Public invited to discuss plan for recreation at Haines Lake
Public information session at Digby East Fish and Game about the former DNR base in Hillgrove
Thursday, Feb. 8, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

NORTH RANGE, N.S. - The Municipality of the District of Digby is inviting the public to discuss a proposed plan for their new recreation property on Haines Lake.
Municipal staff are hosting a public information session Thursday, Feb. 8 at the Digby East Fish and Game. Staff will be providing information about, and hoping to gather some feedback on, their ideas for the site of the former Natural Resources base in Hillgrove, which is a few hundred metres down the shore from the Fish and Game.
The plan for the Haines Lake recreation area is based for the most part part on feedback the municipality received at their open house in September.
More than 75 people attended the event Sept. 23, 2017. Staff offered tours of the property, answered questions about the site, listened to suggestions and feedback and collected 27 surveys about how people would like to see the property used.
“People at the open house told us clearly they wanted this to be a place for picnicking, enjoying nature, and accessing the water, whether that is swimming, canoeing or kayaking,” says Jimmy MacAlpine, Warden of the Municipality of the District of Digby. “Staff have been looking at ways to make some small improvements at the site to enable and enhance these activities.”
FOR MORE INFO: www.digbytrails.ca/haines-lake.html
Municipal staff have been looking at options for fixing up the waterfront and the buildings on site including using part of the former DNR offices for use as washrooms, change rooms and activity shelter.
The Digby Area Recreation Commission used the site last summer for kayak camps for youth and opened the site three evenings for anyone, young or old, to try kayaking.
The plan for 2018 is to continue with the same sort of programming with possible additions of other water-based or nature-oriented programs.
“We’re open to partnering with local groups or organizations who want to host or hold outdoor recreation or education programs,” says Bob Powell, recreation manager of DARC. “A public session like this is a great way for us to learn what kind of programming the public wants, and people can contact us anytime with suggestions.”
The Municipality bought the 20 acres on Haines Lake from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for $1,000 in early 2016. The property is about 15 minutes from town on the Ridge Road and has about 120 metres of lakefront.
 
A plan for Haines lake recreation area
Date: Thursday, Feb. 8
Time: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Where: Digby East Fish and Game
For more info: www.digbytrails.ca/haines-lake.html

For information or questions, concerns or comments,
please contact:
Jonathan Riley
Trails and Open Space Coordinator
902-245-2861
[email protected]

Bob Powell
Recreation Manager
902-245-1884
[email protected]

Fabulous Fundy flakes favour southwest Nova

Digby is the snow capital of the province right now and aren't we lucky.
Judging by the tracks at the Digby Pines golf course, the Acacia Valley Trails, at Van Tassel Lake, and on the railbed, a lot of people have been out and enjoying the wonderful wintry weather.
It has been snowing in Digby for a week and the light and fluffy flurries have really piled up. The snow has been a little wispy letting skis and snowshoes sink through to the ground underneath but the last few days it has started to thicken up and get some real base to it.
If you’ve never tried snowshoeing, this is a great time to borrow a pair from Digby Area Recreation and head out to the Pines to play in the snow. Snowshoeing is super easy to learn – it is just walking with extra big shoes.
Snowshoeing isn’t necessarily faster than walking in boots but if you take your time, it saves you sinking to your knees or waist, and gives you a little more traction and stability.
Snowshoe hikes and trails
A group of people on Digby Neck have an easy hike to a winter waterfall planned for Wednesday, Jan. 3. They are meeting at 1 p.m. on the Wharf Road in Sandy Cove, parking there and then hiking to TR Falls. The route is mostly along a snow-covered gravel road with just a short scamper through the woods to the falls at the end.
Other local options include the Acacia Valley Trails on Mill Road in Hillgrove. The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal keeps this gravel road well plowed but the steep section near the bottom can be slippery depending on snowfall and ice.
Beginners can stick to the wide, level trail and the adventurous can roam off on the single track trails to the Hardwood Ridge, Picnic Rock, and Tupper’s Deadwater or even connect into the miles and miles of logging road on the neighbouring Crown lands.
The Van Tassel Lake Trails are also a great place to snowshoe with easy walks to the lake, a rougher but beautiful loop around the lake or the demanding hike to the look off with a stunning view of the snow-covered uplands.
For more information on the trails in the Municipality of the District of Digby go to digbytrails.ca.
#FUNDYFLAKES
As trail coordinator for the Municipality of the District of Digby, I want to share with everyone just how beautiful and fun it is here right now.
I’d really appreciate it if Digby County folk could share their best fun-in-the-snow photos of sledding, skiing, snow sculptures, forts and snowmobiling.
You can email me the photos at [email protected] or message me on Facebook or just post them on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #fundyflakes
FUNDY ERRATICS WINTER HIKES
The Fundy Erratics also have a series of winter snowshoe hikes planned Jan. 20, Feb. 17 and March 24.
Jan. 20 - Railbed
The first hike will be relatively easy. The plan is to snowshoe 7.5 km on the railbed from Jordantown to the airport. This hike is intended to introduce people to the fun of snowshoeing on relatively even and level terrain but also to show you some of the winter beauty out there along our railbed.
Feb. 17 – Acacia Valley
In February we will try something a little more aerobically demanding on the Acacia Valley Trail on the Mill Road in Hillgrove. The plan is again 7 or 8 km but the terrain, while not hilly, is a uneven and wild. We’ll plan on following Aunt Sarah’s Brook by several frozen pools to Tuppers Deadwater and then over to Picnic Rock for a little bonfire.
March 24 – Gulliver’s Cove
And in March, we’re planning a strenuous climb to a couple of spectacular lookoffs above Gulliver’s Cove. The hike is only 5 or 6 km but parts are very steep. We’ve scheduled this one for late in the season so you have lots of time to get in snowshoe shape.