The studies listed add to the Ecological, Recreational and Cultural knowledge of the area. We did not do a complete article search. This list is compiled from information we had at hand.
1971, Natural Environment Survey: A Description of the intrinsic Values in the Natural Environment Around Greater Halifax-Dartmouth. Dean P. and D. Lister, Canadian Wildlife Service, Dept. of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Dept. of Fisheries and Forestry. Identified 7 important natural areas to preserve in Greater Halifax-Dartmouth. http://sandylake.org/1971-pb-dean-environment-report/
1971, MAPC (Metro Area Planning Committee) Recreation Work Group Report. Proposed 7 Regional Parks for Hfx-Dartmouth. (McNab Island, Long Lake, Chain Lake watershed, Hemlock Ravine, Marsh and Sandy Lakes, Sackville Flood Plain, Admiral Cove, Lake Williams & Lake Charles canal complex, Cole Harbour. http://sandylake.org/1971-mapc-recreation-report-on-7-regional-parks/
1972, MAPC Water Quality Survey for Selected Metropolitan Lakes. Description, lake and water quality.
1973, Natural Land Capability: Halifax-Dartmouth Metro Area. NS. Dept of Municipal Affairs.
1974, Ecological Reserves in the Maritimes: Region 7: NS. NB. PEI. Halifax. Canadian Committee for the International Biological Programme – Conservation Terrestrial Communities Subcommittee.
1975 Halifax-Dartmouth Regional Development Plan defines and separates regional parks and development areas, including the 7 proposed regional parks.
1979, July, Hfx Dart MAPC Regional Parks Report, by Parks Advisory Group, identifies 7 proposed Regional Parks – the same as in 1971 but with more detail and Marsh and Sandy Lakes, Sackville Flood Plain park name changed to Sackville River Regional Park. It includes Sandy, Marsh and Sackville River corridor as before, but with a protective buffer around the area. The boundaries and conceptual maps contain half of Jack Lake as part of the buffer area. https://sandylake.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/1979-Halifax-Dartmouth-Regional-Parks-Full-Report.pdf.
1982 Bedford Zoning Bylaws created to protect land around particularly Sandy Lake from development
1983, Water quality study of Sandy Lake and Bedford Town. Detailed Area Study of Sandy Lake area.
1984, Natural History of Nova Scotia. Simmons, L. et. al. NS Department of Education and Department of Natural Resources.
1984, An Experiment On The Feasibility Of Rehabilitating Acidified Atlantic Salmon Habitat In Nova Scotia By The Addition Of Lime. W.J. White, W.D. Watt, C.D.Scott, Department of Fisheries and Oceans. (At a time when the entire southern end of the province was losing fish because of acid rain from the US northeast, the scientists dumped industrial levels of limestone into the lake to learn about adjusting pH.)
1986, Jack Lake Environmental Evaluation Final Report. CMHC and NS Dept. of Housing. Contains a detailed environmental assessment. http://sandylake.org/document-gallery/
1986, Canadian Wildlife Service, NS Wetlands Atlas. Environment Canada.
1986, Sandy Lake Park Master Plan
1988, Sackville River Historical Research- Environmental Planning V, NS. Coakley, M., College of Art and Design, Halifax.
1988, Main Sackville River Watershed Project. Koenig, M., Environmental Planning, NSCAD.
1989, A Draft inter-Municipal Planning Strategy for the management of the Sackville River Basin. Environment Planning Studio IV, NS College of Art and Design, Halifax.
1989, The Scenic resources of Nova Scotia: A Macro-Scale Landscape Assessment. Millward, H. and Dawn Allen, Dept. of Geography, Halifax.
1990, April 23, Reconvened session Bedford Town Council: Recreation Advisory Commission requests “environmental study of the sandy Lake watershed area” before use of the Bluewater Lot is developed.
1990, Assessment of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar, L.) Habitat in the Sackville River, NS, 1986, Canadian Manuscript Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences No. 2059. Cameron, J.D., Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Halifax.
1990, Correspondence and reports from the Sandy Lake Area Residents association with the Bedford Water Advisory Committee, Feb. 25.
