Summer 2007 Weekly Supervisor's Report
Last week comprised of field work and administration work for the watershed management plan.
Kirsten MacLean: June 24th – 30th
- Reviewed documents on PEI watershed, A Guide to Watershed Planning on Prince Edward Island, Environment, Energy and Forestry, We are all downstream We are all upstream We are all part of a watershed, Environment Advisory Council and the Trout River and Souris management plans.
- Meeting with Cindy Crane on mapped plotting for suggest water testing sites and the type of testing to be preformed there.
- Participated in a meeting involving Andrew Lush (HCWG president), Steve, Mark, Shawn Hill (Watershed Coordinator – Environment, Energy and Forestry) and Michel Daoust (Field Work Supervisor HCWG). The agenda was on how to proceed with the management plan creation. Resources and tactical strategies were outlined.
- The project plan was roughly outlined and scheduling started. Document available online.
- Website edited to include a section for 2007 weekly reports.
Kirsten MacLean: July 1st – 7th
- Wrote a research outline.
- Researched estuary pollution, reviewed documentation (provided by Andrew Lush)
- Edited the website. Entered new homepage text, edited website to be more streamline and created an under-construction page
- Copied images from site, scan last years images and edited them for future electronic use and scan the proposed water sampling map
- Started article for the northern star
Michel Daoust: June 24th - July 6th
The work crew for the 2007 summer consists of two crew members (Tom Bulger and Chris Eisen) and myself, the supervisor (Michel Daoust). The first three weeks of the work season were spent planting trees throughout New Glalgow, Hunter River, and North Rustico. The trees are made available by the Greening Spaces Program, and by the Frank J. Gaudet tree nursery in Winsloe. We were able to plant approximately 1500 trees, including a variety of different species. The trees were planted in mnay different areas: on land adjacent to streams and farm fields to improve the buffer zones, on terraces in farm fields to break the wind and anchor the terraces, and in woodlots and feilds simply to improve the habitat. One notable achievement was the Tree Day, where members of the group were joined by the Blue Heron Sea Cadets, and together planted 300 trees in a newly created wetland in New Glasgow.
Th rest of the summer will be devoted to stream work, which includes clearing, brushmatting, and general improvement of the streams that run throughout our watershed. If you own land, or have any suggestions of areas that require stremwork, please let us know. We are always happy to make an effort to help out community members who show an interest in our work.
Michel Daoust: July 9th- July 13th
This week we started streamwork at the MacLeod Road in Hunter River. We are picking up where the 2006 work crew left off last year, in terms of clearing and brushmatting. I'm happy to say that all the work that the 2006 creww did was very effective. the brush mats caught lots of silt, and the stream is looking much better as a result. The stream near the MacLeod road definately needs a lot of work in some areas, but like most stream in our watershed, has many beautiful spots.
The MacLeod Road will likely serve as out fallback work area, but we plan on working at various sites in Hunter River and North Rustico. Again, if you want any work done on your property, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.
Michel Daoust: July 16th-20th
We spent the whole week building brush mats and clearing the stream on property near to the MacLeod Road.
We could easily spend the rest of the summer working in this area, as there is lots of work to be done. The stream work has been going smoothly so far. Tom and Chris (the crew members) worked with the Hunter Clyde Watershed Group last summer, so they already have a summer's experience in stream work. Another benefit is the fact that since we are working in the same area as they were last year, they are able to see how their work benefitted the stream, which is encouraging.
We are also planning on releasing a Newsletter within the next two weeks. The material is currently in the hands of our secretaries from Clyde View Girl Friday, who will certainly make a much better looking newsletter than I would have been able to!
Next week, we are looking to continue stream work, likely in a different site, either in Hunter River or North Rustico.
Michel Daoust July 23rd - 27th
Hi again
The streamwork continued this week. We continue to make progress upstream from the Macleod Rd, brushmatting and clearing. We also had the opportunity to do some work dowstream from the sewage plant in Hunter River. This area was in faily good shape, relative to the other sites where we've been working. By "good shape" I mean, the bottom was nice and pebbly, the stream had less silt that usual, there was lots of shade provided by trees near the stream, and there seemed to be many fish swimming around. However, we will be putting a few brushmats in this area next week.
We will be fortunate enough to have an "Environmental Futures" crew with us next week. The crew consists of a supervisor and three workers. We will likely be working with them on the Macleod Rd, pushing further upstream.
Our secretaries from New Glasgow, Clyde View Girl Friday, gave us a sample of the newsletter this week. The board members are currently proofreading it, after which we will make copies and have it delivered. Look for it in your mailboxes next week!
Michel Daoust July 30th - August 10th
The last two weeks have been spent doing stream work, and will be the last full weeks in the stream. Chris and Tom have finished their work with us for the summer. They were very good workers, and a lot of fun to work with!
