15 New Provincial Parks to be Designated, Two Expanded
Pomquet Beach, Antigonish County, one of 15 new provincial park designations announced today, February 14. (Communications Nova Scotia / File)
NOTE: The list of parks follows this release.
Nova Scotians will soon be able to enjoy 15 new provincial parks and more space at two others.
These designations of Crown land will put the Province more than halfway to its commitment of having 205 provincial parks, part of the parks and protected areas plan.
“Nova Scotia is one of the most beautiful places on earth, and we are taking significant steps to protect this beauty for generations to come,” said Tory Rushton, Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables. “These parks help protect biodiversity and give Nova Scotians more places to get outside and enjoy nature.”
The new and expanded parks include natural landscapes and cultural heritage. They are home to a wide variety of plants and animals. They also provide outdoor recreation and educational opportunities.
Under the designations, most of the parks will be managed as natural environment parks so their unique environmental and cultural heritage can be protected.
Quick Facts:
- the designations will cover about 1,150 hectares
- designating Crown lands furthers the Province’s goal of protecting 20 per cent of Nova Scotia’s land and water mass by 2030
- some survey work and administrative steps are necessary before the designation is complete; this is common when designating parks and protected areas
- once fully designated, the new parks will be added to the provincial parks website
Additional Resources:
Our Parks and Protected Areas: A Plan for Nova Scotia: https://novascotia.ca/parksandprotectedareas/pdf/Parks-Protected-Plan.pdf
Provincial parks website: https://parks.novascotia.ca/
News Release – Owls Head Provincial Park Designation: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2022/06/14/owls-head-provincial-park-designation
News release – New Provincial Park Designations in Antigonish County: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2022/10/18/new-provincial-park-designations-antigonish-county
News release – Carters Beach to be Designated as Provincial Park: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2023/11/29/carters-beach-be-designated-provincial-park
Collaborative Protected Areas Strategy: https://www.novascotia.ca/nse/protectedareas/docs/collaborative-protected-areas-strategy-en.pdf
Natural Resources and Renewables on X (formerlyTwitter): https://twitter.com/NS_DNRR
New and expanded provincial parks:
- Ainslie Point, Inverness County
- Black Duck Cove, Guysborough County
- Cape George, Antigonish County
- Cookville, Lunenburg County
- False Bay, Richmond County
- Five Islands, Colchester County (expansion)
- Gaspereaux River, Cape Breton County
- Herring Cove, Halifax County
- Jerry Lawrence, Halifax County (expansion)
- MacKenzie Beach, Pictou County
- Merigomish, Pictou County
- New Harbour, Guysborough County
- North Mountain, Annapolis County
- Orangedale, Inverness County
- Pomquet, Antigonish County
- Tor Bay, Guysborough County
- Uisge Ban Falls, Victoria County