Spryfield, Nova Scotia
Encyclopedia
Spryfield is a community in Mainland
Halifax, Nova Scotia
, Canada
. It was founded about 1770, by Captain William Spry, who purchased land there and established the settlement with the aid of stationed soldiers from the nearby Halifax garrison. In 1783, he sold the property and returned to England
.
The name "Spryfield" is also sometimes used to refer to the general area of Halifax's South Mainland, which includes a number of communities along the Herring Cove and Purcell's Cove
Roads.
, to the south by Long Pond and to the east by the Purcell's Cove
Road. The major roads are
operation near Thornhill Park, on part of what was once the old Kidston farm. A masonic lodge
, Duke of Kent 121, also meets in Spryfield, on the border with Long Pond.
Spryfield is surrounded by forested areas, and in addition to the lakes there are numerous opportunities for hiking, berry-picking and exploring. See the "trails" subsection of the "natural setting" division below, for details and cautions.
s, elementary school
s, junior high schools, and one high school
(J. L. Ilsley High School
). When choosing a school in Spryfield, children may attend French immersion or English speaking classes starting from elementary school. See the list of schools below, for details.
Public sector
services are well represented in or near the community, with a Royal Canadian Mounted Police
(RCMP) headquarters, fire stations, a complete selection of schools, and community service offices at the Captain William Spry Center and the Spryfield Mall. Provincial governmental services are available at numerous locations nearby, including the Halifax Shopping Center. Since Halifax is the capital (and largest city) of the province, provincial and federal services are well represented in area, especially in the downtown district - a 10 minute drive from Spryfield.
As in most sub-urban areas in Canada these days, there are drug and gang problems in Spryfield. Marijuana and cocaine (especially in the form of crack cocaine
) are the two most commonly used and sold drugs in the area, and disputes over gang "territories" sometimes generate violence. In particular, the Melvin and Marriot family-related gangs have been engaged since the mid 1990s in a struggle for dominance in the drug trade (cocaine being the most contentious matter) in Spryfield, and a string of shootings and fire-bombings have resulted in several deaths and injuries - not all of them in Spryfield itself, however. The latest fatality in this "turf war" has been Terry Marriott, who was shot in the Harrietsfield area in February, 2009. For a summary of this unfortunate feud, see Melvins vs Marriotts: A tale of two crime families.
On the positive side of the ledger, there is little problem with prostitution or illegal gambling in the area (although before the Nova Scotian government took over the gambling racket in the province, there were a number of "grey" gambling machines in the area). Break-ins and robberies are no more frequent in Spryfield than in most other districts of the city, and most of the community is in fact quite peaceful. Drugs remain the issue which is connected with the majority of crime in Spryfield, and anyone who is not connected with the drug trade is as at least as safe as citizens in other parts of the city.
Despite the close-knit nature of the community in general, this is still predominantly manifested amongst long-time residents. Transient and new residents are not becoming involved in community activities and organizations at as great a rate as might be hoped for. In many of the newer developments the phenomenon of "suburban alienation" can be found - where neighbours generally keep to themselves and do not get to know the residents of their street or local area well. Also, community-based youth organizations in the Boy Scouts
and Girl Guides
family of groups, have declined dramatically in Spryfield. They peaked in the late 1960s, when the tail end of the "Baby Boomer
" and the beginning of the subsequent "Echo Boomer" generations produced an abundance of children in the Scouting/Guiding age cohort. This sharp decline is partially because of the rise in popularity of sports organizations and related opportunities in the area. Also, there has been a general decline in activities associated with the churches in most of the province.
Finally, as discussed in the Business and Industry section, the area is not as "business-friendly" as it could be, and there are relatively few employment opportunities in the Spryfield area per se. This can be described as the "Bedroom Community Syndrome", where people in an area do not typically work, shop or conduct business in the community where they live. This trend began in the 1960s, and there seems to be little by way of a tendency to depart from the pattern, despite repeated and determined efforts.
granite
and Silurian
slate
, with a very thin layer of soil in most places and large areas of outcrop
pings, mostly of the granite, which is the most common bedrock by far. The region was scraped clean during the Wisconsin Glaciation
, hence most of its soil was deposited many miles out to sea in a terminal moraine
. Much of the region's landforms were shaped by this glacier, which melted around 14,000 years ago: topsoil removed, hills rounded, pockets of unconsolidated aggregate
left behind, drumlins created, and the landscaped is littered by many large granite boulders called glacial erratics - the most famous of which locally, is the Rocking Stone: a 95 ton rock delicately balanced on a flat area of glacial pavement so that it can be rocked with the use of a lever. There is also another notable but lesser known glacial erratic called Table Rock, which is a perhaps 50 ton boulder balanced on three small stones, from fist to soccer ball size. This can be found near the earthen dam at the northwestern end of Kidston's Lake.
The area is hilly, but the highest elevations are only about 100 meters (300 feet). Some of the hills are fairly steep - Olie St. for example, is amongst the steepest residential streets in city. Perhaps the steepest hill in the entire HRM area is the road at the back of Flemming Park - a wonderful challenge to cyclists!! All of the landforms in the region, however, have been rounded off during the above-mentioned glacial period.
