Sunteți pe pagina 1din 8

Gespe’gewaq Mi’gmaq

Resource Council

Coastal Erosion
Awareness
Ugpi’ganjig Sitmug • Eel River Bar Beach

2
Introduction
Table of Contents

T
he Gespe’gewaq Mi’gmaq Resource Coun-
Introduction........................................1 cil, with funding from Environment Canada,
put together an awareness project on coastal
Driving Force 1:...................................2 erosion.
Sensitivity to Sea-Level Rise The goal of this project is to assemble information
on coastal erosion and its impacts, and to commu-
Driving Force 2: . ................................3 nicate them back to the community. The coastal
awareness project will seek to increase awareness
Wave and Current Action and understanding on the process of erosion, and
on the impacts of a vulnerable coastal zone.
Driving Force 3: . ................................4
Coastal erosion is a natural cycle of sediment mo-
Sediment Deficiencies tion that is caused by the combined action of the
sea and climate factors. Sea-level rise, wave and
Driving Force 4: . ................................4 current action, and sediment deficiencies are
Human Impact the three natural drivers of coastal erosion. These
natural events, in addition to human develop-
ment create problems related to coastal erosion
Aerial Photograph:.............................5
in many areas.
Eel River Bar
In Eel River Bar, this phenomenon appears to have
increased in recent years, posing a threat to liveli-
Community Talks................................6
hoods and infrastructures along the coast.

Keep our Coastlines Healthy............6 In speaking with community members, we were


able to gain valuable information on what the
coast represents to them. Activities of significance
that were discussed included: eel fishing/spear-
ing, clam digging, smelt fishing, sweet grass pick-
prepared by: ing, swimming/diving, and many others. Many of
these activities are tied to social, cultural, eco-
nomical, and environmental values and an over-
Gespe’gewaq Mi’gmaq all community well-being.
Resource Council
Many of these activities have been impacted due
to the significant land and coastal changes that
94B Riverside East have occurred over the years.
Listuguj, QC This brochure is being provided to you to raise
G0C 2R0 awareness on the natural elements that drive
T. 418.788.3017 coastal erosion, and to also share the results from
F. 418.788.3192 our open community dialogue session. We en-
courage you to inform yourself and others about
info@migmaqresource.org the importance of Eel River Bar’s coastline.

September 2009

1
Eel River Bar

Listuguj
Pabineau

photo: http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca

Driving Force 1: Sensitivity to Sea-Level Rise


Green: Low Sensitivity
Yellow: Moderate Sensitivity Present day submerging
areas
Red: High Sensitivity

T
he map shown here, “Coastal Sensitivity to Sea-Level Rise”, from Natural Resource Canada, shows
degrees of sensitivity to sea-level rise to which coastlines may experience physical changes such
as flooding, erosion, beach migration, and coastal dune destabilization. Atlantic Canada is one
of two major regions classified as highly sensitive. Eel River Bar is located in an area classified as ‘Mod-
erate’.
2
Driving Force 2 • Wave and Current Action

W
aves are energy in motion. Although
most waves that are driven by the
wind are relatively small, releasing rela-
tively gentle energy, ocean storms can build up
waves to extreme heights. When these waves
come ashore, they can produce devastating
effects.

There are many other types of waves, includ-


ing internal waves, splash waves, tsunami, tides,
and human-induced waves, which are cre-
ated by energy being released from within the
ocean.

Energy sources coming from within the ocean


include:

• Coastal landslides and calving icebergs;


• Sea floor movement, which can change
the shape of the ocean floor and can re-
lease large amounts of energy and cre-
ate very large waves;
• Gravitational pull of the Moon and the
Sun, which tugs on every part of the
Earth’s oceans creating vast, low, highly
predictable waves called tides, and;
• Human activity, such as ships and boats
traveling across the ocean.

