Prince County Chapter

Area of Interest
The Prince County Chapter of Freshwater Conservation Canada has been working and managing the Trout River near O’Leary, PEI, for over 25 years. Trout River discharges into Foxley Bay (a smaller bay of Cascumpec Bay) on the northwest side of Prince Edward Island. The stream originates from a series of tributaries, some fed by discharge wetlands and wet meadows on the northwest portion of the Island, northwest of Summerside, near the village of Carlton. This northwestern portion of the Island has significant agricultural activity with a modest rolling landscape. Trout River has a population of stream residents and anadromous Brook Trout (called salters) as is host to small numbers of Atlantic Salmon.

Chapter Description
The Chapter has an interpretive area off Highway 2 just north of Carleton at the Dave Biggar Memorial Interpretive Centre. The Chapter is extremely active in a host of activities, including presentations and workshops at its Interpretive Centre, teaching fishing to children, outdoor recreational activities at the Trout River Natural Area and, of course, very active and ongoing rehabilitation work on the Trout River watershed. An executive manages the Chapter and is affiliated with the PEI Watershed Alliance. The Alliance coordinates the fine work of twenty-eight watershed associations on the Island, of which the Prince County Chapter of Freshwater Conservation Canada is one.

Much of the Chapter’s ongoing work on the Trout River watershed includes instream rehabilitation, debris clean-out, fish passage improvement, working with farmers to ensure reasonable setbacks on the fields from the stream, and beaver management. Over the last 25 years, the Chapter has worked to acquire a stream with a 2.5-3 km reach with a 100m buffer on both sides of the Trout River near its Interpretative Centre. This area has been converted from cattle pasturage and cropland to mixed forest over the last twenty-five years to support the rehabilitation of the lower portion of the stream.

The chapter, under its former president, Dave Biggar, was also instrumental in establishing special angling regulations on the Trout River to better protect the saltier Brook Trout and allow restoration of the trout population in the Trout River.

Chapter History
The Chapter began as the O’Leary Wildlife Federation but decided to join Trout Unlimited Canada in 2004 under the direction of Dave Biggar. Dave was one of the major moving forces in creating the local Federation and subsequent Chapter. In the early 1980s, Dave felt that his local rivers, Mill River and Trout River, were degraded and wished to do something about it. Many dissuaded him from working on Mill River since it still had a few Atlantic Salmon but suggested he work on the almost “dead” Trout River. Under Dave’s direction, the Trout River is now considered one of the best and most productive Brook Trout streams on the Island. Dave passed away suddenly in 2008, and the new president and chapter members are carrying on his fine work.

Chapter President: Dale Cameron
Contact: e_d_cameron@hotmail.com (902) 859-1697