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The Ecology Action Centre (EAC), a membership-based environmental organization located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, was the project proponent of this project. The EAC was the catalyst and facilitator in building the support, resources and knowledge to carry out salt marsh restoration work in Nova Scotia. The salt marsh restoration project was undertaken in a collaborative manner and compliments other efforts underway elsewhere in the Bay of Fundy (BoF) and Gulf of Maine to protect undisturbed marshes and to restore the functions and values of degraded coastal wetlands.
The project staff worked closely with a steering committee with representatives from: Nova Scotia Department Natural Resources, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Mt. Allison University, Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History, Ecology Action Centre.
Project partners and supporters include: Department of Transportation and Public Works, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Eastern Habitat Joint Venture, St. Mary’s University, Dalhousie University, Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership, Global Programme of Action Coalition for the Gulf of Maine, Human Resource Development Canada, Municipality of Colchester, The local property owners along Cheverie Creek, Noel Shore Wildlife Protection Association.
Location
Cheverie Creek is small tidal river centrally located in the small coastal village of Cheverie, Hants County. Cheverie is situated on the north side of the southern bight of the Minas Basin overlooking the mouth of the Avon River estuary with the cliffs of Cape Blomidon in the distance.
Problem Statement
Highway 215, the main road in the area, crosses the mouth of Cheverie Creek as a small rock-filled causeway. Limited tidal exchange is allowed through a 1.5m x 1m double wooden block culvert set deep in the road bed on the south end of the causeway. The salt marsh habitat upstream has been reduced due to diminished flow, and salt pannes and ponds on the marsh are not being recharged as frequently. Furthermore, downstream of the crossing, a rocky barrier beach is forming that acts to divert tidal flow away from the current crossing, further decreasing tidal flow to the marsh system.
It is important to reverse this kind of degradation of salt marshes and tidal river systems in the BoF. Salt marshes are a very important part of the coastal environment in the BoF, serving many important ecological, economic and social functions. While efforts are being undertaken by a number of agencies in Nova Scotia to ensured the protection of some important marsh areas, the reality is that a great deal of salt marsh habitat has already been lost in the BoF. In the Upper BoF alone, 85% of historical salt marsh habitat have been lost and/or severely degraded over the last 350 years (Percy and Harvey 2000). Under these conditions, the protection of remaining salt marsh ecosystems is crucial, but not sufficient. We began this project so that we could go one step further and start to restore damaged ecosystems.
What We Did
The NAFEC supported community-based salt marsh restoration project has been a three year process of learning, education and partnership building for a pilot salt marsh restoration project at Cheverie Creek. We conducted an inventory of tidal barriers in the Minas Basin and identified a number of sites that would benefit from restoration efforts. From this inventory, a single demonstration site was selected as the location for salt marsh restoration work. Efforts were and are underway to galvanize widespread support from local landowners, conservation groups, academia, government and scientists for restoration work at this site. We have built a restoration partnership that has committed financial, technical and human resources to this restoration project. We have collected baseline biophysical data on this site and we have done a considerable amount of public education about the importance and the need for the protection and restoration of salt marshes and tidal rivers. This has created a lot of enthusiasm for salt marsh restoration and increased the probability that this pilot project will be replicated elsewhere in the BoF. Through our participation in several Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment events, the project has received a fair amount of international exposure and has resulted in much interest in BoF marshes in general and our project specifically by researchers, groups and government agencies throughout New England.
Challenges
In 1999, the EAC participated in a workshop hosted by the Global Programme of Action Coalition for the Gulf of Maine (GPAC). This workshop identified salt marsh restoration work in the Canadian Gulf of Maine as a high priority (Neckles and Dionne 1999). Subsequent events, including a workshop that the EAC hosted (Cameron et al. 2000) concluded that initiating salt marsh restoration work in the Canadian Gulf of Maine is a priority and yet remains difficult because: a) there is a lack of data on the extent and condition of salt marshes and their potential for restoration; b) there is little information and technical expertise for salt marsh restoration in Canada; c) the roles, responsibilities, regulations, and permits for salt marsh restoration are unclear.
Successes
The main successes of this project have been to lay the groundwork for restoration work by filling some of the knowledge and skills gaps identified above. With support and collaboration at all levels, we have made significant headway in addressing each of the challenges identified above.
Lessons Learned
"The environment was lost in increments and it can be reclaimed in increments." (Goldsmith 1998)
A successful restoration project cannot be done overnight. We were initially surprised and frustrated that we were unable to follow our original timeline for site selection and restoration work. We soon realized that because this was a pilot project, we had to proceed systematically to collect the necessary baseline information, obtain the necessary technical skills and information and build the necessary partnerships for this project to succeed. Support and enthusiasm for the project developed naturally through the working relationships we established with multiple stakeholders.
Next Steps
The next step in this project is the actual restoration work at the site. We have the commitment of technical and financial and human resources from partners such as the Department of Transportation and Public Works, St. Mary's University Department of Geography and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. We have applied to Wildlife Habitat Canada and the Gulf of Maine Council for funding to support the continuation of the restoration project over the next two years.
In the winter of 2002/2003, the EAC will host a planning workshop that will involve the wider community in restoration activities at Cheverie Creek. We will also be working with other community members, potentially including the local school, for additional data collection and monitoring activities on the marsh. If funding allows, we hope to have between 2 and 4 undergraduate university students working on the restoration site and the reference site during the 2003 field season, as well as continuing the tidal barriers inventory work.
The restoration of salt marsh habitat at Cheverie Creek is a priority for the EAC and our partners. However, the actual ecological restoration is only one portion of our interest and commitment to this site. We anticipate that the Cheverie Creek salt marsh restoration project will provide an excellent opportunity for visitors to the area (the causeway is a popular stopping and picnic area for tourist and locals alike) to learn about salt marshes, including the long history of human use and current efforts to protect and restore these vital ecological systems.
Ecology Action Centre
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
http://ecologyaction.ca
For more information about this grant, please contact the CEC Secretariat.
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