WANT TO HELP?

CHECK OUT THESE EXCITING VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES...

Stream Team Volunteer Monitors
Volunteers are needed for the following projects in 2009:
-Collect water samples before, during, and after major storm events from selected sites for laboratory alalysis
-Collect and analyze water samples in the field for pH, color, and temperature
-Assist with biomonitoring, including macroinvertebrate surveys, at selected sites in the Narraguagus River Watershed
-Identify potential sites contributing to non-point source pollution in the Narraguagus River watershed
-Help deploy and remote temperature data loggers in selected tributary streams above and below documented Atlantic salmon spawning and nursery habitat
Watershed Education Projects
-Post updated educational materials in informational kiosks located throughout the Narraguagus River watershed and report any structural damage or general maintenance needs
-Help install roadside informational signs identifying watershed boundaries, river and stream crossings throughout the Narraguagus River watershed
For more information, or to volunteer for these or additional projects, please call the Narraguagus River Watershed Council Office or send an e-mail to the link below.
The Narraguagus River Water Quality Monitoring Plan is now available!
The project, which was funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, is part of a larger Maine Salmon River Water Quality Planning Initiative that focuses on multi-agency cooperative monitoring and data sharing. The goal of the project is to improve coordination of water quality monitoring (WQM)activities among governmental agencies and conservation organizations within the rivers comprising the Gulf of Maine Distinct Population Segment(DPS) of Atlantic salmon.
The project was modeled after The Sheepscot River Water Quality Monitoring Plan, which was completed in 2005.
The Pleasant River Water Quality Monitoring Plan was completed in 2007.
The plan, which is adopted and signed by seven lead cooperating agencies and organizations, will be used to develop agency-specific and staff workplans, develop proposals for funding, direct future research, and guide restoration efforts and recovery plan implementation.
Information for the development of the plan was gathered during nine workgroup sessions in which WQ indicators were reviewed and recommendations addressing future monitoring were developed. At least 13 different government agencies and conservation organizations participated in the project and contributed presentations, text, and data. The plan provides 75 action items addressing administration, quality assurance and quality control, project planning, experimental design and analysis, and restoration and management. The action items are prioritized, and lead and partnering agencies have been assigned to each.
An electronic version of the plan can be found on the Project SHARE website using the link below.
The website includes:
1) the Narraguagus WQM Plan (PDF),
2) five GIS maps depicting WQM sites and areas of WQ concern (PDF)
3) the Narraguagus WQM Index which describes each agency's water quality monitoring program
(Excel)
For more information, please contact the Project Manager, Barbara S. Arter, BSA Environmental Consulting.
____________________________
Barbara S. Arter
BSA Environmental Consulting
PO Box 141
Steuben, ME 04680
207-546-2018
bsarter@panax.com

Email: NRWC
Web: http://salmonhabitat.org/projects.htm" target="_blank">Click here to check out the Narraguagus River Water Quality Monitoring Plan!

Protecting our Watersheds

Why Do We Need Riparian Buffer Zones?

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DO YOU OWN RIVER OR LAKEFRONT PROPERTY IN THE NARRAGUAGUS RIVER WATERSHED?
WANT TO ENHANCE YOUR RIPARIAN BUFFER (SHORELAND) ZONE WITH NATIVE TREES AND SHRUBS?
Thanks to funding provided by the U.S Forest Service through Project SHARE, thousands of native tree and shrub seedlings are being raised by students at Washington Academy in East Machias and are available for riparian plantings throughtout the Downeast salmon river watersheds. Contact the Narraguagus River Watershed Council at (207)546-3313 for more information.
Why are RIPARIAN BUFFERS So Important?
Also called a riparian corridor or forested buffer, a riparian buffer is the area of land next to a water body-river, stream, lake, ocean, etc. that includes streambanks and floodplain area. Typically, in nature, these areas are forested. Riparian buffers provide a link or transition zone between the land and the water. In other words, the land and water are connected-anything that happens in the riparian buffer can directly affect the adjacent water body and the organisms that live there.

