Lunenburg Part 1 - Introduction and Background August 30.pdf

The 2006 median household income in the District was $45.088 – slightly lower than the $46,605
in Nova Scotia as a whole. The 2006 unemployment rate in the District was 9.6% - slightly higher
than the Provincial average of 9.1% 58 .
Economic activity is focused primarily in services, manufacturing, and retail, though a large
proportion of activity still occurs in agricultural and resource-based industries.
Environment
Lunenburg County borders the Atlantic Coast of Nova Scotia, a region with cool summers and
the warmest winters relative to the rest of the Province. Precipitation is high year round, and
mostly falls as rain 59 . The area is also characterized by heavy fogs that roll in off the ocean.
During the late summer and fall, the coast is vulnerable to storms and hurricanes that move up
from tropical latitudes. Storm activity increases into the fall when ocean waters are warmest 60 .
Three of the worst storms to hit the Lunenburg area in recent years were Hurricane Juan in
September of 2003, Tropical Storm Noel in November of 2007, and Hurricane Earl in September
of 2010. Juan brought strong winds of over 150km/hr. Combined with local tide and wave action,
this produced a 0. 7 m storm surge in Lunenburg Bay 61 . In times of high winds and strong tides,
such as occurred during Hurricane Juan, currents through the channels can become extremely
rapid and strong 62 . Hurricane Juan caused extensive damage to roadways, beaches, and
agricultural land in the Lunenburg area. Hurricane Earl did not produce nearly as much damage
as did Juan; however it brought winds in excess of 100km/hr and launched waves onto the
shores of Lunenburg County 63 . The damage caused by these storms along coastal roadways at
Crescent Beach, Green Bay, and Blue Rocks demonstrates the vulnerability of the region’s
coastline. Erosion of beaches and dune systems caused by aggressive storms further increases
the vulnerability of the area to future storm impacts.
The natural landscape surrounding Lunenburg is characterized by slate bedrock overlain by thick
drumlins of glacial till. Abundant rivers and streams flow through the area, carrying drumlin
sediments out to the coast where they are deposited on beaches interspersed between drumlin
headlands and slate outcroppings. These coastal features are themselves eroded by wave
action, their sediments adding to those deposited on the beaches. Sediments range from finer
sands to cobbles and coarse fragments of shale, resulting in a large variation in beach types.
Most of the till in the Lunenburg area is derived from the local slate bedrock and, accordingly, is
fairly fine in texture. This has had important influence on the development of soils and
wetlands 64 . To the west of the LaHave River, soils formed on the area’s abundant drumlins are
loamy and well-drained. These drumlin soils were selected by settlers for their high agricultural
potential relative to the rest of the area. Today, agriculture is still important in parts the of
Lunenburg area, particularly Christmas tree farms. In the depressions between the drumlins,
water collects causing poor drainage and the proliferation of wetlands. To the east of the LaHave
River, soils are generally even finer in texture and so promote even more the development of
wetlands 65 .
58 Statistics Canada, 2006.
59 Environment Canada, 2011; Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History.
60 Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History.
61 Wang et al., 2007.
62 Ibid.
63 Corcoran, 2010.
64 Davis and Browne, 1996.
65 Ibid.
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