We were able to further our progress upstream form the Macleod Road, putting in many bushmats and clearing out alders and other debris. We were fortunate to be able to get some help from the Environmental Futures program. The Environmental Futures program in a government funded program where students work in small groups, doing environmental odd jobs throughout the Island. A crew of 4 students came out to help us in the streams, and the extra hands allowed us to make faster progress while they were there. We also had a couple of days help from another crew of 3 students who are working for the department of transportation.
We also did some brushmatting and clearing on some property downstream from the Sewage plant in Hunter River. We were very impressed with the quality of the stream in that area, as I said before. There were hundreds of fish of many different sizes, which was really nice to see.
Last week we worked a day with the Wheatley River Improvement group, which is the same type of watershed group as ours, but in Wheatley River. It was nice to get the opportunity to see what the work that they were doing (much the same as ours), and to meet their crew. Their crew will be coming to help me out with some final stream work next week.
The newsletter finally came out last week. A big thanks to Heather and Gina Dingwell from Clyde Girl View Friday, Mark Douglas from Agritech, and the rest of the Hunter Clyde Watershed Group!
by Michel Daoust
Introduction
The Hunter Clyde Watershed Group (HCWG) is a community-based group, with directors in Hunter River, New Glasgow, and Rustico. HCWG is interested in making efforts to improve the ecology of the Hunter Clyde Watershed area. Every summer since 1999, HCWG has hired summer students to work in areas including, but not limited to, stream enhancement and tree planting.
The 2007 work crew consisted of Michel Daoust and Kirsten Maclean (supervisors) and Tom Bulger and Chris Eisan (crew members). The following is a report of the 2007 season’s accomplishments as well as recommendations for future work.
Accomplishments:
Tree Planting
HCWG applied for, and received 1500 tress from the Greening Spaces program. The crew were able to plant just over 1400 trees at 5 different sites throughout the Hunter Clyde Watershed. The tree panting period lasted approximately 4 weeks in June and July. HCWG encourages members of the community to contact the group if they would like trees panted on their land.
Tree planting efforts for 2007 helped many areas of the Hunter Clyde Watershed ecology, from reforestation efforts to the improvement of riparian zones. Worth noting is the 500+ trees that were planted on terraces in agricultural fields in North Rustico. The trees will stabilize the terraces, which reduce silt and chemical runoff into the streams. This is a good example of HCWG working with community members to improve our watershed. Fortunately, all trees from the Greening Spaces Program were of very high quality, and the vast majority of them are expected to survive.
The following table summarizes 2007 tree planting efforts.
| Land Owner | Location | Numbers (Total)/Species | Comments |
| Randall Nieuwhof | 2 sites round the Line Road in North Rustico | 550/ White Spruce | Trees were planted on 5 terraces in an effort to reduce soil runoff into the stream. Trees were planted 6-8 feet apart. The three remaining unplanted terraces should be planted with White Spruce next year |
| Steve Howatt |
Wetland in New Glasgow * |
250/ White Spruce, Eastern Larch, Red maple, Cedar, Various shrubs. |
Trees were planted with the help of the Blue Heron Sea Cadets |
| Melody MacNeill | Wetland in New Glasgow * | 250/ White Spruce, Eastern Larch, Red maple, Cedar, Various shrubs. | Trees were planted with the help of the Blue Heron Sea Cadets |
| Phil Pineau | Property behind the sewage plant in Hunter River | 100/ White Ash, White Pine, Red Maple, Eastern Larch, Red Oak | Reforestation of an old field, and riparian zone enhancement. |
| John Bagnall | 2 sites adjacent to Road in Hunter River | 300/ Eastern Larch, White Spruce | Enhancement of riparian zones between the stream and agricultural fields. |
| Tom Bulger | Adjacent to Route 13 Hartsville | 15/ Red Oak | Reforestation of an old woodlot. |
* These two properties are located next to each other, and over half the total trees planted here were done so with the help of the Blue Heron Sea Cadets on HCWG tree day 2007.
Stream Restoration
The stream restoration efforts for the 2007 season covered approximately 2km of stream, and includes 60 to 70 brush mats ranging in size from 10 feet to 50 feet, extensive clearing of alders and other debris, removal of abandoned beaver dams, and garbage pickup.
Stream restoration efforts were made at three sites in Hunter River and Rustico. The sites and work are summarized in the following table.
| Land Owner | Location | Work Accomplished | Comments |
| Paul Knox | Upstream and Downstream from the bridge on the Macleod Road in Hunter River |
- virtually all brush mats were put here - extensive clearing |
Went over area that was worked on last year and put in more brush mats, and continued upstream from there. |
| Phil Pineau | Downstream from the sewage plant in Hunter River |
- two brush mats -extensive clearing and garbage pickup |
Very nice area in stream, but lots of garbage. |
|
Randall Nieuwhof |
Accessed via Line Road in North Rustico |
- removed abandoned beaver dam and clogged culvert - extensive clearing |
Still lots of work to be done here (clearing and brush matting) |
Water Quality Management (by Mark Douglas)
For the 2007 season water quality measurements were focussed on nitrates and dissolved oxygen in the fresh water subwatersheds of the Hunter-Clyde watershed. However, dissolved oxygen and temperature were measured at four areas within the estuary as well. Sampling started on July 12th with a focus on gaining a complete picture of the nitrate levels within the watershed. Sampling was also performed at the same relative time at each period (mornings every second Tuesday). Overall, nitrate levels were low and acceptable based on the 3ppm recommended guidelines for aquatic organisms (Env. Canada). Site 10 had nitrate levels of 3.8 on July 10th, however the second reading on July 24 had a measurement of .2 PPM. Dissolved oxygen levels were also acceptable with most streams averaging higher than 9mg/L and did not show signs of hypoxia/anoxia. The estuary sampling revealed levels of hypoxia however the next session of sampling (late August) will likely show more hypoxic and possibly anoxic events (Gov PEI reported anoxic events between New Glasgow and Rustico harbour near the 1st of August.
