Landowners along the Maitland and Bayfield rivers in Huron and Perth counties are taking the BMP Road back to health — using the “best management practices” they’ve learned to help restore fish habitat, waterflow regimes and water quality in these two watersheds.
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| Landowner examining a pine seedling planted to create a buffer strip. Photo: MNR-2007 COA-Jason Mortlock |
Ministry of Natural Resources and Huron Stewardship Council representatives are helping landowners gradually reverse a history of clearing, draining, and fish and wildlife habitat loss. Recently, partners have been completing more than 30 restoration projects on 45 private properties.
To date, crews have planted 70,000 trees and shrubs to establish more than 20 kilometres of vegetative buffer strips along waterways. The vegetative plantings will create about 62 hectares of wetland and upland habitat for birds and other wildlife, and create shade and cover for coldwater species of fish. The partners will also install 15 kilometres of fencing to keep livestock out of waterways, and will provide alternate watering sources for livestock.
The work in the watersheds will also update boundary mapping for 47 provincially significant wetland complexes, comprising 6,076 hectares. The updated computer maps will help local municipalities make wise land-use planning decisions that protect wetlands.
The Maitland and Bayfield rivers and their tributaries are extremely valuable wildlife areas. The rivers experience spawning runs of not only rainbow trout, but also brown trout and Chinook and Coho salmon. The Maitland watershed is also home to rarer wildlife species, such as the wood turtle and the black redhorse, a fish belonging to the sucker family.
The Bayfield River watershed, despite having lost more than 90 per cent of its wetlands, is still home to some rare species, such as the lake chub sucker and the northern brook lamprey. Rainbow trout and Chinook salmon spawn in the lower reaches of the river.
Click here to view a map of the project area
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About Best Management Practices
Best Management Practices, or BMPs, often involve straightforward changes. For example, suppose a landowner wanted to manage their riverbank property in a way that protects fish habitat. First, they could plant trees, shrubs and grasses to create buffer strips.
• Buffer strips stabilize riverbanks. They prevent erosion and protect water from chemicals and nutrients originating from adjacent croplands or barnyards. Buffers trap and modify sediments and agricultural chemicals before they can enter rivers. They increase the water-holding capacity of local soils, which moderates the effects of flooding and drought, while recharging groundwater supplies.
• The additional vegetation shades the water, keeping it cool for fish and offering habitat for amphibians, cover and travel corridors for wildlife, and food for fish. Buffer strips also encourage greater diversity of plant life.
A second “best management” change would be to erect fencing to keep livestock away from the riverbank.
• Cattle trample and erode riverbanks at water crossing or access sites.
• A fenced-off area around a watercourse lessens the chance that manure is deposited in a waterway. The high levels of nutrients in manure can cause excessive plant and algae growth, which upon decay can reduce oxygen levels for fish.
Project Partners:
- Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority
- The County of Huron
- Huron Stewardship Council
- Maitland Valley Conservation Authority
- Private landowners
For more information, contact:
- Steve Bowers, Huron County Stewardship Coordinator, Ministry of Natural Resources, Clinton (519) 482-3661
- Andy McKee, Lake Huron COA Basin Coordinator, Upper Great Lakes Management Unit – Lake Huron, Ministry of Natural Resources, Owen Sound (519) 371-5449