minutes9

End of the Summer Report on the State of the Hunter-Clyde Watershed

by Erin Bentley, 2000 Supervisor

Table of Contents

I. Introduction

II. Work completed: summer 2000
1. Semple's Brook - stream survey
2. Lush's Stream
3. Route 13 - riparian zone tree planting
4. Tree nursery

III. General problems
1. Silt and related contaminants
2. Algal growth
3. Fish passage and spawning areas

IV. Problem sites

V. Recommendations for the HCWG
1. Continue stream restoration
2. Riparian zone enhancement
3. Water quality monitoring
4. Fencing
5. Fish access
6. Wildlife surveys

VI. Figures

I. Introduction

The Hunter-Clyde watershed encompasses the Hunter River and the River Clyde in North Central Queens County in Prince Edward Island. The river begins in the community of Hunter River, travels north through New Glasgow and Rustico, where the river empties into the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

The three prominent industries in the watershed are agriculture, fishing, and tourism. Agricultural activities throughout the three major communities range from cattle and swine to grain and potatoes. Oyster culturing in the Rustico Bay and lobster fishing are vital to the economy of Rustico and the surrounding villages. As well, the watershed area is fast becoming a favorite tourist destination in the summer and fall seasons
because of the picturesque land and seascapes found throughout Hunter River, New Glasgow, and North Rustico.

The diversity of activities in the watershed helped form these vibrant communities. However, this diversity creates a challenge on how to manage the watershed for all interest groups, while maintaining the integrity of the environment. In the winter of 2000, community members concerned with the environmental condition of the river and its drainage basin formed the Hunter-Clyde Watershed Group (HCWG).

The Employment Development Agency, Jobs for Youth, and the Summer Career Placement Program funded two youth and a supervisor for the HCWG work crew during the summer of 2000. Other funding sources included the Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program and Canada Trust. During this first season, contacting landowners and assessing the current condition of the watershed was the primary objective of the work crew.

II. Work Completed: Summer 2000

1. Semple's Brook - Stream Survey

The work crew surveyed over one kilometer of Semple's Brook, located northwest of Route 13 and 224 in New Glasgow. In general, the brook has an adequate riparian zone with a diverse amount of tree species including: eastern hemlock, striped and sugar ample, yellow birch, balsam fir, white spruce, beech, and trembling aspen (Fig. 1). The stream bed is a mixture of fine and medium sized gravel interspersed with mounds of silt. To increase the water flow and flush some of the silt from the brook, the crew removed blockages created by fallen trees and/or debris. In total, eleven brush mats were constructed to a) increase the speed of water flow by narrowing the channel and restoring the stream's natural meander, b) capture silt in the spring runoff, and c) prevent "beaches" of silt along the stream bank from flushing downstream and creating new blockages (Fig. 2 and 3).

2. Lush's Stream - Debris Cleanup

Lush's Stream is a tributary to the Hunter River located on Route 13. Although the short summer season did not allow enough time to thoroughly survey the stream, the crew did work extensively to remove bottles and cans from the stream bed (Fig.4). As well, alder bushes at the banks of the streams were stalling the flow of water and disrupting the meander of the stream (Fig. 5). The crew removed some of the alders, but left enough to provide shade for the fish living in the stream and habitat for birds in the area (Fig. 6 and 7). The crew also built three brush mats to increase the water flow and to trap excess silt in the stream.

3. Route 13 - Riparian Zone Tree Planting

A spring located along Route 13 feeds the Hunter River in the springtime. Unfortunately, the riparian zone along the stream consists only of grasses and is bordered by agricultural fields. The banks of the stream are highly eroded and in danger of blocking the stream channel. Thus, with help from the Trout River Environmental Group, over 200 trees were planted in the riparian zone of the stream in the spring of 2000. The species of trees planted include tamarack (eastern larch), yellow birch, and white pine (Fig. 8). Over the summer, the HCWG work crew weeded and mulched the trees to prevent the grasses from choking out the trees and to maintain some moisture in the soil. The mulch consisted of layers newspapers donated to the group. Newspaper was adequate mulch for the trees in the summer of 2000 because tree growing conditions were optimal (i.e. a good balance of sun and rain), and the crew manually removed the tall weeds.

4. Tree Nursery

Over 900 seedlings were planted in a tree nursery on land donated by Bob Bentley in New Glasgow. The species of trees planted were the following: black spruce, white pine, red pine, tamarack, red oak, white ash, and red cedar (Fig. 9). Throughout the summer, the tree nursery was weeded and mulched. The mulch consisted of a thick layer of newspaper, followed by a generous covering of heavy woodchips. This two-layer mulch was more effective at preventing weeds than a single layer of woodchips. The bare ground around the seedlings themselves was covered with dried eel grass or partially decomposed hay for three reasons: 1) to prevent weeds from competing with the seedlings, 2) to maintain moisture in the ground, and 3) to add valuable nutrients to the soil as the eel grass and hay decompose. The trees in the nursery will be available for planting for habitat improvement and riparian zone improvement in three to five years (when the trees are established enough to fend for themselves).

