Nova Scotian songwriter Terra Spencer grew up on the banks of the Avon River, and has been a resident of Windsor for the past four years. Since childhood, she has witnessed changes in the tidal landscape resulting from the causeway which spans the stretch of Highway 101 between Windsor and Falmouth. Recently, she has heard the conflicting voices of friends and neighbours concerned for the waterway’s present and future. Endorsed by the Department of Agriculture as a means to protect 3000 acres of upstream farmland from saltwater, the causeway was installed in 1970 at the cost of restricting fish passage in the Avon River and dramatically altering the ecosystem of the shoreline. The resulting manmade Lake Pisiquid has been a recreational site for watersports, home of the town’s annual Pumpkin Regatta, and a supply of freshwater for local agricultural crops, livestock, vineyards, and snow production at the nearby ski hill. The flow of fish and saltwater from the Avon River into the lake is regulated by an aboiteau, a gate that is opened and closed with the tide. How long that gate is open each day, the amount and salinity of the water that passes through, and the fish carried by it, are subjects of controversy.

A project approved in 2017 to twin the stretch of Highway 101 shone a spotlight on conflicting interests at play at the causeway, voiced through council meetings, heated online debates, and a parade organized by farmers and recreational users of the lake. Protests and vigils are ongoing on land and in the water, held by local residents, members of First Nations communities, and fishers - most notably Darren Porter, who has been a vocal advocate for the restoration of river flow. Fishers are working with a small Mi’kmaw science team to monitor fish passage through the Avon River aboiteau and at Halfway River. Signs supporting either side of the lake/river debate have been displayed throughout Windsor, on front lawns and storefronts. The twinning project is presently at a standstill, with construction butting up against the aboiteau, awaiting a final federal ruling from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans on the future of fish passage through the Avon River.

Much of Terra Spencer’s songwriting has been inspired by Nova Scotian landmarks and their connection to the environment, including a song called Boat Harbour, recorded with Dave Gunning in support of the Friends of the Northumberland Strait. **Daughter of Avon** was written in collaboration with artist Lilli Lewis from New Orleans, a city that has its own precarious relationship with the sea.

The song is a lament for the river’s former days, performed by Terra Spencer and Lilli Lewis.