Living With The Land

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Living With The Land
The Canaan-Washademoak Watershed
The Canaan-Washademoak watershed is located in
the southeastern part of New Brunswick. It
occupies an area of approximately 2163 km2,
7386 of which is forested. 89 of the land
parcels in the watershed are privately owned
6116 of 6872. This represents approximately 42
of the total land base by area. The watershed is
undergoing a socioeconomic transition from a
small, family farm and forestry-based community
to one composed of a diverse array of people
retirees, public servants, new seasonal and
permanent residents, and fewer young people.
Issue 4 The Riparian Zone
For further information, please contact Reace
Black [phone] rblack77_at_nb.sympatico.ca Dr.
Shawn Dalton [phone] sdalton_at_unb.ca Roben
a and Alan Weatherley [phone] weatherl_at_nbne
t.nb.ca Mailing Address c/o Environment and
Sustainable Development Research
Centre University of New Brunswick PO Box
4400 Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3
What is the riparian zone?

• Did you know?
• A watershed is the total area of land from which
  water drains into a particular stream, river, or
  lake. The area of the Canaan-Washademoak
  watershed is approximately 2163 km2.
• Riparian zones are the most biologically
  productive systems in the world and are crucial
  components of our watersheds, providing a wide
  variety of ecosystem services.
• In New Brunswick, all activities taking place
  within 30 m of the bank of any watercourse
  involving a disturbance of the water, soil or
  vegetation require a Watercourse Alteration
  Permit.

We often think of land and water as two different
environments. However, there is a very rich
intermediate zone, where the land and water
overlap and influence each other. It is called
the riparian zone and is named after the Latin
word ripa meaning bank.
These zones are the often narrow strips of land
located along streams, lakes, springs, potholes,
or other bodies of water. Compared to the
surrounding drier, upland areas, riparian zones
feature distinctive plant species, soil types,
and topography due to their close association
with the water. The size of riparian zones can
vary, depending on the landscape. They may exist
as small corridors of vegetation hugging a river
or a large network of wetlands stretching far
into the watershed.
About the Canaan-Washademoak Watershed Association
The Canaan-Washademoak Watershed Association is a
community-based organization formed in 2002 in
response to local concerns about perceived
changes in water quality, recreational fishing
opportunities, and social structure of
communities in the area. Our goals are to
protect and enhance the ecological structure and
function of the Canaan River, Washademoak Lake,
and their tributaries and, in so doing, to
(re)connect people in the region with these
valuable aquatic resources.
Members work toward these goals through a
collaborative, community-based, ecosystem
approach to watershed planning and
management. The Canaan-Washademoak Watershed
Association holds regular meetings, hosts speaker
series, and community field days. Our calendar of
events can be found on our website
www.unb.ca/enviro/cwwa. To participate or offer
suggestions, please contact any of the
individuals listed in the left-hand column.
Figure 1. The Canaan River outside Cherryvale.
Notice the rich riparian zone along the banks.
Why is the riparian zone important?
Figure 2. A healthy, functioning riparian zone.
Although riparian areas generally occupy only a
small percentage of the area of a watershed, they
are crucial components of the ecosystem. Healthy
riparian zones provide many benefits to the
natural and cultural landscape, including
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Become a Member of the Canaan-Washademoak
Watershed Association

• Erosion and pollution control (see Figure 2)
• Flood reduction
• Cooler and cleaner water for fish and other
  species
• Nursery areas for many aquatic plant and animal
  species
• Wildlife corridors and nesting/breeding habitat
• Educational opportunities
• Natural beauty
• Enhanced property values

