CAWG PEI

Keep Our Waterways Cool with Trees! 🌳💧🌡️

As temperatures rise, it's crucial to protect our streams from the heat. Two effective ways to do this are preventing sediment runoff and supporting healthy riparian areas. Here's why:

When excess sediment enters a stream, it builds up on the streambed, raising it and causing the water to spread out. This wider and shallower waterbody gets more sunlight exposure, which can make the water heat up faster. 🏞️☀️

But there’s good news! Trees play a vital role in keeping our streams cool:

🌲 Shade: Trees along the stream's banks (riparian vegetation) provide shade that helps keep the water cool by blocking direct sunlight. Less sunlight means less warming!

🌿 Erosion Control: Tree roots stabilize the soil, reducing sediment runoff into the stream. This helps prevent the sediment buildup that can lead to wider, shallower, and warmer waters.

At CAWG, we work hard to keep our streams shaded and thriving! This fall, we planted 700 native trees and shrubs along streams to help maintain cooler temperatures and healthier, more resilient stream systems. 🌍🌿

Thank you CBC! We hope the community can enjoy all that Hyde's Pond has to offer just as much as the fish & wildlife! 🐟🐸🦆

Check out the full video on CBC's website.

This summer, The Cornwall & Area Watershed Group (CAWG) restored fish passage at Hyde's Pond in Cornwall, PEI. 🐟

By constructing a natural bypass channel, migratory fish species now have access to over 4 kilometers of upstream habitat in Hyde Creek. This upstream habitat provides spawning grounds for anadromous species like Brook trout, Rainbow trout and Rainbow smelts. Anadromous species are born in freshwater, migrate to sea to feed and grow, and return to freshwater to reproduce. Access to cold, freshwater habitat is crucial for these species to reproduce and seek refuge in rising water temperatures.🌡

CAWG is committed to removing barriers to fish passage in Hyde Creek and the North River, ensuring anadromous species can access their spawning habitats. The barrier at Hyde's Pond was an outdated pool-and-weir fishway that blocked fish from entering the pond and moving upstream.

Thank you to our funders for making this project possible! , of Cornwall PEI and Headwaters Program.

Thank you to everyone else involved in the project for all of their hard work and support! Forests, Fish and Wildlife PEI, GeoTerra Surveys, Binkys, McCullough Environmental Engineering and JE Matheson Construction.

Did you know river systems have 3 distinct zones? 🌊 🌊 🌊

# 1 Headwaters: This is where our streams begin. Cool groundwater seeps to the surface and begins flowing downhill. Found at high elevations, headwaters are small but vital. They provide crucial spawning habitats for fish like the Brook Trout and offer a cool refuge from warmer waters. The first image shows CAWG fieldworkers at the headwaters of Watt’s creek!

# 2 Transition Zone: The transition zone occurs at middle elevations. Here, headwater streams begin merging into a larger main channel. This zone acts as a bridge between the headwaters and lower sections of the river. Keeping the zones of a river connected is vital for species like Atlantic Salmon that travel to feed, spawn, and migrate. The second photo is from the transition zone of Watt’s creek.

# 3 Deposition Zone: This is where the river reaches a larger body of water like an ocean or lake. It has the highest water volume and the lowest elevation of the three zones. An example is when the North River flows into Charlottetown Harbour, creating the North River Estuary. Here, fresh river water mixes with saltwater, forming a large area of brackish water that supports diverse aquatic life. As the name suggests, large amounts of sediment from upstream is deposited in this zone. The last photo is of the Deposition zone of the North River. Watt’s Creek combines with the North River upstream of this location.

Each of these zones plays a crucial role in maintaining water quality, biodiversity, and overall ecosystem health. Here at CAWG, it is our goal to keep these areas protected so our rivers, and their inhabitants, can thrive. 🌍💧

Native wildflower seeds are back at the Cornwall Town Hall this fall! 🍂Spread them on your property to support pollinators and biodiversity! 🐝🪻🦋

🌾 Research Alert! 🌊

We’re thrilled to have a UPEI student conducting research at the North River Causeway as part of a larger project with South Shore Watershed Association - SSWA . This study aims to learn how Smooth Cordgrass can protect vulnerable estuaries from being overtaken by sea lettuce. Smooth Cordgrass is more than just a plant—it's a keystone species that supports other species, serves as a nursery for small fish, and keeps our estuaries healthy by binding sediment. It’s been amazing learning about this project—best of luck with your research!

Thank You, Trilby Lane Farm and Day Camps! 🏕️🎉

We had a blast visiting your farm this summer to share our love for watersheds!

1️⃣ First, we learned about litter and how different materials break down, then we got creative with turmeric and made leaf prints and secret messages with invisible ink!
2️⃣ On our second visit, we explored the lives of Brook Trout and Atlantic Salmon, learning about their habitats, food sources, and migration in PEI streams and rivers.
3️⃣ Finally, we dove into the world of macroinvertebrates—the tiny critters that live in streams, feed fish, and help us understand stream health!

