Newsletter 16

The directors of the Souris & Area Branch were impressed with the number of people that attended their 28th Annual Wildlife Dinner. It was a terrific success with 180 people in attendance (sell out) and many from various communities across PEI.
The main meal consisted of roast Buffalo prepared by chef Pedro Pereira and baked Atlantic Salmon prepared by Rita Carter and her staff. This meal was considered sensational by all attendees.
We had a tremendous amount of auction items, raffle items and door prizes. These were graciously donated by many organizations, businesses and individuals across PEI.

Winners of the 2008 Wildlife Photo Contest were recognized with prizes in the four categories.

A "Special Recognition Presentation" was presented by Vice Chairman Delbert Francis to Susan Saville for her dedication to the Souris & Area Branch.

Jim Cheverie, a director for the Eastern Kings Health Foundation, accepted the annual donation by the Souris & Area Branch of a framed "Canadian Wildlife Habitat Print" to be displayed within the Souris Hospital.

The 2008 Souris & Area Branch of the P.E.I. Wildlife Federation Photo Contest opened on January 1 and closed on November 15, 2008. It was an unqualified success with 1485 photographs received and entered in four categories.
The photographs were judged on-line, using the storage service of flickr.com, by qualified individuals residing in Denmark, Mexico and the United States.
The abbreviated judge's report, the photographs receiving an honourable mention and the winning entries appear on our website: www.souriswl.ca

Waldron Leard, Mel MacPhee & Garry Gregory

Prizes in the four categories in this contest were awarded by Ducks Unlimited & the Souris Branch of the P.E.I. Wildlife Federation. The Grand Prize was donated by MacPhee's Home Building Center.

The winners in the Elementary Category are as follows:
Third Prize – Cole MacDonald
Second Prize – Joel Dunphy
First Prize – Jayne Robertson
The winners in the High School Category are as follows:
Third Prize – Jane Hanlon
Second Prize – Brittany Peters
First Prize – Kaylee Campbell

The winners in the University/College Category are as follows:
Third Prize: Erica MacIsaac
Second Prize: Jenna Francis
First Prize: Garry Gregory
The winners in the Adult Category are as follows:
Third Prize: Melissa MacInnis
Second Prize: Shane MacClure
First Prize: Shari Gallant

Cathleen Gallant of Monticello was the 2008 Grand Prize Winner. She was presented with a new digital camera, donated by MacPhee's Home Building Center.

Hon. Allan Campbell on behalf of the judges presented the "Most Promising Youth Photographer" to Jane Robertson of Eastern Kings Consolidated School.

This contest has been a tremendous success story, due to the efforts of Waldron Leard and our judges. The 2009 Wildlife Photo Contest is underway; visit our website for details.

From mid November to late November, many of our northside rivers were walked for general assessment purposes and also a count was done on the number of Atlantic Salmon redds observed.

Naufrage was walked from tidal area to Larkins Dam by Dr. Daryl Guignon and myself. A few minor blockages that wouldn't impede fish passage were observed with some beaver activity below Larkins. A total of approximately 100 redds were observed and mapped.

Cross River (Big Pond) was also walked from tidal to well above MacInnis's Dam by Daryl and myself. We encountered a massive beaver dam behind Emery Gillan's that would block all fish passage including salmon. Approximately 100 redds were documented with none above the dam.

Priest Pond was also assessed with numerous redds present. A large beaver dam was encountered between the Bull Creek Road and Dixon's Dam. It was recommended that the East Branch below Hughie MacPhee's receive enhancement work in 2009.

North Lake Creek was walked from the Salmon Hole to East Baltic by Erica MacIsaac and myself. A few minor blockages were encountered but nothing that would impede fish passage. We observed approximately 200 salmon redds.

Cow River was walked from tidal to below George MacPhee's where a large beaver dam was encountered. No salmon redds were observed.

In a draft report prepared by Dr. Daryl Guignon for the PEI Atlantic Salmon Federation, he indicated that Atlantic Salmon have disappeared from many of our Island Rivers. It is quite possible that the Atlantic Salmon may appear on " Canada's Endangered Species List", in the near future. Beavers are attributed to be one of the main obstacles contributing to their decline on PEI.