1991, Invertebrate Predation and the Seasonal Dynamics of Microcrustacea in the Littoral Zone of Jack Lake, Nova Scotia Michael J. Paterson PhD thesis, Dalhousie University
1992, A Quiet Place in the white Man’s world. Edwards, T., Bedford Magazine, October, p.6.
1993, Hammonds Plains the First 100 Years. Evans, Dorothy Bezanson, Bounty Print Ltd.
1993, Summary: Parks and Protected Areas Systems Planning. Lynds, A., Nova Scotia Dept. of Natural Resources.
1994, Towards the Identification of Environmentally Sensitive Areas for Environmental Management: A Case Study in the Sackville River Watershed, Nova Scotia. Rhea D. Mahar thesis. Sandy Lake is rated as the second most valuable Environmentally Sensitive Area between Bedford Basin and Mt Uniacke. Old Quarry Corridor of the Sackville River is third. https://smu.ca/academics/departments/rhea-d-mahar.html
1994, Field Surveys. Mahar, RD.
1994, The effects of land use changes on water quality of urban lakes in the Halifax-Dartmouth region: Sandy Lake. Pages from Paul Mandel, MSc thesis, Dalhousie University, 1994. Observations on Sandy Lake on 4 dates 1991/1992, and comparison with 1971 data.
1995, Sandy Lake Vegetation Survey and Trail Design, for the Town of Bedford to aid in and complete the trail design and layout for the area. Basic Elements Ecological Enterprises.
2001, Environmental Inventory of Sandy Lake, Marsh Lake and Jack Lake. DalTech and NSCAD Environmental Planning: This was a study of the environmental attributes of the Sandy Lake, Marsh Lake, Jack Lake area “that impact water quality, to analyze the information, and to develop a synthesis of this knowledge to understand how to maintain water quality in the valued habitats of wetlands and watercourses.”p.ii https://cdn.dal.ca/content/dam/dalhousie/pdf/faculty/architecture-planning/school-of-planning/pdfs/studentwork/SandyLake/environment01.pdf
2001, February, Sandy Lake Park Environmental Review. EDM Consultation Report
2002, Issues of Urban and Rural Fringe. DalTech and NSCAD Environmental Planning: This study based on Sandy Lake, Bedford, had three objectives: “1. To review and document the pressures for growth in the urban/rural fringe locally and nationally, and to consider the key approaches being used to respond. 2) To examine demographic and economic trends in the urban/rural fringe of HRM. 3) To examine land use and transportation patterns on the urban/rural fringe of HRM.” P.1 http://sandylake.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/2002-NSCAD-Issues-of-Urban-and-Rural-Fringe.pdf
2002, Sandy Lake Community Profile. DalTech and NSCAD Environmental Planning: This study explored the impacts of development on a community located on the urban fringe. It researched urban growth pressures, demographics, land us patterns (both historical and current), transportation patterns, and community perceptions of the landscape of Sandy Lake, Jack Lake, and Marsh Lake area. http://sandylake.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/2002-NSCAD-Sandy-Lake-Community-Profile.pdf
2002, Sandy Lake Development Impact Assessment Final Report – A Water Quality Analysis
Damon Conrad, Hany Sidhom, Steve Matthews, W. Hart 2002
“This report, created by senior Environmental Engineering students from Dalhousie University in 2001-02, involves the examination of Sandy Lake and surrounding area, in Bedford, Nova Scotia. Due to developmental pressures in the area from the major metropolitan area of Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), Sandy Lake is of concern
regarding its relatively undeveloped shoreline. The initiating factor of this report is a beach and park project to be developed by HRM, which started construction in 2001 and will be completed over the following few years. This report involves the creation of baseline data including dissolved oxygen, pH, total suspended solids, a bathymetric map of the lake, total and fecal coliform, as well as other water quality parameters…. This report was intended to be retained for the purpose of maintaining a historic record of Sandy Lake and its surrounding area as well as to outline environmentally responsible practices regarding any future development.”
2002, Suggestions for managing Development, DalTech and NSCAD Environmental Planning: This study integrates the information found in the Urban Fringe document and examines the outcomes of different types of development and consequences of each on the Sandy Lake area. http://sandylake.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/2002-NSCAD-Suggestions-for-Managing-Development.pdf
2002, Policy Review and Recommendations, DalTech and NSCAD Environmental Planning. (This document is missing.)