where blueberries and huckleberries have provided sustenance and recreation for many over the years, but there are also many wetlands of various kinds, from the lakes and streams described in their own section to swamps and bogs. The developed area has grown manyfold in the past few decades, but most of Spryfield is still covered with boreal forest - mostly mixed spruce
(black and red mostly), balsam fir
, red maple
, white, yellow and wire birch
, white pine
, the occasional hemlock
, many witch-hazel
, slow-growing, fire-dependent jack pine
on the barrens, with the occasional stand of red oak (such as near Donnovan's Pond) and other hardwoods (white pine and oak are the two most common climax
forest trees in the area, but there is almost no old growth forest remaining). There are scrubby areas of heaths
such as lambskill
and Labrador Tea
(restricted to wetlands) and shrubs such as Saskatoon berries (Indian pears, Indian Berries, Service Berries....many names!!), elderberries and speckled alder - these are mostly disturbed areas along roadsides and in the early succession from barren land to forest. Also found in disturbed areas are blackberry
thickets which produce abundant fruit. A wide variety of low bushes and non-woody plants such as wildflowers, grasses, sedges and even wild orchids can be found, although in disturbed areas most of the weed
y plants such as plantain
, dandelions and non-indigenous
grasses are mostly invasive
imports from Europe - although one of the most aggressive invaders is the tall, bamboo-like Japanese knotweed
, which does not reproduce by seed (the seeds are fertile, but produce extremely feeble plants (unpublished research - easily verified, however: just plant a few, harvesting them after the first few hard frosts!!), being spread instead by sections of root transported in landfill, and via rhyzomes which can travel under roads and occasionally streams. There are a number of rare plants on the barrens (details needed here....) and in a few of the wetlands, and a notable patch of Scottish heather
can be found near Spryfield, just south of a church on the Purcell's Cove Road about 1.5 km south of the intersection with the William's Lake Road, and at least two small patches of poison ivy
exist, although it fortunately does not grow well in the area's extremely acidic soil. Mayflowers
and red Lady Slippers are locally abundant, although please note that they ARE protected by law. All told, there are perhaps 450 species of native and naturalized vascular plants (no formal survey has been taken - this is a personal observation only) in the diverse habitats of the Spryfield area, from disturbed land successions to mature ecosystems - as well as a surprisingly large diversity of fungi, liverworts and lichens.
(especially rabbits, porcupines, deer and rodent
s) population supports a good diversity of predators. Foxes are common, and the bobcat population is still healthy. The occasional coyote
has been seen in Spryfield, although they appear to be transient, not established as a breeding population for some reason. Racoons (omnivores, who eat almost anything, although they are particularly adept at catching ducks) are very common, and raptors
such as various hawks and owls
also have healthy populations in the area. Skunks are present in low numbers, and the occasional moose and bear travel through the region although it is improbable that they regularly breed so close to the city. Occasional Lynx signs have also been reported, and many uncommon bird species fly through the region during the spring and fall migration seasons. The most common birds are the urbanized naturalized European house sparrow
s, starlings and pigeons, but healthy populations of the native robins
, blue jay
s, white-throated sparrow
s, herring gulls
, various warblers and other woodland birds and of course crows also exist, and in the winter flocks of such species of cedar waxwing
s and yellow grosbeak
s frequent bird feeders in the area.
, which is amongst the most popular swimming spot with its lifeguard and associated municipal park, Roach's Pond, as well as Long Lake, in Long Lake Provincial Park
, Colepitt's Lake and William's Lake, which is also used by boaters. More remote lakes include Parr Lake and Donnovan's Pond behind Green Acres (these are probably the two lakes in Spryfield which have the most numerous fish populations still), Flat Lake (shallow, with a high density of mosquitoes), and there are two small lakes (Withrod and Cranberry Lake) in Long Lake Park, which drain into Long Lake. Whimsical Lake, Kidston's Pond and the "Punch Bowl" (near Cowie Hill) are very popular for skating, although not for swimming, being too small. There are also fine canoe
ing and kayak
ing opportunities on Long Lake, although there are no formal launching places yet.
There are many small streams which provide excellent hiking opportunities, such as the one connecting Colepitt's Lake and Williams Lake, but the community's only major waterway is the Macintosh Runs, which drains Long Lake and extends to Herring Cove. Indeed, almost all of Spryfield is within the Macintosh Runs watershed
. There is an advocacy group associated with the Runs, and it has long been the goal of some, to develop a hiking trail along this waterway (which contains some very scenic ponds along its route), all the way to Herring Cove. (on Jan 1, 2010, the first segment of this trail, comprising 1.2 km behind Bridget Ave. (next to J. L. Ilesly High School) opened.)(see http://www.halifaxnewsnet.ca/index.cfm?sid=312910&sc=608 for details) It is currently moderately polluted by storm sewer runoff, with no plans for amelioration of this unfortunate reality. The advocacy group does however organize a yearly cleanup of the Runs, which greatly reduces the litter and garbage which finds its way into the watercourse.
quarry at Melville Cove (at the bottom of the steep hill going to Fort York Redoubt on the Purcell's Cove Road to behind the sewage treatment plant at the end of Princeton Ave (across the street from Green Acres), and the multitude of paths and old roads in Long Lake Provincial Park), trails in all states of use (some tend to peter out after a while, but others are still well used and easy to follow, such as many of those around and near Kidston Lake
) and behind Green Acres subdivision, and even sewer cuts (such as the one along the Macintosh Runs) provide many excellent hiking opportunities. However, much needs to be done to preserve access to these trail systems, since developers do not normally recognize that they should designate public rights of way to commonly used trails instead of just cutting them off. Older children very seldom get lost in the area, since there such an abundance of trails, and from anywhere in Spryfield one can hear the noise from at least one road. Caution should always be used of course, when traveling in the woods - proper clothing should be worn or carried to protect one in case of a sudden weather change, and water and some food should be carried as well as a small survival kit
.
The main danger is extremely rough, rocky terrain - traveling in the woods alone in this area is not a good idea, since serious injury due to a fall could cause fatal consequences. There are also a few poisonous plants and a good number of poisonous mushrooms: a good measure of safety in this matter can be had by following the simple rule: "If you are not CERTAIN of what a plant or mushroom (especially the later!) is, do NOT eat it." Small children should never be permitted to enter the woods alone - over the years several young children have been lost in Spryfield, most notably Wanda Graves around 1970, for whom a playground and ball park in Leblin Park was named.
pits such as the operation to the south of Elizabeth Sutherland Memorial School (now a fine baseball diamond) helped provide material for building local roads until the late 1950s, and in the early part of the 20th century there was a thriving granite granite
quarrying operation in what is now the northern portion of Long Lake Provincial Park: much of this granite can still be seen in historic buildings and walls in downtown Halifax.
In the 1960s and 1970s, many people began to travel to the Halifax downtown area and later on, to the Shopping Centers and Malls in the region to do their purchasing, and the community took on a "bedroom community" aspect: the great majority of the residents work elsewhere, with relatively few local thriving local businesses. The establishment of the Spryfield Mall in the mid-1970s (as a footnote, mostly on land purchased from St. Paul's United Church, which was able to retire its debt with the proceeds) was an attempt to reverse this trend, but it has struggled to fill its floorspace in recent years. That said, there is still a vigorous and growing business community in the Spryfield area, with a good amount of recent development occurring.
