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Moose conservationists meet with developers of wind farm in Antigonish

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There’s a last-minute meeting happening Wednesday afternoon over a proposed wind farm project in Antigonish, just one day before it could get approval from the province.

The Moose Conservation Association of Nova Scotia (MCANS) has been desperately trying to stop the Eigg Mountain Wind Farm project over concerns of what it will do to the moose population and will now meet with the company behind it.

The group says Renewable Energy Systems (RES) wants to get a sense of how this project can work with them as well as other stakeholders. However, MCANS is holding firm on its stance that it’s in the worst possible place.

The MCANS which has been pushing to stop the project and went as far as to start a campaign urging the public to help.

The farm would have 22 turbines producing up to 154 megawatts of power to be completed in 2028.

The MCANS is concerned as the proposed location is in a heavily moose populated area full of wetlands and old forest growth areas.

Their treasurer, John Fillier wants to attend the meeting to find out how such an obviously poor location could have been chosen and who made that decision.

He questions if the decision was based purely on wind strengths in the area with little foresight or concern for its effects on resident moose.

brown moose on brown grass during daytime

Moose association needs urgent support to save habitat in Antigonish County

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The Moose Conservation Association of Nova Scotia (MCANS) is urgently trying to stop a proposed wind farm in Antigonish County that could be days away from getting the green light from the province. 

Environment Minister Tim Halman is reviewing an Environmental Assessment (EA), which if approved, would give the go ahead to the Eigg Mountain Wind Farm as early as Thursday.

The MCANS president Al Muir says it is detrimental to moose population and that they’ve launched their Harvey’s Last Hope Campaign to give a face of one of the moose that will be affected in the area.

“We’re trying to do is draw attention to Harvey’s plight up there and have people call the minister of the environment to be a voice for Harvey,” Muir explains.

The campaign was developed after the public comment submissions section on the EA was closed last week.

“We don’t know why this site was even considered because it’s probably one of the most sensitive areas in the province. The fingers of the protected area go right up through the middle of this project.”

The Eigg Mountain project would have 22 wind turbines to produce up to 154 megawatts of power near Connors Mountain Road and would not be the only one in the area.

Muir says there are five more, including:

  • Eigg Mountain which is being reviewed
  • Glen Dhu which is already up and running
  • Beaver Mountain which is in the tower erection stage
  • Sugar Maple which has entered the environmental assessment comments stage
  • Yellow Birch which is another proposed location

According to Muir, the cumulative effect of a large number of towers are having an even more profound effect on the moose in general.

Muir says Eigg Mountain is the largest pocket of remaining moose in the in the Pictou Antigonish Highlands and this proposed wind farm would be in wetland and old forest growth areas which would be disastrous for the moose.

“We understand the public’s appetite for green energy, but we cannot ignore the effect this project we’ll have on resident moose like Harvey in this incredibly sensitive area, so we just want the public to convey that message to the minister,” said Muir.

He’s encouraging you to write or call Minister Tim Halman with your concerns about the Eigg Mountain site before the decision is made on Thursday, April 9.

We reached out to the company behind the project for details on why they chose this location. 

Moose in Velvet feeding in the wilderness

Wind farm would interfere with moose habitat and population

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Moose conservationists believe the proposed Eigg Mountain Wind Farm in Antigonish County is the worst possible place.

According to the website for the project it would be near Connors Mountain Road and is expected to have 22 turbines to generate up to 8 MW of power each, along with two to three towers. The company behind the project, Renewable Energy Systems (RES) has submitted for an environmental assessment (EA).

However, the president of the Moose Conservation Association of Nova Scotia objects to the EA. He told our newsroom wind turbines create flickering as well as light and noise issues that could drive moose to leave their ideal habitation, putting survival at risk.

“We’ve identified the area around Eigg Mountain as being the highest concentration of moose in this particular part of the province in those highland areas. So, it’s because you have the wetlands, because they’re so important to the moose. It’s vital that we protect this area,” he expressed.

Muir said wetlands and old growth forest areas need to be protected as they are primarily food sources for moose.

“From the Moose Conservation Association’s perspective, this particular area is so ultra sensitive to a project like this. Standing alone, it’s probably the worst place in the province to put one of these things,” he concluded.

He explained the government has a legislative requirement of a recovery plan for the mainland moose to sustain population, and if this development is allowed to go forward it will end the project.

RES is actively looking for public input on the design with a goal to have construction to start in 2027 and be operational in 2028.

“A lot of people welcome wind energy developments and we’re not anti-development. It’s just that a lot of these are being placed in areas at high elevations where there’s the only places where moose are left in the province, and this of all those areas,” he clarified.

Muir said the province should strongly consider adding Eigg Mountain to the wilderness area that already exists there.