SOUTHWESTERN NS – Permanent and seasonal residents of the five municipal units in Shelburne County, as well as the Municipality of Argyle, are being invited to share their thoughts on local heritage sites.
The feedback is for a research project being conducted by a graduate student at Saint Mary’s University.
Lori Churchill is completing her master’s degree on Atlantic Canada Studies and is doing her thesis research in the municipalities of Argyle, Barrington and Shelburne, and the towns of Clark’s Harbour, Lockeport and Shelburne.
Churchill, who is employed with the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage, became familiar with the area last year while helping colleague Dr. Katie Cottreau-Robbins, curator of archaeology for the N.S. Museum, organize the public archaeology dig at Fort Saint-Louis in Port La Tour and installing the temporary exhibit on Fort Saint-Louis at the Old Court House Museum in Barrington.
“The response to the public dig was overwhelmingly positive with many participants indicating a desire to sign up for a public dig next year if one is held,” said Churchill. “Through my involvement with Fort Saint-Louis, I saw first-hand how sites such as this one are being threatened by the impacts of coastal erosion due to climate change and also noticed that local residents were extremely invested in their heritage and in the protection of such sites. This gave me the idea for my master’s thesis. I want to find out what’s driving local residents’ engagement in their heritage and if it’s unique to this area.”
The thesis “An investigation into the drivers behind a community's engagement in protecting its heritage assets in the context of a dynamic coastal landscape” is being done under the supervision of Dr. Danika van Proosdij, chair of the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Saint Mary’s.
One component of Churchill’s research is an online survey targeting residents in the municipalities of Argyle, Barrington and Shelburne, and towns of Clark’s Harbour, Lockeport and Shelburne. Any residents wanting to complete the survey can do so by clicking here.
Churchill said she is aiming to get 300 responses to the survey which will run until April 30. Churchill will also be conducting one-on-one interviews with local residents. Results of the study should be available in fall 2019 and will be shared with local residents and with the Nova Scotia Museum.
SURVEY VOICES SOUGHT
The survey is directed at permanent (current and former) and seasonal residents of the Municipality of the District of Barrington, Municipality of the District of Shelburne, Municipality of the District of Argyle, Town of Clark's Harbour, Town of Lockeport and Town of Shelburne, aged 18 years of age and older.