). The Mi'kmaq would later help the first Europeans in settling upon their arrival by the mid-18th century. They lived to regret this decision.
The community gets its name from Captain Lieutenant-General William Spry
, who purchased land in the area in 1769. Originally known as Spry's Field, the town is centred around the Captain's former estate.
The availability of land suitable for farming, and the relative close proximity to the Halifax market attracted the European settlers. These included the Drysdale, Kidston, Brunt, Connors, Henneberry, Moor, Norris, Sutherland, Warner, Findlay, Umlah, Yeadon, Oakley, and McInnis families, many of whom still reside in the community today.
Of particular note was Henry Lieblin, a Halifax baker who held 500 acres (2 km²) of land by the latter 18th century. A large development begun in the early 1950s, Lieblin Park, was named in his honor.
Spryfield's first public school opened in 1859. Its teacher, Elizabeth Sutherland, taught the town's early residents. In 1958, Elizabeth Sutherland Memorial School opened in her honour.
Until 1968, Spryfield was a part of Halifax County
. It voted to become a part of the city of Halifax
in that year, via a general referendum
.
crops were the most abundant in recent memory: in some places, over 5 liters of berries could be harvested in an hour, in areas burned in the 1960s). The largest Spryfield fire of the 21st century so far, however, began on April 30, 2009 when a forest fire erupted in the afternoon in the Green Acres area, forcing as many as 1,000 people to flee their homes. As many as 12 houses were destroyed and an area of approximately 800 hectares burned, between the Herring Cove and Purcell's Cove Roads: the fire travelled quickly between these major highways but did not cross either of them. The cause was not determined (carelessness was suspected, however) but dead wood from trees downed during Hurricane Juan
fueled the blaze. Firefighter
s from Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency
and the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources fought the fire.
developers began to build subdivisions
to accommodate some of the many new residents of the still rapidly growing greater Halifax region as well as the Baby Boomer
generation. These now contain the majority of the community's residents. Leiblin Park and Thornhill Park were among the first, being built from 1955 to 1965. Later developments include Elgin subdivision, Green Acres (which was left unfinished), Cowie Hill, the Greystone (formerly Carson St.) subdivision, three subdivisions off of William Lake Road, a modest co-op development by the Macintosh Runs across from B.C. Silver Junior High School, and a large development in the Colepitt's Lake barrens area which as of 2009 is about halfway completed. Initially, these were single family dwellings, but higher densities began to be achieved by the late 1970s, when the Cowie Hill subdivision was built with mostly townhouses and two large apartment buildings. Greystone is mostly row houses, and there are now a number of apartment building complexes in the area, such as the one off of River Road, facing J.L. Ilsley High School, and the "500 block" near Green Acres.
Mainland Halifax
Mainland Halifax is a region in central Nova Scotia, Canada that refers to the central-eastern part of the Chebucto Peninsula in the Halifax Regional Municipality...
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It was founded about 1770, by Captain William Spry, who purchased land there and established the settlement with the aid of stationed soldiers from the nearby Halifax garrison. In 1783, he sold the property and returned to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The name "Spryfield" is also sometimes used to refer to the general area of Halifax's South Mainland, which includes a number of communities along the Herring Cove and Purcell's Cove
Purcell's Cove, Nova Scotia
Purcell's Cove is a community within the Halifax Regional Municipality Nova Scotia Canada on the west side of Halifax Harbour from the Northwest Arm to Ferguson's Cove along Route 253 . The first 3 digits of the postal code in the area is B3P.-References:...
Roads.
Boundaries and structure
Strictly speaking, Spryfield "proper" is bounded to the north by ArmdaleArmdale, Nova Scotia
Armdale is a Canadian urban community located in Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia.Situated at the head of the Northwest Arm, from which it derives its name, Armdale borders the southern part of an isthmus connecting the Halifax Peninsula with the larger Chebucto Peninsula.-History:The...
, to the south by Long Pond and to the east by the Purcell's Cove
Purcell's Cove, Nova Scotia
Purcell's Cove is a community within the Halifax Regional Municipality Nova Scotia Canada on the west side of Halifax Harbour from the Northwest Arm to Ferguson's Cove along Route 253 . The first 3 digits of the postal code in the area is B3P.-References:...
Road. The major roads are
- Herring CoveHerring Cove, Nova ScotiaHerring Cove is a Canadian suburban and fishing community in Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality. It is situated on the eastern shore of the Chebucto Peninsula, 15 kilometres south of Downtown Halifax...
Road, off of which all other roads in Spryfield branch either primarily or secondarily, - William's Lake Road, which connects Herring Cove and Purcell's Cove Roads,
- Old Sambro Road, which leads to HarrietsfieldHarrietsfield, Nova ScotiaHarrietsfield is a rural residential community in the Western region of the Halifax Regional Municipality in district 18 on the Chebucto Peninsula on the Old Sambro Road 10 kilometers from Downtown Halifax.- History :...
, WilliamswoodWilliamswood, Nova ScotiaWilliamswood is a community of the Halifax Regional Municipality in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia on the Chebucto Peninsula .-References:*...
, then SambroSambro, Nova ScotiaSambro is a rural fishing community on the Chebucto Peninsula in the Halifax Regional Municipality, in Nova Scotia, Canada.Located on the Atlantic Ocean at the head of Sambro Harbour, the community is immediately west of the entrance to Halifax Harbour...
and - the Northwest Arm DriveNorthwest Arm DriveThe Northwest Arm Drive is a 4-lane divided highway that runs entirely in Halifax in the Halifax Regional Municipality connecting Nova Scotia Highway 102 in Clayton Park to Nova Scotia Route 306 in Spryfield....
, which connects Old Sambro Road to the St. Margaret's Bay Rd., Clayton ParkClayton Park, Nova ScotiaClayton Park is a Canadian suburban development in Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality inside the city of Halifax.-Original development:...
and Highway 102. The Northwest Arm Drive permits one to bypass the Armdale Rotary, which would otherwise be the only exit from the Mainland South area of the Halifax Regional Metropolitan (HRM) area. See also "developments".
