2014 Project Final Report

Group: Shubenacadie Watershed Environmental Protection Society (SWEPS)

PROJECT BRIEF:

Over the summer of 2014 the SWEPS stream restoration team was involved in the completion of several projects related to improving the overall health of the Shubenacadie watershed. In total over 450m of stream habitat were restored at two streams in the Shubie watershed. Primary restoration activities included the bank stabilization, removal of debris jams, and the construction of in-stream structures. Additionally, the team created an online map and generated a wealth of data on sites throughout the watershed through scoping activities.

Community events were held on three separate occasions. This included a stream clean-up, a work party/rock-toss and a community BBQ. These events were well attended and considered to be very successful. In addition to these outreach events, the SWEPS stream restoration crew were interviewed for two stories appearing in local newspapers.

PART A: Project Description

Watercourse(s): Blacks Brook & Golden Lake Stream
Watershed(s): Shubenacadie Watershed

Project description and objectives:

What habitat issues is this project is addressing?
- Over-widened streams
- Eroding banks
- Debris blockages

Specific restoration work done this year i.e. techniques used, scale of structures, hand or machine work etc:
- The installation of 6 in-stream restoration structures, including 5 digger logs and 1 deflector. These were installed by hand using logs that were found in the nearby environment.
- Stabilization of stream bank in area of active erosion using rip rap rock
- Riparian planting
- Thalweg development
- Removal of debris jams/blockages
- Water quality testing at 8 sites, including lab analysis of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and E. coli at Holland brook
- Site scoping and evaluation for future restoration at over 30 sites
- Community outreach/communication

Blacks Brook Project Design and Results

Watercourse: Blacks Brook (“A” Lake Stream)
Watershed: Shubenacadie Watershed
Location: South of Lockview High School
Nearest Community: Fall River
Road crossing (access point): Lockview High School parking lot, accessed via Lockview Drive.
Map # (NS Topo series 1:50 000):
Coordinates: Easting & Northing
Start: 20T 451214.63, 4963343.25
Finish: 20T 450716.31, 4963397.82

In-stream Structures

Design width: 4m
Distance between structures: 24m
Number and Type of Structures
- Digger logs – 5
- Deflectors – 1
- Stream bank stabilization – 3 areas
Total length (meters) of stream restored: 350m
Area in Sq. meters: 1400m²

Bank Stabilization and Riparian restoration:

Length of bank: 40m
Height of bank: .5m

Width of watercourse: 4m
Method of stabilization: Rip rap rock, riparian planting
# trees planted: 12

Other habitat restoration measures taken:

In addition to the in-stream structures, 5 large debris jams and several smaller ones were broken apart and the debris removed from the flood plain so that they would not be swept back into the stream at periods of high water. These debris jams had accumulated over several years and were causing blockages in the stream. These were primarily made of logs and leaves in various states of decay, which had been forced together by the movement of water. Many of these had washed into the stream through natural causes but it was suspected by the team members that a significant portion had also been thrown into the stream by nearby homeowners and students.

Golden Lake Stream Project Design and Results

Watercourse: Golden Lake Stream
Watershed: Shubenacadie Watershed
Location: Between Golden Lake and Grand Lake
Nearest Community: Wellington
Road crossing (access point): Kings Rd.
Map # (NS Topo series 1:50 000):
Coordinates: Easting & Northing
Start: 20T 450153.90, 4969021.92
Finish: 20T 449978.41, 4969117.94

In-stream Structures

Design width: 3.5m
Distance between structures: None
Number and Type of Structures: None
Total length (meters) of stream restored: 120m
Area in Sq. meters: 420m²

Bank Stabilization and Riparian restoration:

None

Other habitat restoration measures taken:

Removal of debris jams

Overall Project Results

Total Number and Type of Structures:
- Digger logs – 5
- Deflectors – 1
- Stream bank stabilization – 3 areas
Total length (meters) of stream restored: 470m
Total Stream Area in Sq. meters: 1820m²
Total Riparian Area in Sq. meters: 20m²
Total Number of Trees planted: 12

Past Work & Future Plans:

Has habitat work been done on this watercourse in previous years? How much? Is further additional work planned or anticipated?

