Here we see our President, Scott Beaver, paddling with Mojo.
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President's Messages
2022 Hello folks and welcome to another exciting year on St. Mary’s River. I’ll start off by thanking the Frasers Mills Hatchery staff for their efforts supporting our sea trout Stock Enhancement Project. During the Spring of 2022 approximately 25,000 unfed fry were released into the river. As a result of our partnership with Inland Fisheries we have been releasing around this number of sea trout annually into the system since 2015. Here on the river, we are certainly observing more and more sea trout every year and if you haven’t angled for sea trout here, it just might be time! St. Mary’s has officially joined Nova Scotia’s Barrier Free Fishing sites program. Thank you to Nova Scotia Salmon Association for your financial donation. It has allowed us to purchase and install signage intended to help guide folks to McKeen’s Pool. Although this location has been a barrier free site for many years it hasn’t been promoted as such and we would like to welcome folks near and far to the site. We have approved the purchase of an aquarium and require process equipment to run a Fish Friends Project in our local school, SMECA. Always an exciting opportunity when we get to engage local youth with hands-on involvement in the life cycle of fish. |
This season we have completed multiple salmon Projects in terms of habitat, stock enhancement and telemetry.
1. We released approximately 450,000 unfed salmon fry into the river during the Spring of 2022 in partnership with our friends at the Cold Brook hatchery.
2. Our volunteers helped catch and tag salmon for a Nova Scotia DFO telemetry project. In total about 100 fish were tagged and released back into the river with a surprisingly quick turnaround. The intention is to find out where they are going.
3. 250 salmon released back into the river from our Gene Bank project. We partner with DFO Cold Brook hatchery on this one and the intention is to ensure that there is a strain of the prolific St. Mary’s salmon gene protected just in case something catastrophic happens to the stock.
4. I think we can include habitat restoration here as well. Last season we completed between 20,000 and 25,000 square meters of river restoration on the East Branch of the river. Thank you, Charlie and Nick, for all your hard work out in the elements.
5. We applied for 2.7 million dollars for a four-year extensive Habitat Restoration project from a new federal Aquatic Ecosystems Restoration Fund. Hopefully by the time this is printed we will have received good news on this front.
Over the years our association has made many efforts to broaden our engagement using a holistic based approach within the aquatic and riparian zones. Making decisions based on this approach is critical to maintaining a healthy ecosystem in its entirety.
Our partnership with Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society have officially identified over 30 rare species within the Archibald Lake proposed Wilderness Area. Thank you, Chris Miller, for your dedication and work in the area. Last summer we worked with Firefly Digital Media on a third episode for the TV series, Wild Nova Scotia which will air on Eastlink sometime this Spring. This episode focuses on Archibald Lake and its significance. Working with partners we have embarked on a Wood Turtle Monitoring Project and last season we held our first official event on the river. We even made a short video clip, which you can find on our SMRA Youtube page along with many other great short videos.
Last season we started a Boreal Owl Monitoring Project working with Randy Lauff. Randy now has over 100 Boreal Owl nest boxes out in the Nova Scotia Wilderness and 10 of them are on the St. Mary’s River. A neat partnership with retired biologist Edwin DeMont has also gained headlines. Besides Edwin’s contributions with his photography, he has been busy working with a device called an Audiomoth. This device records sounds and provides a unique way to identify even more rare species.
During the 2023 season we have secured funding for two short videos. One will cover our Boreal Owl project and the second will be a Sea Trout and paddling video. I very much enjoy these types of projects and can’t wait to get started!
I might also mention our disappointment that, even after many requests, our municipal elected councilors have not taken a supportive stance for the protection of Archibald Lake as a Wilderness Area. Councillors you still have time, we welcome your support even this late in the game. Archibald Lake Area is critical to our river system, identified as a key area for protection in 2007, officially brought forward by the Liberals in 2020 and now the current PC government says they will move forward on a socioeconomic study and consultations with Mi’Kmaq. Let’s hope we can help surpass the current 13% of protected land in Nova Scotia and help meet the new target of 20% land and water protection by 2030. I am hopeful 2023 will be the year Archibald Lake finally crosses the finish line and officially becomes a protected space we can all enjoy!
