Index: Editorial Reflections The Fiddlehead Association of Big Harbour Island on the Bras d'Or Gathering Info On The Bras d'Or Renew Your Membership

I n the early 1980's Dr. Frank MacIntosh, then a professor at McGill University in Montreal, had a dream. With a 131 hectare property on Big Harbour Island in the Malagawatch District of Inverness County, he wished to have neighbours who would appreciate the beauty of the land and water while being aware of it's fragility and who would respect and care for it as he himself had. (Dr. MacIntosh's ancestors were the first white settlers in the area, dating back to the 19th century.) A few years earlier, an oil company had thought there might be mineral deposits of value on Dr. MacIntosh's land. They unwittingly became a positive force in causing Dr. MacIntosh's dream to become reality. In order to bring in their large rigs to drill for deposits, they first had to build roads. With the failure of their pursuit they left a very fine set of gravel roads throughout the property. This created a perfect setup for Dr. MacIntosh to move forward with his plan. He and his wife, Mary, carefully laid out 22 waterfront lots ranging in size from 2.5 to 8 hectares.

The property is a peninsula sticking out into Bras d'Or Lakes between Orangedale and Marble Mountain. The end of the peninsula forms a round hook, not unlike a forming fiddlehead fern. There is a large pond of 35 hectares and gently rolling land with a maximum height above the Bras d'Or of 22 meters. The shoreline is about 7 km long.

Dr. MacIntosh then drew up a membership agreement and By-Laws for his Fiddlehead Association. This non-profit corporation, incorporated under the Nova Scotia Societies Act, elected a Board of Directors and Officers from among the membership and meets annually to discuss issues and to resolve concerns of the members.

Each lot owner has one vote. Dues are levied each year to provide a general fund for the upkeep of the roads, pay taxes on the common property, and for other uses as they occur. To retain the spirit of the Association, the agreement calls for members to never sub-divide their property, to first offer any resale to the Association, to guarantee that any buyer will agree to join the Association, sign the membership Agreement and agree to abide by the By-Laws, limit building to a single family dwelling and not to use the property for any commercial enterprises.

The lots have been sold to a wide variety of people in varying occupations and from many provinces in Canada in addition to the United States and Europe. Most are part-timers but at least one member, a retired engineer, is now living here full-time. However, all agree to maintain the land in its natural state and to show the care and respect for it as Dr. MacIntosh had wished. Unfortunately, Dr. MacIntosh was stricken with a stroke and passed away some years ago. But his dream became a reality and lives on today in the form of the Fiddlehead Association.

To date this group of lot owners have had good success upholding the ideals that Dr. MacIntosh had set forth. A neighbourhood of co-operating owners making an effort to protect the natural area, foster good environmental practices and working out their differences in a democratically controlled manner. As users and benefactors of the Bras d'Or, the Fiddlehead Association has expressed interest in working with the Stewardship Society to protect this wonderful lake. Dirk Faegre is a member of the Bras d'Or Stewardship Society who resides in West Brook, Maine.