2019 Pine Lake Brush Bundle Project
Watersheds Canada received funding from the LUSH Charity Pot which allowed for an In-water Fish Habitat Enhancement project to be completed. The chosen location was Pine Lake, about 60 minutes west of Perth in the Township of North Frontenac, Ontario. This lake was previously identified as having been impacted by fish habitat loss.
Underwater woody debris is a healthy and important component of lake environments. Sunken logs, trees, branches, and root balls provide excellent habitat for wildlife, including fish, turtles, birds, and invertebrates. Brush piles can provide fish, such as perch, bass, and walleye, with a food source, as well as shaded areas to rest, spawn, and escape predators.
With the help of local volunteers, staff from Watersheds Canada built and deployed twelve brush bundles on October 15, 2019. Locations were chosen where the bundles would both increase wildlife habitat availability while also avoiding human activities such as boating. Reintroducing this woody debris to the lake bottom improved the fish habitat on Pine Lake.
This In-water Fish Habitat Enhancement project would not have been possible without funding from the LUSH Charity Pot, as well as Nathaniel Holloway who was the volunteer who initiated this project.
In partnership with grassroots organizations and local volunteers, Watersheds Canada has completed many fish habitat restoration projects across Eastern and Central Ontario over the past nine years, including walleye spawning bed enhancements, cold-water creek enhancements, trout spawning bed enhancements, and in-water habitat enhancements through the deployment of brush piles (woody debris). If you think your Ontario waterfront community could benefit from a fish habitat enhancement project, please check out the free Fish Habitat Enhancement Toolkit: Watersheds.ca/download-the-fish-habitat-enhancement-toolkit/
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