Recreation
A good variety of recreational opportunities exist in the community. There are a several good children's playgrounds - not enough, according to many, but there are current efforts to alleviate this need, such as the construction of a Kaboom playground structure behind the Lions' rink). Spryfield also has numerous lakes of various sizes for swimming and non-motorized boating in the summer months - see below for details. For people who are not interested in natural aquatic settings, there is a public pool in the middle of the community at the Captain William Spry Community Centre, which is built on the site of the former West School. The Centre also contains a library, community service offices and meeting rooms available to the general public. There are baseball and soccer fields, basketball and tennis courts, and a skating rink (next to J.L. Ilsely High School), and the school gyms are often available for community use as well. In addition, the community is home to the Boys & Girls Club of Spryfield, which offers programs to children and youth year-round. For those interested in gardening, there is a community gardeningCommunity gardening
A community garden is a single piece of land gardened collectively by a group of people.-Purpose:Community gardens provide fresh produce and plants as well as satisfying labor, neighborhood improvement, sense of community and connection to the environment...
operation near Thornhill Park, on part of what was once the old Kidston farm. A masonic lodge
Masonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
, Duke of Kent 121, also meets in Spryfield, on the border with Long Pond.
Spryfield is surrounded by forested areas, and in addition to the lakes there are numerous opportunities for hiking, berry-picking and exploring. See the "trails" subsection of the "natural setting" division below, for details and cautions.
Schools and services
To service the continuing development of subdivisions, apartment complexes and homes, there are schools located in Spryfield for all ages. There are day careDay care
Child care or day care is care of a child during the day by a person other than the child's legal guardians, typically performed by someone outside the child's immediate family...
s, elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
s, junior high schools, and one high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
(J. L. Ilsley High School
J. L. Ilsley High School
J.L. Ilsley High School is a Canadian high school located in Spryfield in the western part of Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality. The school is named after James Lorimer Ilsley, a former federal cabinet minister who served in Prime Minister William Lyon MacKenzie King's World War II...
). When choosing a school in Spryfield, children may attend French immersion or English speaking classes starting from elementary school. See the list of schools below, for details.
Public sector
Public sector
The public sector, sometimes referred to as the state sector, is a part of the state that deals with either the production, delivery and allocation of goods and services by and for the government or its citizens, whether national, regional or local/municipal.Examples of public sector activity range...
services are well represented in or near the community, with a Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
(RCMP) headquarters, fire stations, a complete selection of schools, and community service offices at the Captain William Spry Center and the Spryfield Mall. Provincial governmental services are available at numerous locations nearby, including the Halifax Shopping Center. Since Halifax is the capital (and largest city) of the province, provincial and federal services are well represented in area, especially in the downtown district - a 10 minute drive from Spryfield.
Problems and challenges
The area has a reputation for having a high crime rate. However, this is only true for certain localities: as a whole, crime rates in Spryfield are not greater than in other regions of the city. Also, according to police sources, a good percentage of the people causing trouble in Spyrfield come from outside the community. Generally speaking, the crime rate is lowest in the subdivisions which are mainly single family residences, and highest in higher density developments which are mainly rental units.As in most sub-urban areas in Canada these days, there are drug and gang problems in Spryfield. Marijuana and cocaine (especially in the form of crack cocaine
Crack cocaine
Crack cocaine is the freebase form of cocaine that can be smoked. It may also be termed rock, hard, iron, cavvy, base, or just crack; it is the most addictive form of cocaine. Crack rocks offer a short but intense high to smokers...
) are the two most commonly used and sold drugs in the area, and disputes over gang "territories" sometimes generate violence. In particular, the Melvin and Marriot family-related gangs have been engaged since the mid 1990s in a struggle for dominance in the drug trade (cocaine being the most contentious matter) in Spryfield, and a string of shootings and fire-bombings have resulted in several deaths and injuries - not all of them in Spryfield itself, however. The latest fatality in this "turf war" has been Terry Marriott, who was shot in the Harrietsfield area in February, 2009. For a summary of this unfortunate feud, see Melvins vs Marriotts: A tale of two crime families.
On the positive side of the ledger, there is little problem with prostitution or illegal gambling in the area (although before the Nova Scotian government took over the gambling racket in the province, there were a number of "grey" gambling machines in the area). Break-ins and robberies are no more frequent in Spryfield than in most other districts of the city, and most of the community is in fact quite peaceful. Drugs remain the issue which is connected with the majority of crime in Spryfield, and anyone who is not connected with the drug trade is as at least as safe as citizens in other parts of the city.
Despite the close-knit nature of the community in general, this is still predominantly manifested amongst long-time residents. Transient and new residents are not becoming involved in community activities and organizations at as great a rate as might be hoped for. In many of the newer developments the phenomenon of "suburban alienation" can be found - where neighbours generally keep to themselves and do not get to know the residents of their street or local area well. Also, community-based youth organizations in the Boy Scouts
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
and Girl Guides
Girl Guides
A Guide, Girl Guide or Girl Scout is a member of a section of some Guiding organisations who is between the ages of 10 and 14. Age limits are different in each organisation. It is the female-centred equivalent of the Scouts. The term Girl Scout is used in the United States and several East Asian...
family of groups, have declined dramatically in Spryfield. They peaked in the late 1960s, when the tail end of the "Baby Boomer
Baby boomer
A baby boomer is a person who was born during the demographic Post-World War II baby boom and who grew up during the period between 1946 and 1964. The term "baby boomer" is sometimes used in a cultural context. Therefore, it is impossible to achieve broad consensus of a precise definition, even...
" and the beginning of the subsequent "Echo Boomer" generations produced an abundance of children in the Scouting/Guiding age cohort. This sharp decline is partially because of the rise in popularity of sports organizations and related opportunities in the area. Also, there has been a general decline in activities associated with the churches in most of the province.
Finally, as discussed in the Business and Industry section, the area is not as "business-friendly" as it could be, and there are relatively few employment opportunities in the Spryfield area per se. This can be described as the "Bedroom Community Syndrome", where people in an area do not typically work, shop or conduct business in the community where they live. This trend began in the 1960s, and there seems to be little by way of a tendency to depart from the pattern, despite repeated and determined efforts.
