The Petitcodiac River Appreciation Day

8:00 a.m.: Welcoming the Tidal Bore

The Tidal Bore is scheduled to arrive shortly after 8:00 a.m. The actual
time may vary. The NB RCMP Pipes and Drums will be waiting for it to
approach and appropriately greet its arrival as it passes. For those
interested, come see a salute from the river to us, an auspicious way to
begin our tribute to the Petitcodiac River.

8:30:  Introduction by Moderator Nelson Poirier and Greetings
from Nature Moncton President Fred Richards.      

Ginette Petitpas Taylor – MP for Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe
Mike Holland – Minister of Natural Resources, GNB

8:50:   Indigenous Blessing Ceremony – Nicole Porter, Fort Folly

The Presentations begin - Be prepared to be amazed - from
where we were, to where we are! 

9:00 - 9:30:   Yesterday to Today -- Marc Chamberlain,
Heritage Development Officer, Resurgo Moncton
A “bend’ in the Petitcodiac River where the tides allowed ships to come in
and out, and which brought people to an area which over time became a
place called Moncton.

Marc Chamberlain, Heritage Development Officer at Resurgo Moncton, will
give a presentation accentuated by various monuments scattered
downstream along the river. The novelty here is that the presentation will
move backwards in time though forward in space as he moves from one
monument to the next in the order they are presented along the river,
beginning with the Moncton 100 Monument in Bore Park, and ending with
the very first peoples to have settled along the banks of the Petitcodiac.

9:30 – 10:00:    River over Troubled Waters, Something is Going
Wrong -- Gary Griffin, Citizen Scientist

Gary Griffin was one of the first to sound the alarm, beginning in 1968
immediately after the causeway construction. DFO (Department of
Fisheries and Oceans) researcher Dr. Paul Elson had researched the river
closely for 20+ years until 1966, so the preconstruction status of the river
was well known. In 1968, Gary monitored the fishway designed to let fish
pass upstream, and immediately found dead salmon in the mud pools
below the new structure due to currents that prevented them from finding
the fishway. Gary will review the state of the famed Atlantic Salmon and
other species before causeway construction, and his findings after
construction in 1968.
 
  
 10:00 – 10:15:   COFFEE BREAK (coffee, tea, and water are
complimentary) 

SILENT AUCTION opens (West room)

10:15 – 10:45: The River Restoration Campaign -- Daniel LeBlanc

As the founding Petitcodiac Riverkeeper, Daniel LeBlanc directed the epic
campaign that triggered the project to restore the mighty Petitcodiac in
2008, putting an end to one of Canada’s longest environmental battles. 
His presentation will include highlights of this campaign at the leading edge
of environmental law enforcement and environmental communications. The
river and the community owe Daniel LeBlanc significant gratitude for his
skillful leadership efforts. Daniel has also had a long-lasting passion for
resurrecting the tidal bore as a world-class attraction for sport and surfing
and will briefly mention that aspect of the restoration.
 

10:45 – 11:15:   In Celebration of the Petitcodiac River from a Bay of
Fundy Tidal Perspective -- Paul Gaudet, Manager of Interpretive
Services, Hopewell Rocks Tidal Exploration Site.

Whereas the Bay of Fundy and the Petitcodiac River are inexorably
connected, Paul will speak from the perspective of how tides work and why
they are so high in the Bay of Fundy. He will mention some of the nuances
and quirks as a result of the Bay having the highest tides in the world and
will bring life to his comments with photographs, videos and some audience
participation.

11:15 – 11:45: Strategic Bridge Engineering - Planning to let the
River run Free -- Mike Pauley, Senior Engineer, NB Department
of Transportation and Infrastructure

Michael Pauley P.Eng., PMP. is a Civil Engineer and is employed with the
New Brunswick Department of Transportation and Infrastructure.  He is the
Assistant Director of Operations/ Project Manager - P3’s as well as the

New Brunswick Highway Corporation Provincial Advisor. He has over 27
years of Project Management experience in both Buildings and
Transportation and specializes in Alternative Service Delivery projects such
as this project.

