DEN Enews

Last week, DEN held a Zoom meeting to show you why this Lake area should not be fast tracked for housing.

No one came.

Is it because you didn’t know why it was important?

Jillian Ramsay of the Ecology Action Centre has provided us with this information and is kind enough to re-schedule her talk for May 29th. Maybe after reading this you will understand why this valuable resource needs our attention.

This rich and diverse Sandy Lake Regional Park has been planned since 1971, when it was chosen by a joint municipal-provincial-federal program as an exceptional ecological unit for both wilderness protection and recreation, worthy of preserving for all time. That hasn’t changed. So far, 1,100 acres of the area is protected as Sandy Lake Regional Park (light green area in map below), but housing development in the wilderness next to the park threatens to damage the existing park (red line on map).

The three main tributaries that feed the lake are within the area proposed for housing development. The Sandy Lake – Sackville River area functions as an ecological unit. It is a key area for wildlife corridors and is invaluable as an intact, interconnected wild area with huge capacity to help with the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. The area of still-wild land around the park should be protected (yellow line on map).

The area is home to over 99 nesting bird species, 11 diverse habitats with 8 Species of Interest and 16 species at risk, including wild Atlantic Salmon, and more, all nestled among some of Nova Scotia’s last remaining old growth Acadian forests.

If you want to know how a 2013 clear cut affected the lake, please read A Tale of Two Lakes at this link: https://tinyurl.com/5x2xzbpt

Learn More about how you can help: www.sandylakecoalition.ca

Join us on May 29th for a zoom meeting. We have a planned hike of the lake happening in the fall and more in the works.

Lichen Camp 2025 - Saving Biodiversity in the Goldsmith Lake Wilderness Area

SOOF has some good news and not-so-good news coming from this effort and we recommend you click on this link to SOOF’s latest newsletter for more information. There is an excellent map that shows the locations of all the species at risk. https://mailchi.mp/21c51823d22f/soof-newsletter-sunday-april-12853722?e=fbcc1c5e66

Biodiversity in the Gardens

Do you know why native plants are so important? Native plants have evolved alongside local insects/animals and have developed a symbiotic relationship.

Have you heard the maxim, “If something is not eating your plants, your garden is not part of the ecosystem”?

Take the Monarch Butterfly. It only eats the leaves of the Milkweed plant. Other butterflies need other plants like Coreopsis, Wild Bergamot, Black-eyed Susan, Purple Coneflower, Blazing star, Joe Pye Weed and sunflowers.

Congrats to St John the Baptist Anglican Church in River John who held a Seed Sunday this week: A recognition of this spring planting season and its parallels in Christian life…planting spiritually and agriculturally with care for the earth. The service was led by lay people with singing, praying, listening and planting seeds to take home and grow!

Does your faith building have room for a pollinator garden? 

DEN will be giving away Swamp Milkweed seedlings at Synod but feel free to reserve yours now by emailing the editor at [email protected].

Premier Doug Ford’s Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act is about to unleash a suite of laws that are dangerous, and threaten Ontario’s environment, endangered species, and Indigenous rights. “Special Economic Zones Act, 2025”could let hand-picked corporations ignore ANY law — including environmental rules, safety standards, and local planning bylaws. Endangered Species Actrepealed and replaced with Species Conservation Act, 2025; a shell law, giving developers an easy path to harm vulnerable wildlife without strong oversight or science-based decision-making. Ford is giving himself unchecked power, rolling back hard-won protections, and pushing Ontario in the wrong direction.

Brazil’s oil giant, Petrobras, is threatening to kill the Amazon for a profit. Its ecocidal plans include drilling in the Amazon River basin at the expense of the natural wonders and resources that both Indigenous communities and endangered wildlife rely on to survive. Their plans on how to contain an oil spill are unworkable according to experts. Not only would a spill destroy the local communities and wildlife, it is quite possible strong currents could carry an oil slick to protected areas beyond Brazil, devastating Indigenous communities in French Guiana. The Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) already rejected the climate-wrecking proposal last year after it was pointed out how catastrophic it would be for the Amazon. Now there is the possibility of them giving the green light. The next global climate talk takes place in Brazil and the President has promised to protect the forests. There is no good reason for IBAMA to approve this polluting project. Please sign the petition asking them to protect the rainforest and the Indigenous communities that protect it.

Where can you find shells and skulls of turtles whose wild populations are rapidly dwindling? How about taxidermized coyote paws or bobcat hearts, or art and jewelry made from butterfly wings and threatened sharks’ teeth? The answer is Etsy and eBay. Despite the companies' stated wildlife policies, sellers on these platforms rake in money on wildlife knickknacks, decor, clothing, and more. Etsy and eBay removed imperiled bat listings last year because of public pressure, in large part from people who sign petitions. We can help push these massive companies to do better for the current extinction crisis and to make restrictions that contribute to ending the global wildlife trade.