Geology
Spryfield is underlain by DevonianDevonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
and Silurian
Silurian
The Silurian is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Ordovician Period, about 443.7 ± 1.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Devonian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya . As with other geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period's start and end are well identified, but the...
slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
, with a very thin layer of soil in most places and large areas of outcrop
Outcrop
An outcrop is a visible exposure of bedrock or ancient superficial deposits on the surface of the Earth. -Features:Outcrops do not cover the majority of the Earth's land surface because in most places the bedrock or superficial deposits are covered by a mantle of soil and vegetation and cannot be...
pings, mostly of the granite, which is the most common bedrock by far. The region was scraped clean during the Wisconsin Glaciation
Wisconsin glaciation
The last glacial period was the most recent glacial period within the current ice age occurring during the last years of the Pleistocene, from approximately 110,000 to 10,000 years ago....
, hence most of its soil was deposited many miles out to sea in a terminal moraine
Moraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
. Much of the region's landforms were shaped by this glacier, which melted around 14,000 years ago: topsoil removed, hills rounded, pockets of unconsolidated aggregate
Construction Aggregate
Construction aggregate, or simply "aggregate", is a broad category of coarse particulate material used in construction, including sand, gravel, crushed stone, slag, recycled concrete and geosynthetic aggregates. Aggregates are the most mined material in the world...
left behind, drumlins created, and the landscaped is littered by many large granite boulders called glacial erratics - the most famous of which locally, is the Rocking Stone: a 95 ton rock delicately balanced on a flat area of glacial pavement so that it can be rocked with the use of a lever. There is also another notable but lesser known glacial erratic called Table Rock, which is a perhaps 50 ton boulder balanced on three small stones, from fist to soccer ball size. This can be found near the earthen dam at the northwestern end of Kidston's Lake.
The area is hilly, but the highest elevations are only about 100 meters (300 feet). Some of the hills are fairly steep - Olie St. for example, is amongst the steepest residential streets in city. Perhaps the steepest hill in the entire HRM area is the road at the back of Flemming Park - a wonderful challenge to cyclists!! All of the landforms in the region, however, have been rounded off during the above-mentioned glacial period.
Flora
The land has many granitic outcrops, which form barrensBarrens
Barrens may refer to:* Pine barrens, a type of ecosystem found in the Northeastern United States** Pine Barrens , a pine barren in the state of New Jersey...
where blueberries and huckleberries have provided sustenance and recreation for many over the years, but there are also many wetlands of various kinds, from the lakes and streams described in their own section to swamps and bogs. The developed area has grown manyfold in the past few decades, but most of Spryfield is still covered with boreal forest - mostly mixed spruce
Spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...
(black and red mostly), balsam fir
Balsam Fir
The balsam fir is a North American fir, native to most of eastern and central Canada and the northeastern United States .-Growth:It is a small to medium-size evergreen tree typically tall, rarely to tall, with a narrow conic crown...
, red maple
Red Maple
Acer rubrum , is one of the most common and widespread deciduous trees of eastern North America. It ranges from the Lake of the Woods on the border between Ontario and Minnesota, east to Newfoundland, south to near Miami, Florida, and southwest to east Texas...
, white, yellow and wire birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
, white pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
, the occasional hemlock
Tsuga
Tsuga is a genus of conifers in the family Pinaceae. The common name hemlock is derived from a perceived similarity in the smell of its crushed foliage to that of the unrelated plant poison hemlock....
, many witch-hazel
Witch-hazel
Witch-hazel is a genus of flowering plants in the family Hamamelidaceae, with three species in North America , and one each in Japan and China...
, slow-growing, fire-dependent jack pine
Jack Pine
Jack pine is a North American pine with its native range in Canada east of the Rocky Mountains from Northwest Territories to Nova Scotia, and the northeast of the United States from Minnesota to Maine, with the southernmost part of the range just into northwest Indiana...
on the barrens, with the occasional stand of red oak (such as near Donnovan's Pond) and other hardwoods (white pine and oak are the two most common climax
Climax vegetation
Climax vegetation is the vegetation which establishes itself on a given site for given climatic conditions in the absence of anthropic action after a long time ....
forest trees in the area, but there is almost no old growth forest remaining). There are scrubby areas of heaths
Ericaceae
The Ericaceae, commonly known as the heath or heather family, is a group of mostly calcifuge flowering plants. The family is large, with roughly 4000 species spread across 126 genera, making it the 14th most speciose family of flowering plants...
such as lambskill
Kalmia
Kalmia is a genus of about 8 species of evergreen shrubs from 0.2–5 m tall, in the family Ericaceae. They are native to North America and Cuba. They grow in acidic soils, with different species in wet acid bog habitats and dry, sandy soils Kalmia is a genus of about 8 species of evergreen shrubs...
and Labrador Tea
Labrador tea
Labrador tea is a name commonly applied to three closely related species:* Rhododendron tomentosum ,...
(restricted to wetlands) and shrubs such as Saskatoon berries (Indian pears, Indian Berries, Service Berries....many names!!), elderberries and speckled alder - these are mostly disturbed areas along roadsides and in the early succession from barren land to forest. Also found in disturbed areas are blackberry
Blackberry
The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by any of several species in the Rubus genus of the Rosaceae family. The fruit is not a true berry; botanically it is termed an aggregate fruit, composed of small drupelets. The plants typically have biennial canes and perennial roots. Blackberries and...
thickets which produce abundant fruit. A wide variety of low bushes and non-woody plants such as wildflowers, grasses, sedges and even wild orchids can be found, although in disturbed areas most of the weed
Weed
A weed in a general sense is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance, and normally applied to unwanted plants in human-controlled settings, especially farm fields and gardens, but also lawns, parks, woods, and other areas. More specifically, the term is often used to...
y plants such as plantain
Plantain
Plantain is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa. The fruit they produce is generally used for cooking, in contrast to the soft, sweet banana...
, dandelions and non-indigenous
Indigenous (ecology)
In biogeography, a species is defined as native to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention. Every natural organism has its own natural range of distribution in which it is regarded as native...
grasses are mostly invasive
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
imports from Europe - although one of the most aggressive invaders is the tall, bamboo-like Japanese knotweed
Japanese knotweed
Japanese Knotweed is a large, herbaceous perennial plant, native to eastern Asia in Japan, China and Korea...