Benefits of Riparian Buffers
Riparian buffers are the single most effective protection for our water resources. They:
MODERATE FLOODING-They can help moderate flooding by slowing runoff and giving it time to soak into the ground.
REDUCE EROSION-They help prevent soil erosion. (How would you define erosion?)
GROUNDWATER RECHARGE- They help recharge underground water supplies-aquifers and wells. How do they do this? The root systems of plants, trees, and shrubs help to reduce surface water runoff by holding soil in place-or ?stabilizing? it.
PROTECT FISHERIES ?
TEMPERATURE-trees in the buffer zone provide shade over the water, keeping it cool for fish and frogs. This is especially important for small, shallow stream. Cooler water holds more oxygen and reduces stress on fish and other aquatic life. Just a few degrees difference in temperature can have a major effect on their survival. (Atlantic salmon and trout are cold water fish-high water temperature-room temperature for us-causes them to stop feeding and can even be fatal over a prolonged period.
AQUATIC HABITAT- Trees contribute woody debris to the water body, which feeds the aquatic food web. Insects, a favorite food for trout, live and feed on fallen leaves and twigs. It also can create stepped pools which cover for fish and their food supply AND help reduce erosion by moderating flow.
WILDLIFE HABITAT-Buffer-zone plants with perennial (lifecycle greater than two-years) root systems, such as trees and shrubs, provide long-term nutrient storage close to the stream, which benefits other plants (annual-biennial herbaceous plants, etc.). A larger diversity of plants provides food sources for a larger variety of wildlife. Continuous stretches of riparian buffer also serve as wildlife travel corridors. The distinctive habitat offered by riparian buffers is home to many plant and animal species, including those rarely found outside this zone.
SEDIMENT FILTER-Riparian buffers are a ?living filter? Vegetation helps catch and filter out sediment and debris from surface runoff. Depending upon the width and complexity of the buffer, 50?100% of the sediments (and nutrients/contaminants attached to them can settle out and be absorbed as buffer plants slow sediment laden runoff waters. In general, wider, forested buffers with a variety of native species are more effective than narrow, grassy buffers.
POLLUTION FILTER-The riparian buffer traps pollutants that could otherwise wash into surface and groundwater. Nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizer and animal waste can become pollutants if more is applied to the land than plants can use. Excess nutrients can create algal blooms in water bodies. In addition to being unattractive, excess algae or aquatic plants are harmful to the ecology of the water body (when the plants die, the decay process depletes oxygen in the water-which can kill fish, frogs, and aquatic insects) and dangerous for swimmers and boaters (entanglement). Because nutrients adhere to soil particles, most may be captured when sediment is filtered out of surface water runoff by riparian vegetation.
POLLUTION TRANSFORMER-Through the chemical and biological processes of microorganisms present in soil, nitrogen and other pollutants can be transformed into less harmful forms.
POLLUTION SINK-The buffer also acts as a sink-much of the transformed nutrients and excess water trapped by the buffer are taken up by plant root systems.
STREAMBED STABILIZER-Riparian buffers can also reduce the amount of streambed scour (removal of bottom gravel, woody debris, and plant life-important aquatic habitat) by absorbing surface water runoff and slowing water velocity. When plant cover is reduced or removed from the buffer, more surface water reaches the stream, causing the water to crest higher during storms or snowmelt. This stronger flow can scour streambeds.
RECREATION-improves fisheries, swimming, boating, hiking, and camping opportunities.
AESTHETICS- Forested buffers provide a scenic view along waterways, increase opportunities for viewing wildlife, block views of nearby development, and allow privacy for waterfront landowners.

Email: NRWC

The NRWC Has Moved!

