Coastal Restoration Fund: Projects in Nova Scotia
Northumberland Strait Saltwater Marsh Restoration
Recipient: Clean Foundation
Project achievements: Together with partners, the project team:
- completed widespread assessments of salt marsh health and function across the Northumberland Strait (Nova Scotia)
- identified restoration sites with substantial input from regional communities
Restoration at Marshall's Crossing converted failing culverts into a bridge and restored the natural hydrology of the area.
At the Sitmu'k site of Pictou Landing First Nation they:
- deployed a short segment of intertidal reef balls in front of the salt marsh
- planted the area with Spartina alterniflora (the salt marsh bioengineering species)
- sped stabilization and salt marsh growth of the region
Contributions made to existing guidance documents and shareable, open-access data resources has expanded capacity for other groups wanting to complete similar restoration work.
Fund allocation: $2,414,173 over 5 years
Partners:
- ESRI Canada
- Clean Leadership Program
Media Announcement:
Rehabilitating and Restoring a Unique Landscape
Recipient: Maritime Aboriginal Peoples Council
Project achievements: The project addressed issues of coastal erosion and physical barriers to fish passage in these watersheds located within the Cobequid Bay of the inner Bay of Fundy, NS:
- Chiganois
- Debert
- Folley
- Great Village
- Portapique
Four of the 5 watersheds within the project scope were identified as critical habitat for the endangered inner Bay of Fundy Atlantic Salmon and contain the remaining native populations for this species.
Due to the collective efforts of the project team and partners, 25.8 linear km of aquatic habitat and fish passage were successfully restored.
Fund allocation: $1,259,303 over 5 years
Partners:
- Native Council of Nova Scotia
- Ikanawtiket Environmental Inc.
- Acadia University
- Great Village Watershed Association
- Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture
- Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History
Media Announcement:
Making Room for Wetlands: Implementation of Managed Realignment for Salt Marsh Restoration and Climate Change Adaptation in Nova Scotia
Recipient: Saint Mary's University
Project achievements: The project team managed dyke realignment and tidal wetland restoration at various sites in the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia.
The restoration approaches used in the project built upon 2 decades of collaboration and experience in tidal wetland restoration between Saint Mary's University, CBWES Inc. and the Province of Nova Scotia.
In total, 400 ha of restored tidal wetland habitat now increases the resiliency of the coastline by:
- dissipating wave energy
- protecting against coastal erosion
- contributing to blue carbon storage in the region
Fund allocation: $1,830,808 over 5 years
Partners:
- CB Wetlands and Environmental Specialists
- Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture
- Dalhousie University
- Ecology Action Centre
Media Announcement:
Strengthening Mi'kmaw Capacity in Coastal and Watershed Assessment and Restoration in the Northumberland Strait and the Bay of Fundy
Recipient: Confederacy of Mainland Mi'kmaq
Project achievements: Through community partnerships and capacity building activities with Mi'kmaw members along the Northumberland Strait and the Bay of Fundy watershed, the project team:
- constructed 200 artificial reef balls, which have been deployed in and around the community of Pictou Landing
First Nation
- 20% of these artificial reef balls were deployed in collaboration with the Clean Foundation and with input directly from Mi'kmaw community members.
- performed tidal barrier site audits in several locations along the Bay of Fundy watershed
- created 10 restoration site plans to mitigate and restore tidal barrier effects on the coastline
Fund allocation: $1,196,045 over 4 years
Partners:
- Eco Canada
Media Announcement:
Healthy rivers promote a healthy coastline: restoring Nova Scotia's Southern Upland rivers to promote a healthier coastal ecosystem
Recipient: The Nova Scotia Salmon Association
Project achievements: The project team used an integrated approach to restoring an aquatic ecosystem in coastal Nova Scotia. To do so, they restored water quality and physical habitat in the West River Sheet Harbour (West River) and its estuary. This benefits Atlantic Salmon and salmonids.
Together with partners, the restoration of the region integrated terrestrial, freshwater, estuarine and marine habitats and restored migratory corridors for fish through stream channels. Large-scale habitat structure installations:
- provided holding habitat for upstream migrating adult salmon
- facilitated migration to the highly productive upstream habitats where acidification had been identified as a key threat to the species
Fund allocation: $668,275 over 3 years
Partners:
- Thaumas Consulting
- Nova Scotia Sportfish Habitat Fund
- Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation
- Nova Scotia Sportfish Habitat Fund
Media Announcement:
Government of Canada invests in aquatic habitat through the Oceans Protection Plan
St. Mary's River Restoration Project
Recipient: St. Mary's River Association
Project achievements: The project team:
- focused on Atlantic salmon recovery efforts in the St. Mary's River
- mitigated acid accumulation through the restoration of water chemistry
- addressed regional habitat failings by restoring the instream physical characteristics of the channel
Habitat restoration successfully added the installation of rock structures, such as rock sills and rock deflectors.
The immediate benefits of the instream restoration work created holding pools and improved spawning habitat in 7.0 km of stream.
The Nova Scotia Salmon Association, in co-operation with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and various non-government and academic partners (as part of the West River Sheet Harbour Acid Rain Mitigation Project) has restored 50,000 m2 total area of aquatic habitat in the region.
Fund allocation: $1,200,000 over 3 years
Partners:
- Nova Scotia Sportfish Habitat Fund
- Atlantic Salmon Conservation Foundation
Media Announcement:
Government of Canada invests in aquatic habitat through the Oceans Protection Plan
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