I love walking at Hartlen Point, the Department of National Defense property at the end of Shore Road, about 4 km from my home.
Even though there was a steady drizzle, I felt the need to go for a walk there with Wendy and Trey. Here's a little video from our walk.
As you know, we go there often. The pleasure in walking by the ocean is that it's different every visit, whether it's owing to the changing tides, the time of day, the direction of the wind or the time of year.
But this visit was too different.
I found myself humming, "Paved paradise put up a parking lot ..."
What on earth was going on ?
I'm sure the deer that had just passed this way wondered what had happened to her world.
So when I got home I posted a query on our Eastern Passage Facebook page and in no time someone had provided the answer. Here's that answer snipped from the CBC web page:
Undeveloped land at Hartlen Point will become the site of a 12-tower high-frequency surface wave radar station next year in order to assess the performance of this technology in an operational environment.
This radar actually bends over the horizon so you can detect things like ships that are farther away than you can normally see. With the ability to detect and identify targets more than 250 kilometres away.
The real advantage that this system has is that it works all the time. It works day and night, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And it provides persistent coverage of the vessels in the Maritime approaches.
Last week, Raytheon Canada Ltd. won the $7-million contract to build, install and test the radar system.
I'm a bit worried that I may be about to lose one of my favourite hiking spots.
I hope not.
I hope they will use as small a space as possible and you get to keep your walking place!
ReplyDeleteI neglected to mention that it has always been marked "no trespassing", Karma. But I have talked to the Military Police and they said it's fine to walk there. I'll take more photos as the work progresses.
DeleteDAMN! I hate when this happens, hate it. (Is it OK to swear in your blog comment space?) Have had too many beautiful private walking spaces razed by loggers and paved and altered...it still hurts the heart. On another note, I did not know you knew how to take videos and post them on YouTube. Good job!
ReplyDeleteBut will it detect the deer that pass by it's big ugly feet?
ReplyDeleteWell ... Kathy ... as I mentioned in my reply to Karma, I'm not really spozed to be there to begin with.
DeleteI've got a few videos up on YouTube. I'm a techie fool ... lol
Excellent question rangewriter. I wonder if it only works in one direction -- facing the ocean.
DeleteI recall telling you about this when I read it in the paper some time ago. I didn't think it would actually happen, so many brilliant government plans never get off the ground. I'm so tired of things getting dug up, cut down, filled in, whatever. Look at the mess at Bedford. Two years have been spent infilling the harbour for that huge luxury waterfront development and now it's on hold! And look at what's happening in downtown Dartmouth - more damned luxury development. Dartmouth? Luxury? Give me a break. I vote for a moratorium on all of it.
ReplyDeleteOh wow Rachel, did you see the price of units in the luxury development !!! Holy cats !!!
DeleteI do think it'll be interesting to watch the progress on the radar stations.
my hubby is military and works in communications. he said if it's a 12 tower site, it will be pretty "hot" when it's live...so no one will be allowed near it. i've had friends that have walked their dogs there and been told by mp's it's trespassing. they were given "warnings". it's a great area and so full of wildlife..too bad.
ReplyDeleteOh I hope that's not the case. I've been walking along that cliff-edge for three years. I just love it there. 'course I'll always be able to walk on the beach along Shore Road.
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