Tignish Watershed Management Group

08/26/2026

🌿 Pop-Up Eelgrass Information Event – Today!
Stop by the Tignish Watershed office today to learn a little more about one of the most important habitats hiding beneath our coastal waters — eelgrass!
We’ll be sharing information about eelgrass, its role in carbon capture and storage, why it is so important to healthy estuaries, and why we return to the same monitoring site year after year to track changes in the eelgrass bed.
Our monitoring follows SeagrassNet, a standardized monitoring protocol used around the world to track the health and changing condition of seagrass meadows over time. 🌎🌱
This project has been funded through the Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund.
Drop in, have a look, and learn why keeping an eye on our eelgrass matters!

08/25/2026

🌿🌊 Year 3 of Eelgrass Monitoring

We were back out on the water for the third year of our Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund project, monitoring the same eelgrass bed in our watershed.

Each year we return to the same site, where we count eelgrass within monitoring plots and measure the dimensions of the bed. By collecting the same information year after year, we can compare the results and determine whether the eelgrass bed is growing, remaining stable or being lost over time.

It’s also one of the more enjoyable monitoring projects we get to do — a day on the water, a little math, and usually a few interesting things to see along the way!

Eelgrass might not look like much from above the water, but it plays a pretty important role in a healthy estuary. Unlike seaweed, eelgrass is actually a flowering plant, with roots and rhizomes that grow in the sediment.

Eelgrass beds provide important nursery and feeding habitat for fish, shellfish and other marine life. They also help stabilize the bottom, reduce erosion, trap sediment and improve water quality.

Another important benefit is carbon capture. Eelgrass takes carbon dioxide from the water as it grows and stores carbon in its leaves, roots and the sediment beneath the bed. This stored coastal carbon is often referred to as “blue carbon.” Healthy eelgrass beds can help keep some of that carbon locked away while also making our estuaries more resilient.

That makes protecting and monitoring these areas important not only for fish and wildlife, but also as part of the bigger picture of healthy coastal ecosystems and climate change.

We should have the results from this year's monitoring soon, and we'll be able to see how the bed compares with our previous two years. Stay tuned! 🌊🌱

This project is funded through the Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund.

08/24/2026

Up West Forest Fest Sept. 19th!
Come to West Prince on Saturday, September 19th for the second annual Up West Forest Fest, celebrating the unique watersheds and forests in western PEI. This free, family-friendly event will be from 10AM-3PM, at a central hub of Bloomfield Provincial Park (38092 Western Highway Rte2) with displays, children’s activities, a noontime BBQ and music PLUS several walks taking place at the Park and at locations throughout Prince County, all showcasing various ecosystems.
The details on the Walks will be announced in the coming week at the main website (http://www.upwestforestfest.ca), the page (https://www.facebook.com/upwestforestfest/), and shared on various organizations’ social media pages! Any questions? Contact [email protected]
The Up West Forest Fest is a collaboration of western PEI watersheds, Nature PEI, the PEI Woodlot Owners Association, Lennox Island First Nation, Island Nature Trust, the PEI Watershed Alliance and more, with funding from the PEI Wildlife Conservation Fund. See you there!

08/21/2026

🌿 EcoAction – Invasive Species Awareness

Our three-year EcoAction project has focused on the removal and control of invasive species along the Tignish River. Another important part of this project is bringing awareness to our community about invasive plants and the choices we make when planting around our homes and properties.

Earlier this spring we held a community workshop on native and invasive species, and more recently we had the opportunity to put some of that information into practice at the St. Felix Golf Course.

Not every non-native plant is invasive! There are lots of non-native plants that are perfectly fine to have in our gardens. The concern is with aggressive invasive plants that can escape gardens, spread quickly and eventually crowd out native vegetation. Goutweed, periwinkle and Japanese knotweed are examples of plants that were originally introduced or planted ornamentally but can become very difficult to control once established.

At the St. Felix Golf Course, we created a perennial bed to show how native plants can be mixed with non-native, non-invasive garden varieties to create something beautiful while also benefiting pollinators. 🌸🐝

The bed includes PEI native plants such as New England aster, blue flag iris and common yarrow, along with non-native garden plants including coreopsis, phlox, amsonia, salvia, daylilies, sedum and globe thistle.

The goal wasn't simply to make a flower bed. It was to show that choosing plants responsibly doesn't mean giving up the colourful gardens we enjoy. We can include native species, choose well-behaved non-native plants and avoid invasive species.

A big thank you to Paul and Marion at the St. Felix Golf Course for supporting this project and for their continued support of TWMG throughout the years. 💚

Funded through the Canada Water Agency’s EcoAction Community Funding Program.

08/19/2026

08/18/2026

🐟 Checking In on Our Brook Trout!

Last week we were out with Rebecca from the PEI Watershed Alliance doing some electrofishing spot checks in our local streams. The goal was to see what fish species are present and get a look at the overall health of the fish in our streams.

Electrofishing is a monitoring method that uses a controlled electrical current in the water to temporarily stun fish so they can be safely caught, identified, measured, and checked before being released right back into the stream.

We were very happy with what we found! Brook trout numbers were looking good, the fish appeared healthy, and we even came across some pretty good-sized trout.

One of the best things to see was the range in sizes — from very small young trout right up to larger adults. Finding different age and size classes is a good sign that brook trout are successfully reproducing and that our streams are supporting them through different stages of their life cycle.

