Climate change impacts history: Parks Canada monitors Grassy Island

Local Journalism Initiative
Wed, August 16, 2023 

CANSO – The province announced last month that it was investing $400,000 to mitigate climate change risks to vulnerable archeological sites, and has tasked the Cape Sable Historical Society with the implementation of a climate change adaptation strategy for the archeology sector.

One of the most significant archaeological sites in Nova Scotia is the Canso Islands National Historic Site, located in the waters off Canso, which includes the Grassy Island settlement, where French fishermen came as early as 1600 to pursue cod. By 1720, the area had changed hands and was predominantly an English settlement, which included a fort on Grassy Island.

An attack on the settlement in 1744 launched from the French Fortress of Louisbourg in Cape Breton saw the Grassy Island settlement raised to the ground.

The remains of this settlement – the subject of several archaeological digs under the auspices of Parks Canada, most recently in the early 1990s – given its location, in the Atlantic Ocean about half-a-kilometre from the Canso waterfront, are susceptible to coastal erosion.

The Journal asked Parks Canada, the government body responsible for the Canso Islands National Historic Site, what priorities and strategies have been identified to preserve the site and mitigate against the impact of climate change.

Matthew Cook, acting national historic site and visitor experience manager for the Canso Islands National Historic Site, told The Journal via email, “Parks Canada teams will continue to work together in a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary manner with periodic monitoring of the island. Last year, Parks Canada found no disturbed archaeological resources during its visit.”

Cook added, “Parks Canada appreciates community involvement and encourages community members to share any concerns of exposed or degrading archaeological resources on Grassy Island’s shoreline. Parks Canada team members will work towards mitigating these issues on a case-by-case basis.”

More data and information are needed, Cook said, in order to understand how climate change will impact the site. “Parks Canada is quite receptive to also discussing opportunities with organizations and academics who are interested in exploring interdisciplinary research on Canso Islands National Historic Site. The management statement for this national historic site allows for–and encourages–these types of partnerships and collaborations, and we look forward to the prospect of exploring these opportunities further.”

Cook concluded, “Parks Canada aims to maximize opportunities to present the stories of Canso Islands National Historic Site by working together with key stakeholders, including the Canso Historical Society, Canso Area Development Association and the Municipality of the District of Guysborough.”

Lois Ann Dort, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Guysborough Journal