Trout River Environmental Committee

Our annual Tree Drive will be taking place on Friday 8^th from 2pm to 6pm, and Saturday 9^th from 9am to 1pm, at our office – 575 Taylor Road.

Do drop in and meet the crew, take home some trees or shrubs to plant, see a display of our work, and ask us any questions you have about bats, trees, invasive species, or any other wildlife question. Looking forward to seeing you!

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Trout River Environmental Committee

4 weeks ago

Join TREC for a walk of the Devil's Punchbowl Trail, guided by Daniel McRae with Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project on September 7th, 9am-11am! Come out and learn about native plant species within the Wabanaki-Acadian Forest, wildlife, watershed work and more! Please RSVP by emailing projects@troutriverec.ca as spots are limited! If you have any questions regarding this walk, please reach out to the email above, or message us on Facebook or Instagram.Nature walk tips:1. Bring water2. Bring bug spray3. Wear proper footwear4. Download the Merlin ap on your phone (optional)5. Let us know about any restrictions or mobility issues prior to the walk and we will do our best to accommodate. Please let us know if you do not wish to be photographed as well. 6. Ask us anything you would like to know during the walk!*In the case of heavy rain, the walk will be moved to the following day, Sunday, September 8th at 9am. ... See MoreSee Less

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Trout River Environmental Committee

1 month ago

🌱 Invasives 🌱TREC has been removing invasive species within our watershed area with the help of @Kensington North Watersheds Association and the @PEI Invasive Species Council. Our main focus has been on 3 invasive plant species:1. Glossy Buckthorn: a berried shrub which causes harm to foraging birds by providing a more enticing, but less nutritious substitute to native berries which they rely on. "Buckthorns are allelopathic, which means they release chemicals from their roots that inhibit the growth of competing plants and increase the buckthorn’s fitness." (PEIISC)2. Wild Cucumber: a vining plant which chokes out native species. "In an agricultural setting, the plant can cause issues with harvest and negatively impact crops." (PEIISC)3. Bittersweet Nightshade: a vining plant which smothers native species below. "In watercourses this vine can form large floating mats that reduce flow rate, preventing fish passage and resulting in the collection of sediment and leading to small streams being choked off." (PEIISC) Managing invasive species is an ongoing activity we complete every field season. We have been working hard to remove Glossy Buckthorn from our two parks: The Devil's Punchbowl Trail and the Trout River Community Park. This year with the help of the PEIISC and several days of additional work we were able to make it through all of The Devil's Punchbowl Trail system removing each Glossy Buckthorn that was identified. We would like to give a big thank you to the PEIISC for coming out to help for the third year in a row!Bittersweet Nightshade and Wild Cucumber are both vining invasive species which smother native species and damage ecosystems, especially around freshwater streams. Every year we walk Founds River with Kensington North Watersheds Association removing these species from the riparian zone. Removing invasives is a big effort, and we are so lucky to have these two groups to collaborate with! If you would like to learn more about invasive species on PEI and how to manage them on your property visit the PEI Invasive Species Council website for a wealth of information: peiinvasives.com/ ... See MoreSee Less

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Trout River Environmental Committee

2 months ago

🐦Take a look at our new video highlighting The Cross-watershed Tree Swallow Banding Program! We have also included the video on our website: troutriverec.ca under resources to rewatch anytime. 🐣 We are thrilled to be a part of this project with Kensington North Watersheds Association, The Wheatley River Improvement Group, South Shore Watershed Association - SSWA and Hunter-Clyde Watershed Group, with banding and expert support from Matt Ginn and Fiep De Bie and support from the PEI Wildlife Conservation Fund.🪺 This project was also featured on CBC earlier this week, if you haven't read the article yet it can be found by searching "Banding on the run: The quest to boost P.E.I.'s tree swallow population" for interview and "P.E.I. tree swallows get new homes and new tracking, thanks to watershed groups " for the article. ... See MoreSee Less

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Trout River Environmental Committee

2 months ago

🌳 TREE DRIVE 🌳The TREC Annual Tree Drive is this Friday, July 12th from 4-7pm at the TREC office, 575 Taylor Road, North Granville, PEI C0A 1E0.🌱 Come by our Tree Drive, donate, take home native trees and shrubs along with planting guides, and renew your TREC Annual Membership with donations $20 and over. 🌱Last year we raised $3500 which helped us purchase our new (to us) TREC truck which we needed so dearly! Come out and show your support, July 12th, from 4-7pm at the TREC office, 575 Taylor Road, North Granville.🍁 We would like to give a big thank you to Arbor Nursery Ltd., Kool Breeze Farms and individual tree donors Dustin Jewell and Andrew Lush for their generous donations of trees and shrubs this year, this would not be possible without you! 🍁Trees you may find at our Tree Drive this year are:- butternut- white pine- white spruce- red oak- yellow birch- red maple- sugar maple- striped maple- larch- and more! ... See MoreSee Less