The Souris & Area Branch received considerable attention in the media during the past year. We wish to thank reporters such as C.B.C.'s Maggie Brown, Mitch Cormier, Brian Higgins and Sally Pitt for visiting the area in 2008. Through their efforts, with news about the Gowan Brae Salt Water Marsh, PEI Ecological Goods And Services Pilot Project and the Souris & Area Wildlife Photo Contest, and the Souris Area Wildlife Dinner was shared province wide.
Five members of our group travelled to Charlottetown on a snowy and blustery evening in December. We met with Compass weather guy, Boomer Gallant. The C.B.C. staff, welcomed us warmly and heartily. The Wildlife Dinner and Photo Contest received excellent exposure.
The newspapers, the Charlottetown Guardian (Nancy Willis) and the Eastern Graphic (Janet MacLeod,Taunya Murchison and Heather Moore) too were attentive to Eastern Kings. It continues into 2009 with Mary MacKay's coverage of the 2008 Wildlife Photo Contest in the Guardian.

left to right: Steve Cheverie, Kevin "Boomer"
Gallant, Waldron Leard, Erica MacIsaac, Fred
Cheverie and Justin McKinnon

In this era of worldwide communications, these stories were also viewed and listened to around the world. Thanks to all in the media for their support in the past, now and in the future.

In the late summer and fall of 2008, special notice was made of what was "unnatural" within our Eastern Kings region. Prior to the implementation of the waste watch system and the community dumps, waste was disposed of by the individual property owners. In certain cases there could be as much as 175-190 years worth of waste on properties throughout the province. While some of the matter broke down, metal and glass products did not. Up to the mid 1970's, old farm equipment, car and truck bodies and the remnants of old buildings met the same fate.
There are many woodlots in the area with these family dumps. They are hidden from view, as the natural forest growth covers them. They can quickly become a concern to man in the event of a forest fire. Fire-fighters can work a fire, walk on a mossy "hill" and punch through injuring themselves on the decades old material that could cut them. Those harvesting wood could damage their equipment. The same fate could happen to those who use our properties for recreation. Snowmobilers could hook themselves on waste metal or collide with a car body covered in snow.

(Garbage collected within one walk on the south
side of the road only from Waldron Leard's Gate
to the Scenic Look Out Site below Joe
Campbell's, a distance of less than 1km)

Attempts were made to identify locations within watersheds and buffer zones. This refuse could affect the area water supply and table. As it gradually breaks down, there may be incidents in the future of this material affecting the soil. Evidence of waste oil was looked for leaking from old vehicles or old cans, etc. Walks along the shorelines following storms offered indication how much refuse is thrown in the water and brought into land.

There is too much material gathering along our highways. Cans, bottles – plastic and glass, coffee cups, metals such as bottle caps, doughnut and pizza boxes, tobacco butts among many other things may be found in Island ditches, obviously thrown from vehicles. Most is not biodegradable. Not only are these items environmental hazards, they also do nothing to enhance the natural beauty of Eastern Kings.

We have many guests visiting the area to enjoy our natural beauty, as well as to create photographs for our photo contest. Beside the water and land, litter also affects our wildlife.

The gathering of litter and the management of garbage is critical element towards a healthy and safe environment.

We have a wonderful "Waste Watch Program" in place with our green/ black bins and recycling days. Some people continue to haul their garbage to the woods even when they are paying for the above system. That logic totally baffles me. We also have a recycling depot at Rick's Bottle Exchange on the St. Catherine's Road.

By recycling we create business, money can be saved within our primary industries and health and safety concerns will be reduced. A pristine environment that is known, will translate into a healthy and green tourism industry.

Muskrats have long been considered a staple of the trapping industry on PEI, and are recognized as essential components of marsh ecosystems in the province. In recent years, muskrat populations throughout the province have suffered a significant decline, including those in the Eastern Kings region. While this is an important issue in its own right, perhaps most concerning is that this may be indicative of serious, underlying environmental problems. The potential factors contributing to this decline are varied, and may include predation, disease, habitat degradation, and water contamination.
To evaluate the influence of these factors on PEI, a research project was initiated in September 2008. Garry Gregory, a member of the Souris Wildlife Federation and former assistant coordinator of the Souris River Watershed, is conducting the study as part of his Masters program at UPEI. This is a collaborative effort involving the PEI Dept. of Environment, Energy, and Forestry, the PEI Trappers Association, the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre, and the UPEI Depts. of Biology and Pathology & Microbiology.

The research will combine rigorous field work and laboratory analyses to identify the factor(s) responsible for the decline, with the eventual goal of restoring muskrat populations to historical levels. To date, work has focused on examining specimens in the lab to obtain important information with regards to population health, such as reproductive output and juvenile/adult ratios.

Observational field studies will take precedence as the summer approaches, and this work will provide further insights into the causes of the current low populations. It is anticipated that the study will yield meaningful results with practical management implications, and these results will be relayed to the public as they become available.

Studies such as this are important in the ongoing effort to protect wildlife populations on PEI, and as such, it is fully endorsed by the Souris Wildlife Federation.

Producer Uptake is Evident in Year Two of the Ecological Goods & Services Pilot Project (EG&S)

During the first year of my position as agrology specialist, I spent a significant amount of time familiarizing myself with the specific duties of the job. My second year I was already familiar with watershed properties, watershed producers, and procedures such as soil sampling, tissue sampling, use of GPS, etc. I spent much of my time in the second year working on nutrient management trials for producers, which may provide at least some of the data needed to help reduce the nitrate problem on PEI.