3
Driving Force 3 • Sediment Deficiencies

T
he Earth’s coastline is constantly changing. tion, which remove or disrupt the natural veg-
Rock is disintegrated and decomposed, etation, have greatly accelerated the rate of
moved to lower elevations by gravity, and erosion. Without the stabilizing effect of plants,
carried away by water, wind, or ice. Natural the soil is more easily swept away by the wind
rates of coastal change vary greatly from one or water.
place to another and depend on soil charac-
teristics as well as factors such as climate, slope, The coastal region of the Eel River Bar area is
and type of vegetation. made up of various rock formations. On one of
our visits to the beach with a geologist, we not-
In the past, erosion occurred at slower rates than ed the presence of pillow basalts, a rock that
it does today because more of the land surface is more resistant to erosion, and as we walked
was covered and protected by trees, shrubs, towards Charlo, we saw a gradual change to
grasses, and other plants. However, human ac- more sedimentary rock formations, a rock that is
tivities such as farming, logging, and construc- more prone to erosion.

Pillow Basalts, resistant to erosion Sedimentary rock formations, prone to erosion

Driving Force 4 • Human Impact

C
onstruction and development along the coast can result in a rapid deterioration of our natu-
ral coastline. As landowners continue to build homes as close to the water as possible, they
are forced to install artificial structures designed to reduce shoreline erosion. Our once-natural
shoreline is becoming a mix of concrete and rock walls that impact wetlands and dunes, reduce
public access, and cause the degradation of critical wildlife habitat.
• Overdeveloped shorelines reduce the ability of natural features like dunes, beaches and wet-
lands to protect against the severe storms and sea-level rise.
• Homes built too close to the shore are much more susceptible to flooding and storm damage.
• Concrete seawalls deflect waves causing nearby natural beaches to erode.
• Natural buffers degraded by human activity lose their ability to filter contaminated runoff before
it enters the marine environment.
• Poorly functioning septic systems dump untreated water that can impact shellfish harvesting, an
important economic activity in many coastal communities.

4
10

Ugpi’ganjig • Eel River Bar


Past Present

1. Eel Fishing (spearing) - 1970’s


& 80’s
2. Blueberry Point
11 3. Smelt Fishing (winter) - 1970’s
4. Clam Beds - 1970’s
5. Mackerel Fishing - late 1970’s
6 3 6. High Tides over road
7. Heavy Tides (crib boards)
16 8. Lost swimming area
4 9. Lost swimming/diving area
10. Sweet Grass Picking
5 11. Future Wharf
6 12. Place for boats
9 3 13. Beach Shoreline
12 4
14. Habitat/Vegitation
4 15. Sea trout (fresh water)
7 13 16. Baseball Field
4

4
7 13

10 1

2
14
7 13

1
15 7 13
*The locations and dates of activities, were
14 indicated by the community members of Eel
River Bar, during a community project-meeting
on March 05, 2009.

5
8 14
10
Community Talks

G MRC had the opportunity to meet with


members from Eel River Bar and asked
them to discuss changes they’ve observed over
munity. It is evident that we must be protective
and cautious about our land use if we want to
sustain its productivity. It was a pleasure learning
their lifetimes. The response was very revealing in about Eel River Bar’s rich history and its vision for
terms of what the land truly means to the com- the future.
munity. The preceeding page outlines just some
of the activities that are of value to the com-

Keep our Coastlines Healthy!


Protecting our shorelines also means keeping it healthy.
A healthy coast includes: What you can do to protect your homes while
maintaining a healthy environment:
• Natural Habitats: The Atlantic coast sup-
ports a wide variety of seabirds, shore- • Build your home well back from the shore
birds, mammals, fish and shellfish. and at an appropriate elevation. This will
protect it against the effects of erosion
• Natural Food Sources: Our coastal wet- and flooding.
lands and estuaries provide a rich food
source for many fish and wildlife species. • Maintain a natural plant buffer along any
watercourse by planting fruit-bearing
• Clean Water: Wetlands are truly one of plants and shade trees as these provide
our most valuable natural assets. They valuable habitat for wildlife, offer a cool
function as the kidneys of our coastal refuge on hot days, and retain soil mois-
environment by filtering out silt, fertilizers, ture.
pesticides and other contaminants pres-
ent in runoff.

• Natural Protection: The extensive root


system and tall stems of plants trap wind-
blown particles of sand that accumulate
to form the spectacular beaches com-
mon to our coastline.

6
www.migmaqresource.org
Made with paper certified from the Forest Stewardship Council.
Please recycle this newsletter instead of throwing it out. Thank You.
1

S-ar putea să vă placă și