Newsletter 23

For the third consecutive summer the Souris & Area Branch of the PEI Wildlife Federation has aided the Department of Fisheries and Oceans in CAMP activities around the Souris River.
The health of Souris River and many other estuaries around PEI are monitored through this program. These monthly activities run from May-September and contain a number of different aspects.
There are six different locations that are monitored: East of the CTMA Ferry Terminal, East of Souris Bridge, West of Souris Bridge and near the homes of Paul Gallant, Joe Carter, Tim Campbell and Paul Deveau.

Water testing and beach seine in
progress during CAMP activities on June 3rd

Overall water quality is evaluated by recording data which includes: salinity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen levels.

CAMP also includes a beach seine component that comprehensively measures the quantity and species of aquatic life in the Souris River.

All aspects of the CAMP activities serve as indicators of the overall health of the estuary.

As in previous years our staff took part in the Greening Spaces program. Greening Spaces is a tree planting initiative where an assortment of native hardwood and softwood trees were planted throughout the local area.
The trees were obtained from the Frank J. Gaudet Tree Nursery and planted in the riparian zones of various streams around the Souris Area (Patricia & Neil Hunter, Arthur Mooney & Sons, and Merlin Clements).
Five hundred trees were planted. These trees should flourish in the next few years and greatly assist in maintaining the riparian zones within local watersheds.

An additional 100 trees will be planted in late June as a part of the Souris & Area Branch's educational mandate. Presentations and field trips will be made available to the Grade 8 classes from Souris Regional High School.

The most efficient and successful means of preserving watersheds and oceans are through educating future generations. This was exactly the goal in mind when grade eight classes from SRHS were invited to participate in an Oceans day field trip at the Basin Head Fisheries Museum on Monday June 7th.
The event was organized by Souris and Area Branch of PEIWF in partnership with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Department of Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Rural Development. The day was held in accordance with World Oceans Day which is occurs annually on June 8th.

Cody McKenna displaying the lone
eel that was caught during the
beach seine

Both Ministers Neil LeClair and Allan Campbell were present to speak to the students about the benefit of participating in Oceans Day. Randy Power (DFO), gave a presentation to students to explain how land use affects the health of local watersheds which in turn affects the health of our oceans. Mr. Power also emphasized the importance of having one of only seven Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Canada right in their back yard at Basin Head.

Students were able to see the vital and evolving role Basin Head has had in Eastern PEI through a tour of the fisheries museum by Ann Garett and staff. The field trip concluded with a demonstration of beach seining done by Cody McKenna from the Community Aquatic Monitoring Program and Katie Low and Brodie Larter, both from DFO. Students were amazed to see the variety and quantity of species caught in the beach seine that live so close to the shoreline at Basin Head. The demonstration also showed students the unique species of Irish moss (Chondrus crispus.) which provided Basin Head its MPA status.

Students arrived at the museum toting numerous projects created for Oceans Day. These projects were entered into a contest through the Department of Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Rural Development.
The projects ranged from a buoy painted with an ocean scene, to a model of the ocean floor, and a musical composition done on the electric guitar. The winners of the contest are as follows:
1st – Mary Woods;
2nd – Sean Fitzpatrick;
3rd – Erica Dixon;
4th – Morgan Fay.

Dylan Fay displaying his art
project during the art contest

Honourable mentions were also announced by the judges:
Jason MacAulay, Thomas Bruce, Daniel MacIsaac, Anna Clinton, Jenna Cahill, Mitchell Robichaud.

The Oceans Day activities were a perfect way to enlighten students as to how they influence watersheds and the ocean through their daily activities on land.

The grade 8 classes will be given presentations by the Souris & Area Branch of the PEIWF and will also participate in a field trip later in June. This will allow them to experience how their local watersheds are maintained and enhanced.

This month the staff of Souris and Area Wildlife Branch spent a few days along the Souris River erecting the Bald Eagle perches which have become a real attraction over the past few years.
With numerous requests from the general public for these perches to be erected again, the Souris & Area Branch made it a priority to accomplish this task early in the season.
It is noticeable that this year's perches are approximately 10 feet longer than those of previous years. This made the task of installation very labour intensive.
The perches have been enhanced this year to appear more natural and aesthetically pleasing. The staff cut logs and manually affixed branches of desired width (3-5") to allow comfortable landing for the eagles.

Souris & Area Branch staff,
erecting the first eagle perch
on June 9th

We urge those who see eagles on these perches to capture the images on camera and enjoy the scenic view!

Our fourth annual photo contest is off to an amazing start. MacPhee's Home Building Centre recently delivered the Grand Prize to coordinator Waldron H. Leard . Alex MacAulay of Home Hardware displaying is displaying a Casio EX-Z35 12.1 megapixel 3X zoom digital camera suitable for walking and backpacking! Thanks to the staff for their ongoing support.
Already we have over 1100 entries, which are a magnificent display of our flora and fauna and many other aspects of the natural beauty of Eastern PEI. The judges already are impressed! There is room for many more photos – we are not limiting the entries.
Check www.souriswl.ca/contests.html for additional information.

On Sunday, May 30th the Souris & Area Branch of the PEIWF held a very successful 'Family Fishing Day'. The event brought out approximately 125 guests and everyone seemed to leave the day fulfilled.
With the vital assistance from volunteers, the day was made a great success. A barbeque went on throughout the day and Souris & Area Branch staff helping with tangles and caught lines. Troubles were minimal and everyone left with good family memories.
Many fish were caught throughout the course of the day including a 3.2lb trout caught by the family of David and Cheryl MacLaren.
On Sunday, June 27th, the Souris and Area Branch of PEIWF will be hosting another Family Fishing Day at the Rollo Bay Pond. All members of the community are welcome. This event is free of cost and there will be staff on hand to help with any tangles and baiting hooks.

As well, there will be volunteers to serve free drinks and hot dogs for the kids. This is a great opportunity to get together, to catch some fish, and enjoy a day in the outdoors with family, friends, and neighbours. Once again, The Souris and Area Branch of PEIWF truly value the tremendous community support for events such as this. We hope to see you all out at the pond on June 27th.

The recent Sunday night torrential rain wreaked havoc in a number of areas throughout Eastern Kings. Most of our river systems turned red from silt download from various sources. Our coastal waters turned red as far as fifty feet on the north side and up to one kilometre in places on the south side. According to sources, the upper reaches of Fortune River remained unscathed, a rarity. This was a horrific downpour. The sedimentation could have been much worse only for the stewardship of our local farmers who have diligently stepped up to the plate over the past number of years installing barrier berms, taking land out of production near watercourses, seeding slopes and honoring the three year crop rotation. Out hats go off to you guys! Thanks!

Another season has begun with the stream enhancement crew. We have many returnees with a few new faces and hopefully a few more to be added by July 1st.

We were advised by Fish & Wildlife Division that Larkin's Pond would be drawn down this year as part of a regular five year policy. This plan has been changed to a six year policy and it will be drawn down in 2011.

In early June, Eastern Kings received approximately 190mm of rain within a week. Most watersheds turn red as the violent rain causes severe damage. It appears in recent years that we are experiencing more violent rain storms. Many contribute this changing weather pattern to climate change.

Over two hundred tree swallow boxes were distributed by Elliot's Pro Hardware to citizens of the Eastern Kings area. These boxes were built by students of Souris Regional High School and staff of Souris & Area Wildlife Branch. A number of boxes have been saved and will be distributed at the Eastern Kings Exhibition and the Dundas Plowing Match, in the fall.

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.