New South Wales (NSW) is a state on the east coast of Australia. Without drastic action half of NSW’s threatened species will be lost. There are nearly 1,000 species known to be at risk of extinction here due to climate change, habitat destruction, and invasive species. In 2016, the local rules for habitat clearing changed, and since then the rate of clearing has tripled. There is an opportunity now as the NSW Government has committed to seriously strengthening the Biodiversity Conservation Act, creating a Nature Strategy, and changing the way native vegetation of rural land is cared for and protected. Send support to Australia’s wildlife by asking that the plan be enforceable, ambitious, strong enough to prevent extinction, and made for and with the community and through informed consent of First Nations.  

Short-beaked common dolphins are being killed by the thousands in EU waters. Fishing vessels are targeting pelagic fish species and killing massive amounts of aquatic life in the process. The most common definition of bycatch is the incidental capture of non-target species. It is made to sound almost harmless, worded into a minor mishap, but the results are not minor or harmless. In some fisheries, the percentage of bycatch outweighs the amount of target catch. In the past 65 years, at least 437 million tons of non-target fish and invertebrates have been lost by bottom trawlers unintentionally catching them. In British waters, more than 1,000 cetaceans are killed as bycatch each year, with harbour porpoises, the common dolphin, minke, and humpback whales being the most frequent victims. Trawling in the Bay of Biscay causes the death of up to 9,000 common dolphins per year.  Add your name to help stop the slaughter by calling for action by the European Commission, and French and Spanish ministers in charge of biodiversity and fisheries management.

Composting

Spring is here! If you’ve been putting your compost bin out all winter — well done! Those green bins head to a big composting station nearby. But Grandma says it’s even better if more people start composting in their own backyards.

Why compost? It cuts down on waste, makes your soil better, and helps the environment. Plus, you get free, rich soil for your garden. It’s okay to be a little selfish — your plants will thank you!

If you think composting is too difficult for your few containers, it really isn’t.
Find a container where you can toss kitchen scraps and yard waste. It doesn’t take much to set up, and what you get in return is worth it.

Grandma keeps a bag of black earth (topsoil) in the shed — just plain dirt, but it helps the compost along.

Then find a spot close to your kitchen door but a little out of the way. A shady spot with good drainage is best.

Your compost bin can be just about anything. I once made one by weaving willow branches between upright sticks. You can also use four posts with some wire around them. An old barrel with the bottom cut out works great, or pick up a ready-made bin at the hardware store.

Set your bin on flat ground. Start with grass clippings or dry leaves. Then add eggshells, coffee grounds, fruit and veggie peelings, or any food scraps (except meat!) If something goes bad in the fridge, toss it in! A sprinkle of topsoil now and then helps, too. Keep adding scraps as you go.

Don’t add meat — it can attract animals. Moisture and air help it break down, so if your container allows, give it a turn with a garden fork now and then. Turning also keeps smells away.

Grandma keeps two compost bins going all year and adds a third in the spring. The top of one bin becomes the bottom of the new bin. The remainder is the finished product for planting.

Grandma even has a special garden bed for her late bloomers. Thanks to homemade compost, it’s become her best spot — full of peppers, eggplants, and tomatoes!

So why not give backyard composting a try? Even just saving your kitchen scraps can give you amazing, free fertilizer for next year’s garden.

 Feed the Birds

Birds returning from migration trips north need extra help in the spring. With food and water, they will thrive and support our pollination systems.

A simple feeder can be peanut butter or wonder butter spread on toilet tissue rolls and then rolled in bird seeds as my buddy Robert demonstrates.  Hang the rolls over tree branches for the birds to find.

For water fill an old dish with pebbles and add water.

Something to eat

When I was a kid, anything a little different felt exciting — even how my egg was cooked! If you’re looking to change up breakfast for your little ones, try making an egg in a hole. It’s fun, easy, and delicious!

Egg in A Hole

Tear a hole in the middle of a slice of bread.
Heat a little oil in a pan, place the bread in, and crack an egg into the hole.
Cook it, flip it, and cook the other side.
Warm up some pre-cooked bacon from the fridge to go with it.

It’s an easy breakfast — but that warm egg and toast combo is still one of my favourites!

God, creator of biodiversity

by Norman Lévesque

The biodiversity God created inspires us to pray. In communion with all creatures, let us offer our petitions.

 R. Creator God, hear our prayer

 Creator God, we pray for our brothers and sisters of the air: chickadees, cardinals, blue jays, owls, crows, seagulls… Give us a sign through them to decrease the pollution in the air we breathe. Creator God, let us pray.

 R. Creator God, hear our prayer

Creator God, we pray for our brothers and sisters of the water: shells, algae, salmon, trout, frogs… Wake our compassion at the sight of their wounds so that we cease polluting the waters. Creator God, let us pray. 

R. Creator God, hear our prayer

Creator God, we pray for our brothers and sisters of the earth: squirrels, deer, maples, the pine trees, the tomato plants and the worms… May their humility and simplicity inspire us to live according to your will. Creator God, let us pray.

 R. Creator God, hear our prayer

Creator God, we pray for our community. We ask you for the courage to act regarding our environment and not to succumb to the temptation of waste. Creator God, let us pray.

R. Creator God, hear our prayer

 Heavenly Father, you give life to all creatures, inspire our thoughts and actions so we can become true stewards of Creation. We ask this through Jesus Christ… Amen.