We are now located at the Little Falls Field Station

Thanks to a generous lease option provided by the Maine Department of Marine Resources Bureau of Sea Run Fisheries and Habitat, the NRWC has a new home. Our new outreach office is located within the Little Falls Field Station, 528 North Main Street (Route 193) in Cherryfield. The field station is utilized by Bureau and NOAA Fisheries staff for Atlantic salmon reseach and restoration activities, as well as a conference center for various conservation agencies and organizations.
The NRWC provides community watershed outreach and education activities, workshops and materials throughout the Narraguagus River watershed and beyond. Please call (207) 546-3313 for more information (office hours by appointment).
Email: narraguagusriver@yahoo.com

PARTNERSHIPS AT WORK: Restoring Connectivity in the Upper Narrag

By Tracey Gamache and Barry Southard

We’ve all heard it many times before; collaboration is the key to success. So it comes as no surprise that restoring habitat connectivity in the remote upper reaches of the Narraguagus River watershed is an ongoing collaborative effort. This dynamic, multi-faceted partnership includes commercial and private landowners, local contractors, non-governmental organizations, conservation groups, state and federal agencies.
The upper Narraguagus watershed, which stretches from the Deer Lake outlet in Township 34MD to the outlet of Beddington Lake, is home to a myriad of wildlife, including moose, deer, black bear, and bald eagle. The area is prized for its abundant timber resources and scenic mountain vistas, and supports a vast network of logging and camp access roads as well as major arteries of Maine’s authorized ATV trail system. This same stretch is also considered the Priority 1 subwatershed of the Narraguagus River for quantity and quality of Atlantic salmon spawning and rearing habitat, according to the Maine Department of Marine Resources Bureau of Sea Run Fisheries and Habitat (formerly the Maine Atlantic Salmon Commission). The subwatershed includes a number of cold, spring-fed tributary streams, many of which are intersected by at least one road or trail. Over the last decade, landowners and users have worked with local conservation groups and other NGOs, as well as state and federal agencies, to identify and remedy erosion control and sedimentation issues, as well as crossing designs that may affect habitat connectivity.
This summer and fall, the Washington County Soil and Water Conservation District (the District), in collaboration with the NRWC, Maine Department of Environmental Protection (MDEP), completed work on 9 sites with documented erosion and sedimentation control issues in this subwatershed. Sites were selected based on severity and proximity to documented Atlantic salmon spawning and/or rearing habitat.
Barry Southard, District Technician, conducted initial site surveys with land owners and secured matching funds for the projects through the Watershed Improvement Financial Assistance Partnership (WIFAP) program(1), Hanscom Construction, based in East Machias, was hired to complete the work, most of which occurred without the presence of water, due to very dry conditions in September and early October. MDEP’s Greg Beane (Bangor), facilitated the funding contract and was involved throughout the duration of the project. Karen Bolstridge of the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission (Cherryfield ) and NRWC’s Tracey Gamache also visited the sites and provided input.
Restoration work at the nine sites on the upper Narraguagus will prevent an estimated 95 tons of sediment from entering the watershed system in a year with average precipitation2. Application of appropriate BMPs, or Best Management Practices for erosion control at each site will minimize future maintenance costs and protect adjacent soil and water resources. The project is estimated to have brought over $120,000 into the local economy of Washington County. Weather permitting, an additional two sites may be restored before winter.
Collaborative efforts such as these are increasingly common as we take a more holistic approach to resource management and species recovery. As federal funding continues to dwindle and be redirected to other areas of government, we must strive to build sustainable partnerships and seek alternative funding sources if we are to succeed. The end result will be one that not only benefits ‘target’ species, but overall health of watersheds and the communities they support.
Barry Southard is the District Technician for the Washington County Soil and Water Conservation District, based in Machias.
Phone: (207)255-3995 x3. E-mail: barry.southard1@verizon.net.
Tracey Gamache served as Community Outreach Coordinator for the Narraguagus River Watershed Councils from 2003-2008.

(1) Financial Assistance Partnership (WIFAP) jointly administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Maine General Fund, provides financial assistance to help Maine Soil and Water Conservation Districts conduct nonpoint source pollution control projects. Funding is administered by the MDEP and Maine Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources. For more info, contact Norm Marcotte at (207) 287-7727 or norm.g.marcotte@maine.gov.
(2) Calculation of approximate ‘sediment avoided’ obtained through use of the Ditch/Gully formula and WEPP Road Erosion Calculator (component of the Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS) is a process-based, daily time-step model that simulates weather, field conditions, and erosion. For more information, visit http://www.epa.gov.

Email: narraguagusriver@yahoo.com