In the summer of 2008 and 2009, the British Columbia Conservation Foundation (BCCF) fisheries technicians working on the Greater Georgia Basin Steelhead Recovery Plan (GGBSRP) constructed a side-channel alongside Ladner Creek, a tributary to the Coquihalla River. Various angling organizations have supported this project in principal to assist in acquiring the needed funds to carry-out the project. We are grateful for this. Two summers have passed, and channel excavation, water supply intake construction and woody debris addition have taken place. Key project partners have included: Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation (HCTF); and Fraser Salmon and Watersheds Program (FSWP)

Although a significant amount of work has already gone into the channel development, it has mostly been with large machinery, (ie. excavator, or helicopter). The side-channel water supply is functioning well right now, but we would like to improve the micro-habitat characteristics to provide optimal fish habitat. It’s one thing to have water, but to have water plus woody debris cover, boulder riffles, pools, overhanging vegetation, and invertebrate diversity...now that’s a great channel!

The Coquihalla River steelhead population is considered to be in a recovery mode, primarily due to past habitat damage through highway and pipeline infrastructure development, poor forest harvesting practices, and resulting water quality issues. The closure of the recreational fishery this past summer served as a current reminder of the status of this stock!

We are seeking some keen individuals to assist the Steelhead Recovery Program in making this fish habitat more desirable. We are recruiting volunteers to spend a day at the channel adding rock and woody debris as habitat complexing, and to improve fish passage throughout the channel. Once we provide some general guidelines for the habitat complexing, we plan to remove the reins and let you complex the channel the way you imagine it should be, using the rock and wood from the margins of the channel. We will supply a few tools for leveraging some of the larger pieces, but the majority of the work will be done with sweat and determination. We expect to move, on average, rocks slightly larger than bowling balls (ten pin!). Many hands make for light work. But the day doesn’t have to be all work, as we will have a couple of gold pans on-site for those interested in seeking that elusive gold nugget!!

The exact date is yet to be determined, but will be on the weekend, to accommodate almost everyone. Since the Coquihalla will soon see that cold, white stuff, we plan to do this work soon, on either November 28th or 29th, depending on the volunteer availability.

We will rendezvous at the Whatcom Tim Horton’s (~ 5 minutes east of Abbotsford), and then take only as few vehicles as necessary. If you need or would like car pooling options, let Cory know and we can try to coordinate with others coming from your area. For individuals wanting to join us who reside west of Abbotsford, we can meet some people at the Walnut Grove, Colossus movie theatre, and drive out to the valley from there. A lunch and refreshments will be provided for the day, as well as coffee and donuts when we gather in Whatcom. Please notify Cory of any food allergies. The anticipated meeting time is 8:30am in Whatcom, and returning to this point at around 4:30pm.

If this is something that would interest you, RSVP by email with your preferred date by Monday November 23, 2009.

What to Bring:

If you have any question, feel free to contact Cory Hryhorczuk either at cory_h@bccf.com, or phone 604-834-3479.

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