Cherry Hill Beach, in Lunenburg County on Nova Scotia’s South Shore, is a pristine natural wonder. 50 hectares of Cherry Hill Beach is awaiting final provincial government approval as a Nature Reserve and will be managed by the Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Climate Change.

In the Globe & Mail over a decade ago, Megan Power wrote in her article Slip into a serious state of bliss at Cherry Hill Beach, N.S.: “I have visited my fair share of beaches - on the Adriatic, the Caribbean, the Pacific, the Gulf of Mexico - and Cherry Hill retains some ineffable hold over me. It's the most breathtaking beach I've ever seen. Because it feels like it's mine? That, and because it feels like nobody's.”

Visitors and locals alike treasure this jewel of nature. We also know that we must share the area with the fish, fauna, and fowl of our natural world.

Eleven years later, Cherry Hill Beach is under threat. Warmer water makes swimming more popular. Surfers have discovered its waves. In September 2022, plans were announced for a seasonal trailer park of 12-15 sites on land mere metres from the beach. This commercial development occurred without a review or consultation with neighbours.

Increasing the summer residential population of Henry Conrad Road by three times will overload the capacity of existing services and roads. Reckless overdevelopment threatens fragile ecosystems of the Cherry Hill area.

We know maintaining the biodiversity of our natural world is vital to our future. Habitat loss is a major cause of decline of our natural world. More people and their pets will permanently disrupt the breeding grounds of birds and fauna.

Nature thrives in quiet surroundings. Dumping truckloads of gravel a few metres from the future Cherry Hill Nature Reserve to create a trailer parking lot will stress wildlife and lead them to abandon the area. Light, noise, and garbage pollution will attract animals such as raccoons.

Climate change is and will alter our coastline. We know that maintaining natural coastal ecosystems will help mitigate the degradation.

The majority of residents and visitors to the area support development that sustains the natural world we treasure in Cherry Hill. (Read what people are saying.)

Anne Marie Lane Jona has said it best. “It is unconscionable that we sit by and watch our coastal environment, including Cherry Hill Beach, be exploited for short term gain of a few.”

The Friends of Cherry Hill Beach call on all levels of government to show leadership (Visit this page for politicians' contact information). Put a moratorium on coastal development until the Nova Scotia Coastal Protection Act comes into effect in 2023.

Stop reckless coastal development. Protect Cherry Hill’s nature!