A piece of paradise

Conservation is getting nowhere because it is incompatible with our Abrahamic concept of land. We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect- Aldo Leopold.

When I was first introduced to Aldo Leopold, I was fascinated by the way he portrayed the natural world and the role we play within it. We are part of a large community, the role we play is very important and everything we do comes with consequences. It's important we respect the natural world and work towards teaching our future generations how to be good stewards for the environment. 

In today's society we are bombarded with technology it does everything for us and we have become lazy because of it. We buy things we don't need, instead of fixing something we throw it away, instead of reusing we buy more. We over consume and over indulge in all facets of our lives, we waste, waste and waste some more. Did you know Canada is one of the biggest food wasters on the planet? with so many starving people in the world its hard to fathom how we could be so wasteful. We don't just waste food, we waste almost everything, how many times have you left the tap running while you brushed your teeth or shaved your face? It may seem insignificant because we live in a country like Canada where water issues aren't prevalent. Did you know it is estimated that nearly 844 million people worldwide lack access to clean drinking water? did you also know the average distance women and child have to walk for potable water in Africa and Asia is 3.7 miles.

We are surrounded by so much beauty and life, sometimes we take that for granted. We think these things will always be there, but that is so far from the truth. If we continue to destroy our forests, oceans, lakes and rivers that sustain us we will soon cease to exist.

 You don't have to go far to experience the wonders of the natural world, just open your door and step outside. Just a few kilometers from my home, lays a magical place. I'm not a religious person but if there were to be a heaven I bet it would look something like this. 

The Glace Bay Lake Migratory Bird Sanctuary is a wondrous place, full of a wide variety of species all working in conjunction with one an other. They all have a role to play in the miracle of life. 

As dawn breaks the sound of the common loon echoes across the lake, a cormorant breaks the surface with a fresh catch in its mouth while a gull squawks overhead. As you make your way out along the shore and onto the tidal flats you come across the great blue heron making its way through the thick mud. 

The Glace Bay Lake Migratory Bird Sanctuary is a special place, it provides safe fall migration for over 200 american black ducks and several hundred Canada Geese, other birds which use this area are the common goldeneye, buffleheads, cormorants, great blue herons, common tern, willet, a variety of gulls, common loon, Piping plover and many other shorebirds. 

The rare and threatened piping plover uses the Glace bay barrier beach as a nesting area, which is very sensitive to human activities, when visiting Glace bay beach it is very important to obey the posted signage and be aware of your surroundings. Several pairs of Common Terns nest on hummocks in the salt marsh adjacent to the barrier beach as well. 

"hunting migratory birds is prohibited, and no person shall disturb, destroy or take the nest of a migratory bird or have in his or her possession a live migratory bird, or a carcass, skin, nest or egg of a migratory bird, except under the authority of a permit issued by Environment and Climate Change Canada or unless authorized by the Regulations. Possession of firearms or other hunting appliances is prohibited. Dogs and cats must not be allowed to run at large." - Environment Canada 

Migratory Bird Sanctuary- Environment Canada

Piping Plover 

Leave nothing but footprints 

Being out in nature is a wonderful experience, however it’s important that we respect areas such as these. Be mindful of your surroundings and remember we are all a part of something much larger than ourselves. Take your children outside, teach them about the wonders of the world, you can't gain these experiences sitting in front of a television.

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Community cleanup near Big Glace Bay Lake Migratory Bird Sanctuary- Hosted by Cape Breton Environmental Association

Total of 75 bags of illegally dumped materials (2018). 

 

“One of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds. Much of the damage inflicted on land is quite invisible to laymen. An ecologist must either harden his shell and make believe that the consequences of science are none of his business, or he must be the doctor who sees the marks of death in a community that believes itself well and does not want to be told otherwise.” - Aldo Leopold

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Joe Ward Follow Me
I think Mr. Yates is one of our most influential young leaders in Cape Breton. I appreciate the hard work done so consistently by him and his team. But he takes it a step further with his writing, helping people understand the importance of his work. Outstanding!

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