Support science at Owls Head Provincial Park

In 2019, Owls Head Provincial Park Reserve was secretly delisted by the Nova Scotia government. The decision to sell off these public lands for the development of multiple golf courses was made without public consultation . When the story of the delisting broke, Nova Scotians were outraged.

As a coastal headland on the Eastern Shore, Owls Head holds tremendous value for conservation and has been promised for protection for nearly half a century. This area provides important habitat to species like piping plovers, barn swallows and ruby-crowned kinglets. Healthy eelgrass and kelp beds surround Owls Head and offer a safe place for fish, crab, and lobster to spawn and feed.

Last summer, a group of volunteer scientists embarked on a series of expeditions to study the ecosystems and species that call Owls Head home. Teams of biodiversity experts and citizen scientists were able to identify 70 species of birds as well as measure and assess the health of eelgrass beds underwater, an important ecosystem to mitigate climate change.
Please help us with this important research at Owls Head Provincial Park! Your contribution will cover essential costs for volunteers during our scientific expeditions, including:

• Food and water
• Transportation to and from the Eastern Shore
• Research equipment rentals, such as snorkeling and diving gear for marine surveys
• Photography and media support to help document our research and share our results

The findings from our 2021 expeditions will be publicly available so everyone can learn about the conservation value of Owls Head Provincial Park. A report of preliminary results and overview of plans for the 2021 season can be found here .

Thank you so much for your support.

For more information visit the Save Owls Head website, join the Save Owls Head Provincial Park group on Facebook or contact Dr. Kristina Boerder through the contact option below.

Graphics by Kerri Dawe.