Name Mailing address Phone Email
Please detach this form and mail it to the
address below. Suggested donation is 10 per
person or 15 per family. Thank
you! Canaan-Washademoak Watershed
Association c/o Environment and Sustainable
Development Research Centre University of New
Brunswick PO Box 4400 Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3
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Issue 4 The Riparian Zone
Living With The Land
Issue 4 The Riparian Zone
Living With The Land
Results of impacts to riparian zones
5 m buffer zone in place minimizing the erosion
that is occurring along the banks. In all
cases, the NB Watercourse Alteration Guidelines
should be referred to and proper permitting in
place before any work is initiated within 30 m of
the lakeshore or riverbank.
The main stem of the Canaan River from the
headwaters down to Nevers Brook appears to be in
stable condition with only minor natural erosion
occurring (due to the geology and hydrology of
the river). However, some of the areas below
Nevers Brook are experiencing the same conditions
as Washademoak Lake. Property ownersresidents,
agricultural operators, etc.are removing
vegetation from the riverbanks and riparian zones
(Figure 5). The effect of this process is seen
more rapidly on the river as the hydraulic
conditions and discharge volumes fluctuate more
than within the lake. These changing conditions
can scour large quantities of material off the
riverbanks very quickly during spring freshets
or heavy rain events. Fortunately, the riverbanks
are sparsely populated and most of the fields
have a
Riparian areas act as linkages between the land
and the water. They are a rich habitat for many
plants and animals. In fact, they are among the
most biologically productive systems in the
world. However, since riparian zones have often
been used for agriculture, logging, and
development, many of the benefits from healthy
riparian vegetation and soils have been
compromised, or lost altogether. As riparian
zones have a high density of plant species,
removing this vegetation destroys the intricate
root systems that help to stabilize the waters
banks and prevent erosion. Also, many riparian
zone plants have denitrifying bacteria within
their roots which help regulate the amount of
phosphorous and nitrogen entering the
water. When these root systems are removed, the
unchecked increase in nutrient run off into the
water can cause unsightly (and smelly) algal
blooms. These, in turn, can lead to reduced
oxygen levels in the water, and lead to fish
kills in extreme cases. Removal of riparian zone
vegetation creates additional problems. With no
plants to slow down the run off from the
surrounding land or roots to soak up water after
a rainfall, impacted areas are at risk of local
flooding. Finally, in addition to compromising
the primary or seasonal habitat for many fish
(Figure 3), birds, and other animals, impacted
riparian zones also reduce our ability to simply
enjoy the beauty of these rich and diverse
natural areas, or as a place to play be it
picnics in the area, skiing on the water, tubing
down a river, or going for a swim.
Figure 5. Example of riparian zone impact on the
Canaan River.
Figure 3. Percentage composition of fish species
in the Canaan-Washademoak watershed as determined
by electrofishing studies.
Implications of land ownership for riparian zone
management
Status of riparian zones in the
Canaan-Washademoak watershed
are located primarily in upland areas, in the
sub-watersheds of tributaries to the Canaan
River. This ownership pattern has dramatic
implications in terms of watershed management and
our ability to protect and enhance water quality.
On the one hand, because much of the land by area
is in public ownership, the Province has an
important role to play in terms of stewardship.
On the other, the combination of land management
practices of literally thousands of individual
landowners also contributes significantly to the
state of the system. In particular, lands along
the main stem of the Canaan River and Washademoak
Lake are almost entirely privately owned, and
comprise over 1,100 individual parcels.
Finally, recreational parcels (see map below)
tend to be smaller and more densely developed
than those of year-round residents, with many
owners building roads and docks to provide water
access to recreational vehicles. If this is
carried out on a parcel by parcel basis, it has
the potential to increase silt levels in the
system quite dramatically.
A riparian zone survey of the river and lake
undertaken on behalf of the Canaan-Washademoak
Watershed Association revealed many areas along
the riverbanks and shorelines that have been
altered in one way or another.
Most of the activities that have affected the
riparian zone and shoreline would require a
Watercourse Alteration Permit. The NB
Watercourse Alteration Technical guidelines
(1997 www.gnb.ca/0009/ 0371/0005/English/index.as
p) state that all activities taking place within
30m of the bank of any watercourse involving a
disturbance of the water, soil or vegetation
require a permit. Approximately 8.2 km or 7.2
of the Washademoak Lake shoreline has lost its
riparian zone vegetation. New developments along
the lakeshore are clearing the entire vegetation
structure from the riparian zone and the property
(Figure 4). Due to the highly erodable soils in
the region, continued removal of vegetation from
the riparian zone will serve to worsen
sedimentation issues.
Figure 4. Example of riparian zone impact on
Washademoak Lake.
Of the 6872 individual parcels of land in the
watershed, 89 are privately owned, representing
42 of the land base by area. The majority of
these privately owned lands are adjacent to
watercourses shown above in orange. Only 9 of
the land parcels are provincial Crown land.
However, these lands represent 58 of the land
base by areashown above in greenand