Category Archives: Sustainability

Photography, Streamkeeping, Sustainability

Byrne Creek Runs Milky Green

I put in two calls to the City of Burnaby today. The first was about a house construction site where dirt was not being properly managed, creating a situation in which silt would likely flow into Byrne Creek.

Then about half an hour later on my walk, I saw that the creek was running milky green. I traced the source to the stormwater line that drains Edmonds St. above Kingsway, and then joins the pipe that runs along 18th Ave and that empties into the creek on 18th just upstream from Edmonds Skytrain Station.

sediment from house construction
Mud building up on Hedley from house construction

mud from house construction
Sites are supposed to be managed so this does not happen, or at least immediately cleaned up. This is just a few meters from a storm drain that goes directly into Byrne Creek, where volunteer streamkeepers have been seeing coho salmon and chum salmon fry hatching out over the last few weeks.

milky green flow in Byrne Creek
The fish ladder at Griffiths pond

milky green flow in Byrne Creek
The sediment/substance appeared to be coming from the 18th Ave. stormwater pipe.

Folks, nothing should go down street and parking lot drains except rain.

Business, Fishing, Streamkeeping, Sustainability

DFO Answers the Phone

I am very happy to post a positive comment today, because I’ve been feeling quite depressed and disillusioned in my volunteer stewardship efforts the last couple of weeks.
 
We live in an amazing country, Canadians.
 
Today I was working on a couple of letters to senior fisheries managers in Ottawa, as secretary for a volunteer advisory board to DFO. I wanted to check if I was writing to the appropriate people, so I searched the DFO online staff directory on their public website.
 
I found a couple of department and program Directors listed that appeared to be appropriate to my tasks, and there were phone numbers in addition to addresses. So I thought, what happens if I call?
 
What happened is that each Director personally answered the phone, and chatted with me about what I was trying to accomplish.
 
This is the first time in a long time that I’ve been able to say the phrase “my tax dollars at work” with a happy smile on my face.
 
Back to cranky curmudgeon tomorrow 🙂
Fishing, Nature, Photography, Streamkeeping, Sustainability

Full Moon Over Burnaby, BC

It was great to squeeze in a one-hour ravine and Burnaby south slope ramble tonight after a solid 1-1/2 days of meetings this weekend.

I felt like this gorgeous full moon was rewarding me and my fellow volunteer Salmon Enhancement and Habitat Advisory Board members for our efforts over the weekend.

We’re off to Department of Fisheries and Oceans Pacific Regional HQ tomorrow to share highs, lows, and advice from the BC stewardship community.

full moon over Burnaby BC

Full moon over Burnaby, BC

Fishing, Food, Nature, Photography, Streamkeeping, Sustainability

Meeting the Herring Whisperer

I’d heard about the great success that Squamish Streamkeepers have had in wrapping pier pilings so that spawning herrings’ eggs are not killed by creosote and other chemicals. Today my wife Yumi and I had a chance to meet Dr. Jonn Matsen at Fishermen’s Wharf on False Creek in Vancouver to see some of the techniques in action.

herring spawning net
Jonn and my wife Yumi hold up a net as a TV news cameraman lines up a shot

herring spawning net
Jonn points out how creosote kills herring eggs. There’s no eelgrass or kelp left around here for more natural spawning sites

herring spawning net
Net suspended in the water from the wharf

herring eggs piling
Closer view of herring eggs on piling

Fishing, Streamkeeping, Sustainability

Best Spawner Year on Byrne Ck in Burnaby Since 2011

I just completed a quick tally of email spawner patrol reports (I may be out a fish or two) and it looks like we’re on track for the best spawner year on Byrne Creek in SE Burnaby, BC, since 2011. So far I think we have processed 28 chum and 4 coho.

It’s a bit hard to compare, because in some recent years we’ve seen many more fish than we’ve eventually found carcasses, even though we’re consistent in areas covered and frequency of patrols. (Extended periods of heavy rain can flush and/or bury carcasses.)