Thanks again for the opportunity to share this fun and important knowledge with your campers! 🌊🐟

Mummichog (you may know them as Atlantic killifish, mummies, gudgeons, or mud minnows) are a common species found within our watershed. Learn more about these mud-nificent creatures below!

Mi'kmaq name: So'qomu'j (gudgeon)
French name: Choquemort
Scientific name: Fundulus heteroclitus

🎣 Adaptability Masters: Mummichogs can handle extreme changes in salinity, from freshwater to super salty. Talk about adaptability!

🎣 Mudskipper Moves: These little fish have a unique trick – they can ""skip"" or crawl across mud flats using their pectoral fins. It's like watching a fish moonwalk!

🎣 Temperature Tolerance: From scorching summer days to chilly winter nights, mummichogs can handle a wide range of temperatures. All-weather fish at its finest!

🎣 Social Swimmers: Mummichogs are often found in schools, creating a lively underwater community. Safety in numbers, right?

🎣 Science Stars: Scientists love studying mummichogs because of their adaptability and resilience. They provide valuable insights into how fish cope with changing environments.

Ever crossed paths with these resilient gudgeons or do you have your own mummichog tales? Share in the comments! 🐟✨

📷 Photo credit: iNaturalist user © J. Burke Korol, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)

This week, our team is out in the field conducting Rapid Geomorphic Assessments, or RGAs for short. These assessments help us understand the health of our streams by looking at their shape, structure, and how they change over time.

We use RGAs to assess both the short-term and long-term impacts of our stream restoration projects. By tracking these changes, we can see how effective our efforts are in reducing erosion and improving habitats for fish like Atlantic salmon and brook trout. It’s all about keeping our waterways healthy and thriving!

Here’s a quick look at what we do during an RGA:

📏 Measure the stream’s size and shape.
📝 Score the stream’s stability based on things like erosion and sediment levels.
👀 Observe changes in stream features like pools, riffles, and banks.
📋 Record data on vegetation and surrounding land use.
🔍 Of course the last step is to use the results to guide future restoration efforts. We share our results with PEI Watershed Alliance, and they use them to understand PEI streams!

🌱👏

🌿📸 New at the Hyde Pond Lookout: Repeat Photo Station! 📸🌿

Yesterday we installed a repeat photo station at Hyde Pond Lookout, and we need your help! Use the phone mount on the landing to snap a picture and help us document the changes in Hyde Pond over time. By taking photos from the same spot, we can:

🌳 Watch the trees grow tall and strong
💧 See the water levels rise and fall with the seasons
🔍 Monitor for invasive species spreading in the area
🦆 Capture wildlife moments of the pond's many ducks, geese, muskrats, and shorebirds

Hyde Pond is a cherished spot for many, and tracking these changes is a way to help us protect this piece of our watershed. Make it part of your daily walk and join us in observing nature’s beautiful transformations!

A great opportunity for folks looking to explore bike friendly routes in Cornwall! 🚲

Here are just a few sights along the great multi-use paths in Town of Cornwall that are included in this week's BFC group ride, happening Wednesday at 10am!

This 6km route is a mix of hard packed dirt, and paved roads including: Woodlands Boulevard, Ferry Road, and MacArther Drive.

This ride will start and finish at the APM Center, on Mercedes Drive. You can see a map of the route with this link, or the QR code in the image below!

onthegomap.com/s/gu18lqep

What a great resource 🍃💙

Have you tried our Native Plant Database?

With filters for your eco-zone, province, type of plant, and light, soil, and moisture conditions, our free Natural Edge Native Plant Database is the perfect tool for you to help naturalize your property!

Learn more: https://naturaledge.watersheds.ca/plant-database/

Thanks for having us Trilby Lane Farm and Day Camps! This group had so many awesome questions and fish stories. We loved sharing about how trout and salmon rely on trees just as much as they do water! The pictures show just how much fun we all had. Smiles all around! 🌿💧

Teamwork makes the dream work 🙌💪

Recently, FFW assisted the PEI Invasive Species Council, Ellen's Creek Watershed, and CAWG PEI with the continued removal of (Impatiens glandulifera) from the Beach Grove Natural Area.

FFW would like to thank these organizations for their continued effort in keeping this invasive under control in the area.

Help us catalog the biodiversity of the Hyde Creek Watershed and learn nature ID!

Our crew will be set up at the Circle of Peace to help you get started. This is a drop-in event, join anytime between 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM.

Check out the facebook event for up-to-date event information https://www.facebook.com/events/1648124696024014

See you there 🌱🌼

Last Friday, we teamed up with partners organizations to manage Himalayan balsam on the Beach Grove Trails in Charlottetown! We removed 980 kg of balsam from the trail and surrounding area, that’s over 2000 pounds!

By removing these plants, we prevented hundreds of thousands of seed from reaching the seed bank in the soil and expect to see much less balsam next summer! This will help the native species along this trail thrive, and prevent further spread beyond this high use trail Thanks so much to Ellen's Creek Watershed Group, Cornwall Area Watershed Group, and Forest, Fish & Wildlife for coming out and lending a big hand!