, which does not reproduce by seed (the seeds are fertile, but produce extremely feeble plants (unpublished research - easily verified, however: just plant a few, harvesting them after the first few hard frosts!!), being spread instead by sections of root transported in landfill, and via rhyzomes which can travel under roads and occasionally streams. There are a number of rare plants on the barrens (details needed here....) and in a few of the wetlands, and a notable patch of Scottish heather
Ericaceae
The Ericaceae, commonly known as the heath or heather family, is a group of mostly calcifuge flowering plants. The family is large, with roughly 4000 species spread across 126 genera, making it the 14th most speciose family of flowering plants...
can be found near Spryfield, just south of a church on the Purcell's Cove Road about 1.5 km south of the intersection with the William's Lake Road, and at least two small patches of poison ivy
Poison ivy
Toxicodendron radicans, better known as poison ivy , is a poisonous North American plant that is well known for its production of urushiol, a clear liquid compound found within the sap of the plant that causes an itching rash in most people who touch it...
exist, although it fortunately does not grow well in the area's extremely acidic soil. Mayflowers
Mayflower (disambiguation)
-Plants:* Crataegus * Hepatica* Epigaea repens * Maianthemum canadense-Ships:* Mayflower, the ship used by the Pilgrims to sail to North America...
and red Lady Slippers are locally abundant, although please note that they ARE protected by law. All told, there are perhaps 450 species of native and naturalized vascular plants (no formal survey has been taken - this is a personal observation only) in the diverse habitats of the Spryfield area, from disturbed land successions to mature ecosystems - as well as a surprisingly large diversity of fungi, liverworts and lichens.
Fauna
For an area so close to a major city, the area's fauna is abundant. The large natural areas and wide diversity of habitats and ecosystems permit a good diversity of birds, mammals, fish, amphibians and invertebrates to thrive, although many habitats especially the wetlands, have been extensively damaged by off-road vehicles. A large herbivoreHerbivore
Herbivores are organisms that are anatomically and physiologically adapted to eat plant-based foods. Herbivory is a form of consumption in which an organism principally eats autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. More generally, organisms that feed on autotrophs in...
(especially rabbits, porcupines, deer and rodent
Rodent
Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
s) population supports a good diversity of predators. Foxes are common, and the bobcat population is still healthy. The occasional coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
has been seen in Spryfield, although they appear to be transient, not established as a breeding population for some reason. Racoons (omnivores, who eat almost anything, although they are particularly adept at catching ducks) are very common, and raptors
Bird of prey
Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....
such as various hawks and owls
OWLS
OWLS is a mnemonic used by general aviation airplane pilots to assess an unprepared surface for a precautionary landing.Like all mnemonics this check has become part of aviation culture and folklore.OWLS:* Obstacles* Wind direction...
also have healthy populations in the area. Skunks are present in low numbers, and the occasional moose and bear travel through the region although it is improbable that they regularly breed so close to the city. Occasional Lynx signs have also been reported, and many uncommon bird species fly through the region during the spring and fall migration seasons. The most common birds are the urbanized naturalized European house sparrow
House Sparrow
The House Sparrow is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. One of about 25 species in the genus Passer, the House Sparrow occurs naturally in most of Europe, the Mediterranean region, and much of Asia...
s, starlings and pigeons, but healthy populations of the native robins
American Robin
The American Robin or North American Robin is a migratory songbird of the thrush family. It is named after the European Robin because of its reddish-orange breast, though the two species are not closely related, with the European robin belonging to the flycatcher family...
, blue jay
Blue Jay
The Blue Jay is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae, native to North America. It is resident through most of eastern and central United States and southern Canada, although western populations may be migratory. It breeds in both deciduous and coniferous forests, and is common near and in...
s, white-throated sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
The White-throated Sparrow is a passerine bird of the American sparrow family Emberizidae.-Description:The White-throated Sparrow is a passerine bird of the American sparrow family Emberizidae...
s, herring gulls
American Herring Gull
The American Herring Gull or Smithsonian Gull is a large gull which breeds in North America. It is often treated as a subspecies of the European Herring Gull but is now regarded as a separate species by some authorities.Adults are white with gray back and wings, black wingtips with white spots,...
, various warblers and other woodland birds and of course crows also exist, and in the winter flocks of such species of cedar waxwing
Cedar Waxwing
The Cedar Waxwing is a member of the family Bombycillidae or waxwing family of passerine birds. It breeds in open wooded areas in North America, principally southern Canada and the northern United States.-Description:...
s and yellow grosbeak
Yellow Grosbeak
The Yellow Grosbeak , Pheucticus chrysopeplus, is a medium-sized seed-eating bird in the same family as the Northern Cardinal, "tropical" or "New World" buntings, and "cardinal-grosbeaks" or "New World" grosbeaks....
s frequent bird feeders in the area.
Lakes and streams
Spryfield has a rich diversity of lakes and streams, including Kidston LakeKidston Lake
Kidston Lake is a lake in the Spryfield area of Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada. An area along its eastern shore has been made into a municipal park, with artificial sand beaches and a lifeguard in the summer months. It is a popular swimming destination and offers a good swim...
, which is amongst the most popular swimming spot with its lifeguard and associated municipal park, Roach's Pond, as well as Long Lake, in Long Lake Provincial Park
Long Lake Provincial Park (Nova Scotia)
Long Lake Provincial Park is located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It was established in 1980 by then Premier John Buchanan when Halifax's water supply was shifted from the Spruce Hill/Long Lake/Chain Lakes watershed to the Pockwock Lake watershed near Hammonds Plains. The park itself...
, Colepitt's Lake and William's Lake, which is also used by boaters. More remote lakes include Parr Lake and Donnovan's Pond behind Green Acres (these are probably the two lakes in Spryfield which have the most numerous fish populations still), Flat Lake (shallow, with a high density of mosquitoes), and there are two small lakes (Withrod and Cranberry Lake) in Long Lake Park, which drain into Long Lake. Whimsical Lake, Kidston's Pond and the "Punch Bowl" (near Cowie Hill) are very popular for skating, although not for swimming, being too small. There are also fine canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
ing and kayak
Kayak
A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...
ing opportunities on Long Lake, although there are no formal launching places yet.
