Achievements
22 Important Projects successfully undertaken by WRWEO
1. Creation of a democratic process by which residents could vote on a Crown Land swap proposed by Three Brooks Development Corporation. The threat of such a swap in 1995 triggered the formation of WRWEO. Discussion during the ensuing seven years culminated in a vote held on Mar. 20, 2003 by over 200 members of WRWEO. The developer respected the negative vote (less than 75% in favour) and did not proceed to apply to the province for the land swap.2. A Guide to the Trails of the Woodens River Watershed published in 1996 based on the summer work of students. Project was initiated and supervised by WRWEO based on government funding.
3. Annual June Fishing Derby held at Stillwater Lake Pond, initiated by WRWEO in 1997, and attracting now over 200 mostly young fishers who can fish on that day without a license. Event encourages awareness of fish habitat and its meaning for the environment.
4. Creation of the Interim Wilderness Trust, an arms length group to propose a means to protect some 175 acres of wilderness Crown Land adjacent to our watershed in response to public demand at large meeting sponsored by WRWEO in 2001. This group evolved into the Five Bridges Wilderness Heritage Trust.
5. Represented from 1995 to 2004 in monthly meetings of the Five Island Lake Citizens' Liaison Committee that worked successfully with the province to address the PCB spill in the north bay of Five Island Lake.
6. WRWEO initiated in 2000 the Sheldrake Lake Hypolimnetic Aeration Project to reverse the adverse effects of nutrient loading due to development surrounding the lake. The project is on going and if successful will have implications for a large number of lakes in Nova Scotia. The project required raising more than $40,000. The lake testing is done by a group of the Sheldrake Lake homeowners.
7. In the spring of 1999 WRWEO held a forestry workshop in the lower watershed of all woodlot owners to discuss with DNR, environmentalists, logging contractors the pros and cons of clear cutting and the alternatives available.
8. Creation of a Watershed Management Plan for the Woodens River Watershed that has become the model of similar plans for other watersheds.
9. Environmental education through communication with homeowner associations and other local groups, such as Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, Safety Minded ATV Club, as well as newspaper articles, brochures, and hosting speakers at AGMs.
10. Creation of a website with information about our projects and the issues that we are addressing.
11. Creation of 30 km of The Bluff Trail and parking lot over a period of nine years through thousands of hours of volunteer time and raising over $200,000 from three levels of government.
12. Guided nature walks on The Bluff Trail and assisting scientific study there.
13. Active participation in trail organizations, such as Halifax Regional Trails Advisory Team (HRTAT), Nova Scotia Trail Federation (NSTF), and Chebucto Peninsula Trails Alliance that produced the study leading to funding for our trail.
14. Study of water quality parameters (e.g. phosphate loading, dissolved oxygen) in the upper lakes of the watershed over a 10 year period giving a large data base.
15. An extensive physical survey of Woodens River in 1998 collecting over 6000 data points funded through the Youth Conservation Corporation. The project was initiated and supervised by WRWEO.
16. A survey of life in the streams feeding Woodens River, conducted in 2000. Again students did the work during the summer with WRWEO supervision.
17. Removal of abandoned cars on K roads of the mid to lower watershed in 1999. This project was subsequently and very successfully taken over by FBWHT.
18. Successfully conserving the pocket wilderness in the area of Cranberry Bog through communication with owners of private land there and developers.
19. Partially successful in persuading NSDT&PW to protect Cranberry Lake from silting and road run-off along the newly twinned Hwy 103.
20. Commissioned Acadia University to study the rate of decomposition and degree of spread of human waste from hikers over time in order to learn how to make The Bluff Trail environmentally sustainable.
21. Active participation in environmental organizations, such as the Watershed Advisory Board (WAB), the SMB Watershed Environmental Taskforce (WET) and the St. Margaret's Bay Stewardship Association (SMBSA), the Five Bridges Wilderness Heritage Trust (FBWHT), and The Nova Scotia Public Lands Coalition sponsored by the Ecology Action Centre (EAC).
22. Formation of the Chebucto Wilderness Coalition in 2008 in collaboration with FBWHT and now some 40 other organizations and political leaders dedicated to persuading the Province to protect approximately 25,000 acres of public land ("The Fve Bridge Lakes Wilderness Area") under the Wilderness Areas Protection Act. The HRM Regional Council formally endorsed this endeavor. The province declared it a Candidate Wilderness Area on October 19, 2009.
Note that projects and activities 3, 6, 9, 11-14, 21, and 22 are ongoing. For example, The Bluff Trail, though complete, require yearly maintenance, inspections, and attention to problems that are raised in reports by hikers.