DRAFT Beaver Management Plan - Hunter River
Hunter-Clyde Watershed Group
Within the Hunter River Watershed, stewardship is undertaken by the Hunter-Clyde Watershed Group. This group has been active since 2000 and is experienced in undertaking stream enhancement activities and has removed a number of beaver dams in past years. The group is funded by the Watershed Management Fund, Wildlife Conservation Fund, Canada Summer Jobs, Jobs For Youth and membership fees. We have over 160 members, including 24 corporate members. Detailed reports on our activities can be found on our comprehensive website, http://hcwg.editme.com
The Watershed
The Hunter River watershed is of an unusually steep gradient, creating many areas where beaver activity has major impact on stream crossings, farm tracks and small riparian zones. 56% of the land in the watershed is farmed, and 31% is wooded. Although row-crops are not predominant, intensive farming practices create conflicts with beavers which need to be resolved.
There are 15 sub-watersheds, three of which are addressed below. These three represent the three different types of beaver management needed in the Hunter River: leaving them alone; managing numbers; complete removal. The other 12 sub-watersheds have not been assessed for beaver management as yet but when they are, they will be incorporated into this plan. One of our sub-watersheds is in fact a watershed of its own, Rollings Pond watershed.
The South-West Branch
Some branches of the Hunter River do not have a beaver problem. For instance the South-West branch, which runs from Fredericton and Hartsville to the south-west boundary of Hunter River, is mainly lightly managed / unmanaged forest and some pastureland, so beavers will be left alone in this area unless landowners ask us to intervene. Trapping would be difficult in this area anyway, as access is limited.
Rollings Pond Sub-Watershed
Other streams, such as Rollings Pond Feeder Stream, have beaver dams and wetlands that are of benefit to wildlife. In this particular stream, we will be installing a Clemson Beaver Leveller to maintain the level of the existing beaver pond so that it does not cause spring wash-out of the adjacent farm crossing, while at the same time retaining the pond, which is home to ducks, blue-heron and brook trout. We are working with Ducks Unlimited on this project.
The South-East Branch
The South-East branch of the Hunter River runs for just over 5km, closely following the Confederation Trail. Starting near the intersection of Darlington Road and Johnston Road and ending by Route 13 south of Hunter River pond, there are 11km of streams on this branch. Nearly all of this branch has a forested riparian zone and is surrounded by a mix of forest and agricultural fields. Although there are no anadramous fish in the South-East Branch due to the blockage at Hunter River dam, the brook trout population is healthy, producing fish in excess of 10 inches. With a total of 23 first-order streams, the branch is an important spawning area.
In 2009 the Hunter-Clyde Watershed Group constructed a 60 foot in-stream sediment trap at the base of the South-East Branch, specifically to catch agricultural run-off and to allow work on beaver dam removal further up-stream. This stream will be the focus of our beaver management activities over the next two years. Two major beaver dams were removed in 2009 and at one of those dams a nuisance permit has recently been used to trap the beavers.
A cage will be installed at the Route 13 crossing to prevent beavers from re-entering this branch once trapping begins.
Once this branch has been restored to full health, it will be a prime target for the reintroduction of anadramous fish, after the blockage caused by the dam is resolved. Smelts and Gaspereau are known to stop at the dam and they were found during an earlier electro-fishing operation.
The Hunter-Clyde Watershed Group is in the process of collecting landowner permission forms for the entire length of this stream, informing the landowners of our desire to make it a beaver-free zone. The group intends to regularly monitor beaver activity and employ local trappers to remove all beavers over the next two to three years. Dams that are removed during this period will be kept open.
Beaver trapping
Leonard Gallant of Rustico has been trapping beavers in our watershed, in fact he recently trapped using a nuisance permit in the South-East Branch. The PEI Trappers Association will be informed of our intention to create a beaver free zone. The Watershed Manager of the Hunter-Clyde Watershed Group is taking the Trapper Education Course so that the watershed group is able to more actively participate in the process of beaver control. The Watershed Group will pay a $20 premium for each beaver caught, from its own funds. Some landowners have offered to pay an additional sum, making it more financially feasible for our trappers.
We will use nuisance permits or regular season trapping to reduce beaver numbers.
The South-East Branch will be intensively trapped during the first winter, then any remaining dams removed the following summer.
Dam removal
Dams will be removed over a period of five days or so. To begin with, the dam will be notched to one or two feet to let the top layer of water out. The notch will be made in a place that produces as little erosion as possible - usually near the edge of the dam. After a further one to four days of reducing the water level, the dam will be removed by hand and cast to the side of the stream. Wherever possible, the natural course of the stream will be maintained. The meander of the stream above and below the dam will be studied to ensure this. All appropriate stream alteration permits will be in place before any work is done.
Follow-up
As soon as the snow has cleared in the spring, the previously active beaver areas will be monitored for activity. This will continue every two weeks until the work-crew starts at the end of June, then regularly throughout the summer, then every two weeks until mid-October. Landowners will also be reporting any beaver activity to the Watershed Group.
Stewardship Planning
We will consult with experts from the Province and use the documentation provided by the Province in order to refine and expand our beaver management plan over the next few years. This plan forms part of our Stewardship Plan for the watershed, a growing community-led resource which has significant buy-in from our community - farmers, fishers, residents, tourist businesses and other businesses.
Mapping
The Hunter-Clyde Watershed Group has a GIS system, a GPS unit and camera. We keep detailed records of work-sites including beaver dams. We create GIS layers detailing the work undertaken each year.
For more information contact Andrew Lush, Watershed Manager (902)964-2272
Appendix A: Map of the sub-watersheds of the Hunter-Clyde Watershed Group
Appendix B: Map of the South East Branch
