Environmentalists are sounding the alarm about a pristine island off the coast of Nova Scotia in St. Margaret’s Bay.
Troop Island is only a ten minute boat ride from the shore, but stepping onto the island is like entering a different world.
It features 29 acres of wetlands, softwood and old growth hardwood forest, but now there are plans to develop Troop Island.
“Nova Scotians love our coast and we’re developing our coast so many of our coastal islands have already been subdivided and developed,” says Bonnie Sutherland, executive director of the Nova Scotia Nature Trust. “The natural diversity has been lost.”
When walking inland there’s a sudden change from spruce to old growth hardwoods including a 300-year-old yellow birch tree - all which supports a diverse wildlife.
Naturist Scott Pelton fondly remembers bringing a friend to the island.
“And he started laughing, saying that if I played a recording of all the bird calls on the island, in this forest, my bird friends wouldn’t believe me from the diversity of calls,” says Pelton.
The Ontario-based owner of the island has a development permit but he is willing to sell it to the St. Margaret's Bay Stewardship Association and the Nova Scotia Nature Trust for $820,000.
The groups have already secured $626,000 from various donors but they still need to raise another $194,000 by the Oct. 26 deadline.
“So far we’ve had wonderful support from private donors, but also from HRM, from the city, and the province has just come on,” says Ella McQuinn of the St. Margaret's Bay Stewardship Association.
There has also been a lot of support from the local community and with the deadline looming the conservation groups are hoping that support will translate into donations to save Troop Island.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Ron Shaw
