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Category: Water

  • WCF Helps Improve Habitat in Spring Valley Brook & Indian River Watersheds

    The PEI Wildlife Conservation Fund provides funding to groups across PEI for the protection and enhancement of wildlife and wildlife habitat. The funds from the Wildlife Conservation Fund come from annual license fees for hunters, anglers, and trappers, as well as the sale of conservation license plates. This year Kensington North Watersheds Association received funding from the PEI Wildlife Conservation Fund for a project to improve habitat in two of our major watersheds, Spring Valley Brook and Indian River.

    The activities performed as part of our project included planting approximately 600 native trees and shrubs along our riparian zones, removing nuisance debris and fallen trees both during the summer and again after Hurricane Dorian, and constructing brush mats. These activities will help improve riparian habitat and benefit the wildlife that live there.

    By planting trees, we are increasing the shade in our riparian zones, helping stabilize the banks and preventing soil erosion, and providing more plant biodiversity for wildlife to feed on and live in. Removing excess debris and branches helps flush sediment and allows steams to flow at a more natural velocity. We also constructed brush mats by placing and securing spruce and fir boughs at strategic locations along stream banks. These structures will catch excess sediment suspended in the water during high flows, allowing the sediment to settle out on the bank instead of in the stream channel. By removing this excess sediment, we hope to maintain a rocky stream bottom in the areas where we already have it, and expose previously buried rocky bottoms in other areas of the stream. This rocky stream bottom not only provides habitat for aquatic insects, which are an important food source for brook trout, but it is also required for brook trout spawning!

    Kensington North would like to thank the PEI Wildlife Conservation Fund for supporting us on this project, and we would like to encourage Islanders to consider purchasing a conservation license plate to help fund similar projects like this and help protect wildlife across PEI!

    Published in The County Line Courier, Vol. 27, No. 23, Pg. 19.

  • Hurricane Dorian

    Tropical Storm Dorian hit the island on September 8th and knocked out power for days, and downed hundreds of trees around Kensington. Many of these trees fell into our streams. Our usual mandate requires us to be out of the streams at the end of September in order to let the trout spawn, but this year we had to extend our season into October to clear the channels.

    Even with the deadline extension we had to get extra help from some students from the Holland College Wildlife Conservation program, some employees of the Watershed Alliance, other independent contractors and our previous executive director to chainsaw these trees out of the streams.

    Sadly in our wooded areas we lost some nice trees such as White Pine and Eastern Hemlock which are not very common around this part of the island. Many poplar, red maple, and of course white spruce also came down.

    A White Pine and Red Maple fallen into the Barbara Weit stream.

  • Kensington Water Management Committee Expands Mandate

    The recently renamed Kensington Water Management Committee was formed in 2014 to work with residents of the Town of Kensington to create a water conservation strategy. The Kensington North Watersheds Association (KNWSA) in partnership with the Town of Kensington, received funding from Environment Canada’s EcoAction program for the project. The committee is made up of residents, Councillors, and staff from the Town of Kensington, and receives administrative support from KNWSA.

    In 2014, the committee conducted a survey of households on water use, provided information on water conservation, and held a draw for ten rain barrels and a free month of water and wastewater service. During committee meetings held last winter, the committee determined that water safety is an issue that goes hand in hand with water conservation for Kensington.

    For 2015, the committee is working closely with the PEI Dept. of Communities, Land and Environment to renew the Well Field Protection Plan, and to inform residents how they may dispose of household hazardous waste. A staff member from KNWSA will be conducting household visits with many town residents to discuss water conservation and hazardous household material disposal issues.

    “We are quite happy to be working with Kensington North on these important water issues. We currently do not have a problem with water safety or water conservation, but we certainly welcome the opportunity to be pro-active and minimize our risks” says Geoff Baker, Manager for the Town of Kensington.

    “With proper planning and preparation, the Town of Kensington will be in a better position to manage its water. Unpredictable and unlikely events do occasionally happen, and those who are prepared are usually affected the least” says Water Management Committee Chair Gordon Jenkins.

    The article can be found online in The County Line Courier, Vol. 23, No. 12, Pg. 03.

  • Water Conservation Strategy for Kensington Being Planned

    The Town of Kensington is partnering with the Kensington North Watershed Association (KNWSA) in the creation of a Water Conservation Strategy that will be tailor-made to specifically fit the needs and demands of our community. The province of Prince Edward Island is 100% reliant upon groundwater resources to provide us with all of our hydrological needs. This fact alone makes the protection, preservation and proper use of our water resources a paramount issue and concern for all resident of our beautiful town. With this conservation strategy, we hope to identify and promote practices that will easily lead to smarter and more efficient use our most precious natural resource, water.

    Kensington resident Garreth Ashley, who is studying Environmental Studies at UPEI, is the project manager. Before a water conservation plan is created, the Town and KNWSA would like to assemble a focus group of Kensington citizens. This focus group will be instrumental in guiding the direction of that will be set forth by our Water Conservation Strategy. Through insightful thought from our focus group, which will be a diverse selection of multiple residents of the town, the KNWSA and the Town of Kensington hopes that the strategy will encompass the ideals and needs of Kensington’s citizens. The benefits of water conservation will ensure a healthy future for our growing town and protect the water security of future generations of Kensingtonians. There is potential savings for the town and citizens money as well. Focus group members will be asked to attend about four meetings over the spring and summer.

    The article can be found online in The County Line Courier, Vol. 22, No. 11, Pg. 08.