Long Lake Provincial Park

Image: Map of Long Lake Provincial Park

May 13, 2008

Long Lake BioBlitz

The first annual Nova Scotia Bioblitz will be taking place on June 6 and 7, 2008. Bioblitz is a 24 hour taxonomy event on June 6 surveying biodiversity in Long Lake Provincial Park followed by public festivities on June 7 at Exhibition Park. Bioblitz will be lead by Saint Mary's University in partnership with the Ecology Action Centre, the Discovery Centre, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, the Museum of Natural History and the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources.

For further information about this exciting event please visit: www.smu.ca/BioBlitz

August 23, 2007

Very early this morning (dawn) I was out in my kayak on Long Lake. Fog was rising from the lake as the sun rose over the trees. The water was as calm as a sheet of glass. The only sound (apart from the constant low-level hum of traffic) was the call of a loon who was fishing near the Spryfield end of the lake. A heavenly way to start the day. And all of this is in my "urban" constituency.

The process of developing a management plan for the park continues, albeit slowly. After a public consultation in the spring, Department of Natural Resources are revising the draft plan. Another public consultation will be held in the fall, likely in late September, with a view to finalizing the plan by October. After that comes the real hurdle, which is obtaining funding for the plan.

June 8, 2007

Today I was in Long Lake Provincial Park, walking around the north side of Spruce Hill Lake. I saw snakes, frogs, a woodpecker, cedar waxwings, an illegal hunting platform and one excellent example of damage caused by ATVs going off-trail.

January 1, 2007

The Long Lake Provincial Park Association (LLPPA) has released a beautiful calendar for 2007. Each month has a photograph by outdoor photographer Jamie Steeves . Proceeds from the calendar go to promoting and implementing the development of Long Lake Provincial Park. To obtain copies of the calendar, please contact the LLPPA.

June 6, 2005

I went for a hike in the park today, along the northern end of Spruce Hill Lake and also along the dam at Long Lake's southern end. Although the park technically remains "closed", I saw no signs.

Halifax Fairview, an urban constituency, includes part of a large provincial park. Long Lake Provincial Park, which is west of Northwest Arm Drive (see map below), was designated in 1984 but does not currently have a management plan. So while the park is accessible, it is one of our better-kept secrets. Below you'll find a description of the park, written several years ago by the Spryfield Long Lake Provincial Park Association.

You can also click here to go to another website about Long Lake's trails.

Long Lake Provincial Park Association

Rod Lake, 2004-05 President of the Long Lake Provincial Park Association, at the control dam in June 2004

President
Ross Mayhew, 876-2241

Treasurer
Rod Lake, 876-2456

Department of Natural Resources Liason
Brian Kinsman, 662-5069

Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources
Long Lake Provincial Park Site

A brief description of the park, written several years ago by the Spryfield Long Lake Provincial Park Association

On the outskirts of Halifax City, within the boundaries of Long Lake Provincial Park like 5000 acres of forest and lakes where the public can enjoy and observe nature.

Since the park was declared by an order in council in 1984, little development or management of the land has taken place. The boundaries were cut, signs were posted and work was begun on a road from the Old Sambro Road to Long Lake. But no on-going management plan for the area has been implemented although it lies in an area where impact from the metropolitan community is very high.

The park is bordered by the Old Sambro Road, North West Arm Drive and the Prospect Road, and is easily accessible from the communities of Harrietsfield, Spryfield, Kline Heights, Armdale and Goodwood. It contains three lakes - Witherod, Long and Spruce Hill. The Old St. Margaret's Bay Road that runs between Spryfield and Goodwood provides a well-established walk through the park.

Along this road, now a track, remains of dwellings are evident, of which the most significant is the Umlah property, a dairy farm that was operated by three generations of Umlahs until their expropriation by the City in 1957.

Spryfield Long Lake Provincial Park Association was started in 1986 by a group of residents who value the park for recreational and aesthetic reasons - for walking, skiing and boating, for photography and nature study. The association would like to involve the public in open discussion about the conservation of this special wilderness area, particularly in the communities that surround the park.

Wild space areas provide educational and recreational opportunities. More importantly, for some, natural landscapes are valued for their spiritual significance.

"More and more people are coming to realize the importance of retaining large blocks of land in the wild state so that complex and sensitive ecosystems remain intact," says Martin Willison, spokesman for the Spryfield Long Lake Park Association. "This is particularly important near cities because of the pressure on the creatures with which we share this Earth. We are lucky to have this opportunity in Halifax. For most of the world it is already too late."

Flora & Fauna of Long Lake

Animals

Bobcat (fall 1991-92), bobcat tracks (winter 2002-03)
Beaver colony on Withrod Lake (spring 2003)
Fox (fall 2000)
Deer, rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, etc.

Birds

Eagles (many times, generally spring and fall, once in winter)
Owl (a large owl in fall 1999)
Loons (breeding 2001, one young, individuals in season).
Kingfisher, last two seasons.
Osprey (nesting in a power tower in 2000).
All common species, e.g. chickadees, downy woodpeckers, robins, crows, bluejays, sparrows, ducks, etc.

Plants

Red spruce, black spruce, fir, tamarac, pine, maple, beech, oak, poplar, silver birch, alder, ferns, mosses, lichen, fungi, etc.

Do you have anything you'd like to add to this list? Contact me.

Some Problems with the Human Species in Long Lake Provincial Park

These problems show why the park needs a management plan and a consistent presence of enforcement officials

Photo: A long-abandoned car, near the Dent Farm. There are quite a few abandoned cars around the park, some from many years ago, some more recent.

2003

January-February: ATV tracks in park and on Long Lake.
February 8th: Three ATV's, with passengers, enter park at Northwest Arm Drive at Cowie Hill Road.
Note: All-terrain vehicles are not permitted in the park. However, there are no signs posted along the park's boundary and so (a) most ATV drivers don't know they're in a park, and (b) HRM Police are reluctant to lay a charge.

Photo: Pets must be on leash. Please clean up after your pets.

2002

September: a group of children lights a large fire.
August: campers light fires during fire ban.
June: vandals cause fire in power tower, burning the osprey nest.
February: ATV tracks at Northwest Arm Drive-Cowie Hill Drive entrance over ice to south dam.
January: ATV tracks. Stolen car in Northwest Arm Drive-Cowie Hill Drive entrance.
Spring: Intentional fire started by a young person. Extinguished by HRM fire department.

Outside Links to Resources

Department of Natural Resources webpage on Long Lake

Long Lake trails and mountain biking

Geocaching (there is at least one geocache in the park)