Minutes of New Brunswick Coastal Joint Action Group (NBC JAG)
March 26, 2009, 10:00am
Department of Health, Room 173, Moncton

Attendees:
Laura Barrett, Eastern Charlotte Waterways Inc. (ECW)
Julien Bourgreois, Vision H2O
Francois Emond, Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
Susan Linkletter, Petitcodiac Watershed Alliance (PWA)
Frédéric Paillard, NB Dept. of Environment (DENV)
Melissa Price, Quoddy Futures Foundation (QFF)
Kim Reeder, Quoddy Futures Foundation (QFF)
Peggy Thompson, Eastern Charlotte Waterways Inc. (ECW)

Regrets:
Dominique Audet, Shediac Bay Watershed Association (SBWA)
Wayne Barchard, Environment Canada (EC)
Renee Bourque, NB Dept. of Health (DoH)
Kathy Brewer-Dalton, NB Dept. of Agriculture and Aquaculture (DAA)
Harry Collins, Miramichi River Environmental Action Committee (MREAC)
Nada Comeau, L’association des bassins versants de la grande et petite rivière Tracadie
Conrad Cormier, Southeastern Anglers Association
Leanda Delaney, Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans, Maritimes Region (DFO-Maritimes)
Rémi Donelle, Kent Watershed Association
Ernest Ferguson, Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans, Gulf Region (DFO-Gulf)
Billie Joe Fowler, Tabusintac Watershed Association
Raymond Gallant, Comité Sauvons nos Rivières Neguac Inc.
Jocelyne Gauvin, Le Groupe de développement durable du Pays de Cocagne
Monique Anne Morin, NB Dept. of Fisheries (DoF)
Yvon Richard, Les ami(e)s de la Kouchibouguacis
Annick Poirier, Partenariat pour la gestion intégrée du bassin versant de la baie de Caraquet
Élie Roussel, Comité de gestion environnementale de la rivière Pokemouche

Meeting Actions:
1. Action for J. Bourgreois: Provide a digital copy of the report “The Aboiteau Parc Dune Conservation Project”, as well as, a link to the Radio Canada TV broadcast discussing the project, to be posted on the NBC JAG website.
2. Action for F. Paillard: Provide the names and contact information for the three new regional biologists in the NB Department of Environment.
3. Action for Secretariat: Gather completed ENGO surveys and put results on the NBC JAG website.
4. Action for Secretariat: Contact John Legault or Brad Firth regarding presentation on Google Earth.
5. Action for Secretariat: Send a letter of support to Lévis Thériault with the Environmental Trust Fund in support of the joint proposal with Jochen Schroer (NATECH Environmental Services Inc.) for the project to survey existing alternative septic systems.

P. Thompson (Chair) brought the meeting to order. Roundtable introductions were conducted. P. Thompson and L. Barrett discussed the meeting actions.

P. Thompson asked government representatives in attendance to provide news from their agency.

F. Paillard stated there are three new biologists within DENV working on Watercourse and Wetland Alteration (WAWA) permits so there are currently four in the province. He stated these biologists would also be consulted on Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) in their regions. F. Paillard stated that he would be covering the Moncton and Saint John regions. The new biologists are:
1) Christie Clark (Fredericton Regional Office, 457-4850, christie.clark@gnb.ca)
2) Marc-Antoine Guitard (Bathurst Regional Office, 547-2092, marc-antoine.guitard@gnb.ca)
3) Frédéric Paillard (Moncton Regional Office, 856-2495, frederic.paillard@gnb.ca)

P. Thompson asked ENGO representatives in attendance to provide news from their groups.

K. Reeder stated that she had taken part in a webinar from GeoConnections (www.geoconnections.org) regarding a new source of funding. She stated they would be funding projects that use existing data to create new layers for their maps, but will not fund the collection of new data. She stated that May 1st, 2009 is the deadline for the letter of interest and some of the areas of interest include aboriginal, health, environment, and infrastructure (public safety). She also mentioned that the new layers that are built do not have to be available to the public. She stated GeoConnections is encouraging groups to submit collaborative projects. K. Reeder also discussed some of the projects that her organization is working on including collecting data in the Passamaquoddy Bay using beach surveys and underwater videos to compare to data collected there in the 1970s, targeting another age group with the Reconnecting with the Community project, and continuing the yearly monitoring of approximately 30 sites. K. Reeder discussed briefly CSOs (combined sewer overflows) and wondered whom she should contact at the DENV about these systems.