2004 Bedford West development Subwatershed Management Plan. Contains ecological information on the Sandy Lake area.
2011, Sackville River Watershed Wetland Inventory PT. 2: Big Sandy Lake Sub-watershed. John-William Brunner/Sackville Rivers Association. 2011. Prepared for the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal (NSTIR-ESS File: 17.008.09) Describes 7 sites. Farmer’s Dairy Site on Goggle Earth here
Full Report: Sackville River Watershed Wetland Inventory: Wet Area Mapping (WAM) data was acquired and assessed in the field to identify and inventory wetland and wet area sites to locate areas for wetland creation, enlargement, and enhancement. These sites could be used for potential future wetland compensation projects in the Sackville River Watershed (SRW). The inventory project was initiated as part of the compensation for damaged wetlands from new interchanges on Highway 101 and 102 and the new French high school in the Halifax Regional Municipality.”
2012, Peverill’s Brook – An Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation and Adopt-a-Stream Sponsored Project “At Peverill’s Brook this summer, we measured the area that needed and could be worked on to determine the amount of digger logs we could install. Among all of our other work, this summers crew (2012) managed to install eleven logs along Peverill’s and enhanced one natural rock sill. We divided the stream into a lower and upper section, between which lies marsh lake. These before and after pictures clearly illustrate the narrowing of the channel widths, and when the water is high, how much oxygen gets plunged into the river as pools get dug out for the fish.”
2013, Sandy Lake, Bedford:- Accelerated eutrophication signs, and suggested restoration parameters. S. M. Mandaville to Chair & Members, North West Community Council, HRM, October 30, 2013 “I include the predictive phosphorus modelling conducted by my team some years back (results updated in page-5, and the pictorial model in page-7). The enrichment has already occurred (see page-3 on suggested action by the NWCC)…The goal of restoration should be a maximum deep station TP of 9 μg/l”. Also view Excel file for Sandy Lake
2014, AECOM Sandy Lake Watershed Report
2014, October, Sandy Lake Conservation Association Response to AECOM report, to accompany the August 2014 AECOM Sandy Lake Watershed Study (both were posted on the HRM website) www.sandylake.org
2015, August, The Off-site Parkland Dedication Request contains a Conceptual Map for acquiring 160 acres of watershed west of Marsh Lake and the city’s rationale for acquiring watershed west of Sandy and Marsh Lakes. http://legacycontent.halifax.ca/council/agendasc/documents/150804ca1114.pdf
2015, Establishing realistic management objectives for urban lakes using paleolimnological techniques: an example from Halifax Region (Nova Scotia, Canada) Brian K. Ginn et al., 2015 Lake and Reservoir Management, 31:2, 92-108 “To determine pre-disturbance limnological conditions, evaluate the impact of environmental stressors (surface water acidification, nutrient inputs, climate change, and winter deicing salt), and set realistic recovery targets for lake management strategies, a rapid assessment paleolimnological approach was used to determine the amount (and likely causes) of environmental changes over the past ∼100–150 years in 51 urban lakes from Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada). Sandy Lake was one of the “19 otherwise relatively pristine lakes had increases in planktonic taxa consistent with observations linked to changes in lake seasonality and limnological changes most closely linked to climate warming in Nova Scotia and other regions.” Sampling: “Sediment cores were collected from 51 lakes in Halifax Region in July 2005 and July 2006”
2016, Bedford Land Use Bylaw – Archaeological sites identified on lands west of Sandy Lake, Jack Lake, tributaries, and Sackville River. Also includes 1983 5-acres on public road ongoing bylaw.
2016, Water Quality Monitoring in the Sackville River Watershed 2015 and 2016. Bill Ernst and Damon Conrad, Sackville Rivers Association November 2016.
