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Backlands Coalition, Halifax

@backlandscoalition

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🌳 Keep the Backlands Wild 🐦
Coalition of local groups working to preserve the Halifax Backlands for all 🏞

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The Backlands Coalition is a coalition of NGOs in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Our mission is to ensure no loss of wildlife habitat in the Backlands and to preserve this stunning wilderness for natural, historical, cultural, conservation, educational, recreational, and common use.

The Backlands are located on the eastern side of the Chebucto Peninsula, just across the Northwest Arm from downtown Halifax.

Check back to our feed often for information on this wonderful woodland, and how you can help keep it that way!

Photo: reindeer lichen with cladonia cristatella, taken by one of our group members in the Backlands

#keepthebacklandswild #backlandscoalitionhfx #purcellscovebacklands #shawwildernesspark #williamslake #colpittlake #purcellscove #fergusonscove #herringcove #spryfield #halifax #hrm #mcintoshrun #halifaxwilderness #novascotianature #accesstonature #urbanwilderness #timeinnature #habitatpreservation taken in Purcell's Cove Backlands by @backlandscoalition

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4 years ago

So... Where do you go... to find the Backlands? 😄 It's easy Halifax! Even if you've never been, if you live/work in downtown Halifax, you've seen the treetops of the Backlands whenever you've looked south across the Northwest Arm 🌲🌳

Come visit! Trailheads leading into the Backlands are accessible on multiple Halifax transit bus routes (415, 9, 25...), including Shaw Wilderness Park, and the McIntosh Run Trails.

#accesstonature #keepthebacklandswild #purcellscovebacklands #shawwildernesspark #mcintoshruntrails #purcellscove #fergusonscove #herringcove #spryfield #williamslake #colpittlake #mcintoshrun #urbanwilderness #halifaxwilderness #novascotianature @nsnaturetrust @ncc_cnc #hrmparks #habitatpreservation taken in Purcell's Cove Backlands by @backlandscoalition

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4 years ago

The sky may have been grey, but the vibes were sunny & bright! On the last Sunday in September, we had a blast joining Jillian from the @ecologyaction for a *free* guided hike to Flat Lake on the @mcintoshrun Trails through the Halifax Backlands.

Dubbed the “Halifax Backlands Huckleberry Hike” Jillian pointed out the abundance of Huckleberry plants just finishing their berry season, and taught us about the globally rare Jack Pine Broom Crowberry Barrens, and some of the species it supports, including the (not so common) Common Nighthawk, Pine Barren Golden Heather and Greenland Stitchwort.

This hike was part of the Hike the Greenbelt series, designed to highlight 3 key wilderness areas along urban Halifax. A great big thank you to @ourhrmalliance and the @ecologyaction for organizing, sponsoring and leading this amazing hiking series every year!

Like what you see? There are still a few hikes left in the Fall 2026 Hike the Greenbelt Series. Visit https://ecologyaction.ca/get-involved/events to register for free! Don’t have time this year? Watch out for the spring series. taken in Mcintosh Run Singletrack Trails by @backlandscoalition

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6 days ago

This weekend is a double hike header! On Sunday we are leading a new route for Hike the Greenbelt so we can check out the McIntosh Run! 🥾 🌊 🌲

📍the Halifax Backlands
🗓️ Oct 18 - 2pm-5pm

Join @ecologyaction and @ourhrmalliance in exploring this beautiful forest and watershed. Learn about native plants, resident rare species, and how you can support the protection of this amazing area!

Register for free at ecologyaction.ca/get-involved/events/hike-greenbelt

Thanks @backlandscoalition and @mcintoshrun for stewarding the forest and trails!

#HikeTheGreenbelt #McIntoshRun #HalifaxBacklands #HalifaxEvents #HikeNovaScotia by @backlandscoalition

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6 days ago

Registration is open for our final hikes of the year! 🍂🌲🥾

In celebration of today’s autumnal equinox, @ourhrmalliance and @ecologyaction are hosting 4 wonderful hikes through HRM’s green network this fall! 🐿️🩷

Join us to learn more about native ecology, and what you can do to protect our local environment
All hikes are open to the public and free to attend!

Register now: ecologyaction.ca/get-involved/events/
hike-greenbelt
See you on trail!
@backlandscoalition
@sandylake.sackvilleriver
@fbmbcl
@mcintoshrun

#HikeTheGreenbelt #SaveSandyLake
#BlueMountainBirchCoveLakes #HalifaxBacklands
#HalifaxEvents by @backlandscoalition

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a month ago

Join the Spryfield Urban Farm tomorrow, Saturday September 19th, for their annual Harvet Fair! (Rain day Sunday September 20th)

From 2 - 4 pm, enjoy the "Barnyard Bunch" petting farm, treats, fun activities, a fairy door trail, and flee market!

