Sheltering Forests - Friends of Redtail Society

Rare ferns. Plant species that date back to the dinosaur era. Deeply indented fossils of unusual, unstudied creatures and plants. Naturally regenerating Hemlock, a process no longer occurring on the West Coast. A synergy of Yellow Birch and Hemlock acting in concert to purify the air and water — a life-giving gift to all breathing and spawning beings.

These are just a few of the observations of scientist Diana Beresford-Kroeger, who toured a small portion of the land in December 2010. Her discerning eye has shed new light on what would now be lost if we hadn’t acted so quickly in 2006. Her full paper on her observations brings renewed understanding of the significance of our Sheltering Forests campaign.

On December 9, 2010 Friends of Redtail Society completed the purchase of 313 acres of land near Scotsburn, Nova Scotia. With much hard work from many members and supporters, and with financial support from people literally all over the world, we raised $207,000 of the $250,000 goal (and spent less than $20,000 doing so). A generous friend lent us the remainder of the funds so that we could complete the purchase and continue fundraising in 2011 with the knowledge that our hold on the land is secure. In 2012, FRS fully repaid the loan when the campaign hit its $250,000 fundraising goal.

Our Sheltering Forests project is unique. Most projects of this sort aim at preservation, and a part of this land will indeed be preserved. But a larger part will be used to demonstrate human use of the forest in a responsible way, with consideration first for the non-human community. We will pursue activities that invite the human community into a relationship with the land that, in effect, helps each of us to redefine our sense of community to include the plants, the animals, the air and the water. We envision a demonstration woodlot to remove logs for sale or other use, but where other such projects aim at maximizing the amount of wood removed, we will focus first on a high level of protection of habitat and deeper ecological values. And we will study the implications in order to find out what that implies in terms of being able to remove wood for human use.

We hope to be able to convince many other landowners that it is possible to take from the forest while still preserving its ability to provide the other things we need like clean water, clean air, a reservoir for the carbon that our lifestyle produces, and a home for all of the other living beings which are essential to our existence in ways that are mysterious to most of us, and usually not discovered until they are gone. We realize that a healthy forest is part of what is needed to provide the economic base for our rural communities.

We are humbled by the support we have received since embarking on this journey. We hit our $250,000 fundraising goal without a corporate campaign. Other than several grants we received from public organizations, the Sheltering Forests campaign was achieved through the contributions made by average, everyday people, many of whom are not in the least “well-to-do”.

We are continuing to fundraise for this land and to further the vision and work of the Society. We have created and maintain a footpath on the land called Craig’s Way and we have launched an educational series called Talking Forests: Living and Learning from the Land Speaker Series. All donations will support these projects and facilitate the important second step, demonstrating that it is possible to live from the land without degrading the vital systems that support life on the planet.

If you can, please Donate Now, your gift is tax deductible*. We would be most appreciative if you would share this link with your contacts.

Read Diana Beresford-Kroeger’s “Green Alert: A Scientific Report on the Forest of Pictou County, Nova Scotia Canada”.

Watch a video on the Acadian Forest and a clear cut that took place on land bordering that of Friends of Redtail Society.

* Minimum eligible donation for receipt is $20.

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Friends of Redtail Society
c/o 400 MacBeth Road
RR#2 Scotsburn, Nova Scotia
Canada B0K 1R0

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