The general public has become much more aware of the nitrate issue over the past few years, and possible solutions have been offered from the "Nitrate Commission" to address this problem. Nutrient management may play an important role in preserving our groundwater in the future, and may even be evaluated on a watershed basis. In the EG&S nutrient management trials alone (aside from crop insurance trials), producer uptake in year two increased by 160% in the Souris Watershed. Producer uptake in the area of nutrient management trials including both the Souris and Founds Watershed in year two was 200%. This demonstrates that agricultural producers are aware of their contribution to the nitrate problem, and are searching for ways to improve the situation.

The Souris Watershed showed a significant uptake in year two of the EG&S project. In no instance did EG&S services decrease and in some cases they remained the same. The following structures and/or services showed the following percentage uptake increase in 2008 from 2007 within the Souris Watershed:

Enhanced Buffers 42%
Grassed Headlands 6%
Grassed Waterways 11%
High Sloped Land 2%
Hedgerows 21%
Winter Cover ( spring ploughing, mulching and crop cover) 67%
Terraces 0%
Berms 0%
Maintaining Fence Adjoining Watercourses 0%
Fencing for Newly Established Hedgerows 11,582 ft
Nutrient Management Trials 160%

It is interesting to note that one of the most significant increases in EG&S activities in the Souris Watershed, was eliminating red land over winter. This has been an issue with the general public each winter when there has not been sufficient snow cover to inhibit soil erosion by wind. Watershed producers have viewed enough news broadcasts to know that people do not want soil from fields blowing on their homes, and EG&S provided an opportunity for financial compensation to reduce this problem.

Many agricultural producers are conscious of the fact that farming does have some negative effects on the environment, and surrounding neighbours may not always be impressed with certain practices.

This "EG&S Pilot Project" provided a method for producers to show that they will make efforts to reduce environmental problems, when provided with some relief to the costs of implementing environmentally friendlier practices.

I believe that the producers in the Souris Watershed benefited most from the recognition of their efforts, and not from the monetary values attached.

The 28th. Annual Wildlife Dinner was a tremendous success (sell out). Our directors and many volunteers worked countless hours to ensure that we provided a "top notch event". The roast Buffalo prepared by chef Pedro Pereira received raving reviews from the audience. The baked Atlantic Salmon prepared by Rita Carter and her staff also received many compliments.

I would also like to thank Chef Mike Smith for donating a Caribou striploin and the staff of "Fiddling Lobster" for preparing it so eloquently. I would also like to thank the many businesses and individuals for donating raffle and door prize items.

Souris Wildlife Branch can now boast a membership of 180 individuals and that puts us in a favourable position for funding.

I assume by now everyone realized that our "Bald Eagle Perches" are missing, just when they were occupied so regularly. A heavy westerly windstorm combined with early ice conditions, basically just picked them up and tossed them to shore. Fred, assures me that the restoration of these poles will take place in early spring when the ice melts and a staff is hired. Ski conditions are great at the Souris Ski Club and I would highly recommend that everyone get out and take advantage of the great groomed trails.

Last spring everyone in the Eastern Kings Area received a survey that was related to the environment. This survey attempted to determine society's willingness to pay for environmental changes with their tax dollars.

I have received a "Draft Report" regarding this survey which is highly technical in nature. The final report is due in June of this year and I hope to arrange an opportunity for those who are interested to get an overview from its author.

(1) The survey indicated that the citizens from the Eastern Kings Area felt quite comfortable in their knowledge of environment and environmental issues in this area.
(2) The high number of people from this area that belong as members to environmental groups.
(3) The survey indicated that the citizens were quite willing to pay for activities with their taxes to improve the environment.

We have now entered the final quarter of this "PEI Ecological Goods & Services Pilot Project" (EG&S) and the final reporting has to be completed by June.

Erica MacIsaac has completed her term of employment as agrology specialist with the Souris Branch. She has been hired for three months to assist the Dept. of Agriculture in completing its data collection for the EG&S project.

2008 has been an exceptionally busy year for the Souris & Area Branch. Some of our accomplishments are listed as follows:

(a) Construction of a saltwater marsh in Gowan Brae,
(b) participated in year two of the EG&S project,
(c) enhanced many rivers,
(d) created an excellent website
(e) published five (5) newsletters
(f) improved our photo contest
(g) implemented the Souris River Watershed Plan
(h) hosted the 28th Annual Souris & Area Wildlife Dinner.

All pictures appearing on this site or its associated flickr account are the property of the photographers and the Souris & Area Branch of the P.E.I. Wildlife Federation.
They may not be copied without permission of the photographer and the Souris & Area Branch of the P.E.I. Wildlife Federation.