Project Leader: Olisaemeka Kelvin Ndubuisi
Community of Practice
The AERF project has successfully engaged people in green spaces, including community members, landowners, schools, and other stakeholders through training sessions, land surveys, public meetings, and outreach events. Over the past three years, the AERF project has met its deliverables by consistently engaging with the public through education and word of mouth. The objective is to involve the community in the project and share knowledge about properties experiencing erosion and in need of restoration.
Geomorphology training
The Petitcodiac Watershed Alliance (PWA) hosted two training sessions to teach the public and other organizations how to conduct Rapid Geomorphology Assessments and Rapid Stream Assessment Techniques. These surveys help participants detect early signs of erosion and better understand river processes.
One of the trainings was a Refresher for the 2024 Discovering and Understanding the River Corridor Through Data Collection and Interpretation course. This course was organized by the Petitcodiac Watershed Alliance (PWA) and delivered by Mike Betts from 5R Environmental Consulting Inc. This was the second consecutive year this training has been offered to watershed organizations.
The other training was the Discovering and Understanding the River Corridor Through Data Collection and Interpretation course, also organized by the Petitcodiac Watershed Alliance (PWA) and delivered by Mike Betts from 5R Environmental Consulting Inc. This course was held for four days and included two sessions each day one classroom session and one field session to provide attendees with both theoretical and practical knowledge of geomorphology practices.
Online forum
Towards the end of 2025, we held an online Community of Practice forum with attendees from the Discovering and Understanding the River Corridor Through Data Collection and Interpretation training. The main purpose of this meeting was to gather feedback on the training held in July 2025 so we could improve our practices and address any concerns that may have arisen. This was a successful meeting, as attendees shared that they had applied the training during their field season.
Block part and Boat show
The Petitcodiac Watershed Alliance (PWA) participates annually in the City of Riverview and Salisbury block parties and the Boat Show. At these events, we communicate project updates to participants and encourage landowners with eroded properties to sign up for further assessment on how we can help mitigate erosion issues.
Landowner
We visited three different sites that were on our radar for potential erosion surveys and restoration. The landowners were very collaborative throughout every step of coordinating the site visits. Out of the three sites, one new site was selected to be surveyed and restored in the next fiscal year.
Figure – Photo of PWA staff and DFO staff at a visit of restoration site 1 & 2
We also had an eventful site visit with DFO employees, where we showcased a newly restored property. We walked around the site to explain the restoration design and inspect how the structures were performing. We discussed the reasoning behind the choice of plants installed around the structures, which were selected to provide reinforcement and help stabilize the banks. The plant species used at the restoration sites included silver maple, highbush cranberry, and eastern white pine. These species are known for their long root systems, which are effective for bank restoration.
Public meeting
Our public meeting will be held on March 18th , 2026, at the John Howard Society of Southeastern New Brunswick Inc. Community Hub, located at 140 Joyce Avenue, Moncton, New Brunswick. We invite everyone to participate. Refreshments will be provided, and there will be many interesting topics to discuss. The main purpose of this meeting is to share project updates and gather public input on our practices and future restoration areas.
In conclusion
The 2025–2026 year was filled with continuous engagement with the public, municipalities, and stakeholders. We would like to thank the public for their support and ongoing efforts to spread awareness about improving the functionality of rivers in the Petitcodiac region. This initiative would not be possible without collaboration and shared commitment to protecting species at risk by reducing erosion in our region.