I’d like to finish off by congratulating the group's efforts in an impressive synergy working together, attempting to stop the proposed Cochrane Hill gold mine. In August of 2022 the federal environmental assessment agency terminated its evaluation of the proposed Cochrane Hill gold mine. Although this is very good news it has left us on edge and unable to celebrate. The company, which has changed names many times, still holds mining leases in the area and can enter the process again at any time. I would like to acknowledge the termination as a small triumph and thank everyone who has stayed vigilant and helped stave off these bewildering industrial plans from moving forward in the magnificent St. Mary’s River watershed. Truly from all corners of my heart, Thank you!
1. We released approximately 450,000 unfed salmon fry into the river during the Spring of 2022 in partnership with our friends at the Cold Brook hatchery.
2. Our volunteers helped catch and tag salmon for a Nova Scotia DFO telemetry project. In total about 100 fish were tagged and released back into the river with a surprisingly quick turnaround. The intention is to find out where they are going.
3. 250 salmon released back into the river from our Gene Bank project. We partner with DFO Cold Brook hatchery on this one and the intention is to ensure that there is a strain of the prolific St. Mary’s salmon gene protected just in case something catastrophic happens to the stock.
4. I think we can include habitat restoration here as well. Last season we completed between 20,000 and 25,000 square meters of river restoration on the East Branch of the river. Thank you, Charlie and Nick, for all your hard work out in the elements.
5. We applied for 2.7 million dollars for a four-year extensive Habitat Restoration project from a new federal Aquatic Ecosystems Restoration Fund. Hopefully by the time this is printed we will have received good news on this front.
Over the years our association has made many efforts to broaden our engagement using a holistic based approach within the aquatic and riparian zones. Making decisions based on this approach is critical to maintaining a healthy ecosystem in its entirety.
Our partnership with Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society have officially identified over 30 rare species within the Archibald Lake proposed Wilderness Area. Thank you, Chris Miller, for your dedication and work in the area. Last summer we worked with Firefly Digital Media on a third episode for the TV series, Wild Nova Scotia which will air on Eastlink sometime this Spring. This episode focuses on Archibald Lake and its significance. Working with partners we have embarked on a Wood Turtle Monitoring Project and last season we held our first official event on the river. We even made a short video clip, which you can find on our SMRA Youtube page along with many other great short videos.
Last season we started a Boreal Owl Monitoring Project working with Randy Lauff. Randy now has over 100 Boreal Owl nest boxes out in the Nova Scotia Wilderness and 10 of them are on the St. Mary’s River. A neat partnership with retired biologist Edwin DeMont has also gained headlines. Besides Edwin’s contributions with his photography, he has been busy working with a device called an Audiomoth. This device records sounds and provides a unique way to identify even more rare species.
During the 2023 season we have secured funding for two short videos. One will cover our Boreal Owl project and the second will be a Sea Trout and paddling video. I very much enjoy these types of projects and can’t wait to get started!
I might also mention our disappointment that, even after many requests, our municipal elected councilors have not taken a supportive stance for the protection of Archibald Lake as a Wilderness Area. Councillors you still have time, we welcome your support even this late in the game. Archibald Lake Area is critical to our river system, identified as a key area for protection in 2007, officially brought forward by the Liberals in 2020 and now the current PC government says they will move forward on a socioeconomic study and consultations with Mi’Kmaq. Let’s hope we can help surpass the current 13% of protected land in Nova Scotia and help meet the new target of 20% land and water protection by 2030. I am hopeful 2023 will be the year Archibald Lake finally crosses the finish line and officially becomes a protected space we can all enjoy!
I’d like to finish off by congratulating the group's efforts in an impressive synergy working together, attempting to stop the proposed Cochrane Hill gold mine. In August of 2022 the federal environmental assessment agency terminated its evaluation of the proposed Cochrane Hill gold mine. Although this is very good news it has left us on edge and unable to celebrate. The company, which has changed names many times, still holds mining leases in the area and can enter the process again at any time. I would like to acknowledge the termination as a small triumph and thank everyone who has stayed vigilant and helped stave off these bewildering industrial plans from moving forward in the magnificent St. Mary’s River watershed. Truly from all corners of my heart, Thank you!
Scott a few years back with a BC winter steelhead.