On the northern tip of Unama’ki, the adventurous will find an incredible landscape. From steep-sloped canyons to pristine barrens, the Pollett’s Cove Aspy Fault Wilderness Area is Cape Breton’s most northeastern representation of Canada’s boreal forest.
Situated just north of the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, this provincial park offers rugged terrain, winding hiking trails, and beautiful hidden beaches. It is certainly worthy of protection now, and for future generations.
“Protection from what?” you may ask. Protection from the use of all-terrain vehicles that threaten the delicate ecosystems that exist in the Wilderness Area. Since 2010, the use of motorized vehicles, including all-terrain vehicles, has been completely phased out and banned through legislation.
“The Wilderness Area hosts Unama’ki’s highest concentration of moose,” Moose Management Initiative Coordinator Clifford Paul noted. “This area has historically been accessed to the point of environmental destruction and something needed to be done to protect this thriving ecosystem.”
Members of the Mi’kmaq community, Mi’kmaq leadership, local guides, and government are beginning the process of working towards greater management of moose habitat for the benefit of future generations. “This process is expected to lead to greater opportunities in the future, for the Mi’kmaq to provide guided hunts and eco-tourism activities in this pristine environment,” Paul noted. “I am optimistic about this process and I know that much work needs to be done on all sides.”
In the last two hunting seasons in this Zone, the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and the Department of the Environment offered non-motorized hunting opportunities with the annual moose draw for licences to hunt in the Wilderness Area.
clifford@uinr.ca
