We Value...

We value the bouquets of wildflowers that decorate the tables at community events, and we value that people will take the time to pick them. And those who pick them cherish the chance to spend an hour in a wildflower meadow. An hour in a wildflower meadow – what a gift to the senses! The riotous mix of colours – vermilion Indian paint brush, purple and pink and mauve and cream-coloured lupins, white daisies, blue harebells, yellow dandelions, stately blue iris – all in a shimmering dance against a backdrop of blue ocean. The breeze carries on it the sweet scent of pink clover, the delicate fragrances of Queen Anne’s lace and sweet hay. And wild roses. There are no words to describe the perfume of wild rose blended with salt air. “Breathtaking” would be a paltry attempt. 

In a wildflower meadow in early July, there are tiny, sweet strawberries to stain your fingertips red. In August there are blueberries. And always, the sound of the seagulls, wheeling above. 

Sounds are so much a part of this place… The whisper of a bird’s wings as it flies overhead – on a still day, we can hear that here. The muffled moan of the distant foghorn lulling us to sleep. The lapping – or thundering – of waves reaching shore. Bell buoys, church bells, snow crunching underfoot. A whale blowing – my friend has heard this through her open kitchen window! Or the repeated slap of a humpback’s flipper on the water. The “poof” of a harbour porpoise’s short, quick breaths. The melancholy call of a loon. We value those sounds. And there are so many more: The predictable, excited “Oohhhh” from the passengers on a whale-watch cruise a mile offshore, as a huge, shiny black back emerges near their vessel. The patter of thousands of herring “boiling” at the surface of the water. Spring peepers in the night. 

This little spit of land is so narrow, you can often hear the ocean when you’re walking in the woods. Other times, there is just the hush of the forest, and nothing else. And when “the winds are blowing a gale”, whipping the branches this way and that, the sound of its force is awe-inspiring.

We value our communities. That everyone in the village will look out for your child, and your dog. That when we go to Digby on errands, it never crosses our mind to lock our doors. And that before one of us goes to Digby, we’re likely to call our neighbours to ask if they need anything. We value our volunteers, who give so much in time and effort to keep these little villages functioning. We value that a neighbour will bake for your Church bake sale – even though she doesn’t go to your Church! And that people flock to fundraising suppers, whether to help a neighbour with medical expenses, or to protest an unwanted quarry. That when you go to a fund-raising supper, the cost is “free will offering”, and everyone donates generously. We value our meeting places – the little white churches, the little post offices, the little general stores – the best places to catch up on the latest village news.

We value so much about this place and our lives here that trying to make a list threatens to become an endless endeavour. (Good thing there’s a deadline!) Here are some Valued Environmental Components our friends and neighbours have asked us to include:

Our lifestyle is the envy of tourists and visitors. They perceive it as slow and peaceful and friendly, far from the rat race. “Traveling down the Digby Neck and Islands is an excursion into a different state of mind, an uninterrupted rural seaside respite.”

Our air is clean. You can hang your wash out and it comes in clean and fresh-smelling; there’s no soot in the air.

On a clear night, we can see thousands of stars. There is no light pollution here.


Life-long residents and seniors see this area as their “world”, where things are good and things are dependable. They are a people of the land and the sea. There is no place in this world for tearing down the mountains that they visualize are there to protect them from sea surges and storms.

Ownership of the culture - residents have always enjoyed and celebrated the very things that ‘make them different’ from other, more ‘progressive’ areas. They have always felt they had the choice to keep things this way – ‘unspoiled’ in their eyes. This project, should it be imposed upon the area, will teach people the futility of the decision making process they believed was inherent in Democracy.

The dream of retiring to a community which is not polluted by the ballast, dust, noise, lights and contaminated aquifer promised to the residents of Digby Neck by this quarry.

I value the dream of living in a place which is not controlled by the corporate world.

It’s restful and peaceful and natural and undisturbed here.

We enjoy the unspoiled beauty of a land not ravaged by greed.

It’s an area secluded from ecological and human disaster.

We have a sense of safety and security.

Digby Neck is like one big family: we might squabble among ourselves, but we band together against outside threats!

We value our heritage; we consider the area to be a ‘classroom and a theatre’ for the next generation to ‘learn the ways of the sea’.

We value our Ancestry. Many summer residents and summer visitors have family roots that go back generations. Through their genealogy they feel a very strong spiritual attachment to the area. One of the strongest contributors to this feeling of ‘connectedness’ to the past, is the fact that the area changes so little over incremental periods of ten or twenty years.  “I came back to my roots – both the land and the people.”

Family connections to place, the fact that many families go back ten or more generations. In Canada that must be quite rare.

