Since our beginning in 1998 the BRWP has had many accomplishments within the Bonnechere River Watershed. Over the past 11 years we have provided education to landowners and students, offered incentives to become better envrionmental stewards and run a variety of programs that focus on the health and integrity of the Bonnechere Watershed.
Within this website you will find information about who we are, what the BRWP stands for, what we have done in the past and where we are going in the future. Be sure to check out our section on our newest program Riverwatch!
As the BRWP is a volunteer based organization we are always looking for new volunteers. Our ‘About Us’ section will tell you a lot about what the organization is all about. If you are interested in volunteering with us in any way please contact us!
A new layer has been added to the Riverwatch Map which depicts stream order. Stream order is a useful tool in watershed management because it provides a means of definition between individual tributaries based on their size and strength of flow. On our map, the colours correspond to stream order as follows:
A legend for stream order as defined on the Riverwatch Map
Stream order hierarchy was proposed by a geosciences professor named Arthur Newell Strahler in 1952. First through third order streams are considered to be “headwater streams”, and make up approximately 80% of the worlds waterways. Fourth through sixth order streams are considered to be medium tributaries, and anything with an order of seven through twelve is considered to be a river. You will notice that the only waterway in our watershed that falls in the “river” category is the Bonnechere River, which is a seventh order stream.
So how do we define stream order? The principle is actually quite simple, and is best described with the help of the following diagram.
Example of how the Strahler method is applied to a simple catchment
As you can see, a stream that has no other streams flowing into it is considered a first order stream. Stream order numbers increase only when two streams of the same order meet, for example when two first order streams meet, the output is a second order stream. If a stream with a lower number meets one with a higher number, the following segment retains the higher number (eg. A second order stream meets a third order stream, the output is a third order stream). The process of determining stream order is simple enough that it can often be executed by hand, however with larger more complicated catchments or watersheds, mapping software applications can be rather helpful.
Data comparisons made between waterways of the same order has proven to be the most accurate and scientifically correct method when examining overall stream or watershed health. This is because creeks with the same Strahler number often hold similar characteristics such as stream width, flow, amount of sediment, and plant and animal life present. Making accurate comparisons is crucial in understanding the health of our watershed.
Participants place themselves along a sketch of our watershed, in a place of personal significance
On Saturday November 21st 2009 at the Legion in Eganville, the BRWP Riverwatch Program hosted its second Future Scenarios Workshop. Participants of this event were those who make a living directly from the land and its natural resources. Interests represented here included those of forestry, agriculture, first nations, trapping and power generation throughout the Bonneche Valley. The event proved to be quite thought provoking for both BRWP facilitators and attendees.
Lunch at this event featured food that was grown and produced locally. Hot beverages were available all day which consisted of coffee from the Neat Coffee shop located in Burnstown (who also provided fresh bread), as well as Sacred Blend Tea from The Algonquin Tea Co. A stew was put together by the Legion ladies. Ingredients included beef from Stone Farms, and potatoes, carrots, and turnip from the gardens of the legion ladies themselves. An apple crisp was made from apples donated by Dobson Farm outside Cobden, and served with real whipped cream from Brums Dairy. The Dairy also provided milk, coffee cream, and butter as well. Needless to say, everything was delicious!
Participants were asked to rank major issues and concerns regarding the Bonnechere River Watershed.
At the end of the event, participants left with a renewed sense of connectedness to other individuals whose livelihood depends on the sustainability of the Bonnechere Watershed. As a bonus, locally crafted duck nest boxes were made available to any interested persons. Installing a duck nest box on your property can help to increase the population of desirable waterfowl species such as Wood Ducks. For more information or to take part in our duck or bluebird nesting box program, please contact the Riverwatch coordinator at riverwatch .
The outcome of this endeavour was four interesting and plausible future scenarios with both positive and negative aspects. These scenarios will be added in with those collected at the Shoreline Resident Future Scenarios Workshop to be further developed upon completion of the final scenarios workshop which will take place in early in the new year. Stay tuned for more information on the Scenario process!
An up-close look at the invasive Chinese Mystery Snail
Finding new and interesting creatures in the watershed is most often a positive and exciting experience. Sometimes however, the creatures we find turn out to be unwelcome visitors. Invasive species are any organism that is found in an area where it has not occupied historically. Most often these organisms are from far away, and arrive here as a result of human activity. The introduction of an invasive species can prove to be devastating to local food webs and ecosystems. One example of an invasive species that can be found in the Bonnechere River Watershed is the Chinese Mystery Snail (CMS).
