TO: SEHAB

FROM: Rob Bell-Irving; Community Advisor; DFO/OHEB

Sea to Sky Corridor

RE: - Community Advisor Area – Outline

June 2009

October 1999 – present

Starting O&M Budget - $48K (1999) – peak (2005) $56K – Current (since 2007) - $46.5K

Technical Support – Veronica Woodruff – half-time Position - $26K annually;

Covers Whistler to Anderson Lake; Education Coordinator

Activities & Stewardship Coordination

1. West Vancouver – 3 main Groups: - West Van Streamkeepers; from which grew, North Shore Wetland Partners & West Van Shoreline Preservation Society (Oceans Stewardship Group) – PIP Hatchery at Nelson creek; North Shore Coho Festival – Education Coordinator, Bev Bowler – good Municipal Environmental Supervisor Stephen Jenkins & relationship generally. Sewells Marina, Capilano Golf Course, UBC – DFO Aquaculture Research Centre (West Van Lab), Capilano Hatchery. Groups also involved in storm drain marking, high-school education (the EPN Environmental Protection Network Student Group at West Van High) – some Watershed Planning (Cypress, Nelson); habitat restoration; challenge of baffles, ladders, concrete fumes; Munc Adopt a Baffle; Lawson creek salmon rescue; EPN students involved in stream assessments & Rivers Day/Adopt Fish Events, oceans education, kelp planting; forage fish & smelt; Wetland Keeper Workshops
2. Bowen Island – Bowen Island Fish & Wildlife Stewardship Group – Hatchery in Metro Vanc Park (Terminal creek – Grafton Lake Watershed); very active – lots of Streamkeeping, training, watershed planning, education, local government liaison – innovative water recycle/flow augmentation project; lots of positive interaction with BIM & Metro Van. Lots of habitat restoration. High Bowen public profile, now expanding their work to other watershed areas on Bowen
3. Lions Bay – Britannia Beach – some Stewardship PIP Group activity several years ago, but now mainly individuals. Great steward in Furry creek – but severe habitat issues in Furry creek, & highway generally.
4. Squamish – a number of Groups – Squamish River Watershed Society (mainly manages PSF Salmon Recovery Plan, & much funding; some local government liaison) – Squamish Streamkeepers (extremely active; in fresh & saltwater, herring, counting fences, habitat restoration, habitat issues, adult salmon counts, assist Bowen & West Van with chum & coho egg-takes at Tenderfoot, etc.) – NVOS (international standard setting ecological education, hatchery, spawning channels) – Squamish Environmental Conservation Society (includes bird watchers, invasive species, political activism, diverse ecological activity, Squamish’s oldest ecological group) – Squamish – Lillooet Sports Fish Advisory Board (covers Squamish to Pemberton, includes First Nations Reps from Mt. Currie & Squamish, Whistler Guides, some habitat work, wheelchair fishing access, political activism, 2005 spill, etc.) – very little cooperation with local government; many habitat issues – Tenderfoot Hatchery – Squamish Terminals net-pens – steelhead – 2005 CN spill – 2006 Estuary oil spill – numerous highways related fish kills & sedimentation, etc. - DFO Restoration very active here on development compensation (Ashlu) & Recovery Plan funded opportunities – IPP’s – Ashlu. Some good new field education provided by myself & Salmon Recovery plan – though problems getting consistent education funding for it. PSF reluctant to fund more than once, including with Recovery Plan funding for education. No other funding entity able to pick up such activities once started.
5. Whistler – Whistler Fisheries Stewardship Group – inconsistent participation – Whistler Guides – many habitat issues – Hydrogen Wetland filling – 2010 – have had PIP funds in past, but not likely in future – discouraged public participation with previously popular activities, volunteering dropped off after that – could rejuvenate at any time; have done Rivers Day 3 years in a row
6. Pemberton – Birkenhead Hatchery shut down Spring 2004 – Stewardship Pemberton (amalgamation of some local groups) – Pemberton Wildlife Assoc (Hugh Naylor; formerly, most active group) – Mt Currie First Nations (very good fish techs, more traditional First Nations); urgently need a Pemberton Ecological Interpretive Centre (very little support from Fraser Basin funding, or anywhere else except Village of Pemberton, & one Whistler based funder) – Upper Birkenhead Watershed Stewardship Group – a good little group situated mainly at Birkenhead Lake/Tallifer creek. Mt. Currie & N’quatqua (D’Arcy/Anderson Lake) used to have PIP’s, but had to cut – they have other DFO funding sources, but still, the PIP’s represented about 6 years of positive partnership building. Some good agricultural stewardship taking place – Veronica doing an excellent job of leading & creating Stewardship in this area. This is probably most important ecological section of my area, with most to lose & most to protect. Could lose it by default – there is still time to try to plan & manage development here, rather than just duplicating other lower Fraser – lower mainland results & impacts. Same with Gates creek – Anderson Lake area.
7. D’Arcy/Anderson Lake – no established Stewardship Groups – have met with Anderson Lake Rate Payers Assoc – some small local habitat restoration work, a few habitat issues – good relationship with Gates Creek Spawning Channel – N’quat’qua First Nations (good fish techs) – certainly potential – very small local population.

