OK, cat, I’m up.
Headache, congestion, ache all over… so slept in a few hours.
Survived repeated rounds of nose-to-nose sniffing, ear meowing, and body walking, but literally biting the hand that feeds her finally got me out of bed.
Mission accomplished, she is now happily curled up in the guest chair in my office. Sigh.
And the stars aligning as they are, giggling in gleeful madness, I am scheduled for my flu shot today.
I went on a creek patrol on Byrne Creek in SE Burnaby, BC, over lunch today despite the rain, hoping to see salmon.
Spawners should be returning any day now, and I hope the rain sparks some movement. If flows are low, fish will wait for rain to make their way up smaller creeks like Byrne.
As a long-time streamkeeper volunteer, I look forward to positive change on fisheries and environmental files under the new government. The following is what was in the Liberal platform in regard to “water.” It will take time for change to happen, but the stewardship community will be keeping a close eye on the implementation of these promises.
We will protect our freshwater and oceans.
Canada is uniquely blessed with an abundance of freshwater, and marine and coastal areas that are not only ecologically diverse, but also economically significant: our ocean-based industries contribute nearly $40 billion each year to the Canadian economy.
To protect these valuable natural resources, we will deliver more robust and credible environmental assessments for all projects that could impact our freshwater and oceans.
Freshwater
We will treat our freshwater as a precious resource that deserves protection and careful stewardship. We will work with other orders of government to protect Canada’s freshwater using education, geo-mapping, watershed protection, and investments in the best wastewater treatment technologies.To protect our freshwater ecosystems, we will renew our commitment to protect the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River Basin, and the Lake Winnipeg Basin. We will also act on the recommendations of the Cohen Commission on restoring sockeye salmon stocks in the Fraser River.
To aid in making the best possible decisions, we will restore $1.5 million in annual federal funding for freshwater research – a program that was cut by the Conservatives – and make new investments in Canada’s world-leading IISD Experimental Lakes Area.
Oceans
Stephen Harper’s failure to meet our international commitments to protect marine and coastal areas puts these areas and our international reputation at risk.We will make up for Conservative inaction and increase the amount of Canada’s marine and coastal areas that are protected – to five percent by 2017, and ten percent by 2020. To help achieve this, we will invest $8 million per year in community consultation and science.
We will also directly invest in ocean science. Stephen Harper cut $40 million from the federal ocean science and monitoring programs. We will restore that funding so that we can protect the health of our fish stocks, monitor contaminants and pollution in our oceans, and support responsible and sustainable aquaculture industries on our coasts.
We will use scientific evidence and the precautionary principle, and take into account climate change, when making decisions affecting fish stocks and ecosystem management.
And we will do a better job of co-managing our oceans, by working with the provinces, territories, Indigenous Peoples, and other stakeholders. Together, we will develop plans that make the best use of our marine resources and give coastal communities more say in managing the resources around them.
Squeezed in a couple of days off with Yumi and we camped for two nights at Deception Pass State Park on Whidbey Island in Washington State. We love it there, and try to get down at least once a year.
Here are some photos from the trip:
Blue sunset
Pink sunset
Orange sunset
Me looking forward to the sunset
Heron in flight shot from the Coupeville wharf
Kingfisher in flight shot from the Coupeville wharf
Harlequin duck off the west beach at Deception Pass. I think this is the first time I’ve “shot” one of these.
Yumi spotted this otter in the lake, and we saw it catch and eat at least three fish in ten minutes or so.
Spotted this yawning sea lion way out in the ocean. Hi ISO, 450 mm lens handheld, so not a poster shot by any means, but still cool.
Lovely sky at Fort Casey
Yumi and our tent – playing with angles
Yumi at the end of this long log – playing with perspective
Making breakfast on the camp stove
Relaxing by the fire with a glass of wine
Byrne Creek Streamkeepers create whimsical and funny dog posters to put up along the creek in the fall to remind dog walkers that salmon are coming back to spawn. We have excellent relations with dogs and their owners — they are out there nearly every day and are excellent “eyes on the creek.”
Over the years dog walkers have come to expect the posters, and even start asking about them if they are not up by mid-October.
We have permission from Burnaby Parks to put these posters up, and we use zap-straps to attach them to trees without harming them.
Yumi preparing a poster
Yumi’s latest creation
Maho’s dog poster
Gee, wonder where Yumi got the inspiration for this one? : -)
Attaching a poster to the footbridge
There have been a lot of moody evenings in south Burnaby this autumn. Here are few shots taken with my pocket Canon Elph 520HS while I was waiting for Yumi near PetSmart.
We’re not expecting spawning salmon for another week or so, but Yumi and I did a ravine loop along Byrne Creek in SE Burnaby today for exercise, and to catch what was left of the autumn colors.
Found this long, thin bone, along with a few others near the artificial spawning habitat.
We won a pair of tickets to Capilano Suspension Bridge Park at the recent Alta Vista Park Community Picnic raffle, so we headed out today and spent several hours wandering the various trails including the CliffWalk and Treetops Adventure.
I spent a couple of hours shooting at Deer Lake in Burnaby, BC, this afternoon. The foggy, misty atmosphere produced a soft, lovely, light.
A burgeoning community on a “dead” tree in Byrne Creek Ravine Park in SE Burnaby, BC.
Saw very few of these in SE Burnaby this summer, but there were several hopping about on our Byrne Creek walk yesterday.