Resources for Educators

Community Capacity and Resiliency for N.B. Regional Service Commission 11 | Fish Tapeworm Parasite in NB Lake | Natural History and Geological Evolution | Septic System Awareness | 2022 – Updated New Brunswick Flood Hazard Maps | Cyanobacteria | Water Quality | Shoreline Green Zones | Integrated Watershed Management Plan – an overview

Community Capacity and Resiliency for N.B. Regional Service Commission 11

On April 13, 2023, members of the Jemseg Grand Lake Watershed Association attended a Zoom meeting with Karrie Bedford. Karrie reviewed her mandate and role as Resiliency Coordinator for the New Brunswick Regional Service Commission 11 (RSC 11). RSC 11 is one of 12 Regional Service Commissions in New Brunswick. The image below (slide 14 from Karrie’s presentation) shows how Regional Service Commission 11 overlaps the newly formed Municipalities of Grand Lake and Arcadia, as well as the surrounding rural districts.

Karrie’s complete presentation is available by clicking on the image above. Note slide 8 that further explains what the high impact areas of community capacity and resiliency are. Karrie indicated during her presentation that RSC 11 overlaps around 8 different watershed groups and lake associations.

Fish tapeworm parasite discovered in a New Brunswick lake – please help discover other N.B. locations

Megan Fraser, a Master of Science (Biology) student at the University of New Brunswick needs your help!  A parasite has recently been found, for the first time, in certain fish in New Brunswick, specifically from Wolfe Lake in Fundy National Park.  This parasite (tapeworm, scientific name “Ligula intestinalis”) can impact the reproductive capabilities of certain fish such as blacknose dace, perch, trout and salmon.  Megan would like to incorporate some valuable citizen science into her research. The infographic poster below shows what the parasite looks like, and how you can help her discover other places in New Brunswick where the tapeworm exists.

Natural history and geological evolution of the Jemseg Grand Lake Watershed – a timely story

Did you know that New Brunswick was once below the equator? On January 12, 2023, Toon Pronk presented a fascinating story (click to see Toon’s PowerPoint presentation) via Zoom webinar about why New Brunswick ecosystems are the way they are, and what might happen in the future. Toon is a professional geologist, and recently retired after a career with the Province of New Brunswick as a Quaternary Geologist / Geochemist. His deep knowledge and story telling ability gives amazing insights into how New Brunswick evolved over geological time, and the impact this has on all New Brunswick watersheds.

You can also visit our YouTube channel to see a recorded video of Toon’s complete presentation, including the excellent question and answer session when Toon answers a variety of questions about our natural history and geological evolution. Toon recommends watching the 2021 Netflix documentary Breaking Boundaries: The Science Of Our Planet for an even deeper understanding of how planet Earth works.

Septic System Awareness

A properly operating septic system is important to keep our watershed clean and free of pollutants. In March, 2022 our Association distributed 938 septic system awareness door knockers to 100 of our members for distribution to their friends and neighbours. The resources below are meant to help you understand how a septic system works, and how to properly maintain it.

A Google map of septic system service providers near the Jemseg Grand Lake Watershed can help you choose a septic system service provider near your property. How often does your septic system need to be pumped out? General guidelines are available at the Septic tank cleaning and pumping – Canadian septic owners guideline 2021 article. Check out the Septic tanks explained | The resource for Canadian homeowners in 2021 blog article for further information about Canadian septic systems. This article describes an DIY approach for checking the depth of the sediment and scum/anaerobic layers in a septic tank.

2022 – Updated New Brunswick Flood Hazard Maps

The Province of New Brunswick released a comprehensive update to New Brunswick flood hazard maps in January, 2022. Check out our February, 2022 newsletter for detailed instructions on how to get started using this valuable planning tool. Present day predicted flood levels and anticipated year 2100 flood levels are available from the N.B. flood hazard website. The climate change model used in N. B. Flood Hazard Maps assumes a worst case scenario from models developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Cyanobacteria

On February 3, 2022, ACAP Saint John hosted a cyanobacteria workshop entitled “Cyanobacteria in New Brunswick: Exploring Current and Future Monitoring Efforts“. The 11 page report presents an excellent overview of activities in New Brunswick to better understand, monitor and educate the public about cyanobacteria. Click on the title link above to read the report.

Cyanobacteria (also called blue-green algae) in freshwater can be a health concern as it can contain cyanotoxins.  The N.B. Department of Environment and Local Government has some very good cyanobacteria information; check out their excellent three minute video overview.  Our video webinar “Identifying Cyanobacteria: Keeping You and Your Pets Safe” is a valuable resource presented by Dr. Meghann Bruce, field research lead for cyanobacteria research in New Brunswick since 2018. A more in-depth explanation of cyanobacteria and toxicity is in Dr. Janice Lawrence’s superb webinar video entitled “Cyanobacteria in New Brunswick: Understanding Toxicity“. Both of these latter videos have a very informative question and answer session from webinar participants.

Water Quality

Our 2021 water quality report provides a 10 page summary of our 2021 field season findings, with a comparison to 2020 results. An excellent summary of the 2021 water quality analysis results was presented by Eric Luiker in his webinar entitled “Jemseg Grand Lake Watershed Aquatic Ecosystem: What We Know and Don’t Know After Two Years“.  Eric’s presentation has some very good information about how water quality and overall ecosystem health is determined. A more comprehensive water quality report (16 pages + Appendices) is also available. Let us know what questions or concerns you have about water quality in our watershed. Your comments and feedback will help guide our future water quality monitoring activities.

An excellent summary of the 2020 water quality analysis results was presented by Eric Luiker in his webinar entitled “Understanding Lake Water Quality: First Steps for Grand Lake, New Brunswick“.  With the help of the Nashwaak Watershed Association, we have prepared a 2020 field season “Water Quality Report” that summarizes the water quality in the Grand Lake area based on data from the six sites observed in 2020.

Shoreline Green Zones

According to the Love Your Lake website, there are six key benefits to maintaining a natural shoreline.  They are: 

• Maintaining Water Quality 
• Moderating Temperatures
• Creating Wildlife Habitat
• Mitigating Flood Frequency and Impacts
• Reducing Erosion
• Maintaining or Increasing Property Values.  

Planting native plants that help control erosion (such as the red-tip willows discussed in our Shoreline Green Zones web page can contribute directly to establishing a natural shoreline. 

Integrated Watershed Management Plan – an overview

At our monthly meeting of April 12, 2021, Lois Corbett, Executive Director of the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, presented “Working to Protect NB Water for 50 Years: the importance of watershed protection“. Lois’s nine page overview gives a brief history of water quality protection in New Brunswick, and shows how an integrated Watershed Management Plan (IWMP) can help. Lois also gives pointers to three IWMPs that can serve as a model for other watersheds.