Northern Interior/North Coast Roundtable Report February 2008
Submitted by Jan Lemon.
The following is a summary of the various groups and what they are doing in our area.
1) Kitimat Valley Naturalist Club
Contact: Dennis Horwood
250-632-2004
Eelgrass mapping project in the Douglas Channel. Includes an Eelgrass transplant (restoration) experiment at the Alcan Beach. They are presently embarking on a bridge project that will restore and protect habitat in a local stream that is heavily impacted by vehicle traffic. This bridge project now includes help from Alcan. The design should be completed by the spring of 2008.
2) Kitimat Shorekeepers Club
Haisla group - monitoring shoreline ecosystems in conjunction with WWF.
3) Kitimat Rod and Gun Club
Contact: Albert Hummel
250-632-3555
Fish access surveys at various stream crossings along old logging roads in the Lower Kitimat Valley. Plan to restore fish passage by deactivating problem crossings. Project has attracted interest from the MOF Conservation and Enforcement program. Plan to have a meeting to discuss partnerships for expanding the project with MOF and the CO service.
4) Northwest Watershed Society
Contact: Brenda Ramsey
250-638-8436
Streamkeepers group working on small-scale coho enhancement at Eby Street Hatchery. Also promotes public education and stewardship. Has 17 K Zymachord coho eggs on hand. Does a guided hatchery tour
5) Lakelse Watershed Society
Contact: Ian Maxwell
250-798-9500
Our primary stewardship group in Terrace and key stakeholder in the Lakelse Sockeye Recovery Plan. Successful in collecting sockeye eggs and transporting them to Snootle Hatchery where they are raised and returned to the Lakelse system. The Lakelse Watershed Society is very active with volunteer contribution to a Ministry of Environment Sediment monitoring study on the four main tributaries to Lakelse Lake (Williams, Furlong, Hatchery and Schulbuckhand Creeks. This is a $83,000 project aimed at providing baseline data on sediment entering the lake and has had tentative approval for extending data collection into 2009.
On November 7, 2007, they received notice of 4 proposed logging cut blocks in the Furlong, Hatchery and Schulbuckhand Creek drainages. This is at serious odds with the sediment study as well as being a serious threat to the few remaining sockeye of four mall creeks in the vicinity. The Lakelse Sockeye Recovery Plan front page lists Ministry of Forests as "partners" but there has been no timber harvesting discussion at the recovery plan table. They have since written letters to the Prime Minister, the Premier of BC, the Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans (with copy to Don Lowen, SEHAB), the local Forestry District Manager and Prince Rupert Fisheries and Oceans personnel. Having volunteered thousands of hours on the plight of Lakelse sockeye each year since 2001, they see little point in continuing with their volunteering without effective and encompassing Federal/Provincial/ First Nations watershed management in place.
6) Prince Rupert Salmonid Enhancement Society Contact: Steven Leask 250-624-6733
Oldfield and Kloyia Creek Hatcheries - public involvement project enhancing coho, chinook and chum in Oldfield and Kloyia Creeks. This project provides the venue for the Prince Rupert Salmonids in the Classroom Program. Facility upgrades and hatchery revitalization is nearly complete. 12K Chinook and 30K Diana/Oldfield coho eggs on hand. Also working towards habitat improvement projects on Oldfield Creek. Public trails are being refurbished with new crossings.
7) Oona River Resources Association Contact: Jan Lemon Hatchery #250-628-3241
Small-scale enhancement of Area 5 chum, Oona River coho and Spiller River coho. They also assist with spawner surveys in various streams. This group is linked with the North West Community College ACE programme and host a three-day college field lab every fall. Continuing chum enhancement on the Kumeleon River funded by the Northern Fund (PSC). They have 17K chum eggs on hand. 5K coho eggs were taken from Oona River system for their public awareness and education programme: Hatchery tours are available year round and the local fish lodge brings groups through every week during their summer charter business. Upgrades to the hatchery’s water quality by installation of a settling tank and UV filter is nearly complete. Promoting stewardship through public education and the venue for our Salmonids in the Classroom Program in Terrace. We are working with Chris to build an interpretive educational center at the hatchery.
8) Bear River Enhancement Society Contact: Frank Kamermans 250 636-2344
Stewardship group in Stewart. Working on small scale local Public Involvement Projects. Last fall they did Great Canadian Shoreline Clean-up with students from the
local school. There are plans to regroup this organization and they will continue the annual community estuary clean-ups
9) Dutch Valley Community Group
Presently developing a fish habitat restoration project on a small, unnamed tributary of Spring Creek. This project has been on-hold for the last year and is still on hold!
10) Terrace Rotary Club.
They started a volunteer river clean-up from Terrace to tidewater, on or around Rivers Day each year in September. Sept 2007 was the first annual event. It involves volunteers from Rotary and DFO using their boats to roam the river for left over junk the summer fishing crowd leaves behind. Very worthwhile project. 11) World Wildlife Fund
Contact: Jennifer Rice, James Casey
250 624-3705
Shorekeepers and public education - outreach and stream/estuary clean-ups 12) Greater Terrace Beautification Society
Contact: Sam Buckanan
250-638-0498
Howe Creek trail and habitat improvement projects.
13) Terrace Salmonid Enhancement Society (Stock Assessment) Deep Creek
Hatchery
Contact: Chris Culp
250-635-3471
Kalum River chinook enhancement and CWT program with StAD. Participates in Terrace SIC program. Developing an interpretive area for public education. Participant in Lakelse Sockeye Recovery Program.
14) Gitanyow/Kitwanga Sockeye / Coho Enhancement
Mark Cleveland
250-849-5246
Have 45 volunteers including school children. Kitwanga River sockeye enhancement and habitat restoration. Proposal to construct a smolt fence in 2008 Initiated 1985. Enhancement, assessment and education at Kitwanga Lake.
Our area has two Community Economic Development Projects (CEDP) at Hartley Bay and Kincolith. These projects build community capacity while enhancing fish, promoting public education and restoring fish habitat.
Kincolith Hatchery (CEDP)
Contact: Blair Stewart
250-633-2617
Presently have 70 K Chinook eggs on hand. Working towards elevating access road power line. Recently completed construction of a new access bridge. PSC proposal submitted to reconstruct the gravity feed water supply. No chum brood taken in 2007 due to poor escapement Initiated 1978. Hatchery and fence operation on Kincolith River -- Species Chinook & chum. The crossing structure (over the Kincolith River side channel) on the hatchery access road was replaced in 2007. The MOT donated a large Bailey bridge last summer (thanks to Don Hjorth). I should note, this project has partners from DFO, Nisga'a Fisheries, LGL and the local village government.
Hartley Bay (CEDP)
Contact: Danny Danes
250-841-2558
Presently have 450 K coho eggs on hand with 30 K smolts. Working towards internet access at hatchery and shed reconstruction (initiated 1979). Hatchery, rearing, stocking and smolt release on Hartley bay Creek, Whalen, Red Bluff, Angler Cove and Upper Hartley Bay lakes.
Of Note: (DFO North Coast CA's) are working together with volunteer groups to develop a Regional Roundtable.