This report describes an initiative undertaken by the Nature Conservancy of Canada–Atlantic Region to strengthen freshwater conservation efforts in the Canadian portion of the Northern Appalachian–Acadian ecoregion. With the assistance of a core team of freshwater experts from both the United States and Canada, a hierarchical classification of rivers and streams was developed and mapped using five biophysical characteristics that affect the distribution of aquatic biodiversity: size, gradient, temperature, alkalinity, and tidal influence. A standardized classification was then developed for all watersheds in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and eastern Quebec, as well as for those watersheds that cross the Canadian border into Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York. The classification is seamless within and across provincial boundaries, and complements a similar classification completed for the U.S. portion of the ecoregion (Olivero and Anderson 2008)