There are many small streams which provide excellent hiking opportunities, such as the one connecting Colepitt's Lake and Williams Lake, but the community's only major waterway is the Macintosh Runs, which drains Long Lake and extends to Herring Cove. Indeed, almost all of Spryfield is within the Macintosh Runs watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
. There is an advocacy group associated with the Runs, and it has long been the goal of some, to develop a hiking trail along this waterway (which contains some very scenic ponds along its route), all the way to Herring Cove. (on Jan 1, 2010, the first segment of this trail, comprising 1.2 km behind Bridget Ave. (next to J. L. Ilesly High School) opened.)(see http://www.halifaxnewsnet.ca/index.cfm?sid=312910&sc=608 for details) It is currently moderately polluted by storm sewer runoff, with no plans for amelioration of this unfortunate reality. The advocacy group does however organize a yearly cleanup of the Runs, which greatly reduces the litter and garbage which finds its way into the watercourse.
Hiking trails
Although there is a lack of formal trails, a diverse network of old roads (such as the one going from the old slateSlate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
quarry at Melville Cove (at the bottom of the steep hill going to Fort York Redoubt on the Purcell's Cove Road to behind the sewage treatment plant at the end of Princeton Ave (across the street from Green Acres), and the multitude of paths and old roads in Long Lake Provincial Park), trails in all states of use (some tend to peter out after a while, but others are still well used and easy to follow, such as many of those around and near Kidston Lake
Kidston Lake
Kidston Lake is a lake in the Spryfield area of Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada. An area along its eastern shore has been made into a municipal park, with artificial sand beaches and a lifeguard in the summer months. It is a popular swimming destination and offers a good swim...
) and behind Green Acres subdivision, and even sewer cuts (such as the one along the Macintosh Runs) provide many excellent hiking opportunities. However, much needs to be done to preserve access to these trail systems, since developers do not normally recognize that they should designate public rights of way to commonly used trails instead of just cutting them off. Older children very seldom get lost in the area, since there such an abundance of trails, and from anywhere in Spryfield one can hear the noise from at least one road. Caution should always be used of course, when traveling in the woods - proper clothing should be worn or carried to protect one in case of a sudden weather change, and water and some food should be carried as well as a small survival kit
Survival kit
A survival kit is a package of basic tools and supplies prepared in advance as an aid to survival in an emergency. Military aircraft, lifeboats, and spacecraft are equipped with survival kits....
.
Hiking cautions
It should be noted that the chances of encountering a dangerous animal in the Spryfield area are quite small: there are no poisonous snakes or spiders, and bears, lynx and moose (which can be dangerous under certain circumstances) are extremely rare. Bobcats could harm a child, but almost never do. Porcupines and skunks (the former are common in Spryfield, the later are frequent) should be left alone: they are slow, but can defend themselves well. Racoons are common, even in some of the older residential areas such as Thornhill Park, and although often shy, should be treated with respect: they are fierce, able fighters and if cornered can cause serious injuries. In particular, never get between a mother and her pups!! Coyote sightings are quite infrequent, and in any case coyotes almost never attack humans. Stray dogs are uncommon in the region, but any unaccompanied dogs encountered in the woods should be strictly avoided: their behavior is often difficult to predict.The main danger is extremely rough, rocky terrain - traveling in the woods alone in this area is not a good idea, since serious injury due to a fall could cause fatal consequences. There are also a few poisonous plants and a good number of poisonous mushrooms: a good measure of safety in this matter can be had by following the simple rule: "If you are not CERTAIN of what a plant or mushroom (especially the later!) is, do NOT eat it." Small children should never be permitted to enter the woods alone - over the years several young children have been lost in Spryfield, most notably Wanda Graves around 1970, for whom a playground and ball park in Leblin Park was named.
Businesses and industry
Until approximately 1960, there was relatively (i.e., compared to overall population density) more business and industrial activity in the Spryfield area than subsequently. At the intersection of Dentith Road and Herring Cove Roads, for example, a hotel existed. There were farms in many portions of the community until the early 1950s, such as the Umlah farm just south of Long Lake, and the Kidston farm near what is now Thornhill Park. Most of Spryfield has been logged at least once, and the last logging and sawmill operation existed on the east side of Kidston Lake until the mid 1960s. Gravel and aggregateConstruction Aggregate
Construction aggregate, or simply "aggregate", is a broad category of coarse particulate material used in construction, including sand, gravel, crushed stone, slag, recycled concrete and geosynthetic aggregates. Aggregates are the most mined material in the world...
pits such as the operation to the south of Elizabeth Sutherland Memorial School (now a fine baseball diamond) helped provide material for building local roads until the late 1950s, and in the early part of the 20th century there was a thriving granite granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
quarrying operation in what is now the northern portion of Long Lake Provincial Park: much of this granite can still be seen in historic buildings and walls in downtown Halifax.
In the 1960s and 1970s, many people began to travel to the Halifax downtown area and later on, to the Shopping Centers and Malls in the region to do their purchasing, and the community took on a "bedroom community" aspect: the great majority of the residents work elsewhere, with relatively few local thriving local businesses. The establishment of the Spryfield Mall in the mid-1970s (as a footnote, mostly on land purchased from St. Paul's United Church, which was able to retire its debt with the proceeds) was an attempt to reverse this trend, but it has struggled to fill its floorspace in recent years. That said, there is still a vigorous and growing business community in the Spryfield area, with a good amount of recent development occurring.
History
The land now known as Spryfield was first occupied by the Mi'kmaq people, who hunted and fished at Beaver Lake (now called Long LakeLong Lake Provincial Park (Nova Scotia)
Long Lake Provincial Park is located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It was established in 1980 by then Premier John Buchanan when Halifax's water supply was shifted from the Spruce Hill/Long Lake/Chain Lakes watershed to the Pockwock Lake watershed near Hammonds Plains. The park itself...
). The Mi'kmaq would later help the first Europeans in settling upon their arrival by the mid-18th century. They lived to regret this decision.
The community gets its name from Captain Lieutenant-General William Spry
William Spry
William Spry was an American politician and the third Governor of Utah.Spry was born at Windsor, Berkshire, England. He emigrated to Utah Territory with his parents at the age of eleven....