Education – Bev Bowler is Education Coordinator for West Van; & assists with Squamish – D’Arcy. I am the Education Coordinator person for Squamish – Veronica Woodruff (my Tech Support) for Whistler to D’Arcy. In her area, they have to catch their own coho pair in the wild, incubate somehow to get eggs for schools in that area, greatly impaired by no Interpretive Centre or small hatchery site. Usually, this egg gathering is done courtesy of volunteers, on several occasions, a volunteer even incubated the eggs in his basement. Not very satisfactory support from DFO or MOE in this regard. NVOS education site. EPN. Salmon Recovery Plan Education & DG Blair-Whitehead in Squamish & on Bowen – my oceans & marine education project.

Habitat Restoration – excellent Team – Matt Foy & Harold Beardmore. Not having much of a budget themselves, & mainly only one Tech (former Area CA Sam Gidora) – they tend to rely heavily on availability of outside money – compensation, recovery plans, PSF funded habitat projects, etc. – so, tend to go where most of this potential might be. In recent years, mainly in Squamish – but they do get to Bowen, West Van, & Pemberton, from time to time.

Habitat Protection – 3 C&P Officers at Squamish Field Office – also have to cover Howe Sound saltwater, & freshwater, up to & including Lillooet/Birkenhead watershed. For long periods – no Habitat Technician/Biologist at all in my entire area – currently being staffed by 3 month contract Habitat person – Dave Nanson was here for a few years, a few days a week, but returned to DFO South Coast. One DFO Staff person handles all IPP’s, from Hope up to Anderson Lake (scores in Lillooet watershed alone). Good MOE CO’s, & Watershed Ecosystem Specialist, but now have one truck between all Parks, CO’s, bio’s, etc. Staff at Local Alice Lake Office (13 people), & serious budget issues. Two Annacis Is. DFO Staff tend to cover foreshore issues, from West Van – Bowen – Howe Sound – Squamish.

Most Common Concerns – Habitat protection & related habitat damage issues by far, nothing else even close; from West Van to Pemberton. Really extreme from north of West Van to Whistler; including salt water. Very significant in Pemberton, where there’s still lots of productive natural habitat remaining, to potentially lose. & very aggressive in West Van (Eagleridge incident etc.), but have good relationship with Munc Env Supervisor.

In Pemberton area specifically – very serious & persistent complaint of lack of MOE & DFO presence, funding, local involvement – great disappointment in Fraser Basin funding in regards to the establishment of an Interpretive Centre when Birkenhead hatchery closed down.

Consistent Application of National Habitat Management Policy – in regards to applications when necessary, of compensation, mitigation. Public perceptions of often “small” habitat issues, & relatively small fishing violations, receiving quite strong responses – but large habitat impacting developments, not being treated as aggressively. A few serious, & high public profile & witnessed & reported issues, of development being permitted, even in immediate vicinity of spawning fish. Concerns of habitat violations not being taken to court etc. The Sea to Sky corridor south of Pemberton, is a very narrow valley with limited habitat as it is – Pemberton – D’Arcy, not hat much wider.

Inadequate support to address growing public interest in marine-oceans orientated education, & habitat restoration – eel-grass, kelp, herring habitat, forage fish, etc.

Apparently – no 2010 or highway development related “Environmental Legacy Funding” – or anything like that. I’d have to say, that many of us in DFO were surprised at this too, I thought something might have been forthcoming right away as a high priority issue – but there’s been nothing at all. & so many opportunities to have built highly publicly visible spawning channels etc.; which would have been clearly evident to international

visitors.

Extreme concern about local steelhead – no steelhead enhancement to counteract declines & concern expressed about Georgia Strait Basin – Lower Fraser watershed based steelhead stocks generally. Some local sportsfishing suggestions, that being anadramous – maybe DFO SEP should take over steelhead & other anadramous trout management.

Ecological concerns are becoming more diverse – mainly concerning massive increases in ATV’s, dirt bikes, snow mobiles, sea’doos mechanised recreation & its impacts on habitat, elk, other animals. Invasive plant species is a big concern. & in Squamish for some reason, fish farming, though we have no farms here. Alexandra Morton herself, was brought by local groups to Squamish to speak. IPP’s are also a very big local concern – again, very much so in Squamish.

Challenges relating to Storm Drain marking etc., & related education projects – just due to sheer volume & demand created by massive development, & growing, huge population. Some Groups like the WVS in West Van, have included storm drain marking in their volunteer activities, with several schools very well – but a real challenge to deliver broadly. Development even in Squamish, might create 20 or 30 new applicable storm drains to potentially mark annually – or more. Where are they all? Who has time to assess all that?

Public perceived decreasing support from, & for, MOE staff, including CO’s – who are generally, highly regarded, & are very much respected locally – this is a common Squamish – Pemberton – Anderson Lake/Gates creek concern. People are very concerned about staffing levels & budgets for Prov MOE.