Loggers damage fish habitat near Mattawa

[kickingfrog]

http://www.nugget.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3431273

 

 

Loggers damage fish habitat near Mattawa

By MARIA CALABRESE The Nugget

Posted 6:30am Jan 11 2012.

 

Two loggers who caused significant damage to brook trout habitat near Mattawa owe $5,500 in fines and payment to an environmental group.

 

That's after one logger paid $8,000 through his Pembroke company Bruce G. Jones Forest Products Ltd. to remediate the damage, a North Bay court heard Tuesday.

 

Bruce Jones, 46, and Melvin Mousseau, 38, pleaded guilty to the Fisheries Act charge of doing work that damaged fish habitat by illegally depositing sediment into the water.

 

Landowners hired Jones to harvest trees at a Calvin Township lot for sale to lumber mills, and Jones subcontracted the work to Mousseau at Ottawa Valley Forest in Pembroke, court heard.

 

Little Pautois Creek runs into Pautois Creek and is habitat for brook trout, and most of the trees to be harvested were located near the water.

 

The township's road supervisor warned workers not to cross the creeks, and they failed to do that by crossing the water about 10 times a day from June to October 2010, the prosecutor said.

 

He said the work caused "significant damage" by depositing a lot of sediment into the water.

 

A similar charge against Jones' company was withdrawn.

 

They were each fined $500. Mousseau is ordered to pay $3,000 to the Greater Nipissing Stewardship Council which protects and restores fish habitat and raises awareness about natural resources.

 

Jones is ordered to pay $1,500 to the environmental group as credit for spending $8,000 to remediate the site.

 

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[Rod Caster]

now they can legally deposit their cheques at the courthouses' inbox.

 

Nice to see the Township and their employees protecting their resources.

 

Those loggers could have easily built a proper crossing for a lot less $. It's much cheaper to prevent than to remediate.