




|
Watersheds
The Down East
RC&D Area Council
has seven major Atlantic Salmon watersheds within its boundaries, those
being the Dennys, East Machias, Machias, Narraguagus, Pleasant,
St.
Croix, and Union. The Union River Watershed is located in Hancock
County, the Narrauagus is located partly in both counties, the St.
Croix
is the border watershed with Canada, and the remainder of the
watersheds
are located in Washington County.
The Pleasant and
Narraguagus River
Watershed Councils play a major role in monitoring the water quality of
these two downeast rivers and their tributaries. The watershed
coordinator
recruits volunteers for the program, coordinates training with the ME
DEP,
and schedules regular sampling at selected sites. This past
summer,
volunteers collected weekly water samples for e-coli and deployed
sixteen
remote temperature data loggers in tributary streams. The loggers
recorded this important data 24 hours a day, 7 days a week throughout
the
summer.
Volunteers
collected weekly and
storm-event samples from 9 sites throughout the Pleasant and
Narraguagus
River Watersheds in October and November. Volunteers recorded the water
temperature at the sites and test samples for pH, dissolved oxygen
content,
and turbidity. These parameters are major factors affecting the
health
of aquatic wildlife, such as the endangered wild Atlantic salmon. Water
quality data is forwarded to the Maine Department of Environmental
Protection
for analysis and reporting.
The Pleasant and
Narraguagus River
Watershed Councils were chosen as the Down East Resource Conservation
&
Development Council's Earth Team Group of the Year in 2003 for their
restoration
activities, water quality monitoring, and participation in community
events
throughout both watersheds. Council members and volunteers were
presented
with an award at the RC&D Annual Banquet and Recognition Program on
October 4th.
This coming
winter, Tracey Gamache,
Watershed Coordinator for the Pleasant and Narraguagus River Watershed
Councils, will work with the Councils to develop a work plan for
the 2004 season, including selection of priority Non-Point Source
restoration
sites, locating potential habitat enhancement sites and compiling grant
proposals to finance the projects. Council newsletters are being
planned for both watersheds. Tracey plans to include information
on the past year’s accomplishments, volunteer interviews, information
about
future programs, projects, and a calendar of events.
The Pleasant and
Narraguagus River
Watershed Councils are grassroots volunteer organizations working to
enhance
and maintain the water quality of our rivers, their wildlife and
habitat,
and ensure continued enjoyment of their natural resources. If you
would like to volunteer to help with restoration efforts, water quality
monitoring, or community events, please contact Tracey for more
information
at 546-3375, 483-4336, or by e-mail at watershed_coordinator@yahoo.com.
The other
watersheds also have on-going
projects and Bill Cherry is assisting the Machias and East Machias
Watershed
Councils as their coordinator. The Dennys River Watershed Council is
working
on a pilot project for their watershed. Watch for added
information
on these Councils in the upcoming months.
|