NR&R is contributing hydrogeological expertise to a wetland project on Brier Island.

Eastern mountain avens, or Geum peckii, was first identified in the Big Meadow Bog wetland complex on Brier Island, Nova Scotia in 1949. Eastern mountain avens is one of the most globally rare plants occurring in Atlantic Canada. Although the populations of this plant have persisted in Big Meadow Bog there is concern that agricultural ditching of the bog that took place in the 1950s will ultimately result in the peatland transitioning to a drier, terrestrial environment, which may threaten the long-term survivability of the plant.

As part of the recovery strategy, the Hydrogeology program, along with a number of partners, have contributed to the understanding of the current hydrology of Big Meadow Bog. The objective of the work was to characterize the hydrologic change and baseline conditions of the bog towards the proposed evaluation of options to stabilize or restore the peatland, and limit the threat of habitat degradation for this rare plant.

The following reports by the Hydrogeology program are available for the project:

• Preliminary Results of Baseline Hydrological Monitoring at Big Meadow Bog, Brier Island (2013)
• 2014 Update on Baseline Hydrological Monitoring at Big Meadow Bog, Brier Island