Advocates say action needed to prevent wind projects from impeding moose in N.S.

CITYnews halifax / By Steve Gow

A non-profit advocacy group is calling on people to reach out to provincial politicians to help protect the mainland moose population from wind turbine development in Nova Scotia.

Earlier this month, the Moose Conservation Association of Nova Scotia (MCANS) sent letters to the chiefs of two First Nations in Pictou and Antigonish counties, as well as Antigonish MLA Michelle Thompson, regarding the proposed Eigg Mountain wind energy project.

MCANS president Al Muir says the group wants monitoring collars on the moose population to be added to the potential developer’s environmental assessments (EAs) ahead of projects being approved.

MCANS says the criteria on EAs are not thorough enough, noting that the current method of studying trail camera footage is a deficient method for data collection.

Muir says with less than 250 moose remaining in the mainland portion of the province, their migration patterns must be studied to ensure potential wind turbine sites aren’t endangering their survival.

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“These (projects) are all on mountains,” says Muir about several wind energy projects planned in the northeastern part of the province. “The Eigg Mountain project will essentially create a barrier between the Eigg Mountain-James River wilderness area, where the current population of moose is concentrated, (so) it is impeding their movement up to Cape George, which is another area where you have them blocked between two projects.”

With the developer’s environmental assessment to be sent to the province early in February for review, Muir is asking people to put pressure on local MLAs to require more rigorous assessment of moose in development areas, including the possible funding of collaring adoption methods.

“There is a period after it is submitted to the government, the environmental assessment, that the public can comment on it,” Muir says. “But we would like to see some commitment before that.”

Muir adds that even if the Eigg Mountain project goes ahead without the proposed assessment revision, collaring is still urgent, as it would further determine future wind project plans and how they could impact the moose population in Nova Scotia.