The Polletts Cove-Aspy Fault Wilderness Area is a protected wilderness area located in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada, adjacent to Bay St. Lawrence and Pleasant Bay. The wilderness area is governed by the Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Climate Change.
Geography The Polletts Cove-Aspy Fault Wilderness Area is the largest wilderness area in Cape Breton, comprising approximately in area. The wilderness area has ancient faults, cirques, canyons, coastal mountain barrens, wetlands, talus slopes, and stunted spruce-fir plateau forests.
Ecology
Flora Arctic floras such as diapensia, blue mountain heather, pink crowberry, northern blueberry, and alpine bilberry grows on the wilderness area. Eastern waterfan, an aquatic endangered lichen, occurs in the canyon streams. Grasses include maidenhair and green spleenwort ferns.
Fauna The Polletts Cove-Aspy Fault Wilderness Area protects the endangered bicknell’s thrush and piping plover. The wilderness area also provides habitat to shorebirds. Mammals include the Canada lynx and mainland moose.
History The Polletts Cove-Aspy Fault Wilderness Area were designated in 1999 under the Wilderness Areas Protection Act. It was expanded by in 2015.
Access The Polletts Cove-Aspy Fault Wilderness Area can be accessed via Nova Scotia Route 30, as well as minor forest roads.
See also
List of protected areas of Nova Scotia
References
External links The impact of moose (Alces alces andersoni) on forest regeneration following a severe spruce budworm outbreak in the Cape Breton Highlands, Nova Scotia, Canada OpenStreetMap - Polletts Cove-Aspy Fault Wilderness Area Detailed map of Polletts Cove-Aspy Fault Wilderness Area