, who purchased land in the area in 1769. Originally known as Spry's Field, the town is centred around the Captain's former estate.
The availability of land suitable for farming, and the relative close proximity to the Halifax market attracted the European settlers. These included the Drysdale, Kidston, Brunt, Connors, Henneberry, Moor, Norris, Sutherland, Warner, Findlay, Umlah, Yeadon, Oakley, and McInnis families, many of whom still reside in the community today.
Of particular note was Henry Lieblin, a Halifax baker who held 500 acres (2 km²) of land by the latter 18th century. A large development begun in the early 1950s, Lieblin Park, was named in his honor.
Spryfield's first public school opened in 1859. Its teacher, Elizabeth Sutherland, taught the town's early residents. In 1958, Elizabeth Sutherland Memorial School opened in her honour.
Until 1968, Spryfield was a part of Halifax County
Halifax County, Nova Scotia
Halifax County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.The Municipality of the County of Halifax was the municipal government of Halifax County, apart from the separately incorporated towns and cities therein...
. It voted to become a part of the city of Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
in that year, via a general referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
.
2009 Forest fire
Spryfield has a history of large forest fires, which in more recent decades seems to have peaked in the 1960s, when a number of large fires burned a significant proportion of the forests in the area (The resulting blueberryBlueberry
Blueberries are flowering plants of the genus Vaccinium with dark-blue berries and are perennial...
crops were the most abundant in recent memory: in some places, over 5 liters of berries could be harvested in an hour, in areas burned in the 1960s). The largest Spryfield fire of the 21st century so far, however, began on April 30, 2009 when a forest fire erupted in the afternoon in the Green Acres area, forcing as many as 1,000 people to flee their homes. As many as 12 houses were destroyed and an area of approximately 800 hectares burned, between the Herring Cove and Purcell's Cove Roads: the fire travelled quickly between these major highways but did not cross either of them. The cause was not determined (carelessness was suspected, however) but dead wood from trees downed during Hurricane Juan
Hurricane Juan
Hurricane Juan was a significant hurricane that struck the southern part of Atlantic Canada in late September 2003. It was the tenth named storm and the sixth hurricane of the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season. Juan formed southeast of Bermuda on September 24, 2003 out of a tropical wave that tracked...
fueled the blaze. Firefighter
Firefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
s from Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency
Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency
Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency is the fire and rescue service of the Halifax Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia Canada.Although established in 1996 when municipal amalgamation took place, the service traces its history to 1754 when the oldest fireservice in Canada was established at Halifax...
and the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources fought the fire.
Schools
- J. L. Ilsley High SchoolJ. L. Ilsley High SchoolJ.L. Ilsley High School is a Canadian high school located in Spryfield in the western part of Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality. The school is named after James Lorimer Ilsley, a former federal cabinet minister who served in Prime Minister William Lyon MacKenzie King's World War II...
(10-12), 38 Sylvia Avenue - Central Spryfield School (P-6), 364 Herring Cove Road
- Elizabeth Sutherland (P-9); 66 Rockingstone Road
- Rockingstone Heights School; 1 Regan Dr
- Cunard Junior High School (7-9); 121 William's Lake Road (Jollimore)
- John W. Macleod Fleming Tower (P-6)
Government representatives
- Michele RaymondMichele RaymondMichèle Raymond is a Canadian politician and author. She currently serves as Halifax Atlantic's NDP MLA. A Halifax-area resident since 1963, she received degrees from Yale 1978 and Dalhousie in Linguistics and Law, respectively....
is currently the Member of the Legislative AssemblyMember of the Legislative AssemblyA Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
for Halifax AtlanticHalifax AtlanticHalifax Atlantic is a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly.The Member of the Legislative Assembly since 2003 has been Michèle Raymond of the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party....
, the constituency that includes the community of Spryfield. She was elected in 2003. - Megan LeslieMegan LeslieMegan Leslie is a Canadian politician, who has been the federal Member of Parliament for the electoral district of Halifax since the 2008 Canadian federal election. She is a member of the New Democratic Party and serves as the NDP critic for the environment...
is the Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for HalifaxHalifax (electoral district)Halifax is a federal electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1867.Since October 14, 2008, its Member of the Parliament has been Megan Leslie of the New Democratic Party....
, which in 2004 was re-organized to include the community of Spryfield. - Stephen Adams is the HRM City Councilor for District 18, he was elected in 1991 initially serving the area as representative of Ward 7 before amalgamation.
Developments
Initially, Spryfield mainly consisted of homes and roads off of the three main roads mentioned above. However, after World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
developers began to build subdivisions
Subdivision (land)
Subdivision is the act of dividing land into pieces that are easier to sell or otherwise develop, usually via a plat. The former single piece as a whole is then known in the United States as a subdivision...
to accommodate some of the many new residents of the still rapidly growing greater Halifax region as well as the Baby Boomer
Baby boomer
A baby boomer is a person who was born during the demographic Post-World War II baby boom and who grew up during the period between 1946 and 1964. The term "baby boomer" is sometimes used in a cultural context. Therefore, it is impossible to achieve broad consensus of a precise definition, even...
generation. These now contain the majority of the community's residents. Leiblin Park and Thornhill Park were among the first, being built from 1955 to 1965. Later developments include Elgin subdivision, Green Acres (which was left unfinished), Cowie Hill, the Greystone (formerly Carson St.) subdivision, three subdivisions off of William Lake Road, a modest co-op development by the Macintosh Runs across from B.C. Silver Junior High School, and a large development in the Colepitt's Lake barrens area which as of 2009 is about halfway completed. Initially, these were single family dwellings, but higher densities began to be achieved by the late 1970s, when the Cowie Hill subdivision was built with mostly townhouses and two large apartment buildings. Greystone is mostly row houses, and there are now a number of apartment building complexes in the area, such as the one off of River Road, facing J.L. Ilsley High School, and the "500 block" near Green Acres.
External links
- We Are Spryfield
- Captain William Spry Public Library
- HRM's Recreation Site
- Stephen Adams, HRM Councillor
- Michele Raymond, MLA
- Spryfield Residents' Association (SRA)
- Spryfield Fire CBC News