Education and community involvement
Public education has always been an integral part of all the Shediac Bay Watershed Association’s initiatives. Every year, the Association organizes activities meant to engage schools and the general public to adopt environmentally friendly practices. Whether it’s organizing litter cleanups, tree planting events or educational field trips, these activities aim to raise public awareness while instilling good habits.
Environmental Education for Boat Owners
Shediac Bay is popular with boaters during the summer months. There are three marinas in Shediac and Pointe-du-Chêne which together offer over 350 berths. The Shediac Bay Watershed Association (SBWA) manages several education programs targeting boat owners.
The Association has partnered with the Shediac Bay Yatch Club to assist them in obtaining the Blue Flag Certification. The SBWA provides support to organize educational activities on the Shediac Bay ecosystems. An interpretation panel on eelgrass was installed in 2019.
The SBWA is also working with the Pointe-du-Chêne Harbour Authority to develop environmental education and restoration initiatives. In 2017, an Eelgrass Interpretive Panel was installed at the picnic area near the wharf.
An education campaign was launched in 2017 using posters and brochures. This campaign educates boaters on the importance of using pumping stations to prevent discharges into the bay. Information on the location of pump-out stations in Southeastern New Brunswick was distributed to marinas, boat shops and public areas around Shediac.
The Shediac Bay Watershed Association initiated a green boating program in 2005. The objectives of this project were to conduct a survey among boaters to better understand their actual practices, and to carry out targeted outreach activities. The awareness program was deployed by organizing a hazardous waste collection for boaters.
Beach sweep
The longest standing event organized by the Shediac Bay Watershed Association is the Community Beach Cleanup. To celebrate World Oceans Day, the event is held every year in late May or the first week of June.
You and your family are invited to join the Association in helping to protect and conserve our environment by cleaning up marine litter around Shediac Bay.
Every year, volunteers help clean a wide variety washed up items, such as plastic wrappers and lids, plastic bags, coffee cups, polystyrene foam pieces and food containers, plastic utensils, discarded rope, and much more.
Our volunteers are supplied with garbage bags, gloves and an optional tracking sheet to record the type of litter collected. The event ends with a free lunch and a draw for participation prizes such as gift certificates and toys for children donated by local businesses.
School programs and activities
The Shediac Bay Watershed Association has been working to strengthen its capacity to offer a wide variety of educational presentations and activities to area schools. Our science presentations, activities and field trips are designed to complement the provincial curriculum by grade level. This is done by engaging the students with additional topics on local environmental concerns.
Our services are primarily available to the following schools:
- Monseigneur-Francois-Bourgeois,
- Shediac Cape School,
- École de Grande-Digue
- Polyvalent Louis-J-Robichaud
Here is a list of presentation topics per grade level:
Fish Friends Education Program
Fish Friends is an education program aimed at local fish populations and conservation for elementary grades managed by The Atlantic Salmon Federation and Shediac Bay Watershed Association. It provides a fun program on Atlantic salmon and Brook trout and includes an extensive curriculum guide for teachers.
Students observe and care for young Brook trout hatched from eggs and grown to fry right in the classroom before being released into our rivers. Fish Friends includes classroom activities, instructions for incubation and related activities. Each class is provided with a large aquarium and accessories, filter, cooling unit and fertilized fish eggs.
The Miramichi Salmon Conservation Centre provides eggs to schools. Students, parents, volunteers and teachers can make a field trip to release the young fish in our rivers in Shediac and Scoudouc at the end of the program.
Public presentations and workshops
Presentations and workshops are often given by the Association on a variety of topics. Subjects include water quality, water conservation using rain barrels, biodiversity programs, current or past projects and much more. The presentations are available upon request. If your group would like a presentation, feel free to contact the Association.
Workshops are announced through our mailing list and social media. Please follow our Facebook page to stay up to date on upcoming events!
Interpretation Panels
A series of interpretive panels are installed along the walking trails and elsewhere in the town of Shediac. These panels give an overview of our various projects and provide information on the different species and habitats found in our watershed.
Here is the list of panels completed so far:
The Acadian Forest
Biodiversity, essential to life
The Common Tern
Salt Marshes
Tree Swallow
Eel grass
Freshwater marshes
Rain Garden
Educational Videos
(See projects pages to view additional videos)
Education and awareness material
The watershed association publishes education and awareness material related to the work they do in the field and the funding they receive for various projects. This information is available to download as a PDF and distributed at public events, workshops and presentations.
