The Beautiful St. Mary's

Babe Ruth fell into the St. Mary’s River.  It was 1936 and there’s an oft-told story about how local guide, Dan MacIntosh, pulled the newly-retired Baseball Hall-of Famer out of the Stewart Pool that spring.  There were a few tense moments, but it all ended well.  On July 9th of that year, The New Glasgow Eastern Chronicle reported that the “Babe Ruth party scored 17 salmon in their brief visit.”  

On the St. Mary’s River in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia, there are endless fishing legends, and the area’s history and folklore are inextricably bound to the river, the forests and the famous wild Atlantic Salmon that spends part of its life in the river’s pristine waters. (more…)

EMPOWER Youth Group (Photo by Brennan Caverhill)

The EMPOWER project at MTRI is working to create a network for young environmental leaders in communities in the Southwest Nova Biosphere Reserve. Together with a team of researchers, teachers, students, and local citizens, MTRI is finding ways to accomplish three major goals: networking youth groups in the biosphere, developing and delivering a conference where these youth can meet and share ideas, and highlighting inspiring individuals in the biosphere who are living model lives of productivity and sustainability.  (more…)

In Nova Scotia, regulation is often not the first tool that policy-makers reach for when facing the diverse and progressive woodland owner sector. Instead, informing and educating landowners has traditionally been an effective way of promoting good stewardship practices. Extension and outreach can be a particular challenge when the audience consists of over 30,000 woodland owners, but through the Community Development Trust Fund, the provincial government has provided woodland owner associations with funding to develop forest certification programs.  (more…)

St. Mary's River, Nova Scotia

The 2009 summer season has been a busy one in the forest communities of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. 

In Southwest Nova Scotia, staff and summer students at Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute advanced the Empower! project which is creating a network of young people who will become the community leaders of tomorrow.  The St. Mary’s River Association made substantial progress on their project to produce a book on the natural history of the river watershed.  In addition, project leaders at Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources have been designing a brand new Junior Rangers program that will create educational opportunities in natural resources for First Nations youth.  The PEI Model Forest Partnership stayed busy as usual delivering forestry field days, fairs and other events to woodland owners and the public.  (more…)