Cougar Canyon hike in North Delta today. Great to check out Cougar Creek with canyon expert David Smith. I enjoy seeing other creeks and what other streamkeepers and stewards are up to. Thanks!
Also thanks to Deborah Jones of the Cougar Creek Streamkeepers for organizing!
North Delta is a leader in rain gardens in the lower mainland of BC.
As part of the City of Burnaby’s Environment Week activities, the City, Byrne Creek Streamkeepers, and the Lower Mainland Green Team collaborated on pulling invasive English Ivy from the ravine. Thanks to all the volunteers!
Streamkeeper volunteers setting up our information booth
Thanks to the Lower Mainland Green Team for providing lots of gear and supervision!
Our 3D maps of the lower mainland, and of the Byrne Creek watershed, were great hits. Made by hand by streamkeeper volunteers!
I love hands-on outdoor events!
Volunteers heading down into the ravine near the playground at Ron McLean Park in SE Burnaby, BC
The pile of ivy grows. . .
Thanking the volunteers
Yumi found this ancient stubbie that was still capped and had liquid in it, but we were afraid to open it 😉
Here’s my Flickr photo album from the SEP 2019 BC-wide streamkeeper workshop in Nanaimo last weekend.
Last weekend I attended the 2019 SEP Workshop in Nanaimo, BC. It’s held every two years, and offers a cornucopia of sessions ranging from fish biology to public advocacy. Thanks to all the volunteers, Pacific Streamkeepers Federation and DFO Salmonid Enhancement Program who made it a huge success!
I stayed at Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park and enjoyed early and late walks on the beach.
Here’s a sunrise teaser from a few days ago with more to come as I get caught up on real life : – ).
UPDATE June 5: OK, here’s a whack more photos from Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park:
On our morning walk today we spotted salmonid fry of at least two species/sizes, and Yumi also came across a bunch of caddisly larvae.
A mess of caddisfly larvae. Cool!
I love how they build homes for themselves out of bits of woody debris and tiny stones.
Yumi also spotted this dead raptor. Unfortunately it was across a deep pool from us so we couldn’t reach it for closer inspection. It’s not too often that you come across sights like this, for nature’s cleanup crews are fast and efficient.
Been hearing Barred Owls along Byrne Creek on our last several walks, and today we saw one.
Max 40X optical zoom on my little pocket Canon SX730H at ISO 800, which is about as high as you can push the wee sensor before you seriously start losing definition.
Barred Owls have been nesting in the ravine park, so please give them their space, minimize observation time, and don’t make them uncomfortable.
Yumi spotted what she thought were coho fry in Byrne Creek in SE Burnaby last Saturday, and today I got a few semi-decent shots confirming that yes, we have coho babies! Yay!
This is so uplifting to know that coho spawned successfully in the creek last autumn, and now fry are hatching out.
Pics aren’t that great, but you can see the distinct black and white edges on the anal fin.
Spotted this wee Brown Creeper on Brown Creek in Port Coquitlam while doing a planting/restoration project with the Stream of Dreams Murals Society and Echo Ecological.
Had a blast in the snow with an eco group from a local elementary school today. Great fun walking down to Byrne Creek, chatting about nature, salmon, and streamkeeping. Great bunch of kids!
Just got home from three days of SEHAB (Salmon Enhancement & Habitat Advisory Board) meetings.
We had several excellent presentations from both federal and provincial staff, and a renewed sense of optimism that DFO and the province are making progress toward working together to build momentum on some longstanding fish and habitat issues.
It was also great to hear from SEHAB members from across BC who represent their DFO Community Advisors’ geographical areas, and collate reports from stewardship groups to take to DFO Regional Headquarters in Vancouver.
SEHAB is an amazing crew with a wealth of knowledge and experience, and it’s been a privilege and a huge learning experience being on the board.
I’m exhausted, but it’s a satisfying exhaustion 
.
Ya gotta eat, and a lot of discussion and knowledge sharing continues over meals