Souris & Area Branch of the PEI Wildlife Federation
Activities
Watershed Planning For Basin Head - 2010
The Souris & Area Branch of the PEI Wildlife Federation has recently partnered with the Basin Head Marine Protected Area Advisory Committee and Fisheries and Oceans Canada to undertake watershed planning for the Basin Head Watershed. The watershed planning process is an opportunity for watershed residents to voice their opinions on planning issues (including the environment, building and development and sustainable growth of our resource sector) and determine the future of their watershed.
A watershed is all of the land that drains its surface water and ground water into a river or stream. We all live in a watershed. The Basin Head Watershed includes not only the basin and its tributaries but all the land that drains towards the basin. The watershed includes all or a portion of the communities of Basin Head, Kingsboro, Red Point, Snake Road, Bothwell and East Baltic and Munns Road.
Why Watershed Management?
The water resources within the Basin Head Watershed (and all watersheds) are interconnected. Activities that take place at any point within a watershed can have an impact on water resources. Since the water resources within the watershed are linked, all residents have a stake in what happens.
Watershed Planning?
Non-point source (NPS) pollution (pollution that results from our daily activities) can have a detrimental effect on our water resources. NPS pollution includes soil, chemicals, bacteria and nutrients carried into our surface water and ground water during run-off events. Sources include such activities as forest harvesting, agriculture, road construction and maintenance, aquaculture and residential or commercial development. Many of our daily activities at home contribute to NPS pollution. Since these activities are all an essential part of our daily lives, we need to ensure that they are carried out in the most watershed friendly manner as possible.
Some of the impacts of NPS pollution include: bacterial contamination which close traditional shellfish harvesting areas, siltation and infilling of our watercourses, over-enrichment and anoxic conditions in our bays and estuaries, increasing nitrate levels in our groundwater. Given that the water resources within our watershed are interconnected, the only solution to our water quality problems is to plan and manage on a watershed basis.
Watershed Planning
Watershed planning is a community-based initiative undertaken to ensure protection of a watershed's water resources and overall environmental quality. It is an opportunity for watershed residents to determine what happens within their watershed and to work toward a vision of what they want to be in 5, 10, or more years down the road. It is an all-inclusive process involving all stakeholders – all who live in, work in or have an interest in the watershed.
Public Meeting
All residents and stakeholders were invited and encouraged to attend our first public meeting that was held, Nov. 24th, 7:00 pm at Eastern Kings Recreation Center. This meeting included presentations on the watershed planning process and how the process has met with success in other areas. For more information contact Souris & Area Branch at 687-3436 (fredc@isnhighspeed.ca) or Sheila Eastman at 357- 2403.
A committee was established including; Troy Bruce, Fred Cheverie, Ashley Ching, Donna Campbell Dixon, Sheila Eastman, Anne Garrett, Garry Gregory, Delly Keen, Waldron Leard, Candy MacDonald, Randy Power, and Marvyn Robertson.
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