Depot Creek Restoration Project Update
Work continued over the course of the summer on the bank stabilization and water flow management of a 4 km section of Depot Creek to control the amount of sand entering the waterway and damaging the coldwater aquatic habitat for speckled trout and other invertebrate species.
The project was launched in 2017 by the Greater Nipissing Stewardship Council (GNSC) and the Nosbonsing Anglers and Hunters to repair damage caused by flooding and high flows during Hurricane Hazel in 1956.
Funding for the initial work was provided largely from the federal Ministry of the Environment and Climate Control – Environmental Damages Fund.
And again, this summer, thanks to the Ontario Federation of Anglers & Hunters, $2,063 in funding was provided from the OFAH Community Conservation Fund. In 2024, the OFAH contributed $2,250 towards the project.
Paul-Emile Perron, Project Manager, and member of the Nosbonsing Anglers & Hunters, and director with the GNSC, commented that “The OFAH funds, are allowing us to continue our efforts with this ongoing project.”
The GNSC contributed $2,450, with volunteers putting in approximately 350 hours of in-kind labour equivalent to $9,450 in wages.
The bulk of the work involved the placement of low log walls in combination with brush piles to stabilize the banks and at the same time narrowing the width of sections of the creek to increase the water flow. This in turn has deepened the channels and created pools of gravel and cobble clear of silt deposits. The monitoring of sites completed previously indicate this is having a positive and noticeable effect on the creek.
Additionally, the removal of downed trees and other woody vegetation was carried out to improve the water flow, while at the same time managing the shade aspect for this coldwater fishery.