It’s always nice to get out there and actually see what’s living below the surface — and even better when the results are good! 🐟🌿

A big thank you to Rebecca and the PEI Watershed Alliance for coming out and helping us with the monitoring.

08/16/2026

🌿 Meet Our Summer Team – Rowan! 🌿

Meet Rowan, our agriculture student through the Youth Employment and Skills Program (YESP)!

This is Rowan’s first year with TWMG. He worked with us this spring and summer and will return this fall, focusing on connecting with local farmers and developing plans to strengthen buffer zones along our freshwater streams.

Rowan has done a fantastic job building relationships with farmers, identifying areas that would benefit from more vegetation, and organizing planting days. Through these partnerships, over 500 native trees have been planted on local farmland! 🌳

💬 A little about Rowan, in his own words:

“I recently graduated from Holland College in Journalism and Communications and plan on furthering my education here on the Island. My ultimate dream is to be an author, writing stories centered on Prince Edward Island, but anything that involves flexing my creative muscles and enjoying our beautiful Island is what I want in life.

I’ve come to love many different species while exploring the Island’s nature. From the sea, I love seals. From the air, I love ravens. My favourite plant is the mountain ash tree—I was named after them too, as they’re sometimes known as the Rowan tree.

⭐ Fun fact: I like talking to animals. Not literally, but trying to understand what they’re communicating through their body language is like a puzzle. I like to think I’ve come to understand some of our local critters better, but I don’t think they can understand me yet.

Prince Edward Island is my home, and I want to protect every part of it if I can. That’s why I love working with the watershed. Knowing that I’m making even the smallest change brings a smile to my face.”

🌱 Rowan has brought something special to TWMG—not only helping strengthen our stream buffers, but also building connections between the watershed and our agricultural community. We’re looking forward to having him back this fall! 💚

08/15/2026

🌿 Meet Our Summer Team – Kathleen! 🌿

Okay, technically Kathleen belongs to our friends at the Roseville-Miminegash Watershed Group… but we like to steal her whenever we get the chance! 😂💚

Kathleen is their Watershed Management Fund student and has become a familiar face around TWMG. She helps look after our water quality monitoring and makes sure our data is uploaded to the Atlantic DataStream.

She’s knowledgeable, dependable and always willing to jump in with our crew when we need an extra set of hands.

We’ll let Kathleen tell you a little more about herself:

💬 Meet Kathleen:

🎓 School: Acadia University

🌱 Career Goal: Environmental Scientist

🌊 Favourite Project:
“Eelgrass because it’s fun to go out in the water.”

🐦 Favourite Wildlife Species:
“Semipalmated sandpiper.”

⭐ Fun Fact:
“I love crosswords.”

💧 Why freshwater streams are important to me:
“Because they are great habitat for little bugs, which feed birds, and I love birds.”

A future environmental scientist who loves birds, bugs, eelgrass and crosswords sounds like a pretty good fit for watershed work to us! 🌿🐦

Thanks to Kathleen for all her help this summer! 💙

08/14/2026

🌿 Meet Our Summer Team – Evalynne! 🌿

Meet Evalynne, our Canada Summer Jobs student and one of the newest members of the TWMG crew!

Evalynne is heading into Grade 10 at Westisle and this is her first summer working with us. Although she's only been here a few weeks, she's already had the chance to experience a variety of our projects—which happens to be one of her favourite things about the job!

🎨 Future plans: Evalynne is interested in becoming an artist.

🐦 Favourite wildlife: Black-capped chickadee

⭐ Fun fact: She's heading into her third year of roller derby!

When asked what she likes about watershed work, Evalynne said she enjoys knowing she's helping protect the environment in some way. 💚

We're happy to have Evalynne joining us this summer and getting an early start on some hands-on environmental experience! 🌿

08/13/2026

🌿 Meet Our Summer Team – Nico! 🌿

This is Nico’s first summer with TWMG, but it honestly feels like he’s been part of the crew much longer. We already love having him around!

Nico is a hard worker with a kind spirit and a genuine love and appreciation for the environment. He’s always willing to help, eager to learn, and has been a wonderful addition to our team.

He’s also quickly become one of our wildlife photographers. 📸 Some of the beautiful wildlife photos you’ve been seeing on our page this summer have been captured by Nico while the crew is out working.

We’ll let Nico tell you a little more about himself in his own words:

💬 Meet Nico:

🎓 School: BSc Biology specializing in Environmental Biology at the University of Prince Edward Island

🌿 Career Goal: Biology related job in government or watershed alliance

🐦 Favourite TWMG Project:
“My favorite TWMG project is the bank swallow surveys as it allowed me to learn more about them like how to protect them and how to help them populate more.”

🦅 Favourite Wildlife Species:
“My favorite wildlife species would be the osprey.”

⭐ Fun Fact:
“My fun fact is that I love everything about cooking and if I wasn't a biologist I would've loved to be a chef.”

🌎 Why watersheds matter to me:
“Every watershed and body of water matters to me because I believe solving our world's problems, particularly here on PEI, relies on finding a harmonious balance where all organisms can coexist.”

🌿 We’re very happy Nico chose to spend his first summer with TWMG. His kindness, work ethic and passion for the environment make him a pretty special addition to our crew. We hope this is the first of many seasons with us! 💙