2016, Characterizing Sources of Fecal Pollution at Four Urban Public Beaches in the Halifax Regional Municipality Michael McDonald, 2016. MSc thesis “Within the last few years several beaches in the Halifax Regional Municipality have closed frequently due to increased levels of E. coli within the beach waters. Enumeration, microbial enrichment, and genetic microbial source tracking methods were used to enumerate E. coli levels and detect the presence of select pathogens and host-specific fecal contamination markers within four local freshwater urban beaches. E. coli levels mostly remained below the maximum allowed concentration throughout the sampling season. Tested pathogen and fecal contamination markers displayed a low prevalence. E. coli levels were influenced by measured water quality parameters and were shown to fluctuate on a day-to-day basis. However, E. coli were unable to predict the presence of enteric pathogens or fecal contamination markers. The beaches do not appear to be heavily contaminated and should generally be safe for public use. The use of E. coli as a fecal indicator needs to be further assessed in future studies.” Sandy lake was one of the study lakes, “chosen as a control beach due to a history of good water quality and location in a relatively unpopulated area”. He looked specifically for dog contamination, concluding Overall, the low prevalence of the BacCan marker indicates that dogs may not be a large source of contamination at the tested beaches and the ban on dog’s access to beaches imposed by the HRM is being obeyed.”
2017 & 2018 breeding seasons, Species of interest to Federal and Provincial conservation bodies observed on surveys conducted on the lake areas of the proposed Sandy Lake-Sackville River Regional Park lands, by Clarence Stevens. www.sandylake.org
2017 – Natural Wonders Avian Species report: http://sandylake.org/avian-and-species-at-risk/
2018, June, HRM Flooding Study (National Disaster Mitigation Program) Base of Bluewater Road is one of three areas listed as needing mitigation for significant flooding.
2018, August 14, Halifax Green Network Plan is passed unanimously by Halifax City Council. SL-SR have 3 important corridors at the pinch point of the Chebucto Peninsula, and Sandy Lake is a large sub-watershed of the Sackville River Watershed, which is one of the five major natural corridors in HRM.
2018, August, 2018 Sackville River Floodplain Study Phase 2. The city must not be planning to develop Sandy Lake area for 100 years because it was not included in the scope of this study.
2019, Sandy Lake-Sackville River area’s old growth Ash trees are to be included in a new undergraduate honours study on Ash tree vulnerability in the urban forest.
2020, January, Sandy Lake – Sackville River Regional Park Planning Vision: http://sandylake.org/sandy-lake-sackville-river-regional-park-2020-planning-study-2/
2020, March, Avian and Species at Risk Surveys of the proposed Sandy Lake-Sackville River Regional Park, Natural Wonders Consulting Firm: http://sandylake.org/avian-and-species-at-risk/
2020-2021, Ducks Unlimited Canada WESP Reports: https://sandylake.org/ducks-unlimited-wetland-assessment-report/ Marsh Lake was designated a 2021 Treasured Wetland by Ducks Unlimited Canada and the NS Departments of Environment and Climate Change and Natural Resources and Renewables: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/4274e1c1ec584850b613e5c856b0eef0
2021, Wildlife Corridor Landscape Design Charrette, Chebucto-Timberlea-Sandy Lake area of Halifax,
Nova Scotia Crown Share and Legacy Trust. http://sandylake.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/WildlifeCorridorCharretteReport.pdf
City Council Incorporates Corridor Charette in HGNP April 5 2022: https://cdn.halifax.ca/sites/default/files/documents/city-hall/regional-council/220405rc1531.pdf
2021, February 23, Summary of A Report on the State of Sandy Lake: http://versicolor.ca/sandylakebedford/waters/lakes/sl-report-summary/
2021, A Tale of Two Lakes: Lake Mixing, by Mimi O’Handley, Wetlands and Water Officer at the Ecology Action Centre: https://11722e7d-8c8c-4838-969e-bee1181ed9f8.filesusr.com/ugd/66e517_ba066d91cdbe47f887d1b3028ed57e6e.pdf?index=true
2022, May, Love Your Lakes Report- Sandy Lake
http://sandylake.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Sandy-Lake-Love-Your-Lake-Report.pdf
The Love Your Lake updated Sandy Lake Summary report linked at the bottom of the page:
2022, Identifying lake water quality trends and effective monitoring strategies in a rapidly urbanizing region. Doucet, C., 2022, [Master of Applied Science, Dalhousie University] Profiles for Sandy Lake are shown in Electronic Supplement 3. https://dalspace.library.dal.ca/handle/10222/82119
This independent study corroborates the findings of Dr. Patriquin’s team’s work at Sandy Lake, and is detailed in The Precarious State of Sandy Lake Report Oct 1, 2024.