We value the history of White’s Cove . In the 19th century, it was a dynamic community, home to several generations of six Hersey families, as well as at least four other families who were born, worked and died in the community. Archival research indicates that approximately seventy people were permanent residents of White’s Cove in the 1800’s. Destruction of this area is the destruction of the cultural heritage of all these families.

Stories and the “cellar stones” of the thriving community of White’s Cove formed the background of Julia Sauer’s Newberry Medal winning children’s story “Fog Magic”, published in 1943.

White’s Cove was also the summer residence of First Nations people. The Mi’kmaq people of Bear River used White’s Cove as the base for their seasonal fishing industry. Thus, exploitation of the land for quarry operations destroys the historical linkage between the area and the First Nations people.

Value System – teaching future generations, through building a love for the area, a living example of a culture whose values are closer to nature and to the land. 

There exists a spiritual quality in their infinity with the land and each other, as a sort of ‘area family’ on the part of residents, former residents and summer residents and relatives and families of these people.

MEMORIES of White’s Cove – although only the elders of the Community recall parents talking about family roots in White’s Cove, many community members easily recall times spent at White’s Cove, overnight at a camp, or during day trips to have picnics on a very regular basis. To many, childhood memories include many social activities taking place in this area. To destroy it is desecration in the eyes of many.

We value the knowledge and skills passed down through families about fishing, fishing grounds, etc. 

We take pride in what fishermen and their families are and what they do.

We value our Folklore.

We value the responsibility of the stewardship of this great natural system, which is shared internationally with the United States through the Gulf of Maine ecosystem.

Those who visit and even some of the residents don’t seem to realize the awe-inspiring beauty and diversity of the area. Many who visit and walk among us see very little of what lies beneath: the tides, the waters, the life, the Bay. The true driving forces lie hidden beneath the surface of the Bay and in its peoples’ attitudes and customs. Free access to the Bay and its shores has always been everyone’s “God Given Right”. With this “Right” comes the responsibility to defend the Bay and its shores to the end.

There are many things we value about our communities:

We value our relationships within our communities. People matter to each other here.

Profit and commerce are kept in perspective.

We value the solidarity of the community, the united stand against the quarry. People who, though most think they are uneducated and uninterested, will fight to the end to protect what is most important to them.

We value the ways we get together and support each other - lobster suppers, fundraising events. We value the places where we hold these activities, such as the Digby Neck Consolidated School in Sandy Cove, which acts as a community gathering place, especially for community and school functions, Christmas concerts, public meetings etc. We value the fellowship we enjoy when we get together for these events.

The invisible “Welcome Signs” on almost everyone’s homes. People here aren’t too busy with work to take the time to invest in friendships. We value get-togethers with family and friends. Picnics, roasting hot dogs and marshmallows around a bonfire on the shore.

We value the way living next to the Bay has shaped our language. There is a wealth of words describing sea conditions: a bobble, a chuck, glassy smooth, oily smooth, a sea, a wave, swell, surge, a comber...

Listening to the fishermen talk about the current season, their hauls, and the prices of fish.

“The Bay and its water is so engraved upon us after so many generations that our blood and the Bay waters must have many similarities.”

Families are proud of the fact that they and their ancestors have been fishing in the same area for one hundred or more years.

The SAFETY of the area – people feel this is a simple area, free from crime and the ‘sophistication’ usually associated with Industrialized areas. The ‘simple life’ is not appealing to everyone, but people here would like it to remain that way.
We value our traditions. Drying dulse on the Fundy Shore. Going to the plant to buy the freshest fish anywhere, during all seasons of the year. Picking berries, according to the seasons. Sharing what we grow in our gardens, for free.

Jerome’s Rock, and the story of the mysterious sailor after whom it is named.

We value visits to the local, very small grocery stores rather than venture 20+ miles into town to the larger stores.

In 1998, UN Habitat Settlements named Western Valley Development Authority to Global Best Practices List, thus recognizing its economic development approach as one of the best in the world.

We are proud that Digby Neck has been recognized by UNESCO as a paradigm of community economic development for North Atlantic communities – in its (MOST) Management of Social Transformation Programme.

There is currently a study of which Digby Neck is a part.. “A group of researchers at Saint Mary’s University have partnered with the Western Valley Development Authority and the Digby Neck Community Development Association to study community well-being in the communities along Digby Neck. Parallel studies are also being done in coastal communities in Cuba, Chile and Brazil, by other partners in the project. The intent of the project is to understand how people are able to improve their community health in the age of globalization, and to draw on this experience to benefit other coastal communities in Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean.

