Green Light Indicators of Lakeshore and River Health of Southwest Nova Scotia, Kesputwitk

Biosphere staff are currently active pursuing a number of projects. For one project, Kespukwitk / Southwest Nova Scotia Priority Place—Lakeshore Restoration for Coastal Plain Species At Risk: (2024 to 2026), the Southwest Nova Scotia Biosphere Reserve Association has been given two years of funding to restore lakeshore habitats that have been damaged and have lost the ecological services they provided.

As part of this project work, staff organized field trips to show interested groups the lakeshores of the Medway and the Tusket Rivers. These areas that are important for a number of Species at Risk. During the field trips, they also met with local land owners, and discussed how to keep these rivers healthy.

Biosphere staff complied a detailed document, with background on the coastal plains, with photos of species at risk, and various stops on the field trips.

Introductory paragraph below:

On August 21st and 27th, 2024, people from all branches of government, NGOs and the public, were introduced to a rare ecosystem type in Canada, the Coastal Plain Lakeshore. These are mostly pristine lakes with low nutrient waters and shorelines. The annual water level fluctuations—the difference between winter high water and summer low—is usually 2 meters or more and there is wide variation in the between year water levels; in dry years, levels are low, in rainy years, levels are high. These combined stresses— low fertility, water logging, and growing seasons dependent of water level drawdowns—and natural disturbances that include waves and ice scour of shores over winter, provide the only habitat in Canada for Species At Risk Coastal Plain plants:

• Plymouth Gentian
• Pink Coreopsis
• Goldencrest
• Redroot Water Pennywort
• Tubercled Spikerush
• Tall Beakrush

Download the full document: Green Light Indicators of Lakeshore and River Health of Southwest Nova Scotia, Kesputwitk (PDF, 2.8Mb).