Resources for Educators

Invasive Zombie Plant Takes Hold in Wolastoq

Check out the incredible CBC story of how Eurasian Watermilfoil (EWM) has spread significantly in the lower Wolastoq (Saint John River) since 2015.

Aquatic botanist Dr. Meghann Bruce, research scientist with the Canadian Rivers Institute, points out mats of Eurasian watermilfoil (EWM) in the St. John River between Fredericton and the Mactaquac Dam in early September, 2024.

The CBC story contains a highly informative 4 minute video available by clicking on the above image. In the video Dr. Meghann Bruce explains how EWM spreads, how its spread can be prevented, and how EWM can even host other species such as cyanobacteria. The CBC article also contains an overview of the work by Juan Sanchez (Project Coordinator with the Jemseg Grand Lake Watershed Association) to measure the effectiveness of different removal techniques in a 2023 pilot EWM removal project. The JGLWA has been working diligently since 2022 to better understand the presence and spread of EWM in the watershed, and to arrive at an EWM management plan to try to reduce and control the spread of this highly invasive aquatic plant.

Minto Memorial High School Presentation

In March 2023 Greg Gillis prepared and made a presentation to a dozen or so Minto Memorial High School students interested in the activities of the Jemseg Grand Lake Watershed Association. The image below is from slide 6 showing how the water temperature at different depths (2, 13 and 21 m) changed during the June to October, 2023 period.

Notice how the temperatures at all three depths mixed together starting in mid-September when stronger winds and cooler temperatures prevailed. Greg’s presentation has some fascinating images illustrating Water Quality (slides 4 – 14), Eurasian Water Milfoil removal and monitoring (slides 16 – 18) and Environmental DNA studies (slides 20-22). Please contact us if you would like a member of the Jemseg Grand Lake Watershed Association to make a presentation in your school.

Things I like to do in our Watershed

The image below is taken from artwork drawn in 2023 by a young watershed resident. Her family lives near Grand Lake and she clearly loves being in and near the water.

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 typical concrete septic tank in New Brunswick.

Explanation of how a septic system works.

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 above image shows 397 Queen Street in Fredericton, which is City Hall. Any address in the Service NB (SNB) database can be searched for. The image shows that City Hall is not flooded with present day flood levels (1 in 20 year occurrence), but the adjacent parking lot is flooded.

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. As the video indicates, not all forms of cyanobacteria are dangerous, but benthic mats containing toxic cyanobacteria growing on rocks, floating in the water or washed up on shore can be deadly if eaten by animals, including pets and humans. 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.

The images in the gallery below show cyanobacteria sightings in Grand Lake in 2023 and 2021. The first image shows how a significant cyanobacteria bloom that appeared on Sept. 30, 2023, then disappeared 24 hours later. The second image in the gallery (scroll right) shows a signifiant cyanobacteria bloom to the left of the Waterborough Wharf on Sept. 4, 2023. Water to the right side of the wharf (where the water is cooler) was relatively clear. The remaining three images (scroll right) show smaller traces of cyanobacteria in early November, 2021 when the air temperature was significantly cooler.

Before (on Sept. 30, 2023) and after (on Oct. 1, 2023) images of a cyanobacteria bloom at Fanjoys Point
Cyanobacteria bloom at the Waterborough Wharf, afternoon of Sept. 4 2023
Cyanobacteria on the water surface of the eastern shore of Grand Lake, Nov. 3, 2021, air temperature 18 deg. C
Cyanobacteria mixed with shoreline foam on the eastern shore of Grand Lake, Nov. 5, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. air temperature 10 deg. C
Cyanobacteria mixing in the water column on the eastern shore of Grand Lake, Nov. 5, 2020 2:00 p.m. air temperature 10 deg. C

On October 6, 2023, the Jemseg Grand Lake Watershed Association hosted an education and outreach event at Berties’s Cafe in Douglas Harbour. Besides an opportunity for members of the public to meet and discuss present and future activities, a demonstration of using a cyanotoxin test kit was held as shown in the image below.

The test determines if a toxic form of cyanobacteria is present in a water sample. Let us know if you see what you suspect is a cyanobacteria bloom or benthic mat. Make sure to include pictures, the time(s) and date(s) you saw it, and where you saw it.

Water Quality

Our 2022 water quality report provides a 9 page summary of our 2022 field season findings, with a comparison to 2021 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 2022 water quality report (17 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.