Help celebrate the Urban Farm's 30th birthday, and stick around for a showing of the Fantastic Mr. Fox at 7:30 pm.

The Spryfield Urban Farm is a member group of the Backlands Coalition. Please contact the Urban Farm directly with any questions regarding this event. taken in Urban Farm Museum Society of Spryfield by @backlandscoalition

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a month ago

Can you tell the difference between these two local berries? 🫐🌱

Join @ecologyaction and @ourhrmalliance at Hike the Greenbelt for more hikes in our beautiful HRM green network this fall! Learn about the unique ecology of these areas, and what actions you can take to protect them! 💪

Fall hikes will be announced soon - be sure to check out EAC’s enews and events page to secure your spot!

Thanks for the great trails @mcintoshrun ! 🥾

@sandylake.sackvilleriver
@backlandscoalition
@fbmbcl

#HikeTheGreenbelt #Halifax #ProtectOurForests #Nature #hiking by @backlandscoalition

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2 months ago

Q: What did the shy pebble wish? 🤔

A: To be a little boulder 🤭

You’ll find plenty of boulders - officially called “glacial erratics” in the Halifax Backlands!

“The Backlands are a glacially sculpted terrain, with features such as erratics, whalebacks and drumlins. Granite and “bluestone” metamorphic rocks were once quarried in Purcell’s Cove, for buildings and fortifications.” (from our website learn more at: backlandscoaltion.ca - link in our bio)

Photo credit @pupsnbikes taken in Purcell's Cove Backlands by @backlandscoalition

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2 months ago

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3 months ago

Let’s protect Nova Scotia’s natural areas! 🌎🌲🫶

From now until July 28th, the province is accepting public feedback on 13 candidate sites eligible for protected area status - and four are in HRM! 🦅

Thank you to the dedicated community groups who have helped get these areas this far - together we can move them across the finish line! 🏁

HRM Candidate Sites:

🌱Herring Cove Wilderness Area @backlandscoalition @mcintoshrun
🌱Sackville River Wilderness Area @sackvillerivers
🌱Ship Harbour Long Lake Wilderness Area
🌱Tangier Grand Lake Wilderness Area

Swipe and read on to learn about these sites and how we can take action to see them protected!

#protectedareas #novascotia #halifax #conservation #stewardship by @backlandscoalition

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3 months ago

It has never been easier to help a birdie out…

The Black & White Warbler, along with many other ground nesting birds, regularly choose to nest in the Halifax Backlands.

And the Nova Scotia Government is currently consulting on whether to protect a 505 hectare piece of the Halifax Backlands (the “Herring Cove Backlands Wilderness Area, Halifax Regional Municipality”). A part of the Backlands with excellent ground nesting habitat.

So… To help this feathered cutie have somewhere to nest in the future, all you have to do is tell the NS Government that you want this area to move from “proposed” to “protected!”

Add your voice by July 28, 2026 to help protect nearly HALF of the Halifax Backlands by visiting the link in our bio & providing your comments. taken in Herring Cove by @backlandscoalition

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3 months ago

Have you seen (or heard?) this summer visitor to our Halifax Backlands?

They go by many names – Bullbat, Nightjar, Goat Sucker, Bugeater, Mosquito Hawk – but are officially known as the Common Nighthawk. Of course, they are not common, not strictly nocturnal and not related to Hawks... so what exactly is this seasonal inhabitant of the Halifax Backlands?

Common Nighthawks are crepuscular aerial insectivores. No seeds, nuts or berries for these birds - they eat bugs! And they eat them mostly at twilight/dawn (“crepuscular”) while flying! They fly around with their mouths wide open and feed exclusively on flying insects caught mid-air.

Foraging nighthawks require open areas with flying insects, which we currently have in the Halifax Backlands. And this is really something special. The Nighthawk is a Species at Risk - their numbers have diminished by up to 49% in Canada - and we have several nesting pairs, raising broods of young ones in the Halifax Backlands!

The Nova Scotia Government is currently consulting on “13 proposed new or expanded wilderness areas and nature reserves” including a large piece (over 1000 acres!) of the Halifax Backlands named the “Herring Cove Backlands Wilderness Area”. This area contains lots of marshy wetlands full of insects the Common Nighthawk needs to thrive and raise a family.

Add your voice to the consultation by July 28, 2026! It only takes a minute to tell the Nova Scotia Government that protection of the “Herring Cove Backlands Wilderness Area” is a terrific way to help this quirky Species at Risk.

Find the link in our bio, or simple search "NS protected areas consultation" taken in Purcell's Cove Backlands by @backlandscoalition

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3 months ago