The Department of Natural Resources and Renewables has placed an “indefinite hold on a proposed harvest plan, consisting of three areas of Crown land, near Minamkeak Lake, Lunenburg County.”
In an email to The Quaking Swamp Journal it stated:
“The department has determined the proposed harvest plan does not meet all requirements for operating on Crown lands. The primary concern is potential impact to the lakes, where the endangered Atlantic whitefish are located, due to road construction needed to access the proposed harvest area. The department has also confirmed the presence of rare lichens in one area of the proposed harvest plan after it was reported through the public comment process.
In our efforts to be fair and transparent, the department applies the same process to all proposed forest harvest plans. When licensed forest management companies submit proposed harvest plans, they are placed on the Harvest Plan Map Viewer for 40 days to seek public input as part of the departments review process. Public input is a valuable part of the process and can help identify site-specific information not already known to the department. This information is reviewed by the department’s resource professionals, which include foresters and biologists, to determine if a proposed harvest plan meets all requirements for operating on Crown lands.
The department remains committed to transparency and giving the public an opportunity to provide input on how public lands are used, managed and protected. Decisions will continue to be made based on science and evidence to ensure responsible forestry practices while protecting the province’s biodiversity.”
I’ll still report on the results of the ATIP that I filed with the DFO to find out more about the potential “stakeholder” pressures placed on the department in finalizing the Recovery Strategy.”
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This is great news that the cutting will not go ahead, at least in the near future. I'm sure it's due to the hard work of the Minamkeak Lake conservation group and your wonderful investigative articles. Well done!
Thank you for this, Linda. The bioblitz team in and around the Minamkeak Lake sites has done a great job of locating SAR in the area, and noting the damage the required logging road into the site would cause. They deserve our thanks and gratitude.
I am curious about DNRR's comment that: "In our efforts to be fair and transparent, the department applies the same process to all proposed forest harvest plans." Does this mean that over the months (beginning around February, I believe) that their HPMV tool was inaccessible to the public, that DNRR will repost those cut blocks for public comment when the public was unable to access them? I certainly hope so (in the their "efforts to be fair and transparent" and all that...)
I appreciate all your time and efforts to hold this intransigent Department accountable.
Where is DFO??? This is a critically endangered fish listed under SARA. Moreover, DFO has essentially delegated responsibility for any recovery to Provincial Fisheries, which are negligible for a fish which arguably is the most endangered freshwater species in Canada. This is a case that ECELAW should pursue through the courts. Gross criminal negligence by all Governments.
Note the disclaimer..."In our efforts to be fair and transparent, the department applies the same process to all proposed forest harvest plans." Yup. The same process is this" 'If there is enough backlash, especially from people we consider part of our base (or potentially), and the Minister is getting heat, and the Chief is upset, we back off. "
Well done to all those fighting the forestry decimation and for the protection of species. It is breathing room to gain more momentum for the protection side.
This is great news that the cutting will not go ahead, at least in the near future. I'm sure it's due to the hard work of the Minamkeak Lake conservation group and your wonderful investigative articles. Well done!
Thank you for this, Linda. The bioblitz team in and around the Minamkeak Lake sites has done a great job of locating SAR in the area, and noting the damage the required logging road into the site would cause. They deserve our thanks and gratitude.
I am curious about DNRR's comment that: "In our efforts to be fair and transparent, the department applies the same process to all proposed forest harvest plans." Does this mean that over the months (beginning around February, I believe) that their HPMV tool was inaccessible to the public, that DNRR will repost those cut blocks for public comment when the public was unable to access them? I certainly hope so (in the their "efforts to be fair and transparent" and all that...)
I appreciate all your time and efforts to hold this intransigent Department accountable.
Where is DFO??? This is a critically endangered fish listed under SARA. Moreover, DFO has essentially delegated responsibility for any recovery to Provincial Fisheries, which are negligible for a fish which arguably is the most endangered freshwater species in Canada. This is a case that ECELAW should pursue through the courts. Gross criminal negligence by all Governments.
Note the disclaimer..."In our efforts to be fair and transparent, the department applies the same process to all proposed forest harvest plans." Yup. The same process is this" 'If there is enough backlash, especially from people we consider part of our base (or potentially), and the Minister is getting heat, and the Chief is upset, we back off. "
Wow!
Well done to all those fighting the forestry decimation and for the protection of species. It is breathing room to gain more momentum for the protection side.
That's excellent news BUT I'm glad that you intend to look further at how the Recovery Strategy was altered. Good work in any case!