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Boularderie Blog  by Michelle Symes

I am a 33 year old stay at home Mom with one awsome husband and three great kids who keep us hoppin'. I am very proud to be a born and raised Cape Bretoner. After living in HRM for over 10 years, our family moved to beautiful Boularderie Island, Cape Breton. The beauty and peacefulness of this wonderful place is enough to take your breath away. Through this blog, you will see the challenges my family faces raising three children, and challenges my community faces as we fight so hard to hold on to this remarkable island.

Travel Cape Breton

Bras d'Or, Boularderie Island, Big Bras d'Or, Seal Island

Don't be in a hurry to get through this area, you may miss some of the Island's hidden treasures, Boularderie Island for instance.

A foreign-controlled company is currently proposing an expansion of their operation which will include a new strip mine. If it goes ahead, their current operation will extend further into the heart of the Avon Peninsula - the heart of our scenic, farming community, where wildlife lives and unique flora and fauna grow. Where we live. Visit http://www.avondalemedia.ca/APWPS/

Stop the Digby Neck Megaquarry!

Digby Neck is a narrow spit of land jutting out into the ecologically sensitive Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia. A New Jersey company wants to blast millions of tons of basalt from our shoreline to build more highways in the States. We can't let them destroy our home and environment!
Visit http://www.savedigbyneck.org/index.html

Coastal Communities Network
The Coastal Communities Network is a volunteer association of organizations whose mission is to provide a forum to encourage dialogue, share information, and create strategies and actions that promote the survival and development of Nova Scotia's coastal and rural communities. Visit http://www.coastalcommunities.ns.ca/main.php

The Atlantic Coastal Action Program (ACAP) - Cape Breton is a non-profit charitable community organization. Established in 1992, the original mission was to develop a comprehensive ecosystem management plan for the watershed area of industrial Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. ACAP-Cape Breton has grown into a dynamic group that integrates environmental, social and economic factors into projects focusing on action, education and ecosystem planning. Visit http://www.acapcb.ns.ca/main.html

The Ecology Action Centre has acted as a voice for Nova Scotia's environment for over 35 years. Since 1971, the EAC has been working to build a healthier, more sustainable Nova Scotia. Visit http://www.ecologyaction.ca/

Nova Scotia Environmental Network
The purpose of the Nova Scotia Environmental Network (NSEN) is to provide support for its members, environmental non-governmental organizations in the province, in their efforts to achieve their goals by facilitating information exchange and by providing a medium for coordinated action plans. Visit http://www.web.ca/~nsen/

The Sierra Club is North America's oldest, largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization. We are people like you, working on what is important to you. We are Canadians who care deeply about the health of our planet and the future of our children. We are dedicated volunteers working at the national, provincial and local levels on many interrelated environmental issues. Visit http://www.sierraclub.ca/atlantic/index.htm

Mining Watch Canada
Changing public policy and mining practices to ensure the health of individuals, communities and ecosystems in Canada and around the world
Visit http://www.miningwatch.ca/index.php

WALK CAPE BRETON
The Cape Breton Island Hoppers Volkssport Club
Wednesday, June 29, 2005 (Photos from c-a-s-m.org)

There were 16 walkers at our last walk, Sunday, June 26th, in Point Aconi, this turned out to be a very pleasant walk, the weather was great, the start point was at the former DEVCO Prince Mine entrance gate, this was the last working underground coal mine on the island.

Bill Boutilier lead the walk and we got to see a close up view of the Point Aconi Power Plant, then proceeded down a country road, more of a trail then a road, a walk into a well hidden but great beach. During the walk we also got a view of the area that may or may not be used as a strip mine for coal, though there is the remanants of a former strip mine that is slowly beginning to heal as scar would upon flesh.

The highlight of the walk was the view from the Point Aconi lighthouse, the Bird Islands stand out off the coast and Cape Smokey could be seen in the far distance and we could see the Newfoundland ferry approaching North Sydney and a flottila of local fishing boats.!!

Normally I would like to put the same walk on again the following year, however we have the problem of not knowing if the area that we travelled on today will be there next year as there is a mining consortium wanting to re-establish a strip mine in this area. During this walk we encountered a small group who are trying to Stop Strip Mine in Point Aconi. They pointed out the area to be mined, the country side here would be devastated, the trail/walk would be ruined!!

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CapeBretoner
Produced by Cape Bretoners
for Cape Bretoners
(or those who wish they were!)

Carboniferous Geology and Paleontology, Nova Scotia

A group of geologists from Kentucky were invited by the coal geologists of the Nova Scotia geological survey to spend several weeks exploring their coal-bearing rocks. This site contains a collection of photographs from their trip to the Great Bras D'Or channel and Bird Islands, Black Rock Point to Table Head section and more.