2022 Bluegreen algae incident and test: http://versicolor.ca/sandylakebedford/2022/06/28/blue-green-algae-warning-for-sandy-lake-bedford-28jun2022/ (Sandy Lake now has on record 2 instances of algae blooms in recent years. Fortunately, neither was of a toxic variety, but we must walk back the damage being done to the lake so this trend will not continue.)
2022, July, Sandy Lake Ecological Features Assessment, McCallum: https://cdn.halifax.ca/sites/default/files/documents/city-hall/regional-council/220712rc15110.pdf
2022, July, Council’s amendment motion to the MacCallum report, re: buffers and corridors (p.11-12):https://cdn.halifax.ca/sites/default/files/documents/city-hall/regional-council/220712rc-mins.pdf
2023, March “Deep water oxygen levels in Sandy Lake fall to precariously low levels”: http://versicolor.ca/sandylakebedford/2023/03/21/deep-water-oxygen-levels-in-sandy-lake-bedford-ns-fall-to-precariously-low-levels-19mar2023-19mar2023/
Also updated: http://versicolor.ca/sandylakebedford/waters/lakes/sl-report-more-details/critique-of-predictions-lack-of-follow-up/
2023, September 2, Sandy Lake (Bedford, NS) limnological profiles reveal freshening and oxygenation of the water column after extreme rain events; and a worrisome “Metalimnion Oxygen Minimum”: http://versicolor.ca/sandylakebedford/2023/09/02/sandy-lake-bedford-ns-limnological-profiles-reveal-freshening-and-oxygenation-of-the-water-column-after-extreme-rain-events-and-a-worrisome-metalimnion-oxygen-minimum-2sep2023/
2024, October 1, The Precarious State of Sandy Lake – Report to The Premier:
Links to the 3 parts: report, footnotes, and cover letter to decision-makers here:
PatriquinLetterCorSandyLakeSPA1Oct2024
2024, October 6, The “State of the Lakes” Report “(The HRM Lakewatcher’s Report): https://cdn.halifax.ca/sites/default/files/documents/city-hall/standing-committees/241003essc1312.pdf
or: https://www.halifax.ca/about-halifax/environment-climate-change/lakes-rivers/lakewatchers
Dr. P’s comments on Lakewatcher’s Report, Oct 6, 2024
2024, October 27, Take a Hike and Call Me in the Morning: physiological and emotional responses of walking in nature. Sandy Lake Regional Park, Bedford, hosted by Dalhousie University, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE), and Ecology Action Centre (EAC)
2024, Nov. 11, Curious BGA Bloom on Sandy Lake (Bedford, NS)
https://versicolor.ca/sandylakebedford/2024/11/11/curious-bga-bloom-on-sandy-lake-bedford-ns-in-early-november-11nov2024/ The first verified BGA in Sandy Lake and the latest month identified anywhere in HRM.
Ongoing: Since 2022, the Sandy Lake team has been working with the HRM Lakewatchers program: http://www.versicolor.ca/sandylakebedford
Ongoing: Saint Mary’s University Aquatic Environments Class studies at Sandy Lake with Dr. Linda Campbell, Chair, Department of Environmental Science. Website: http://www.ap.smu.ca/~lcampbel/
2016 – ongoing: http://www.versicolor.ca/sandylakebedford is the most comprehensive depository or reports, studies, and scientific commentary on Sandy Lake, Bedford.” Forests and Surface Waters of Sandy Lake & Environs (Bedford, Nova Scotia): Studies and surveys of the Sandy Lake – Sackville River Regional Park area”. Dr. David Patriquin states, “I view Sandy Lake and Environs as they were viewed in 1971: an asset to all of Halifax municipality, indeed to the whole province. I see it as a very special place, complementing not replicating other major natural assets of Halifax.”