What is the Manitoulin Streams Project?

It is the largest cold-water stream restoration project to date in Northern Ontario!

The ultimate goal of this project is to create, through rehabilitation and enhancement of important coldwater streams, healthy and self-sustaining ecosystems that contribute to the ecological, economic and social health of Manitoulin Island. Improvements to fish habitat, riparian vegetation, stream and bank stability and water quality are key components of the project. For more detailed terms of reference, to see the Strategic Rehabilitation Plan and reports, visit our downloads page.

THE FOUR GOALS OF THE PROJECT:

1. To restore resources for future generations to enjoy.
2. To protect, improve and enhance water quality on Manitoulin Island.
3. To create community ownership and awareness of cold water stream ecosystems on Manitoulin Island.
4. To enhance tourism and angling opportunities for Manitoulin and surrounding areas.

The project is a long-term initiative that will create improved ecosystems in and around these streams, which are located in southeast Manitoulin. Recent scientific government studies have shown that these streams have been damaged by a variety of land-use practices over the past century. The project is growing and gaining momentum and we have rehabilitated some key sites so far. You may have already seen some of these sites such as; below the Sandfield Dam at the southern tip of Lake Manitou, at the MNR's Blue Jay Creek Fish Culture Station and most recently on the farm behind the Garden's Gate Restaurant.

Who cares if these streams are in bad shape?

Healthy streams are not only an environmental concern! They affect human health through providing clean drinking water and outdoor recreational activities, which also affect the broader Island economy and tourism.

With eroded sides, bottoms that are too shallow and a lack of concealing cover, these streams can be harsh environments for many species of aquatic life to live in. There is no place for the fish to hide from predators, get a break from the flowing current and shade from the sun. That's no way to live! We plan to fix the sides of the bank, plant trees that provide shade and drop woody plant material into the streams so that organisms can thrive. The in-stream channel cover will be rehabilitated with rocks, gravel and logs. We can even build places for cows to come and have a drink without impacting the streams. These waterways provide clean water to drink not just for humans but also for livestock and wildlife, and provide homes for not just salmon and trout, which are the top of the food chain in them, but also frogs, snakes, bugs, plants and important microscopic life.

See our stream sites page to see what has been done at each page, as well as our links to other stream rehabilitation websites with more details on methods of stream rehabilitation.

What Are These Two Streams Like?

The Blue Jay Creek and Manitou Rivers are the two rivers which are the current focus of the Manitoulin Streams steering committee, largely because they make up three quarters of the cold water limestone streams on Manitoulin Island, a crucial spawning habitat for many trout and salmon species which are important for recreational and commercial fishing on Manitoulin and in the Lake Huron Basin as a whole. For brief profiles of these rivers and the fish found in them, visit our ecosystems and fish page. We also have an interactive map and detailed information on the completed and upcoming stream sites.