syrinx

Deja Vu

The reports and discussions of damage to Vancouver's Stanley Park by two recent storms are eerily reminiscent of those following the big bash of Point Pleasant Park in Halifax by Hurricane Juan in 2003. There are lots of similarities between these seaside parks that lie close to the cores of our major east and west coast port cities and now we have a new one: both have been heavily bashed by storms with suspicious links to global warming. This time, even the Tories took note, their new Minister of the Environment calling the B.C weather a "wake-up call".

tags: park stanley climate change point pleasant

I don't know if anyone has heard of this amazing community effort, but I stumbled onto the website a few weeks ago...
http://www.anewpark.ca/index.php

tags: ecology sustainable park community

Beautiful Alien II

Scottish heather, which occurs in a large bed by the Sailor's Memorial, has invaded a few areas where native vegetation (e.g., lambkill, huckleberry, sarsaparilla) is otherwise predominant - for better or for worse or for naught. Say Kitz and Castle in Point Pleasant Park: An Illustrated History, "Many a Scottish immigrant still smiles at the sight of the familiar purple haze that heralds the coming of autumn." (Photo was taken on Aug.

tags: heather calluna invasive park halifax

Urban Renewal

Halifax's Point Pleasant Park was largely demolished by Hurricane Juan in 2003. (It was estimated that 70% of the 55,000 trees in the 75 hectare park were blown down or heavily damaged.) The immediate concern was to remove the large quantities of woody debris before spring when it would create conditions for an urban inferno. After that, it was what to do with the park. Fortunately, after considerable debate and a lot of public input, the decision was essentially, 'Nothing'. Let it regenerate on its own. A vote for nature. It's a great place for children to encounter the natural world. The images in this album are from the park and some adjacent unmanaged or minimally managed land, e.g., by the railway.

tags: park halifax point pleasant hurricane recovery vegetation photographs