[NatureNS] RE: Common sense and caution

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From: Bev Wigney <bkwigney@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 26 Apr 2020 11:02:12 -0300
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Enjoy our more mundane, everyday birds. They offer plenty of deli
All,

I've been reading all of these back and forth and tried to restrain
myself from commenting, but find myself compelled to speak up.  Surely
these must indeed be "end times" when I find myself in almost mutual
agreement with David W. on a certain topic.  (ha!)

I do have serious concerns if this ban on outdoor walking along public
trails or other suitable public spaces continues for very long.  Some
of these decisions are being made at the provincial and others at the
municipal level.    While I can well understand closing provincial or
certain other parks where people were congregating or using shared
facilities such as picnic tables, park benches or washrooms, or where
they were traveling to, and/or mobbing certain popular locations, I
think things have probably gone too far.  Before I continue, I should
mention that I'm one of the "lucky ones" who has a couple of acres of
wooded property with river frontage and have only left my place twice
in all of 6 weeks -- so I'm not actually much effected by all of these
closures.  However, I do have serious concerns about how all of these
closures will effect many people.  I belong to a "caremongers" group
and know that a number of people are having a really difficult time
handling the stress - some having stressful family situations such as
caring for elderly parents, etc... and wanting to go for a walk along
the French Basin Trail to relax (it's now closed).    There has been
some tension over restrictions against walking on public trails in my
area and while I haven't joined in on the protests, I certainly
understand how many people are feeling.

I believe there are plenty of ways in which certain areas could have
been kept open for use - those that people can walk or bike to access.
The one-way direction is certainly the easiest solution.  Limiting
access will not be good for many people -- their bodies or their minds
- if this continues for very long.  I have only to think back to 3
years ago when I spent an entire year in urban Ottawa caring for my
mother through her terminal illness.  I was pretty much limited to
walking my dogs on the roadside within sight of her house - largely
due to having no relief caregiver, but also due to lack of any green
space close by.  Between the incredible stress of caring for her
through treatments and hospitalizations, combined with the inability
to spend even a half hour in some open place with some greenery in
which to stretch my legs and eyes, I was just about ready to go out of
my mind after even 4 weeks -- but it went on and on for over a year
and certainly took its toll on my physical and emotional health.
Let's hope that the powers that be have some workable plan in place
for "what happens next" if people can't start spending some time
outdoors very soon - and I don't mean just walking a loop on the
streets of towns and cities.  Quite frankly, closing the Harvest Moon
Trail to walkers (at least along large stretches if not entirety),
strikes me as unnecessary.   It's a very wide trail where physical
distancing is easy. So, now we have no walkers, but the ATVs are still
blasting back and forth along it as though all is well with the world.
I should know -- the trail goes right along the back of my property
and the engine noise hasn't abated whatsoever.

Further, as we have  recently learned, almost all biology field work
has been shut down for this year, even when physical distancing is
possible.  This will eliminate all kinds of data collection and also
valuable work experience for university students.  Again, there is
little danger in such situations if precautions are being taken.  Why
shut down such worthwhile programs while, at the same time, it appears
that forestry work is going ahead the same as usual judging by all of
the heavy road-building equipment and forestry machinery that went
roaring along Hwy 201 yesterday.  I just checked and the spring road
weight restrictions will be off as of tonight in most NS counties, so
no doubt, everyone is getting prepared to tear into the forests
tomorrow.  Yet I've heard from a few that the public is not to be
permitted into Crown Land forests due to Covid.  Can anyone confirm
that for me?

We are told that many of these restrictions are in place in the event
that we have an accident and require medical assistance or rescue.
Truly, how many walkers are in need of rescue?  It is far more likely
that it will be ATVs and forestry crews who would be in need of rescue
or medical assistance than someone walking on a quiet trail.

Bev
Round Hill

On 4/26/20, David Webster <dwebster@glinx.com> wrote:
> Dear All,
>
>      Provincial Parks are closed in NB but Municipal Parks remain open
> at the discretion of each county. So far as I know Municipal parks there
> never have been closed this Spring but early on they adopted one way
> traffic only and have urged the public to not bunch up and to respect
> the 6' spacing. This is sensible and so far has worked. They have 41
> cases. How that compares per capita with NS I do not know offhand.
>
>      In most trails the sides are not fenced so slow walkers could step
> off of the path to let others pass.
>
>      We are very dependent upon those who work as clerks in grocery
> stores. In spite of various protective measures I have noticed a gradual
> increase in anxiety. 'Keep calm and carry on' is better motto for these
> difficult times than 'be very afraid'. The staff of small outlets
> clearly are afraid.
>
>      One store in Kentville which also used to act as a Post Office
> refuses to let customers in the store. Orders must be placed and paid
> for by phone and picked up at an arranged time. Mailing a document
> recently took several hours over two days; and a long wait indoors in
> the PO lineup.
>
>      Getting back to Miners Marsh the difficulty of 6' spacing is, under
> normal conditions, hypothetical excepting a few pinch points. And
> adapting. Depending upon wind direction one should walk clockwise or
> counterclockwise in cold weather. One could limit the number of hikers
> there by having a mechanical counter at the entrance and a wind vane at
> the gate to show traffic direction.
>
>      There are at least two private entrances to the park but I have
> never seen either in use.
>
>      Irrational fear and anxiety lead to regrettable attitudes. We do
> not need either added to the stress of Covid-19 and widespread
> dislocation of commerce accompanied by a looming massive economic
> depression.
>
> Yt, DW, Kentville
>
>
>
> On 4/26/2020 6:52 AM, Don MacNeill wrote:
>> Yes, I had thought about making the trails be one direction.  A very
>> slow walker like me is going to tick off the people behind me though
>> until someone decides to speed up and pass the slower ones, passing in
>> less than the 6 feet.
>>
>> Don
>>
>> Don MacNeill donmacneill@bellalia