GMRC Shoreline Erosion

8/8/2019 GMRC Shoreline Erosion

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Resource Council

Gespegewaq Migmaq

Ugpiganjig Sitmug Eel River Bar Beach

Coastal ErosionAwareness


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The Gespegewaq Migmaq Resource Council, with funding from Environment Canadaput together an awareness project on coasta

erosion.

The goal of this project is to assemble informatioon coastal erosion and its impacts, and to communicate them back to the community. The coastaawareness project will seek to increase awarenes

and understanding on the process of erosion, anon the impacts of a vulnerable coastal zone.

Coastal erosion is a natural cycle of sediment motion that is caused by the combined action of thsea and climate factors. Sea-level rise, wave an

current action, and sediment deficiencies ar

the three natural drivers of coastal erosion. Thesnatural events, in addition to human development create problems related to coastal erosio

in many areas.

In Eel River Bar, this phenomenon appears to havincreased in recent years, posing a threat to livehoods and infrastructures along the coast.

In speaking with community members, we werable to gain valuable information on what thcoast represents to them. Activities of significanc

that were discussed included: eel fishing/spea

ing, clam digging, smelt fishing, sweet grass picking, swimming/diving, and many others. Many o

these activities are tied to social, cultural, economical, and environmental values and an oveall community well-being.

Many of these activities have been impacted duto the significant land and coastal changes tha

have occurred over the years.

This brochure is being provided to you to rais

awareness on the natural elements that driv

coastal erosion, and to also share the results fromour open community dialogue session. We en

courage you to inform yourself and others abouthe importance of Eel River Bars coastline.

IntroductionTable of Contents

Introduction .......................................1

Driving Force 1: ..................................2

Sensitivity to Sea-Level Rise

Driving Force 2: .................................3

Wave and Current Action

Driving Force 3: .................................4

Sediment Deficiencies

Driving Force 4: .................................4

Human Impact

Aerial Photograph: ............................5

Eel River Bar

Community Talks ...............................6

Keep our Coastlines Healthy ...........6

Resource Council

Gespegewaq Migmaq

94B Riverside EastListuguj, QC

G0C 2R0

T. 418.788.3017F. 418.788.3192

[email protected]

September 2009

prepared by:


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The map shown here, Coastal Sensitivity to Sea-Level Rise, from Natural Resource Canada, showsdegrees of sensitivity to sea-level rise to which coastlines may experience physical changes suchas flooding, erosion, beach migration, and coastal dune destabilization. Atlantic Canada is one

of two major regions classified as highly sensitive. Eel River Bar is located in an area classified as Mod-erate.

Driving Force 1: Sensitivity to Sea-Level Rise

Green: Low SensitivityYellow: Moderate Sensitivity

Red: High Sensitivity

Present day submergingareas

photo: http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca

Eel River Bar

Listuguj

Pabineau


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Waves are energy in motion. Althoughmost waves that are driven by thewind are relatively small, releasing rela-

tively gentle energy, ocean storms can build upwaves to extreme heights. When these waves

come ashore, they can produce devastatingeffects.

There are many other types of waves, includ-ing internal waves, splash waves, tsunami, tides,

and human-induced waves, which are cre-ated by energy being released from within theocean.

Energy sources coming from within the oceaninclude:

Coastallandslidesandcalvingicebergs;

Seafloormovement,whichcanchangethe shape of the ocean floor and can re-lease large amounts of energy and cre-

ateverylargewaves;

Gravitationalpull of theMoonandthe

Sun, which tugs on every part of theEarths oceans creating vast, low, highlypredictablewavescalledtides,and;

Humanactivity,suchasshipsandboats

traveling across the ocean.

Driving Force 2 Wave and Current Action

3


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The Earths coastline is constantly changing.Rock is disintegrated and decomposed,moved to lower elevations by gravity, and

carried away by water, wind, or ice. Naturalrates of coastal change vary greatly from one

place to another and depend on soil charac-teristics as well as factors such as climate, slope,

and type of vegetation.