Mike has been directly and intimately involved in the planning and
execution of the Petitcodiac Causeway Project which has come to be
described as one of the world’s largest and complex river restoration
projects. Today, Mike will provide an update on the project and discuss
some of the exciting work that was completed in 2021, including the
redirection of the Petitcodiac River to its new channel under the new
bridge, and what we can expect to see in the future.

11:45 – 12:30:    LUNCH BREAK (coffee, tea, water are complimentary)
 
SILENT AUCTION continues (West room)
 
12:30 – Greetings from City of Moncton Mayor. Dawn Arnold

12:35 – 1:15: Fort Folly Habitat Recovery -- Tim Robinson, Manager
FFHR and Edmund Redfield, Field Technician, FFHR

One of the main factors driving the decision to open the causeway gates
and eventually replace part of the structure with a bridge was the desire to
restore free passage to the Petitcodiac River’s native community of co-
evolved migratory fish. These included endangered Inner Bay of Fundy
Atlantic Salmon, species at risk such as Striped Bass and American Eels,
and other fish species less well known that are equally dependent upon the
free movement between freshwater and the marine environment to
successfully complete their lifecycle. Once this barrier was opened in 2010,
habitat within the Petitcodiac watershed was eligible to become part of an
expansion of wider management and recovery efforts for these species
within the inner Bay of Fundy. Ten years later, Fort Folly Habitat Recovery
is providing an overview of what has been done, what the results have
been, and what is planned going forward to further promote recovery of the
river and the species it is home to.

1:15 – 1:45: A Clean River -- Kevin Rice, General Manager,
TransAqua

Kevin Rice is responsible for TransAqua (The Greater Moncton
Wastewater Commission) and its multi-million-dollar transformation from a
Primary Chemically Enhanced wastewater treatment process to a
Secondary Biological wastewater treatment process, enabling it to reduce
the amount of Total Suspended Solids by 50% and Carbonaceous
Biological Oxygen Demand by 75% by meeting federal regulations by the
end of 2020. The $90.4 Million Upgrade and Modernization Project is
significantly reducing the amount of solids and increasing the oxygen levels
in TransAqua's effluent entering the Petitcodiac River, increasing the
opportunity for aquatic life to flourish. TransAqua's new Ultraviolet
Disinfection process will remove harmful pathogens to where the effluent is
expected to meet the Canadian Recreational Water Quality Guidelines.
                            
1:45 – 2:00: COFFEE BREAK (coffee, tea, water are complimentary)

SILENT AUCTION finishes at 2:00 (West room)

All bids will be collected.

2:00 – 2:30: Trails, Trails, Trails -- Marc Leger, Regional Trails

Coordinator Plan 360

Recreation outdoors and connecting with nature are increasingly
prescribed as ways to improve individual health and well-being but the
question remains… how can we make it easier for people to be active
outside? More and more, trails are becoming valued infrastructure that can
facilitate these activities and improve the quality of life in our region. Here in
Southeast NB, we have endless opportunities to create incredible trails and
experiences that will enable people to connect with nature, be healthier,
and better understand the rich history of our area. This approach has made
the Petitcodiac River and its tributaries an ideal site for the creation of a
trail system that will let us all better appreciate what we really have around
us.

2:30 – 3:00: Keeping it healthy – Taking the pulse of the Petitcodiac
River – The Petitcodiac Watershed Alliance -- Dr. Alyre Chiasson,
Professor Emeritus, Université de Moncton.

From an early focus on water quality in the early 1990s, the Petitcodiac
Watershed Alliance currently pursues the broader mandate of watershed
health and stewardship.  Science based, the group has undertaken actions
not only of benefit to aquatic organisms within the river but also to
inhabitants of the riparian zone, such as painted turtles. Active in schools
and in community events the group strives to educate all on the vital
importance of the river in our lives and for the generations to follow. A brief
historical overview of the group will be presented as well as the challenges
we face in the current and immediate future.
 
 
3:00 p.m.: Wind up and concluding remarks – Nature Moncton
Silent auction - successful bids posted; auction items
to be paid and collected.

Grand Prize Draw awarded.