In 2016, the Nashwaak Watershed Association Inc. received funding from the NB Environmental Trust Fund and the Environment and Climate Change Canada National Wetland Conservation Fund to carry out an information gathering exercise and develop a 3-year action plan to guide our monitoring, restoration, and outreach projects until 2020. The information gathering exercise evolved into a detailed report describing the historical and current health and conditions of the watershed. The purpose of the State of the Nashwaak Watershed Report was to summarize current knowledge, comment on the environmental health of the watershed, and to provide context and the basis for the Nashwaak Watershed 3 Year Action Plan. The State of the Nashwaak Watershed covers a broad range of topics focused in seven key areas:
- History and socio-economics
- Water quality and quantity
- Land use
- Fish, wildlife, and plants
- Geology and geomorphology
- Restoration and management activities
- Climate and climate change
The report summarizes the historical use of the watershed, the changes in land cover and land use, climate patterns, trends in water quality and quantity data, and other indicators of watershed health. The report also identifies data gaps that could be filled by future research and management. This report is key to the NWAI’s long term goals and is intended to provide a sound scientific base for future decision making. This State of the Watershed Report should not be considered a definitive statement on the condition of the Nashwaak watershed but, rather, a starting point for further management, restoration, and monitoring activities.
As the report grew to be quite long, a short, stylized summary was produced in both French and English for distribution to the public. It can be found here on our website. The NWAI is currently overhauling its website and the full version of the State of the Nashwaak Watershed report will be available to the public when our new website goes live this spring.