The CRSA’s work crew participated in a training day last week put on by the Nova Scotia Salmon Association’s Adopt-a-Stream program. This full day session helped the crew understand the proper way to install a digger logger and the benefits of installing these structures.
Amy Weston provided an introduction to the Adopt-a-Stream habitat restoration field day training.
The CRSA crew with the logger they installed during the Adopt-a-Stream training.
Spencer and Aaron hammering rebar into the logger to keep it in place.
On Wednesday the crew joined staff with Cape Breton Highlands National Park to snorkel some of the upper pools on the Cheticamp River. This was the first time in decades that snorkeling has been done to attempt to count salmon and trout on the Cheticamp. In addition to the CRSA crew and CBHNP staff, two Earth Keepers with the Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources also participated in the snorkeling.
It was a fun and adventurous day for the crew and everyone who joined in. The snorkelers all saw fish, too, and are planning to return for a second attempt at snorkeling this week.
The participants of the snorkel outing walking alongside the river on the way back from Second Pool.
The crew getting their snorkeling equipment ready before attempting the first swim at Second Pool.
Aaron snorkeling in Second Pool.
Throughout the week, Spencer, Aaron and Raven were also working on conducting habitat assessments on Aucoin Brook. The CRSA is collecting this data to include in, and help inform, the habitat restoration plan for Aucoin Brook that they are in the process of updating. The CRSA’s crew have already completed at least a dozen sites and they will continue going through more all summer to collect more data.
Spencer using the YSI to collect data as part of a habitat assessment on Aucoin Brook.