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Biologists Alan and Robena Weatherley have worked with the Canaan-Washademoak Watersheds Association (CWWA) since its inception in 2002. The two were involved in forming the group, which is an alliance of the Washademoak Environmentalists and the Canaan River Fish and Game Association. The groups joined forces in order to address the damage caused by shoreline developments.

In 2009, the province of New Brunswick recognized Robena’s efforts to protect the watershed by awarding her a Lifetime Achievement Award for Environmental Leadership. The Canaan-Washademoak Watershed Association also received the Environmental Achievement Award in the category of Communities, Groups and Organizations.

The Weatherleys live in Cambridge-Narrows in the house where Robena was born. “As a child I spent my time on the shore and the water was clear. You could see the fish, and you could see your feet as you were wading out, and now that is not necessarily so,” says Robena. “At the cove where our cabin is, we used to be able to swim in [the water]. There was a little vegetation in one side. Now the whole thing is filled in, and this is a result of the siltation. Over a lifetime you see many changes. A lot of people look at it and say ‘oh, the water--it's good and everything's fine.’ Well, it’s not fine.”

The soil is very erodible and whenever it is disturbed there is silt runoff. There have been issues with forest harvesting practices. Much of the damage to the shoreline has also been caused by aggressive residential developments. “People want to make their little paradise here, but they create an urban look,” says Robena. “They want a lawn that goes to the water’s edge. They come because they like the look of [the area] and then they set about changing it. We don't understand that very well.”

The Weatherleys note that the province has not provided an adequate level of protection against these developments and suggest that even a few examples of strong regulations enforcement for the most egregious examples would provide a sufficient deterrent to continued destruction of the shoreline. As things stand, even in rare cases where developers have been fined, the fines have been so slight that these are simply thought of as a cost of doing business.

The CWWA has made gains by raising awareness of shoreline issues with the general public. The group’s educational efforts have included giving school presentations and taking students on field trips; organizing public meetings and presentations by expert speakers; and producing information booklets. CWWA volunteers have undertaken scientific studies of the watershed in order to develop a clear picture of how the area’s ecology has been affected over the years, and have also been involved with shoreline restoration projects. “The Cambridge-Narrows village council is concerned about the natural resources of the area as reflected in their rural plan, and the fact that they have purchased a prominent shoreline property in the village which is being developed as a conservation park. Representatives of CWWA have been invited with other citizens to help in these endeavours. This feels like progress to us,” says Robena.

On a broader level, Alan and Robena note that public opinion on environmental issues is seldom matched by public action. “If in fact the environment was truly as important to people as often comes out in public opinion polls, then our politicians wouldn’t be so neglectful. They couldn’t be! They’d have to listen to their constituents otherwise there would be the threat of losing an election. [The environment] is a fashionable issue but environmentalism as a whole has a desperate need to toughen up attitudes in a broad-based way so that we will get politicians to listen,” says Alan.

“I think there’s very much a them and us view: people look out and say ‘Tut, tut! How sad!’ but in fact they should be saying ‘That’s ours!’ We’ve got to have a say. We’ve got to prevent people from destroying the environment--not that we want to go to war, but on the other hand its something that has to be struggled over.”

Sometimes the public does get it right though. The Weatherleys point to the strong public opposition to uranium exploration as one example of successful mobilization. “The immediacy and speed with which an environment could be mortally damaged was apparent to enough people that they were able to get really mad. That’s the difference,” says Alan.

“The whole area here was festooned with blue ribbons. All of this area has been staked,” says Robena. “It's alarming, and I don’t for one minute think that it’s gone away. They’re doing it electronically now. They’re not out on foot, but you know very well that the land has been staked.”

For more information about the Canaan-Washademoak Watersheds Association, visit www.unb.ca/enviro/cwwa/about.html or e-mail weatherl[at]nbnet.nb.ca.