But in terms of comparing carcasses processed (to confirm species, size, sex, and spawning status), we’re looking good.

It also looks good in that most of the female chum found have spawned. Of the two female coho processed so far, one had spawned.

Thanks to all the volunteers going out patrolling, and let’s hope we still get some more fish!

For those curious to know, our best spawner year since fish passage was restored on Byrne Creek at the Fraser outfall about 30 years ago was just over 90 combined chum and coho in 2004.

BTW, volunteer streamkeepers process every salmon carcass found on the creek. We are able to do this because the spawning area can be traversed on foot in an hour to two hours depending on conditions and numbers of fish seen, and because the returns are so low. We do three to five patrols a week from mid-October to late December.

Fishing, Nature, Streamkeeping, Sustainability

Excellent SEHAB Meeting in Langley, BC

Whew, home after a 2-1/2-day SEHAB (Salmonid Enhancement & Habitat Advisory Board) meeting in Langley, BC.

Thanks to all the BC stewardship groups that contributed to this meeting through their volunteer SEHAB regional reps and DFO Community Advisors. And thanks to DFO staff who came to the meeting to share their insights and give suggestions on how the board can be most successful in moving issues forward.

We have put together what we feel is an excellent document of proactive, constructive advice to share with management at DFO Pacific Regional HQ in Vancouver tomorrow.

SEHAB meets three times a year in locations across British Columbia to listen to local stewardship and Salmonid Enhancement Program groups, and share their successes and concerns with senior DFO management.

I have had the privilege of serving on this volunteer board for many years, including several on the executive as secretary and chair of the Communication Committee, and am always impressed by the wealth of knowledge and experience that folks bring to the table.

Business, Fishing, Streamkeeping, Sustainability

Streamkeepers Will be Watching Liberal Platform Implementation

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.

Fishing, Nature, Photography, Streamkeeping, Sustainability

Putting up Dog Posters Along Byrne Creek

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 dog posters
Yumi preparing a poster

yumi dog poster

yumi dog poster
Yumi’s latest creation

maho dog poster
Maho’s dog poster

yumi scream dog poster
Gee, wonder where Yumi got the inspiration for this one? : -)

dog poster bridge
Attaching a poster to the footbridge

 

Nature, Photography, Streamkeeping, Sustainability

Super Wild Research & Byrne Ck Streamkeepers Fish ID Workshop

Wee fishies give  young biologists joy : -).

Byrne Creek Streamkeepers volunteers and Wild Research members enjoyed a fish ID workshop this morning, and then we went out and retrieved traps from Byrne Creek in SE Burnaby.

Thanks to biologist Jim Roberts of Hemmera, who gave an excellent presentation on the complexities of identifying salmonids and other BC freshwater fish.

Note all fish are released unharmed.

Fish Trapping Byrne Creek

And thanks to Burnaby-Edmonds MLA Raj Chouhan for hosting the morning in-class session in his community office.

Photography, Society, Streamkeeping, Sustainability

Lovely Day at Alta Vista Park Community Picnic

It was a lovely sunny day today at the Alta Vista Park Community Picnic in south Burnaby. This event has been happening annually for, I believe, over 25 years. Just local folks, mostly women, organizing this small fundraiser to keep the park equipment updated and in good shape.

Volunteers from the Byrne Creek Streamkeepers Society have been attending this event for around ten years or more. We love this event because it’s NOT an environmental event, it’s truly a local community party, and it’s a great chance to talk to folks about their local watersheds and streams.

Here are a few photos from today:

alta vista park picnic
Local faves Rainshadow perform

alta vista park picnic
City of Burnaby Parks and Rec crafts table

alta vista park picnic
Clowning around…

Homelessness task force
Burnaby Task Force on Homelessness

alta vista park picnic
Hot dogs!

alta vista park picnic
Air guitar contest

alta vista park picnic
Byrne Creek Streamkeepers display

alta vista park picnic
Folks checking out 3D watershed map – cool!