III. General Problems

1. Silt and related contaminants

Silt can enter streams and rivers from clay roads, bare fields, clear-cut woodlots and/or construction sites. In the Hunter-Clyde Watershed, silt has dramatically changed the hydrology of the river. Over a century ago, the river was deep enough to support a thriving shipbuilding industry in New Glasgow. In the past decade, the river in New Glasgow has filled in with enough silt to prevent a canoe from maneuvering in most places. The two ponds in the watershed, Bagnall's Pond and Campbell's Pond, are filled with a large amount of silt and are at risk for completely filling in with silt.
During the growing season, silt originating from agricultural fields can carry pesticides into waterways. Acute exposure to pesticides is known to be toxic to wildlife, but there is also growing evidence that long-term exposure to low amounts of pesticides is equally, if not more harmful to wildlife populations. For these reasons, it is important that proper land and chemical management be practiced to prevent silt and pesticides from entering the water.

2. Algae Growth - Fertilizers, Cattle Access and Sewage

Algal blooms are a large problem in the Hunter-Clyde Watershed, particularly in the section of river that travels through New Glasgow (Fig, 10). Each summer, algae and vegetation grow exponentially until oxygen is depleted from the water. The algae and vegetation begin to die and decompose, which produces a foul odour. The possible cause of the algal and vegetative blooms are excess nutrients entering the water in the form of fertilizer, cattle feces, and/or ineffective sewage systems. In New Glasgow, the wide river channel and the shallow, slow-moving water exacerbate algal blooms. Shallow, slow-moving water has elevated water temperature and a poor ability to flush nutrients from the system. As well, poor water quality upstream directly affects the health of the shell fishery downstream in Rustico Bay. In order to determine the source of the excess nutrients or bacteria, water sampling should be conducted several times during a growing season.

3. Fish Passage and Spawning Areas

Anadromous fish are fish that spend most of the year in salt water except during spawning when they migrate inland via freshwater streams to lay eggs. Blockages such as dams and hanging culverts prevent fish from reaching ideal spawning grounds. As well, large volumes of silt in the streams cover the medium sized gravel that these fish require to lay their eggs. The gravel is also important habitat for aquatic insects that fish rely on for food as they travel upstream. In the Hunter-Clyde watershed, virtually no spawning ground is available for fish due to problems with silt and access to tributaries. As a result, the recreational fishery has virtually collapsed and the availability of fish for wildlife in the area is poor.

IV. Problem Sites

- Lack of Fish Spawning Grounds - New Glasgow
- Bagnall's Dam
- Campbell's Pond
- Hanging Culverts - Hunter River & New Glasgow

V. Recommendations for the HCWG

1. Continue stream restoration

In 2000, the work crew worked began restoring sections of two tributaries, Semple's Brook and Lush's Stream. The crew cleared blockages and debris from the streams and installed brush mats. Due to the time constraints of the work period, more extensive structures such as digger logs and rock gabians were not constructed this season.

ACTION for 2001:
- Inspect brush mats built in 2000 for damage. Repair brush mats and/or add more brush to existing brush mats.
- Continue surveying streams using Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program (WHIP) protocol.
- Continue clearing blockages and debris from tributaries.
- In consultation with the provincial watershed coordinator, build and install digger logs in streams that lack pools for fish.

2. Riparian zone enhancement

Riparian zones act as buffers between fields and streams, as well as providing important habitat for wildlife. Planting a variety of trees and shrubs that bear fruit at different times during the year in a riparian zone will ensure that there is always food for wildlife. Trees growing alongside streams provide shade for fish and can help reduce the amount of runoff reaching streams.
In 2000, the HCWG and the Blue Heron Sea Cadets planted over nine hundred seedlings in the Hunter-Clyde Tree Nursery. These trees will be planted in riparian zones along streams in 2 to 4 years.

ACTION for 2001:
- Weed and mulch tree nursery, as needed.
- Plant shrubs and trees along streams lacking bank vegetation.

3. Water quality monitoring

Each summer, sections of the Hunter River/ River Clyde become clogged with algal and vegetative growth. In order to determine whether an overabundance of nutrients and bacteria are causing the excess growth, the water should be periodically tested over the growing season.

ACTION for 2001:
- Sample water from the river several times over the growing season and have the water tested for bacteria (fecal coliform) and nitrate content at the Provincial Water Quality Lab

4. Fencing
Cattle can cause substantial damage to stream banks and streamside vegetation. In addition, streams with cattle access have high bacterial and nutrient levels, which can lead to algae blooms. For this reason, it is important that cattle be fenced from streams and provided with alternative water sources.

ACTION for future:
- Encourage farmers to fence cattle from streams and provide information on funding programs to subsidize costs of fencing and alternate watering sources

5. Fish Access

Hanging culverts and dams obstruct fish from reaching upstream spawning ground. There are several dams and hanging culverts in the Hunter-Clyde watershed, which restrict fish access to the upper tributaries. However, the upper tributaries are not in prime condition and it would be futile to repair the culverts and install fish ladders until the streams are restored. However, as the group restores more of the tributaries, hanging culverts and dams will need to be modified.

ACTION for future:
- Improve fish habitat in the tributaries by continuing to clear blockages and remove debris
- Plant trees and shrubs along riparian zones
- Determine the feasibility of modifying hanging culverts and installing a fish ladder at Bagnall's dam

6. Wildlife surveys

Collecting information of the status of local wildlife (especially rare or threatened wildlife) would be beneficial for enhancing wildlife habitat. As well, increases or decreases in wildlife can often be an early indicator of environmental health.

ACTION for future:
- In conjunction with the provincial coordinator, document the wildlife in the area. Use reports from community members of sightings, population declines and increases, etc.

VI. Figures