The quarry has brought the Community together in a stronger, united front against the perceived threat to the area. This led a group of seniors to form a group called “The Blue Tartan Brigade”. This group of feisty seniors don tartan and sou’westers and sing songs that they create to express their disdain for the entire process. They open all public meetings and fund raising events for the protest of the quarry. (Tune: ‘Sink the Bismarck’) THE ‘PROCESS’ There is a lovely area that many call their home. And people from all over come and through it roam But we never saw the danger that our government would bring. It’s a MONSTER called “The Process” and that is why we sing CHORUS: The process is a function of our Government you see It provides them with a method for confusing you and me It makes a lovely vehicle to sneak a quarry in. Is “The Process” just a smoke screen to cover up their sin We’ve heard about “The Process” cause our former MLA Used to talk about it – in fact it’s ALL he’d say Whenever we would question him about his point of view He’d say: “We have to follow “The Process” – there’s nothing I can do. The government gave the order to call a Panel Review But it would take a long, long time, not just a month or two They’d talk to many experts who were drawn from far and wide And, as always, the proponent said ... “We’ve not one thing to hide.” CHORUS ....... But just as the “Process” began to get underway The proponents restructured their companies and caused a big delay So here we are, and White’s Cove is still an ugly mess And, like little sheep, we’re asked to trust the monster called “process”.

We value the freedom our chosen lifestyle allows us to enjoy.

The freedom to roam through woods and walk the shoreline and the beaches, again during all seasons of the year.

We value the solitude we can enjoy during those wanderings; it’s possible to walk for hours and not meet another soul. We value the quiet and opportunity to reflect.

Kayakers feel free to land along the shores of the Fundy, when touring the ‘Bay of Fundy Highway’. (White’s Cove is a desireable spot for such landings, and there are still the remnants of the ‘haul-up poles’ from when the area was actively fishing.)

We value our unaltered Shoreline (as stated by Gulf of Maine group).

The Peace that imbues this place is elemental to our enjoyment of it.

Peace that comes from a spiritual attachment to the land and the water. There is a feeling of ‘belonging’ here. Local people as well as visitors from around the world find peace in connecting to Nature in all its many forms. This place is perceived as untouched and natural.

Peace of Mind is one of our most valued VEC’S. We don’t want to have to worry about the potential disasters that could result from a mega-quarry in our midst:
- the potential for water problems
- the potential that our livelihoods will be damaged or destroyed
- the potential for irreversible damage to the unique and delicate ecosystem of the Bay of Fundy
- the dangers of transporting and storing explosives
- the potential that whales or even people will be struck by the huge ships,
and so many more concerns that people expressed at the scoping sessions.

We value the ambience of our surroundings:

Our landscape is close to pristine. Some visitors refer to the Neck and Islands as “Brigadoon”, or “the land that time forgot”. We are envied for this by those from more urban areas.

We cherish the quiet and clean air. Our sunsets are spectacular, and each village has a spot where locals can go to enjoy them.

This thin, fragile spit of land is no place for a mega-quarry. (Sandy Cove)

We value that this is a non-industrialized area. That there is no heavy industry here.

We value the darkness of the nights, and the multitude of stars visible to us.

We even value the fog; it keeps our landscape lush and green. Fog can be a friendly and magical entity. We value the beauty of the coast. Our lighthouses.

Did we mention the sunsets? Oh yes, I guess we did, but they deserve repeating.

Sunsets viewed through dustless air, over a calm, safe, ocean. Occasionally with a whale showing off, just for good measure.

We value the individual charm of our local villages. The aesthetic appeal of shingled and clapboard houses. The way people keep their properties neat and tidy. The flower gardens.

The lack of fast-food outlets and franchise operations. No McDonald’s? No problem.

The lack of traffic, traffic signs and traffic lights.

Having tourists stop to enjoy the view, take pictures, and ask a myriad of questions.

The view from our front windows – of Sandy Cove and Mount Shubal as well as most of the village of Sandy Cove; of the harbour; of the Bay.

Breathtaking sunrises, from any vantage point.


We value the way the sea permeates almost every aspect of our lives.

The tides, known around the world – how they determine the comings and goings of the small boats.

Watching the activities of the fishing boats going about their business; enjoying the sight of them tied up at the end of the day.

We value the affinity we feel with the whales, and the way some whales seem to enjoy people.

Fishing from the wharf.

We value that we live beside an ecosystem so unique, that a world-class “Discovery Centre” is proposed for the area. This Interpretive Centre will explore all aspects of the ecology of the Bay, as well as its history and culture. We consider that this type of project and a mega-quarry are mutually exclusive.

Following is an excerpt from the membership application for the “Bay of Fundy Discovery Centre Association”: