Owls Head Provincial Park
Owls Head Provincial Park is a coastal property nestled on Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore. Due to its proximity to the 100 Wild Islands and the Eastern Shore Islands, and its inclusion in the Eastern Shore Seaside Park System, Owls Head is a very important piece of a larger puzzle. The Eastern Shore Seaside Park System is a great opportunity to invest in park infrastructure and make the area a leading nature tourism destination.
Owls Head Provincial Park is a Tier 1 (top-priority) conservation property with over 45 years of promised protections.
But in March 2019, the Liberal government under Steven MacNiel secretly removed Owls Head Provincial Park from the Nova Scotia “Our Parks and Protected Areas Plan”. Even though that plan was a result of years of public consultations and scientific study, the delisting took place behind closed doors without any public notice, public consultation, or scientific review.
The Liberal government secretly entered into a Letter of Offer to sell Owls Head Provincial Park in December 2019 to an American developer planning to build golf courses and luxury accommodations on the property. The public only became aware of the secret delisting and offer to sell Owls Head Provincial Park as a result of a whistleblower, freedom of information requests, and investigative journalist Michael Gorman.
Solidarity demonstration Photo Peter Barss
Owls Head Photo: P.Copus
Owls Head Photo: Nicolas Winkler
Owls Head Photo: Simon Pont
After nearly two years of unwavering province-wide public resistance, the prospective developer withdrew his offer. The newly-elected Progressive Conservative government of Tim Houston announced the legal protection of Owls Head Provincial Park on June 14, 2022.
Since the large majority of Nova Scotia’s coastline is privately owned, citizens understand that it’s important to preserve both coastal access and coastal ecosystems. Owls Head Provincial Park is a biodiverse coastal headland on the Eastern Shore and an integral component of our protected areas network. It features biodiverse wetlands, a wildlife corridor, and habitat for over 90 species of birds, including endangered barn swallows and piping plovers.
Nova Scotians remain rightfully concerned about the park, the process, and the precedent. Many of Nova Scotia’s provincial parks, nature reserves, and wilderness areas are still awaiting designation. In light of the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change, we must formally protect these important ecosystems without delay. More must also be done to ensure that all protected lands remain protected. See West Mabou Beach
For more information, contact or follow Save Owls Head Provincial Park
For more information, contact or follow Save Owls Head Provincial Park