State of the River 2005-2006

Shelburne River (Nova Scotia)
“Remote headwater lakes, stillwater meadows,
ancient forests, and active stewardship”
Designated 1997

From the wild headwaters at Buckshot Lake, to the outflow at Lake Rossignol, the Shelburne River connects the major waterways of southwestern Nova Scotia in a series of rapids, still waters, lakes and streams. The river flows from the granite barrens and patchy old forest in its upper reaches, through quartzite plains with gently rising eskers, and outwash plains supporting old growth pine and hemlock forests in the lower watershed.

Management of the Shelburne Canadian Heritage River is shared by Nova Scotia Environment and Labour, the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, Parks Canada Agency, Bowater Mersey Paper Company Limited, and Nova Scotia Power Incorporated.

Management plans are being finalized for both Tobeatic Wilderness Area and Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site of Canada. These plans provide an opportunity to consider the special values of the Shelburne River, and direct management efforts to highlight the continued protection and enjoyment of the river. Planning has been initiated with community partners, to develop The Tent Dwellers heritage canoe route which commemorates the 1908 canoe trip chronicled by Albert Bigelow Paine.

The Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute has established a permanent field station in Kempt, Queens County. Several research projects involve the lakes and streams of the upper Mersey River in the Shelburne River watershed, including a major brook trout study based at Kejimkujik, and a limnology study that included Sand Lake as a test site. Research at the institute will boost scientific understanding of natural and cultural values associated with the Shelburne River, and promote the appreciation and protection of these values in the broader community.

2005-06 also brought significant provincial initiatives that could contribute to the protection and enjoyment of Nova Scotia’s heritage rivers. Amendments to the Special Places Protection Act streamline the process used in the identification and designation of significant ecological sites on private and crown lands. The amended Off-highway Vehicles Act improves the protection of ecologically sensitive areas such as wetlands, and barren ecosystems and offers support for the development of a managed system of vehicle trails.

Nova Scotia has also initiated a process, with partners including environmental organizations and the forestry industry, to work towards a comprehensive system of protected areas, and to mitigate potential impacts to wood supply that might result from the protection of forest lands. This process could see additional lands protected which support heritage river conservation goals.

For more information, contact Leif Helmer, Regional Protected Areas Coordinator,Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Labour at (902) 543-4685.