Williams Lake from the Backlands

Williams Lake, at the Wildland-Urban Interface

The panorama covers the entire Williams Lake which has an overall west (at left above) to east orientation. It was shot from two sites on the recently burnt barrens on the south, unsettled side of the lake on Oct. 4, 2013. Viewed from the north side, its Jack Pines present Thomsonesque vistas. As is typical of the Jack Pine stands, they burn regularly, those above Williams Lake doing so in 2012. Click here for a much larger version, and take a paddle down the lake! Use View > Zoom Out on your browser to reduce the height to fit the viewing screen, then use the slider (or left and right arrow keys) to scroll down the lake. This beautiful, near pristine lake lies only minutes from downtown Halifax, which can be seen above the trees towards the right of the panorama. There is pressure to develop wildlands on the south side of the lake which would seriously degrade the landscape and the lake, and take away a teasured wildland retreat of many Haligonians. The whole area from Williams Lake south to Power's Pond and enclosed by Herring Cove Road to the west and Purcell's Road to the east is variously known as the The Backlands, Purcell's Backlands or Halifax Backlands or some variant of those names. The backlands are a complex of rock barrens, Jack Pine barrens, hardwood, mixed and black spruce forests, wetlands and lakes on rough glacial terrain. They are currently undeveloped, largely because in the past it was simply too difficult to do so. Now, they could be developed, but only by destroying or seriously degrading the natural landscapes, habitats and hydrological regimes. See Backlands Coalition for more about Williams Lake and the Purcell's Backlands. Jack Pine Barrens in the Williams Lake Watershed & Backlands (Oct 25, 2012) At right: Lower MacIntosh Run (Aug. 7, 2013) Click on photos for larger versions.

"The Gully", Williams Lake Watershed & Backlands (Sep. 14, 2013) Click on photo for larger version. BACKLAND GARDENS

Purcell's Backlands