This past July, the Young Environmentalist team in Montague put their stream enhancement abilities to the test in Georgetown. The five person team was called upon in early July to assess a stream that had not been tended to for over forty years.
"We really didn't know what to expect," said team leader Chris Johnston. "When we first inspected the stream we were very surprised. There was barely any water flowing at all. There was a lot of work ahead of us."
Without much hope of saving the stream, the team began removing debris. The mouth of the stream was blocked by a heavy wooden chair, a foam mattress, and a piece of an old snowmobile. As more debris was taken out, the stream began to take shape.
There were many areas where large tree stumps and roots were obstructing water flow. The team diverted the stream in several areas, the largest of these being a 30 meter trench that was dug out by the team.
The group spent two and a half weeks cleaning and restoring the water flow. The stream, now approximately one kilometre long, stretches from Kayes Road near Georgetown down to the shores of the Brudenell River.
Bev and Virginia Breedon sought out the help of The Young Environmentalists Program (YEP) in hope of restoring the stream to its original state. The retired couple were absolutely thrilled with the results of the enhancement. "We are very pleased with the work the team has done," said Virginia. "We thought that all the water habitat had been destroyed by the overgrowth. I couldn't believe it when the team reported seeing frogs and fish in the stream. With the recovery of the brook, we look forward to maintaining a healthy environment for the fish and wildlife. We are very grateful for the work the YEP has done for us."
Mr. and Mrs. Breedon are a retired couple who plan to begin the construction of their new home near the land which the stream occupies.
The YEP aims to provide environmental assistance and to promote environmental awareness across the Island. There are four teams based in the Kings County area and a total of ten Island wide. For any information on how the YEP can help in your area call 368-5058.