The Souris & Area Branch had a very successful year in the 2006 season. Many exciting projects were in initiated and much was done to assist our wildlife and wildlife habitat. This work could not have been done without the assistance of our funding partners.

Prince Edward Island Water Management Program Prince Edward Island Green Spaces Program Prince Edward Island Dept. Of Transportation and Public Works	Prince Edward Island Wildlife Conservation Fund
Shell Environmental Fund (SEF)	Souris & Area Branch Of The PEI Wildlife Federation
Souris	Souris CO-OP

We were very fortunate to have an energetic and enthusiastic staff that developed into a model workforce that other watersheds would like to emulate.

Fred Cheverie - Watershed Coordinator Kyle MacDonald - Crew Supervisor Barry Wilson - Chainsaw Operator Garry Gregory - Assistant Coordinator Anthony MacDonald - Stream Enhancement Worker Kyle Laybolt - Stream Enhancement Worker Brendon Mahar - Stream Enhancement Worker Environmental Futures Staff: Donald O'Keefe - Supervisor Brent MacAdam Jamie Kelly Josh MacDonald Dale Thompson - Technical Advisor

We completed many kilometres of stream enhancement work on various rivers in the Eastern Kings County Area. Stream enhancement work includes any work that could be done to enhance the performance of that particular stream or river for environmental purposes.

Souris River We worked on Mary Etta's Creek a distance of 2.75 km where we removed old abandoned beaver dams, cut back alders, removed plenty of in stream debris and dug out some springs by hand. We brushmatted a distance of .5 km in Gowan Brae by using approximately 1000 trees and have seen immediate results. We also planted 500 trees in riparian zones in the same area.	Cross River This river system was enhanced from the Northside Road through to MacInnis's Dam a distance of 4 km.. We continued above the dam on the upper section for another 2 km. a total distance of six km. We also established a walking trail alongside most of it. We removed many large blockages; some abandoned beaver dams and cut back many alders in the upper section.
Naufrage River The Naufrage River received enhancement work from Larkin's Dam to the head of tidal waters, a distance of 4.25 km. This system was in extremely poor shape as we had many large blockages of wooden debris with one blockage that required in the excess of 10 cords of material to be removed. We also enhance a walking trail of a distance of 3 km in the same area.	Fortune River We enhanced the main stream from the Red House Road through to Grove Pine Road. We continued from the Grove Pine Road to the Little River Road. This area received alders trimmed back, abandoned beaver dams removed and cleared of debris. A walking trail was established along the same route. This encompassed a distance of approximately 4.5 km. click on map to view

Family Fishing Day We held our Annual Family Fishing Day in Mid May and had a terrific turnout of approximately 100 people. It was a fun day, with many fish caught by the kids with squeals of delight. The hot dogs were also a crowd pleaser.

Alice & Cyril's Brook Trout Nursery Two large springs were excavated on the property of Alice & Cyril MacDonald, lined with pea gravel, landscaped with shrubbery and trees, outlet streams were enhanced and cover was erected. The purpose of this effort was to create an environment that would simulate optimum spawning conditions for Brook Trout. We were successful in our efforts as we had fish spawning in early fall. This was a joint venture between Shell Environmental Fund, PEI Watershed Management Program and the Souris & Area Branch. This project with appropriate signage can be viewed from the Confederation Trail in the Harmony Junction Area.

Watershed Planning The Souris River Watershed Plan was completed and endorsed by the community in 2006. This concise document has received rave reviews from various sectors of society. Our Branch has been invited to many presentations within and outside of our province to demonstrate our methodology of getting this document to its finished stage. Souris River Watershed Management Committee Under the direction of: Souris & Area Branch PEI Wildlife Federation www.souriswl.ca December, 2006

Souris Branch 26th. Annual Wildlife Dinner The Souris & Area Branch Hosts a wildlife dinner each year as their main fundraiser. Wild game is prepared and labelled by a group of volunteers and dedicated kitchen staff. This past year we served approximately 140 people. It is a delicious and entertaining evening as there are many door prizes and auction items. Each year there is always a mystery dish for those who would like to experience something rare.