Preserving the Commons Watershed
Our watershed is where we live; it is like a neighborhood where all the plants, animals and people in our community share water.
The Avon Peninsula in Hants County, Nova Scotia, is bounded to the west by the Avon River, to the south by the St. Croix River, to the north by the Kennetcook River, and to the east by the Lawrence Road. The peninsula’s watershed is the area of land that rain flows across or through on its way to our wells, wetlands, ponds, streams, marshes and tidal rivers.
The eastern part of the peninsula has been deeply impacted by gypsum mining. However the high, wooded land in the interior of the western part of the peninsula is still relatively intact. It is the heart of our watershed, as it is where the headwaters begin, and where most of our wildlife habitat is. Underlying the heartland is one of the most complex “gypsum karst” geological formations on the planet, which gives rise to the fragile hydrology, unique ecology, and very special landscape of the gypsum woods.
Many community residents still refer to the western wooded upland of the watershed as the Commons. Although owned by individual community members, the Commons was once managed collectively by local farmers. It was valued as a sustainable source of firewood and lumber for local residents.
In 2006 the heritage of the Commons Watershed had become threatened. As Fundy Gypsum, a division of United States Gypsum, acquired woodland—which is often subsequently clearcut—the watershed would be degraded in the absence of the moderating influence of the trees. A proposal to start industrial mining in the watershed could spell a future where our quality of life would be ruined, for generations to come, with no net benefit to the community or our watershed. The life it sustains would be degraded, if not destroyed. Thanks to community involvement in 2010 the mine's plans for expansion were successfully halted and the watershed remains protected to this day.
The Avon Peninsula in Hants County, Nova Scotia, is bounded to the west by the Avon River, to the south by the St. Croix River, to the north by the Kennetcook River, and to the east by the Lawrence Road. The peninsula’s watershed is the area of land that rain flows across or through on its way to our wells, wetlands, ponds, streams, marshes and tidal rivers.
The eastern part of the peninsula has been deeply impacted by gypsum mining. However the high, wooded land in the interior of the western part of the peninsula is still relatively intact. It is the heart of our watershed, as it is where the headwaters begin, and where most of our wildlife habitat is. Underlying the heartland is one of the most complex “gypsum karst” geological formations on the planet, which gives rise to the fragile hydrology, unique ecology, and very special landscape of the gypsum woods.
Many community residents still refer to the western wooded upland of the watershed as the Commons. Although owned by individual community members, the Commons was once managed collectively by local farmers. It was valued as a sustainable source of firewood and lumber for local residents.
In 2006 the heritage of the Commons Watershed had become threatened. As Fundy Gypsum, a division of United States Gypsum, acquired woodland—which is often subsequently clearcut—the watershed would be degraded in the absence of the moderating influence of the trees. A proposal to start industrial mining in the watershed could spell a future where our quality of life would be ruined, for generations to come, with no net benefit to the community or our watershed. The life it sustains would be degraded, if not destroyed. Thanks to community involvement in 2010 the mine's plans for expansion were successfully halted and the watershed remains protected to this day.
Core Values
- Appreciative Inquiry: we believe that a discussion of what is already valued by people in our community can lead to a positive image of the future and inspire collective action.
- Full Cost Accounting: in calculating net economic benefit, we count the services provided by our natural environment as benefits, and count the depreciation of these services as costs. We count our human and social assets the same way.
- Community Sustainable Development: we believe development should benefit our local community, preserve and enhance our watershed and the natural services it provides, and be sustainable for future generations.
Vision
- The peninsula watershed is valued as the core of our local ecosystem and is celebrated as the natural heartland of our community. It is comprised of a number of environmentally compatible land uses and is protected from incompatible residential, commercial, and industrial development in perpetuity.
- Our quality of life is protected and enhanced. The integrity of the peninsula watershed ties together the community’s rural landscape, ponds, streams, wetlands, tidal rivers, scenic vistas, waterfront, heritage sites, farms, and homes.
- Net benefit is the key criteria of community planning. Economic and social renewal is rooted in an appreciation of our unique natural and cultural heritage. As with natural communities, economic and social vitality is best served by diversity: the way forward lies in a broad and self-generating approach to development, rather than the cycles of dependence, inertia, environmental devastation, and economic decline that characterize resource extraction and single industry dependence.
Mission
- To protect the ecological integrity of the Avon Peninsula and the Commons Watershed.
- To preserve and enhance the rural and agricultural quality of life on the Avon Peninsula.
- To promote local sustainable community development on the Avon Peninsula.
- To work with other communities and organizations to promote watershed protection and local sustainable development in the region.
Goals
- To establish responsible environmental oversight of gypsum mining east of the Ferry Road.
- To achieve a permanent moratorium on gypsum mining west of the Ferry Road.
- To work with community residents to develop and implement a sustainable land use plan for the Commons Watershed.
- To repatriate the gypsum rights and Commons lands claimed or acquired by Fundy Gypsum, a division of United States Gypsum.
Objective
- Develop the organizational capacity to achieve these goals.
- Broaden and solidify community support and participation through outreach and education.
- Help facilitate the development of a community based environmental assessment of the impacts of mining on the peninsula.
- Ensure government ministers carry out their responsibility under the Environment Act to protect the Commons Watershed.
- Ensure West Hants Municipality exercises its planning and development authority responsibly to protect the Commons Watershed.
The Avon Peninsula Watershed Preservation Society was formed to be a voice for the Commons Watershed. The APWPS was formed in 2006 by residents who were concerned about the proposed expansion of the Fundy Gypsum mine across the Ferry Road. Time was of the essence when gathering public support for protection of the watershed and move toward a more sustainable vision of our shared future.
To find out more about how you can help, or to participate in the revitalization of the Avon Peninsula Watershed Preservation Society, please contact us at infoavonriver@gmail.com
To find out more about how you can help, or to participate in the revitalization of the Avon Peninsula Watershed Preservation Society, please contact us at infoavonriver@gmail.com
“This project has been made possible in part by the Documentary Heritage Communities Program offered by Library and Archives Canada / Ce projet a été rendu possible en partie grâce au Programme pour les collectivités du patrimoine documentaire offert par Bibliothèque et Archives Canada.”