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Trout River Environmental Committee

2 months ago

This past Wednesday we were lucky enough to take part in geese banding with Ducks Unlimited Atlantic, the Canadian Wildlife Service, Hunter-Clyde Watershed Group and Parks Canada. Geese banding helps gather data about population trends on the Island, as well as the spread of avian influenza among Canada Geese.Geese banding is done at this time of year to ensure we can gather data and band while geese are in their molting stage. At this stage their flight wings are covered in a waxy coating making them unable to fly until molting is complete. Geese molt their flight feathers annually so they are renewed when comes time for migration. ... See MoreSee Less

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Trout River Environmental Committee

3 months ago

🌳 The TREC Annual Tree Drive has arrived! 🌳This year's Tree Drive will be held Friday, July 12th, from 4pm-7pm at the TREC office, 575 Taylor Road, North Granville.🌱 Come by our Tree Drive, donate, take home native trees and shrubs along with planting guides, and renew your TREC Annual Membership with donations $20 and over. 🌱Last year we raised $3500 which helped us purchase our new (to us) TREC truck which we needed so dearly! Come out and show your support, July 12th, from 4-7pm at the TREC office, 575 Taylor Road, North Granville.🍁 We would like to give a big thank you to Arbor Nursery Ltd., Kool Breeze Farms and individual tree donors Dustin Jewell and Andrew Lush for their generous donations of trees and shrubs this year, this would not be possible without you! 🍁Trees you may find at our Tree Drive this year are white pine, red oak, wild rose, yellow birch, red maple, sugar maple, striped maple and more native species to PEI! ... See MoreSee Less

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Trout River Environmental Committee

3 months ago

🌳 At TREC, we’re on a mission to restore the Wabanaki-Acadian Forest and enhance the health of our riparian zones. How? By planting native trees and shrubs along our streams and coastlines 🌊Here’s why this work is so vital:🦇 Habitat Creation: Native trees and shrubs provide essential habitat for our local wildlife.🌞 Stream Cooling: They provide much-needed shade to keep our freshwater streams cool for aquatic species like brook trout and stickleback.🌍 Carbon Sequestration: They play a key role in capturing carbon from the atmosphere.🌲 Forest Restoration: We're bringing back the Wabanaki-Acadian Forest, which once extended across the Island.While planting trees offers numerous benefits, protecting and conserving PEI’s existing forests is equally crucial. As forests mature, they:🌳 Store carbon in the forest floor🚶‍♂️ Provide recreation opportunities🐾 Offer habitat for wildlife🌸 Support diverse native flora and faunaOur goal is for today’s saplings to become tomorrow’s mighty forests, but we must also safeguard our current woodlands.🚨 Did You Know? Only 4.9% of PEI is protected from development, and a mere 0.3% of this is on private land. The Province aims to protect 7% of our total land base. Let's support this vision or even work to surpass it!For more information on protected areas on PEI and what you can do to help, visit the Island Nature Trust website here: islandnaturetrust.ca/conserving-land/This work is supported by the Wildlife Conservation Fund as part of this season's Riparian Zone Enhancement Project. If you would like to support work like this you can contribute to the Wildlife Conservation Fund through annual licence conservation fees for hunters, anglers, trappers or as a vehicle owner by purchasing Conservation Plates. Together, we can make a difference! 🌲💚 ... See MoreSee Less

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Trout River Environmental Committee

3 months ago

🦇 Today we deployed 5 bat monitors in different habitat types around our watershed area in order to collect call data 🦇We do this as part of the NABat monitoring program in order to track bat populations on PEI. In photo #1 you will see Senior Field Technician Paige Campbell deploying a bat monitor. The 2nd photo is of a Little Brown Bat or Little Brown Myotis which can be found on PEI. This one was spotted at the Trout River Community Park and is currently using one of our bat houses!The 3rd and 4th photos show the SM4 Bat monitors we use and the small microphone which collects call data. The 5th photo is an example of one of the habitat types we are monitoring. ... See MoreSee Less

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