A wilderness gem in our midst! “The Backlands” are bordered by Purcell’s Cove Road and Herring Cove Road, extending from Williams Lake at the northwest to Powers Pond at the southwest. This Thompsonesque mosaic of habitats, approximately 1,350 hectares, includes 9 lakes, hills with spectacular coastal views, and dozens of kilometers of informal hiking and biking trails. CONSERVATION PRIORITIES
The Jack Pine / Broom Crowberry barrens found throughout the Backlands are “nationally unique to Nova Scotia and globally rare,” according to a new flora study by biologists Nick Hill and David Patriquin. The Broom Crowberry is an Atlantic Coastal Plain species threatened and endangered elsewhere, and its occurrence with Jack Pine is very limited and quickly being lost in Nova Scotia through development. (http://backlandscoalition.ca/WLCCreport/)
The Backlands are also one of the most fire-susceptible landscapes in Nova Scotia, with the droughty, windswept high barrens acting as matchsticks, the biologists noted. Conserving it as a wilderness area will serve to reduce the fire risk to adjacent communities, compared to allowing increased intrusions, their report suggests. Critical components of the glacially moulded landscape – such as Mountain Holly washes, vernal pools and boulder fields – are also vital to maintenance of the larger wetlands and water quality of both surface and groundwater in the area. Located in close proximity to the coastline in the most urbanized area of Nova Scotia, the Backlands are also an important sanctuary for both breeding and migratory birds, according to a study by Fulton Lavender. THREAT OF DEVELOPMENT
The area continues to face enormous development pressure. Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) considered extending sewer and water services into the area to allow for residential growth around Williams Lake, but rejected the possibility in tabling a feasibility study in October 2013. A majority of area residents – and many others who visit and value the Backlands – expressed an overwhelming desire to keep the area in a natural state, throughout the controversial study. This was the genesis of the Backlands Coalition, which formed in late 2013 to find solutions to protect the Backlands wilderness in a much more permanent way. The cause is urgent once again: Several major landowners are now asking HRM to rezone the Backlands to allow immediate development. The current “Urban Reserve” zoning specifies the lands are to be kept in reserve until at least 2031, and city staff indicate HRM already has an ample 28-to-35-year supply of suburban land available elsewhere for development. Any move to change the development potential of the Backlands “should be based on a greater understanding of the environmental constraints (and) their value as part of HRM’s natural corridors (to be considered through the Greenbelting and Public Open Spaces Priority Plan),” city staff added in a report dated Feb. 11, 2014. Also worth noting: A key factor in protecting the nearby Five Bridges Lake Wilderness Area was that it would be a hub for a network of wilderness corridors that would make the Chebucto Peninsula a truly significant conservation area. Preserving the Backlands would add an important chunk of near-urban wilderness, accessible to all in the city by public transit.