Habitat work has been done in both 2012 and 2013. In each of those years, a team of three individuals spent the entire summer working on habitat restoration.

Future work is planned for the summer of 2015. Three sites have been identified as good candidates for stream restoration and it is hoped that at least two of these sites will have work done. To facilitate this future restoration work, the SWEPS restoration team constructed an online map with notes, photos and data collected throughout the summer. This map can be continually updated by future restoration teams.

PART B: Project Delivery (Overall project, not by watercourse)

Volunteer Contribution

Describe how volunteers contribute to your Adopt-A-Stream project and to your organization in general.

The SWEPS organization is entirely run by volunteers. They supported the Adopt-A-Stream project primarily by helping get the restoration crew set up and organized. They provided information and documents from past projects.

In addition to the organization of the core group of volunteers, SWEPS held two volunteer events throughout the summer. A garbage clean-up/work party and a rock toss. The clean-up was well attended with 20 individuals taking part. Together we picked up garbage and moved some stone. The rock toss was a more focused work effort to move 5 cubic yards of stone that we had delivered. This was moved using wheelbarrows by 3 volunteers and the project coordinator.

Number of People volunteering on all aspects of the project: 30
Total Volunteer Hours: 122

Approximate breakdown of roles
- Management / Supervision: 7 individuals
- Labour: 23 individuals
- Other: 0

Paid Crew

Number of workers: 3 individuals
- 1 project coordinator
- 2 NSYCC students
Total Weeks of work: 30 person weeks

Other Information

List other project sponsors and contributions:
- Sobeys
- Kent

Please describe any other additional activities undertaken to support the project (education, promotion, population assessments etc.):

Halifax Youth Science Camp

On July 24^th, 2014 the stream restoration team volunteered to run a session on stream restoration for the Halifax Youth Science Camp kids. In total there were about 20 kids and 5 camp councillors that took part. The primary contact for Halifax Youth Science Camps is Gareth Watt (wattg@halifax.ca). He has expressed interest in having future presentations from SWEPS in years to come.

The team brought insects gathered from a nearby stream to show the kids. We then talked about streams and the different plants and animals that we can find in NS streams. The students got the chance to look at the bugs up close. We also showed them some videos that we had taken throughout the summer. We finished up by playing a game of animal charades where the kids had to act like an animal found in NS while the others tried to guess. It was a great time and the kids seemed to enjoy it very much.

“A” lake Stream Clean-Up

On July 19^th, SWEPS hosted a community clean-up event at “A” lake, one of the sites where stream restoration was being conducted. The event was advertised widely and attended by approximately 20 people from the community and SWEPS. We collected several bags of garbage from along the stream. We also got people to help move piles of rock that we had collected prior to the event. This “rock toss” helped us move a considerable amount of rock to an area of the stream where there was major erosion. Moreover, it was a lot of fun and helped people get a feel for what is involved in stream restoration.

One of the people who attended the clean-up also interviewed Keegan and posted the interview to his web page (http://www.earthspheredevelopment.com/news/ceo-of-esdc-on-stream-restoration-cleanup).

SWEPS in the press

Individuals from SWEPS were interviewed for two stories over the summer of 2014. The first was in the Halifax Community Herald (http://thechronicleherald.ca/community/bedford-sackville/1222842-community-call-out-for-a-stream-clean-up) and the second was in the Laker community newspaper (http://www.thelaker.ca/stories.asp?id=6799). These stories were used to advertise for community events (e.g. the “A” lake clean-up) and raise the public profile of SWEPS.

SWEPS online

In order to engage the online community most effectively SWEPS has an active internet presence. SWEPS maintains a twitter account (@_SWEPS), a Facebook profile (SWEPS watershed), a Facebook page (Shubenacadie Watershed Environmental Protection Society) and a website (http://www.sweps.org/). Each of these platforms can be used for various purposes including: interacting with other organizations or individuals; posting photos, documents, links; spreading information; and sharing with the community.

SWEPS BBQ

On August 16^th, 2014 SWEPS hosted a BBQ at St. Andrew’s park on the corner of Maranatha Dr. and High Rd. Drinks, snacks, burgers, and sausages were provided. This was open to SWEPS members and other people in the community who were interested in joining. The BBQ was attended by approximately 15 individuals.