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Owls Head designated as Nova Scotia’s next provincial park

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Nova Scotia is designating Owls Head as the province’s next provincial park.

The area on Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore became a hot-button issue during the 2021 provincial election, after claims that the governing Liberals secretly changed the land's protected area status to facilitate a sale to an American developer for a golf course.

In November, the company involved, Lighthouse Links, said it was withdrawing from the project.

Natural Resources and Renewables Minister Tory Rushton says the 266 hectares of Crown lands in Little Harbour, N.S., will be protected under the new designation.

“The designation of this land as a provincial park is a clear indication of our promise to protect more land in Nova Scotia,” said Rushton in a news release Tuesday. “We are committed to transparency and giving the public an opportunity to provide input on how public lands are used, managed and protected.”

The Department of Natural Resources and Renewables also says it will manage Owls Head as a natural park.

The Crown lands include coastal barrens, wetlands and three islands. The area is home to two at-risk birds -- the piping plover and the barn swallow.

The public will have access to the park, but there will be no services, or facilities, like washrooms and parking areas.

The province says some survey work will be needed before the designation is complete.

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