cost estimates to remove the wreck have ranged up to $25 million.

Raitt could not be reached for comment Wednesday. She was in Sydney two weeks ago but wouldn’t comment on the provin­cial Liberals’ plan to clear the wreck and expect Ottawa to help pay. She said in August that a decision on the MV Miner wou ld b e made in the coming months.

Residents in Main-a-Dieu and other communities have called for the wreck’s removal since it grounded, amid concerns over the potential impact on lucrative fishing grounds.

Sean Howard, an executive committee memb er with the Main-a-Dieu Community Devel­opment Association, said in a government news release that he was “relieved and encouraged" by the new government’s plan.

Premier Stephen McNeil and Progressive Conservative Leader Jamie Baillie both said in the election campaign that they would make removing the wreck a priority. They said the province would ensure that happened, then send Ottawa part of the bill.

Dexter said during the cam­paign that it wasn’t that simple, and under marine law, the salvage had to proceed through the owner of the wreck.

MacLellan said the province will get legal advice on its removal plan .



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St. F.X. powers up green plan


MICHAEL GORMAN TRURO BUREAU

mgor man@herald.ca @CH_mgor man

Decreased energy consumption is producing increased economic savings and smaller carbon foot­prints at St. Francis Xavier Uni­versity.

The Antigonish institution is working toward the goal of being one of the greenest universities in Canada. Its efforts have resulted in energy savings that are the equivalent of taking 396 cars off the road for a year, school officials say.

“It’s about $300,000 (in sav­ings) a year," said Leon MacLel­lan, chairman of the school’s sustainability committee and director of facilities management.

“We’ve probably spent about $1.9 million in the last year or so (on efficiency measures)."

The school’s use of 100 per cent recycled paper towel saves about 50,000 kilowatt-hours of energy a year and 95 per cent of that paper towel is composted. There’s been a 30 per cent reduction in food waste and 25 tonnes of grass clippings, leaves and tree branches are converted to com­post each year.

Through a new waste streaming program, which has sorting sta­tions around campus, the school hopes to raise its recycling target to 80 per cent.

In addition, St. F. X. only uses green-friendly cleaning products, including electrostatic water, which converts water into an innovative cleaning solution.

The process requires 70 per cent less water than conventional floor scrubbing methods and it’s also much better for the employ­ees using it, said MacLellan.

Other changes include renovat­ing campus buildings to include LED lighting, geothermal heating and cooling and motion-sensor lighting .





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Parallels between Digby rally, Yarmouth ferry efforts

As the Yarmouth area gets ready for the launch of a new ferry service to Maine, Digby is looking ahead to the 10th edition of its Wharf Rat Rally. Both are scheduled to happen in 2014 and both are important pieces of the tourism picture in southwestern Nova Scotia and beyond, say representatives of the Yarmouth and Acadian Shores Tourism Association and the Wharf Rat Rally Motorcycle Association.



ERIC BOURQUE PHOTO



The Digby rally has become a huge late-summer event that draws thousands of participants and its economic impact is felt well beyond the immediate area where it takes place, says Guy LeBlanc, a member of the rally association’s board.

“It’s in Digby, but the spinoffs are all over the province,” LeBlanc said during a Small Business Week luncheon in Yarmouth.

Julie Walters, YASTA general manager and the day’s other guest speaker, said the rally is a  “fabulous event and it’s great for all southwest Nova,” although she spent the better part of her presentation talking about the ferry situation, saying the community needs to prepare for the new service and telling those attending the Oct. 23 luncheon YASTA is confident the service – despite what they may have heard lately – really is coming.

“Have faith, it’s happening,” she said. “We’ll hopefully see something officially signed within, I don’t know, the next few days, weeks, but it’s coming … We have to get ready.”

Business owners and operators, she said, have to look at, for example, extending their operating hours to accommodate the visitor traffic the new ferry is expected to generate.

Noting that the Yarmouth area hasn’t seen great numbers of tourists in recent years, she said accommodating the visitors everyone hopes the new ship will bring could be a challenge, but she said she knows the area can do it.

LeBlanc too cited the Yarmouth ferry issue, saying rally organizers would like to tap into the eastern American market, which a new Yarmouth ferry connection with New England would help them do.

Among the parallels between the day’s two presentations was the emphasis on getting the community on board.

“The first thing that has to happen,” LeBlanc said, “you have to get the community to buy in.”

Promotion and education are part of the mix too, he said.

The rally reportedly is the biggest multi-day event for motorcycling in Canada, he said, and it has had participants from overseas as well.

The rally has evolved, the organizers having learned from experience what works and what doesn’t, what to change and what to leave the same, he said.

YASTA is one the rally’s sponsors and Walters said she sees much potential in terms of the two organizations working together to encourage bikers to spend more time in southwestern Nova Scotia, perhaps getting them to make it down to the Yarmouth area.

“We’re really excited about what this opportunity represents,” she said.

It’s not so much a matter of each trying to get a bigger slice of the pie – Digby on one side, Yarmouth and Acadian Shores on the other – but rather, she said, of having more visitors for both.

“It’s all about sharing and, I guess, presenting compelling reasons for visitors to stay longer,” she said. “Let’s get one big pie for all of us.”






