We've enjoyed many wonderful rambles at the Keji Seaside Adjunct, a detached portion of Kejimkujik National Park near Port Mouton, Nova Scotia. This is a Canadian gem of a park, one which has become increasingly popular through the years.
When we were staying nearby last October we would get up early, be the first to arrive in the morning, and walk for hours without seeing another soul. The souls we were quite willing to forego were the bears, which we never saw, but had left enough scat on the trails that we could have sculpted a life-size model. We sang and even prayed our way through areas of thicket near the sea beaches in the hope we wouldn't scare up a bruin. We laughed but it was definitely nervous laughter.
Still, we were surprised to see that the park was closed on the Canada Day Weekend because bears were foraging in numbers along the shoreline, close to trails. They rummage in the "wrack" the seaweed which is home to maggots and other insect goodies. This year berries are late so the bears have stayed longer along the coast.
What I appreciate is that this is being done more for the wellbeing of the bears than humans. This area is now a remarkable habitat for many creatures and while humans love it, so do other forms of life. The news release says:
"By reducing the potential of bear-human encounters through the guidelines and closures, Parks Canada is encouraging natural black bear behaviour and reducing the likelihood of risky behaviour which can happen when bears become habituated to humans."
Of course we want humans to be safe from harm in possible encounters. And we would have been devastated if we couldn't have hiked there, which we did several times over the course of a week, including on my birthday. Still, "all God's creatures have a place in the choir" has to mean something in practical terms.
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