Read more…
Workshop participants learn about the scenario process from presenter Allyson Quinlan.
On August 15th 2009, the BRWP’s Riverwatch program held the first of what is to be a series of community engagement workshops focused on drafting up scenarios that represent possible futures of the Bonnechere River Watershed may face. The event took place at the Sands on Golden Lake and featured guests who reside on or near water throughout the Bonnechere River watershed. Read more…
The BRWP Paddle Guide was made in partnership with students in the the Outdoor Adventure Naturalist students program in Algonquin College. It provides useful information on the area, beautiful photos, and canoeing maps for the Round Lake and Golden Lake areas. The guide can be viewed and/or downloaded by following the link below:
Algonquin Paddle Guide
August 15, 2009, 9:30am — 3:30pm
At the Sands on Golden Lake,
13163 Hwy 60 Golden Lake, tel. 613 625-2525
RSVP Amanda Brown, Workshop Co-ordinator, 613-732-9870, or info
Background
The Bonnechere River Watershed Project recently received funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to organize a Riverwatch program for the watershed http://www.bonnechereriver.ca/category/riverwatch/. Part of the program will see the creation of a series of workshops over the next year with local residents and businesses to co-develop alternative futures for the watershed.
Workshop outcomes will describe and illustrate the preferences and priorities of the participants in ways that will contribute to a shared vision of the watershed’s future. This vision will be communicated to government agencies and elected officials to assist in development options and opportunities.
The final scenarios will be presented in 2010 to the community and invited officials. Read more…
Large Megaloptera larva
It is no secret that our subjects of study are not considered to be appealing by most. I will admit that if you told me even a few years ago that my future job would be to handle and count all sorts of creepy crawlies that I found in a river, I would never have believed it. However if you can get past the initial heebie-jeebies that usually accompany the thought of bugs, it can open up an entirely new and fascinating world for you that you likely didn’t even realize existed Read more…
Jessica (left) and Virginia (right) preparing to sample Turners Creek.
Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Jessica. I am the lead Stream Assessment Surveyor in the Riverwatch team. I am relatively new to this area, but so far I’m thoroughly enjoying the natural beauty of the Ottawa Valley, as well as meeting its friendly and interesting people. The other half of our stream sampling duo is Virginia. She is a summer student and her role is to provide support through the stream sampling season. Virginia is a dedicated and extremely valuable member of this team, and like most sidekicks she ends up doing most of the work and getting me out of all sorts of sticky situations. I would be completely lost in the field without her.
You may find us out and about throughout Renfrew County, climbing down steep banks, trudging though scrub and tall vegetation, or sitting on the side of the road counting benthic macroinvertebrates. It is not uncommon that we find ourselves in situations where we need to rely on the kindness of strangers. The cooperation and understanding of landowners is crucial to the success of our sampling efforts in the Bonnechere River Watershed.
If you happen to see us on a field day (in Virginia’s bright yellow SUV with our logo on the side), feel free to stop and say hi, check out what we’re doing, and ask any questions you may have. If we don’t have the information you’re looking for on hand, give us your contact information and we will be happy to find out the answers and get back to you!
So stay tuned to this Blog! As they unfold I will be sharing updates on the stream assessment journey as we explore the various reaches of our watershed. Interesting findings, tales of natural beauty, and strange or humourous occurrences will be reported on a regular basis.
Sincerely, The Riverwatch Team
Saturday May 30th
10am-3pm
The Bonnechere River Watershed Project (BRWP) is offering this workshop as part of their “Riverwatch” program (launched at the BRWP AGM on May 6th) which will focus on the ecological health of the Bonnechere River and its tributaries.
This hands on workshop will take participants through the steps to complete a Stream Assessment to determine the health of Streams/Creeks surrounding them. Using the Citizens’ Environment Watch (CEW) Protocol we will be looking at Benthic Macro Invertebrates (Insects living at the bottom of waterways) and determining how their presence and their numbers lets us understand the health of the water they live in. You can view some of the insects that we will be looking at here.
From 10am until noon we will be learning about the assessments, how to choose streams, insect identification and how to complete the protocol. We will break for lunch at noon which will be provided. After lunch we will be travelling to a local stream and as a group complete an entire assessment from beginning to end.
If you are interested in attending or learning more about this workshop please email Amanda at info. Participants are encouraged to bring their own rubber boots (hip or chest waiters are better) and hand lens’ or magnifying glasses limited quantities of these will be available.
