Atlantic salmon conservation project in Trout River

Stream Crossing During the Watershed Assessment Survey carried out in 2008 inadequate stream crossings proved to be a major contributor of sediment entering the stream as well as a barrier to fish passage in some cases. As part of this project we will repair the most severe of these. The existing twenty four inch culvert will be removed using a hymac. The hole will be expanded to accommodate the square foot opening recommended by the permit division of the Department of Energy and Forestry. The gabion baskets purchased for the bridge will be assembled at Trout River and hauled to the site using the landowner’s tractor and wagon. Filter fabric will be placed on either side of the hole and gabion baskets placed on top of the fabric. The baskets will then be filled by hand using gabion rock. The remaining hole behind the baskets will be backfilled using the landowner’s tractor with the filter fabric extending up to the top of the baskets forming a layer between the back of the baskets and the fill eliminating any chance of erosion during peak flow periods. Large 8×20 inch timber will be placed on their edge across the opening and notched into the gabion baskets to provide carrying pieces to support the bridge top. Concrete will be poured by hand between these pieces to attach them to the baskets and prevent them from moving with the passage of heavy machinery. More of the 8×20 inch timbers will be placed flat to form the top of the bridge and spiked to the carrying pieces. Rocks will also be placed in the stream bed along the inside edges of the gabion baskets. The filter fabric will extend out into the stream under these rocks. The rocks and fabric will prevent any erosion under the edges of the gabion baskets and also narrow the stream to a natural width at low water periods. Diversion Ridges One cause of siltation which was observed during the watershed assessment survey and in talking with landowners was that coming from laneways which sloped downhill toward streams. During heavy rain events water runs the lane picking up silt then entering the stream at the bottom of the incline. This project will enable TUC Prince County Chapter to repair two of these laneways. To insure the water is directed into the grassed ditch we will install a deflector on the lane to channel the water into the ditch before it can pick up velocity. These are basically a wide speed bump running on a 30 degree angle across the laneway. The base will be made by placing large rock in a trench dug into the lane. This will prevent the deflector from compressing and denting with the weight of machinery crossing it. The rocks will then be covered with gravel which will be leveled and graded manually. This method was used in 2008 with great success in a similar situation. Silt Traps The North branch of Trout River is made up of two main tributaries, the largest runs north from the main stream and a smaller branch which runs off to the west through the village of O’Leary. There is heavy sedimentation entering these tributaries from several sources. Two in stream sediment traps will be excavated to contain silt in the North branch of Trout River. One will be located near the point where the smaller west branch joins the north branch, and the second will be excavated near the point where the north branch joins the main stream. These will be excavated using a hymac and sediment management measures such as construction of brush mats downstream from the site will be undertaken as outlined the group’s fish habitat management plan. Tree Planting Trees will be planted in locations where there is need of riparian zone enhancement. Trees of native varieties will be planted in areas appropriate to the given species and need of the area. Beaver Management It is the goal of TUC Prince County Chapter is ensure that over time all tributaries of Trout River upstream from the Interpretive Center will be beaver free. The area with the most beaver issues is the Kennedy Creek. There are numerous active and inactive dams in the section upstream from Leard’s Pond to the Kennedy Road. TUC Prince County Chapter plans to trap the beavers in this section using humane trapping methods. It may be necessary to solicit the assistance of local trappers to assist with these efforts. Access trails will be cut where necessary to make this possible. The dams will be let down gradually to eliminate movement of sediment. Sediment reduction measures such as brush mat installation will be utilized as per outlined in the beaver management plan. Education Educational measures such as the tri annual newsletter will be continued.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES:

• Objective 1: To replace a stream crossing which is washing out repeatedly, causing heavy sediment loads to enter the stream will be replaced.
• Objective 2: Two laneways which are contributing to the silt load will also be repaired in this area.
• Objective 3: The beaver problems which have long plagued the Kennedy Creek will be worked on. TUC Prince County Chapter has developed a beaver management plan which has been submitted to the Fish and Wildlife Division. This is a long term for the management of the beaver problem within the watershed.
• Objective 4: Tree planting will be carried out to increase the riparian zone in areas where it is needed, and educational measures will be continued with the focus on landowners. The target of these measures will be to work on increasing the buffer zone in the areas where land use issues are the biggest concern.

Objectives were all obtain, bridge crossing restored, riparian habitat replanted to reduce runoff and a beaver management plan has been submitted to the Fish and Wildlife Division. Four volunteers were trained on this project and one landowner educated about the stream.