Kennebecasis River Watershed Committee Page 2

With the restoration on Trout Creek maturing, the Kennebecasis Watershed Restoration Committee is moving forward in the strategic direction set in place from its' outset. Our committee is committed to continuing restoration activities throughout the Kennebecasis watershed in a concise, effective manner to reach our goal of a restored, sustainable watershed. Our long term vision o 2010 is to continue to undertake strategic projects on the various watercourses of the Kennebecasis Watershed in a deliberate manner based on priority, in an attempt to restore the sustainability of the entire Kennebecasis Watershed. The 1994 Habitat Assessment Report, along with information that has and continues to be gathered (i.e. 1999 Millstream River Assessment document, water quality data, etch.), directs our project activities.

Since 1994, significant progress has been made in addressing the prioritized areas that require restoration efforts. The

committee has conducted restoration projects on various tributaries of the Kennebecasis Watershed with the full co-operation, participation and in-kind support of the stakeholders of the watershed, particularly the fishing community.

The key to our success and the essential components to our projects that will help ensure the sustainability of the watershed for years to come have been the community and landowner involvement and awareness. The committee has conducted restoration efforts on a number of streams within the watershed, working closely with numerous landowners to restore the once pristine waterways of the areas.

The Kennebecasis River is one of the most important rivers in southern New Brunswick. It is used for recreation, and as a source of clean water for industry and agriculture; it supports a significant angling fishery, and provides habitat for a variety

The presence of a highly vegetated riparian zone serves to:

Keep the water cool in summer through shading (an important aspect for salmon, trout, and water quality.
Reduce silt loading through filtering surface run off.
Minimize stream bank erosion through the soil holding capabilities of an extensive root network.
Reduce the impact of flooding and ice jams by keeping the flows, ice, and debris within the stream channel thereby protecting farm land and private property.
Reduce 'non-point' source pollution (such as nutrient run off from fertilized fields and urban areas). Riparian trees and plants trap and take up nutrients.
Provide overhead cover for fish and contribute large woody debris to the stream thereby improving fish habitat.

of wildlife-all of which adds to the quality of life enjoyed by those who live within its watershed. In order to protect the river's water for all these uses, the Kennebecasis and its tributaries need a healthy 'riparian zone'. A riparian zone is simply the strip of land next to a stream bank, brook or lake, and a healthy riparian zone is a well vegetated one. These areas are also referred to as 'green belts' or 'stream buffers'. Riparian vegetation provides cover for aquatic species, habitat for avian and terrestrial species, and is critical in stabilizing stream banks thus reducing accelerated erosion.

Unfortunately, today much of the Kennebecasis River is suffering from high sediment loads, warming and excess nutrient levels. The information gathered in 1994, on the Kennebecasis River watershed found that 46% of the stream banks lacked any significant vegetative cover. (And this did not include the small feeder streams that are just as important to the health of the river.) This study has pointed out the pressing need to conserve and, where needed, restore the riparian zone along the brooks and streams that make up the Kennebecasis River. By doing so we can reverse much of what ails our river.

How can you get involved?

If you are a landowner in the watershed with a stream on your property, you can:

Let the grasses, alders, and willows grow;
Plant appropriate trees to provide a mature timber green belt over time;
Fence off your livestock and use nose pumps or single access points for water;
Leave an unmowed strip next to all watercourses;
Respect the Clean Water Act requirement for a 5 meter no-till buffer next to all watercourses;
Ensure your timber harvesting activities do not damage stream banks and remove no more than 30% of the timber within 30 meters of the stream in a 10 year period;
Respect the Clean Water Act regulation which requires a permit for any alteration activity within 30 meters of a watercourse;
Let nature take its course along the edge of all streams and, as a homeowner, avoid attempts to 'clean-up' or 'beautify' your backyard brook. Give the stream some 'breathing room' and both you and the river will benefit.

If you are a resident on this or any watershed, a school class, a public service group, etc., you can:

Undertake a riparian zone restoration project;
Get involved with DNR&E's 'Adopt a Stream' program;
Lobby your municipality to establish green belts along watercourses in its jurisdiction;
Encourage your neighbors to respect the riparian zone and help them to restore one where it is needed.

Let's give the river back its stream banks and help ensure that the water of the Kennebecasis, from Goshen, Waterford, Newtown, and the Head of Millstream to Bloomfield, once again run clean and cool.

Initiatives to form smaller sub-committees for each of the three major tributaries and the Upper and Lower Kennebecasis are under way and will be represented in the new management structure of the KWRC. This structure aids in individual participitation in smaller sections of the watershed and keeps with the adopt a stream concept that the committee has promoted in the past. Efforts will be ongoing to maintain public participation and to reinforce our information and education campaigns.

These sub-watersheds will be represented by committees who will meet regularly to address the particular concerns for that sub-watershed. These committees will then have representatives on the larger umbrella committee representing the Kennebecasis Watershed as a whole. This process will provide stakeholders a platform to raise issues and concerns that they have for the greater Kennebecasis so that they can be addressed through the development of an action plan.

Our staff is always more than willing to give you more information or to help you with any concerns you may have. Presently aboard is Todd Byers (Project Manager) and Michelle Noddin (GIS Technician).