Spring update from the St. John River
Spring has just about arrived along the river, although ice does linger in a number of locales and I expect snow will persist in the north Maine woods for some time yet. The WWF Living Rivers Initiative on the St. John River has had a productive late winter, here’s an update on recent accomplishments and upcoming activities.
The inventory phase of the Social Ecological Inventory (SEI) project that we partnered with Brock University on is complete. It will take some time to compile and analyze the data. This project is about determining who is doing what and where as it relates to river health and will compliment the Saint John River: A State of the Environment Report.
(C) Simon J. Mitchell
I am delighted to announce that we are partnering with the Canadian Canoe Foundation, Canoe/Kayak New Brunswick, and Partners for Youth to send some kids on a St. John River canoe trip. This will be an opportunity to experience the St. John River, while learning about its uniqueness and having first-hand experience on the water. CCF and Partners for Youth will be seeking participants in the very near future. We can do with your support on this effort – to find out how you can help, check out this link.
We are participating in a short series of presentations on the social and ecological aspects of watersheds on May 6, between 9 am and 12:30 pm at the Wu Conference Centre (Fredericton). Speakers will include representatives from Trout Unlimited Canada, POLIS Project on Ecological Governance, Brock University and the Stockholm Resilience Centre, among others. This will be an opportunity to learn about key aspects of healthy rivers and some of the tools that are being utilized and implemented in other jurisdictions.
The St. John River Summit is coming up and I’m pleased to announce that it will be held at the Hazen Park Centre in Oromocto on June 21st and 22nd. This will be a great opportunity to learn, share, discuss and experience the St. John River with water groups and local residents. There will be lots going on at this event, so mark the dates on your calendar now.