Sampling will continue until fall with proper analysis and GIS being performed after more data is collected.
See Appendix A for full Water Sampling Results
Other
There are several accomplishments for the 2007 season (besides tree planting, stream restoration, and water quality monitoring) that are important to mention.
Summer Newsletter: A 4-page newsletter was delivered to approximately 1300 homes in the Hunter-Clyde watershed in early August. The newsletter’s content included information on the HCWG’s mission and accomplishments, an educational article on nitrates, an introduction to the 2007 crew, and several other articles. See Appendix B for the full version of the newsletter.
Campbell’s Pond: An afternoon was spent cleaning up garbage and clearing out the fish passage at Campbell’s pond in New Glasgow.
Management Plan Development: The first steps were taken in the development of a long term stewardship plan. A short document was compiled with preliminary information on the Hunter Clyde Watershed that will be helpful in future efforts to create a long term watershed management plan. See Appendix C for full version of the document.
Weekly Website Reports: Weekly reports from the crew supervisor were posted on the HCWG’s website throughout the summer. The reports described the work done in the previous week, plans for the future, and overall progress of the summer’s work. These reports can be viewed at http://hcwg.editme.com/http://hcwg.editme.com/.
Tree Day with the Blue Heron Sea Cadets: Over 30 members of the Blue Heron Sea Cadets, along with several member of the Hunter Clyde Watershed Group participated in this annual event. 300 trees and shrubs of various species were planted in a newly created wetland in New Glasgow. The cooperative and enjoyable atmosphere, educational aspect, and work accomplished all contributed to this events success.
Cooperation with Various student groups: The 2007 crew was fortunate to receive help from several groups this summer. Two crews from the Environmental Futures Program and from the Transportation and public works both spent several days with the crew during the stream work portion of the summer. The 2007 crew also participated in a work day exchange with the Wheatley River Improvement Group, in which each crew worked for a day in the other’s watershed. The opportunity to work with other students in the environmental line of work is invaluable, due to the exchange of ideas and information.
Survey: A survey was developed in order to gauge the main concerns and feelings of the community. The survey was mailed out to over 100 past a current group members, and was also taken around to various businesses and private homes throughout the watershed. This results of the survey will invaluable in future work on a long term Stewardship plan, since the opinion of the community will play a major role in the process. See Appendix D for the full version of the survey.
Recommendations:
1. Continue Water Quality monitoring efforts in watershed, preferably using same test sites as in 2007. See Appendix D for map of 2007 testing sites.
2. Complete tree planting on terraces on Randall Niewenhauf property in North Rustico, as well as more stream work in the same area.
3. Province of PEI should seriously address the issue of beaver colonies in central PEI (including the Hunter Clyde Watershed), where the topography is not suitable for beavers and the possbility of extensive damage to watershed and infrastructure is great.
4. Make efforts to ensure that identification of previous work is possible in subsequent years. I.e. marking newly planted trees with flagging tape (different colours for different years) so survival rates can be monitored.
5. Measures should be taken to improve fish and wildlife habitat in Campbell’s pond. This high profile, extensively used area has been considerably infilled, especially in the upper reaches. Also, vegetation in this pond has become very prolific, and we have noted impairment in water quality as a result. More active management, including a seasonal drawdown to reduce aquatic vegetation and dredging in the upper inlet should be considered.
Acknowledgements:
The HCWG is a community-based, cooperative group that is able to continue operating due to the large time and effort contributions of several volunteers. The 2007 crew is grateful for the help and support of many people.
Thanks to HGWG president Andrew Lush, who continues to donate great time and effort into keeping this group in operation.
Thanks to Steve Howatt and Atlantic Agritech for the use of facilities for meetings and storage, as well as Steve’s help with several group projects.
Thanks to Mark Douglas of Atlantic Agritech for his time and expertise and for taking the leading role in water quality monitoring.
Thanks to Shawn Hill for his guidance and knowledge throughout the 2007 season.
Thanks to Janet Lester for her role as HCWG treasurer.
Thanks to Heather and Gina Dingwell of Clyde View Girl Friday for their great help with the newsletter and as HCWG secretaries.
All of the above mentioned people are vital to the continuing success of HCWG, and their efforts greatly appreciated.