S. Linkletter stated her organization’s proposed projects include the update of their website to contain information on invasive species, such as purple loosestrife, a habitat assessment of a local brook using macro-invertebrates and CABIN (Canadian Aquatic Biomonitoring Network), also a clean up of that brook using the landowners as volunteers, an educational partnership with the City of Moncton and Université de Moncton to set up a water quality lab in Irishtown Nature Park to educate children, and ongoing water quality monitoring. She also stated that she is working with the New Brunswick Environmental Network (NBEN) to develop biodiversity strategies for the province and one of her tasks is to survey watershed groups and agricultural organizations. She stated DENV, DNR and DAA have produced their own biodiversity strategy for the province.
· F. Paillard stated that when he was working for Vision H2O he contacted DFO to gather information on the fish in the rivers in their watershed and the most recent information that was available was from the 1960s. So perhaps a survey of the fish species in all the rivers in the province would be a possibility.
· K. Reeder suggested the work could be sub-contracted out to watershed groups to have it completed economically.

J. Bourgeois stated his organization’s proposed projects include ongoing water quality monitoring, the CAMP (Community Aquatic Monitoring Network) program, assisting with the creation of an eco-park at Cormier-Village, a joint project with the Shediac Bay Watershed Association and the Maritime Fishermen’s Union on detection and education of invasive species such as green crab and a number of tunicates in the Northumberland Strait, and the continuation of a restoration project using dead Christmas trees to repair eroded dunes (find a report on the project on the website www.visionh2o.com/UserFiles/File/DUNE%20WEB%20DOCUMENT.pdf and a Radio-Canada spot at www.radio-canada.ca/audio-video/pop.shtml#urlMedia%3Dhttp://www.radio-canada.ca/Medianet/2008/CBFT/LaSemaineVerte200801201249.asx&promo%3DZAPmedia_LaSemaineVerte).

L. Barrett stated Melissa Price would soon be taking over the position of Environmental Outreach Coordinator and facilitating such programs as Ducks Unlimited Canada’s Project Webfoot and the Atlantic Salmon Federation’s Fish Friends. She stated that proposed projects for the organization would be continuing the development of Municipal Green Plans for two municipalities, a partnership with the local solid waste commission to collect computer waste for recycling, and continuing and growing an environmental education program with local schools. P. Thompson stated her organization is assisting the local clam harvester co-op with clam enhancement work and working on water classification. She also stated that other proposed projects include a joint project with ACAP Saint John and the Quoddy Futures Foundation to survey the coast line of southwest NB, an invasive alien species project regarding Chinese Mitten Crab (Eriocheir sinensis) and Asian Shore Crab (Hemigrapsus sanguineus), and a land use survey and landowner education project for Lake Utopia.
· F. Paillard stated Mathieu D’Astous worked on green plans for Bouctouche, Cap-Pele and Beaubassin and would be a good resource for such projects.

Megan de Graaf conducted a presentation discussing the Conservation Council of NB (CCNB) Forest and Watershed project. Please see the attached link for her presentation.
· Highlights from the presentations included: 1) water protection on Crown Land is conducted by DNR not DENV, and 2) CCNB is mapping the Crown Land forest cover for each watershed in the province and this will be made available to the watershed organizations.

Jochen Schroer from NATECH Environmental Services Inc. conducted a presentation regarding a joint project that has been proposed to the Environmental Trust Fund to survey existing alternative septic systems. Please see the attached link for his presentation.
· Highlights from the presentation include, 1) possible alternative systems to be surveyed include constructed wetlands, enviro-septic, peat filters, compost toilets, bio-green system (Grand Manan Hospital), sand filter system and waterloo biofilter, and 2) watershed organizations that participate would be responsible for contacting the regional health department (District Medical Health Officer), local people or other companies that install alternative systems to get lists of alternative systems in their area, contacting people with alternative systems to get their approval to survey their systems, attend training with NATECH, visit locations with alternative systems the first time with a NATECH technician and then two more times alone to get samples.
· It was discussed by the group that a letter of support for this project should be sent from the NBC JAG to the Environmental Trust Fund. P. Thompson suggested that she would prepare the letter.

Meeting was adjourned at 2:30pm.