In the past, erosion occurred at slower rates thanit does today because more of the land surfacewas covered and protected by trees, shrubs,

grasses, and other plants. However, human ac-tivities such as farming, logging, and construc-

Driving Force 3 Sediment Defciencies

Construction and development along the coast can result in a rapid deterioration of our natu-ral coastline. As landowners continue to build homes as close to the water as possible, theyare forced to install artificial structures designed to reduce shoreline erosion. Our once-natural

shoreline is becoming a mix of concrete and rock walls that impact wetlands and dunes, reduce

public access, and cause the degradation of critical wildlife habitat.

Overdeveloped shorelines reduce the ability of natural features like dunes, beaches and wet-

lands to protect against the severe storms and sea-level rise.

Homes built too close to the shore are much more susceptible to flooding and storm damage.

Concrete seawalls deflect waves causing nearby natural beaches to erode.

Natural buffers degraded by human activity lose their ability to filter contaminated runoff beforeit enters the marine environment.

Poorly functioning septic systems dump untreated water that can impact shellfish harvesting, animportant economic activity in many coastal communities.

Driving Force 4 Human Impact

tion, which remove or disrupt the natural veg-etation, have greatly accelerated the rate oferosion. Without the stabilizing effect of plants,

the soil is more easily swept away by the windor water.

The coastal region of the Eel River Bar area ismade up of various rock formations. On one of

our visits to the beach with a geologist, we not-ed the presence of pillow basalts, a rock thatis more resistant to erosion, and as we walkedtowards Charlo, we saw a gradual change to

more sedimentary rock formations, a rock that ismore prone to erosion.

Sedimentary rock formations, prone to erosionPillow Basalts, resistant to erosion


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1. Eel Fishing (spearing) - 1970s& 80s

2. Blueberry Point3. Smelt Fishing (winter) - 1970s4. Clam Beds - 1970s5. Mackerel Fishing - late 1970s6. High Tides over road7. Heavy Tides (crib boards)8. Lost swimming area9. Lost swimming/diving area

10. Sweet Grass Picking11. Future Wharf12. Place for boats13. Beach Shoreline14. Habitat/Vegitation15. Sea trout (fresh water)16. Baseball Field

Ugpiganjig Eel River Bar

Past Present

*The locations and dates of activities, wer

indicated by the community members of EeRiver Bar, during a community project-meetin

on March 05, 2009.


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GMRC had the opportunity to meet withmembers from Eel River Bar and askedthem to discuss changes theyve observed overtheir lifetimes. The response was very revealing interms of what the land truly means to the com-

munity. The preceeding page outlines just someof the activities that are of value to the com-

A healthy coast includes:

NaturalHabitats:TheAtlanticcoastsup-ports a wide variety of seabirds, shore-birds, mammals, fish and shellfish.

Natural FoodSources:Ourcoastalwet-lands and estuaries provide a rich food

source for many fish and wildlife species.

CleanWater:Wetlands are truly one ofour most valuable natural assets. They

function as the kidneys of our coastal

environment by filtering out silt, fertilizers,pesticides and other contaminants pres-ent in runoff.

Natural Protection: The extensive rootsystem and tall stems of plants trap wind-

blown particles of sand that accumulateto form the spectacular beaches com-mon to our coastline.

Community Talks

Keep our Coastlines Healthy!

munity. It is evident that we must be protective

and cautious about our land use if we want tosustain its productivity. It was a pleasure learningabout Eel River Bars rich history and its vision forthe future.

What you can do to protect your homes whilemaintaining a healthy environment:

Buildyourhomewellbackfromtheshoreand at an appropriate elevation. This willprotect it against the effects of erosionand flooding.

Maintainanaturalplantbufferalonganywatercourse by planting fruit-bearing

plants and shade trees as these providevaluable habitat for wildlife, offer a coolrefuge on hot days, and retain soil mois-

ture.

Protecting our shorelines also means keeping it healthy.


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GMRC Shoreline Erosion