Dear Steelhead Society members,
Seasons greeting and a Happy New Year!
We have had quite a bit of activity since the last mail out and are excited about what the New Year has to bring. As we look back on 2010, there were some positives as far as steelhead and salmon returns go, as well as some obvious disappointments; the Thompson River not opening, being one of them.
If you have any questions of comments about the below activities please feel free to contact us at:
info@steelheadsociety.org Here is a list of some of the things we were up to:
-Once again this past year, SSBC along with other volunteers aided in the placement and bagging of fertilizer in a number of Lower Mainland streams.
-The SSBC signed on to the opposition of giving farmed salmon an organic certification.
-We also assisted MP Finn Donnelly in his campaign to have salmon farms moved onto land in closed containment facilities. Finn had post cards made up for people to sign in support of Bill C-518 (SSBC handed out and got signatures on approximately 1000 of these forms).
-The SSBC had dialogue and correspondence with Port of Vancouver regarding the placement of Large Woody Debris structures on Lynn Creek, these structures have been put in place by Port of Vancouver.
- We have also had dialogue and correspondence with BCCF and MOE regarding placement of LWD structures on the Little Campbell River.
- We assisted on the swim count of the Coquihalla River. We also posted signage on the Coquihalla. Information on the signs stated the fishing regulations along maps of closed areas. Special thanks to Tomas and Nicole Goodman for putting these together.
-A good majority of our directors attended the Water Use meeting for the Capilano and Seymour Rivers with SSBC applying to be participants in the future planning process, with two of our directors being accepted.
- We sent in responses to the Environmental Assessment Office opposing proposed power projects on Kokish River, Tretheway Creek, Big Silver Creek and Statlu Creek. We also helped raise public awareness of these projects by posting links on a variety of fishing websites.
- The SSBC also sent in letters of support for the BC Conservation Foundation so they can continue to receive funding for very important work that they do to benefit steelhead.
-A letter was also sent to the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund supporting the creation of a steelhead management plan.
-The SSBC also as had dialogue with BCCF on Vancouver Island. We have been given a choice of a number of different projects that required funding and have offered support for stream fertilization on the Nimpkish and Davie River (Davie is a tributary of the Nimpkish). The project requires $10,000 which SSBC will be splitting with the Kingfishers Rod and Gun Club.
-We are also excited to offer our SSBC hats once again which can be purchased by contacting Brian or Andrew at Sea-Run Fly and Tackle 604-931-5044. A special thanks to Kelly Davison for stepping up and donating the cost of the first run of hats that so quickly sold out.
- Bill Lealess and Aaron Goodis produced a center pin reel calendar which was a huge success. Again a special thanks to all the sponsors and people that donated to that fundraising project.
In closing the SSBC has set a date for our AGM. It will be on Saturday, January 29th at the BCEGU Office in Langley 8555-198 A Street.
**We are excited to have as guest speaker Dr.Craig Orr from Watershed Watch who will be giving a scientific look at what the effects of a hatchery on the Thompson River would be. We are also very excited to have Craig Wightman from the BC Conservation Foundation on Vancouver Island. He will be presenting on the activities of the BCCF on Vancouver Island and what they are doing to help improve steelhead populations. Dave Harper will also be presenting on behalf of the Lower Mainland BCCF. His presentation will also be on their yearly activities as well as some future plans.
Hope to see you all there!
Author
Topic: SSBC January 2011 News Letter: if you aren't on our E- mail list read it here (Read 2926 times)