'Protecting a special place': Community concerned about DND project at Hartlen Point

As Tony Rusinakand his neighbours walkdown a grassy path atHartlen Point in Eastern Passage,they takephotos of every bird, insectand tree theysee.

The photos are part ofan environmental campaign focused on finding,identifyingand logging as many species as possible in the area.

The community members plan to use the photos to help them protect thepeninsula they use daily.

Rusinak said the so-called bio blitz "is to bring validity to the natural value of the headland. So it's one more way to add a comprehensive database to the argument that this area should be protected."

The rocky coastline, forestand scrub landof Hartlen Point is owned by the Department of National Defence, and a $64-million testing facility is set to be built there next year.

Thefacility will be used to test the combat, navigation and communication systems ofthe new Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) ships.

A spokesperson for the Department of National Defence told CBC News that though the area is private property, the department has"frequently allowed residents to use the DND lands at Hartlen Point for bird watching, hiking, and other activities."

Rusinaksaid thearea is ecologically diverse and unique. He and more than 100 local peoplehave formed a Facebook group to share their concerns about the project and are holding a community meeting on Monday.

"I'm concerned about the hundreds of thousands of migratory birds that come here every year," Rusinaksaid. "The list goes on and on and on. There is a lot of wildlife on this point ... also a lot of recreational activities and fishing activities."

Bonnie Wilczynskiand Craig Hartlenare one of the concerned families who live near the point.

Wilczynski saidthe community has been kept in the dark. Onecommunity engagement meeting was held in March, butshe said it left her familywith questions.

"Alot of the project going forward has been hush-hush," Wilczynski said.

Hartlensaid he has lived in the areahis whole lifeand is now alobster fisherman in the area. Heis concerned the project will affect his livelihood.

"That's where we fish on a daily basis. No one has hadcontact with anybody in the fishing industry," Hartlen said."And I don't know if we're just going to go out thereone day andthey're going to say, 'Oh, you can't go to work anymore here.'"

As for Rusinak, he saidhe's most worried about losing the pocket of nature steps from his home.

"This is protecting a special place, and there's only so many of them left. And once they're gone, they're gone."

Rusinak said the community is not trying to stop construction, but doeshave somerequests.

"First off, we want clear communication," he said."Second off, we want a proper community impact assessment done where they talk to the community and they advertise to every single housein this neighbourhood."

He said the community also hopes to be able to continue to enjoy access to the coastline after the facility is built.

DND response

In a statement to CBC News,Andre-Anne Poulin,a Department of National Defence spokesperson, said "it is too early to determine future public access" at this point in the project.

Poulin said environmental studies are being conducted "to better understand how we can offset any potential impacts at Hartlen Point."

Poulin said the department will continue to consult with the community about the project, and most of the community questions thus far have "focused on the environment, future access to the site, impact on community safety due to increased traffic."

She said another community engagement session will be held in the fall once the environmental assessment is complete.

Rusinak and his neighbours said they plan to submit the data from their efforts as part of that assessment.

"We're not trying to go against the military whatsoever. We want to protect Hartlen Point. That's it."