Shelburne Public Comments: First stage categorization (in order of most to least support)

In section 4 all the public and stakeholder submissions and comments have been summarized and categorized. The verbatim submissions will be used by the Department of Natural Resources. They are not being published due to privacy issues. As mentioned, some well-organized groups were better at getting members out to sessions and that is reflected in some of the numbers around points.

*Attendance: 50
*Includes comments from paper questionnaires and flip charts
*Numbers indicate the number of individuals who supported a comment or made an identical comment (the number indicates the total number of times that comment was made and/or supported)

QUESTION 1
How can we best use the 1.5 million acres of Crown land and the associated resources in the Western Region to most beneficially and sustainably grow and diversify Nova Scotia's economy?

Food production/ agriculture (27)

• Maple Syrup production 6
• Haskap Berry production 5
• Horticultural greenhouses 5
• Cranberries 5
• Grape production 2
• Agriculture 2
• Land based aquaculture 2

Tourism and walking, skiing, canoeing and hunting/ fishing (16)

• Eco tourism 4
• Tourism 4
• Walking trails 2
• Ski-trails 2
• Hunting & fishing 2
• Systems of cabins to encourage hiking and canoeing 2

Vehicular, ATV & snowmobile access (15 total)
In favour (9)

• Snowmobile trails 2
• ATV trails 3
• ATV and motorized vehicle access to all crown lands 2
• Encourage businesses to be accessible by ATV trails 2

Against or policy suggestions (6)

• Keep the area as wilderness and don’t make any more ATV trails 2
• Look at Maine’s model for designated vehicle access 2
• Use New Brunswick as an example of ATV/vehicle access policy 2

Forestry (8)

• Sustainable forestry 3
• Community managed forest land for sustainable harvesting 3
• forestry 2

Resource extraction; other (6)

• Develop resource extraction to reduce the need for imported resources 2
• Mining is okay except for uranium 2
• Refer to climate data project currently underway in Shelburne and other counties**2

Increase home-building (4)

• Sell or leasing property to encourage building homes etc 4

QUESTION 2
What activities would be the most effective use of Crown land in the Western Region that would generate the most sustainable economic, social and environmental benefits for your community and Nova Scotia? Where would you locate these activities on these Crown lands?

Tourism and walking, skiing, canoeing and hunting/ fishing (18)

• Eco-tourism 8
• Create wheel chair accessible walking trails 2
• Tourism 2
• Guided fishing and hunting 2
• Note that trail areas should be assured at rail bed through crown lands north of Lockport and south of Barner’s Meadow 2
• Stock upper Sable River with fish life to create recreational fishery 2

Vehicular, ATV & snowmobile access (15)

• Designated trails for ATV and other vehicle use 9
• Keep roads open for ATV access 2
• Provide a legal place for ATV traffic 2
• Is ATV considered eco-tourism? 2

Food production/ agriculture (5)

• Use Climate data and soil data to plan agriculture** 3
• Blueberry production 2

Forestry and resource extraction - for and against (4)

• Sustainable small scale logging 2
• No mining or clear cutting 2

Other (4)

• Create bird sanctuary near Sable River (Sable River Lake) 2
• Harness power from rivers such as the Tom Tigney or Roseway river 2

QUESTION 3
What other points do you feel are the most important for the Department to consider as it develops the land and resource management plan?

Vehicular, ATV & snowmobile access (22)

• Allow continued vehicle access 3
• Self monitoring of safe-considerate ATV use 3
• Counties should contribute to ATV trails 2
• ATV’s should not be allowed in swamps 2
• Why can NR&R use ATV in protected area but not the public? 2
• Why do ex-Bowater employees still have access through gates? 2
• Keep wilderness wilderness and prevent ATV access 3
• Consider the carbon footprint of ATVs 3

Broader Policies (10)

• Listen to what people are saying and incorporate people’s ideas into final plan with flexible guidelines 2
• Balanced and strategic development with synchronized government policies and programs 2
• Do no harm 2
• Do not close the public out 2
• The province should have adequate fines for disaster/damage committed by companies 2

Other (6)

• Use climate data for Shelburne/Queens/Yarmouth counties 2
• Pickerel needs to be managed (almost to Lake Rossignol) 2
• The Beaver Pond behind Sable River Village is an idea area for bird sanctuary 2

Tourism (4)

• Tourism including geocaching 4

** Reference document: South West Nova Scotia Temperature and Solar Radiation Study, 2011 Summary, applied Geomatics Research Group. David Colville & Wayne Reiger – applied Geomatics Research Group, Centre of Geographic Sciences, NSCC, Middleton, N.S. (with an Agricultural applications summary by John Lewis, Agra Point)