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CULLEN: What Irish gardeners can teach Canadian gardeners


October 28, 2013 - Recently, I had the opportunity to visit some of the great gardens of Ireland as a guest of Tourism Ireland. It was both...
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New wine to feature image of Cape Sable Light



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It’s a bad time for bats


THE CANADIAN PRESS

VANCOUVER — They are the stuff of Halloween horror stories, the alter-ego of vampires, the frightful beasts that foreshadow the macabre.

Bats strike fear in many hearts, but it is thes e no cturnal mammals that are in danger, decimated by a mysterious disease that has wiped out seven million in North Amer­ica in a few short years.

“Wherever it shows up, it has a significant impact," said Graham Forbes, a biologist at the Uni­versity of New Brunswick and a memb er o f the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada subcommittee. “Some caves are basically becoming empty."

In February 2012, COSEWIC held an emergency assessment for the tri-coloured bat , the little brown myotis and northern myotis and found all three were endangered by white-nose syn­drome, so named because of the white fungus that grows over the faces of infected bats.

A recommendation has been made to the federal environment minister that an emergency order be issued to list the bats as en­dangered under the federal Spe­cies at Risk Act.

In November, a COSEWIC committee will meet again to discuss their status and vote on another recommendation.

The outcome is unlikely to surprise.

“It’s bad and it got worse," Forbes said.

By the end of last winter, the disease had been confirmed in 22 U.S. states and in Ontario, Que­bec, New Brunswick, P.E.I. and Nova Scotia.

In New Brunswick, it is estim­ated about 99 per cent of the known winter population of little brown myotis, or little brown bat, has died.

The disease has not yet been confirmed west of Ontario, but it has been found in Minnesota, south of Manitoba, and appears to be spreading 200 to 400 kilo­metres per year since it first showed up in New York state in February 2006.

The fungus grows in cold weather, and it hits while bats are most vulnerable, hibernating in caves and old mines through the winter. Experts believe the fungus was introduced in North America by a visitor from Europe, where bats have developed resistance.

“The population here just has no immunity to it," Forbes said. “They haven’t been exposed to it before."

Some provinces have closed off access to caves and other known hib ernation sites to limit the spread, but biologists say it may be in a race against time.

“We basically feel like we’re in this race and we don’t know how long we have to get to the finish line," said Cori Lausen, the bat biologist for the Wildlife Cons er­vation Society of Canada.


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Woodland Owner of the Year celebrated in Caledonia


October 03, 2013 - Every year, the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources recognizes landowners who demonstrate outstanding stewardship of their woodlots through the Woodland Owner of the Year Award, and this year the western region award was given to West....

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Our Beautiful Bears.... pls don't do this...



LOADED FOR BEAR

Province ponders boosting br uin bag limit

Biologist: Population numbers are healthy



BRIAN MEDEL YARMOUTH BUREAU

bmedel@herald.ca @CH_bmedel YARMOUTH — Nova Scotia’s human population numbers have slipped a little, but the provincial black bear crowd is doing rather well.

And with thousands of Nova S cotians now apparently hunting bear, the province may still con­sider increasing the bag limit to two animals, a s enior wildlife manager said Wednesday.

“We know that our (bear) popu­lation has been increasing," said Peter MacDonald, the provincial large mammal biologist with the Natural Resources Department.

It is healthy — at around 10,000 animals — and hunting is up and nuisance complaints are down, said MacDonald.

“We may be looking at increas­ing bag limits, for example, if we’re looking at a steadily in­creasing population. We’ll look at all the data again after this sea­son.

“In Nova Scotia, our licence sales for bear hunting have stead­ily increased," MacDonald said, while scanning statistics going back more than a dozen years.

In 2000, the province licensed 498 bear hunters. Last year, it approved 6,725 bear hunters, more than 13 times those sold in 2 000.

Natural Resources staff won’t even try to explain the increase.

Sure, senior citizens have been able to hunt for free in Nova Scotia for several years but the department doesn’t know how many s eniors actually head into the woods loaded for bear.

Another possible reason for the surge in bear hunting is that in 2010, the department stopped making bear hunters register their bait stations.

The requirement to hunt near registered bait stations goes back to the mid-1980s, said MacDonald.

Hunting bear from concealment near a bait station is practically the only way to achieve success, most hunters agree.

Although bear sightings are fairly frequent, nuisance complaints have gone down, said MacDonald.

Maybe more natural food is available.

Or in agricultural situations, farmers may deal with nuisance wildlife on their own and not bother to inform Natural Res ources, he said.

The nuisance reports that become known to the public are usually in or close to urban areas, he said.

In 2004, staff spent 1,225 hours investigating bear complaints, driving 28,113 kilometres to do so. Last year, they spent 809 hours and drove 18,101 kilometres to investigate bear trouble, said MacDonald.

He said figures show the trend has been steadily decreasing.

Still, there are no documented black bear attacks in Nova Scotia, but the case last summer of a bear following two women in the Annapolis Valley was likely an unusually aggressive bear, said Mac-Donald.

That bear may also have been fed by p eople and it was trying to get some food tossed its way, he said.

There was once even a bear bounty in Nova Scotia, from about 1909 to the mid-1960s, when people thought bears were a threat to public safety, said Mac- Donald. People would shoot as many as they cou ld line up in their sights.

“Our total harvest last year was 939 bears,” said MacDonald, noting that the success rate is still fairly consistent, in the 15 to 16 per cent range.

In 2000, 127 snare permits were issued compared with 275 snare permits last year.

Two bear may be snared by a licence holder.

Typically, bear have been more plentiful in western Nova Scotia.
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