Completed our sixth year of surface water quality monitoring in Belleisle Bay. Completed our first pesticide sampling and analysis of Belleisle Bay. Partnered with other watershed organizations and NBELG to conduct cyanobacteria monitoring and educational outreach. Completed our sixth year of temperature data logging in streams around the watershed. Completed the fish passage assessment and mapping of 46 watercourse crossings in the upper watershed. Planted 1500 Trees and Shrubs at 8 sites in the watershed as part of riparian planting initiatives. Partnered with the Boys and Girls Club to offer a Watershed Adventure Camp to local youth. Partnered with Hammond River Anglers to conduct a fishing line recycling program. Partnered with the Kennebecasis Watershed Restoration Committee and Hammond River Angling Association to conduct the Carbon Capture Collective: A Multi-Partner Approach to Riparian Restoration and Carbon Sequestration. Partnered With Belleisle Regional High School to conduct road salt monitoring in Belleisle Marsh and plant milkweed to help pollinators.

Completed our fifth year of surface water quality monitoring in Belleisle Bay. Partnered with ACAP SJ and UNB to conduct cyanobacteria monitoring and educational outreach. Completed our fifth year of temperature data logging in streams around the watershed. Completed CABIN assessment at 13 watercourse sites in the watershed. Partnered with Belleisle Regional High School to conduct stream assessment in local watercourses and road salt monitoring in Belleisle Marsh.

Freshwater mussels Surveys and collections on Belleisle Creek Freshwater mussel Suverys on Midland brook, Jolifs Brook and Elm Brook. Placed geocaches in the area Trail clean up Water Quality Monitoring in the Bay Cyanobacteria sampling

About Us – Belleisle Watershed Coalition

Who we are

Belleisle Watershed Coalition

The Belleisle Watershed Coalition (BWC) is a multi-stakeholder charitable environmental organization established in 2013 to support scientific research, aquatic restoration, and environmental education within the Belleisle watershed and Lower Saint John River Valley. Our projects focus on water quality, environmental monitoring, fish and aquatic habitats, riparian assessment/enhancement/management, and community outreach. The BWC’s strategic mandate is to engage the multi-sectoral communities of Belleisle and Lower Saint John River Valley in the collaborative management and restoration of our watershed.

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About The Team

Colin Forsythe, the Executive Director (ED) of the Belleisle Watershed Coalition has twenty years of scientific and project management experience in the non-profit sector. Colin has designed, implemented and completed numerous successful projects for the BWC.

The backbone of our team are our Seasonal Field Technicians who assist with providing technical support to the BWC’s field and office-based projects including water quality monitoring and research, aquatic habitat assessments, fisheries, and wildlife surveys, and summer camp and community outreach projects.

The Environmental Technicians are a key part of our success and help to deliver our planting trees, environmental monitoring, community clean-ups, and community events.

Our Board of Directors meets quarterly at the Belleisle Community Centre. Stay tuned to our Social Media if you would like to attend the meetings.

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About the Belleisle Watershed

The Belleisle Watershed covers approximately 37,000 ha stretching from Pearsonville to Lower Kars on the Northern side and from Mercer Settlement to Kingston Corner on the Southern side. The Belleisle Bay itself is approximately 24 Km2 freshwater offshoot of the Saint John River that is slightly effected by tide. Belleisle Bay has 20 named tributaries feeding into it.

The BWC has assessed and monitored many of the tributaries have since 2013. These stream assessments examine the water quality, fish habitat, and riparian (stream side) health of numerous sites along the watercourse for more information, please see our ETF Reports or the project section of the website.

The Belleisle Watershed is frequently used for recreational activities (swimming, boating, and fishing) by the residents and the many cottage owners that live within the rural communities that make up the watershed. Therefore the water quality of the bay and streams is important to many community members to ensure these activities can continue for future generations.

The most notable industries within the watershed are agriculture and forestry. Both of these industries can have impacts to the water quality and fish habitat such as sedimentation and nutrient runoff. Since 2017, the BWC has conducted monitoring of water quality in the Bay. Results of these efforts indicate the Bay has good water quality overall but faces challenges from Cyanobacteria Blooms, Development and Climate Change.