Malcolm Creek, Roberts Creek, BC (Photo Credit Shirley Samples)
Spring Email Update – April 20, 2022
Happy Spring Everyone!
It is great to be together in person at events again! There is a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks and we wanted to make sure you know about them and what SC Streamkeepers have planned!
Salmon Fry Sightings!!!!
The most exciting news to share with you from SC Streamkeepers….. salmon fry have been spotted in Roberts Creek! This is amazing news as it shows just how tenacious salmon really are! After the massive weather event on November 15th that decimated the local creeks with unprecedented flooding we wondered if any of the salmon eggs would survive!
THEY HAVE! We have heard numerous reports of fry being spotted in Burnaby creeks and so we have been checking local creeks to see if they have hatched here on the coast. We will be taking some pictures and perhaps some video’s and will include those in the upcoming email update and on our website. So, watch for those!
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Earth Day Celebrations – (2 Events):
Earth Day Festival @ Roberts Creek – SUNDAY, April 24th @ noon – 5:00 pm at Roberts Creek Pier/Mandala
SC Streamkeepers will have a table along with several other environmental groups, there will be live entertainment all day. There will be lots of interesting things to see and do! Please come and visit our table!
For details:
https://www.facebook.com/events/661542515056902
https://www.robertscreekcommunity.com/post/earth-day-stage-schedule
Earth Day Creek and Ditch Cleanup – FRIDAY, April 22nd
Meet at Persephone Brewery at 1.30 pm to get supplies –
start 2:22 pm
f/b https://www.facebook.com/events/957658888210865
Invasive Plant Removal & Rehabilitation Monthly Events:
@ Roberts Creek – April 30th @ 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Meet us at Roberts Creek estuary (near mandala). For details please check out the f/b event or SCSS website:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1157066838455679
@ Chapman Creek – May 14th @ 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Meet us at Brookman Park (beside Chapman Creek bridge on Hwy 101 in the parking lot.)
https://www.facebook.com/events/396622465616406
Native Plants are planted!
Special thank you to the SCRD for their generous grant to SC Streamkeepers Society to purchase 113 native plants! These plants were planted in the riparian areas of numerous creeks where we had removed many bags of ivy, laurel and blackberry! Thank you to each of the volunteers that did and continue to do this important work!!
Bob Turner’s new website launched:
If you have had the privilege of watching one of Bob Turner’s videos of the Salish Sea, you know what we mean when we say, they are not to be missed! SCSS received an email this week from Bob letting us know ALL of his wonderful videos will be in one place! He has created a website!
IGA cards for fundraising:
We have just ordered 30 more IGA donation cards, if you would like to help us raise funds for our important work for salmon, please let us know. We will get you a card asap!
(SCSS receives 4% of your grocery order – this really adds up!)
Climate Change & Salmonid Project:
SCSS volunteers have been busy maintaining the 17 temperature loggers distributed out in the field. These loggers were purchased with a grant from Pacific Salmon Foundation and a donation by our DFO Community Advisor. These loggers record the air or water temperature every hour of every day throughout the year. Thank you PSF and Dave Davies!
They are located at the following creeks:
Roberts Creek. Air & Water (Upper & Lower)
Wilson Creek Water
Chapman Creek. Air & Water
Hutchinson Creek Water
Langdale Creek Air & Water (Upper & Lower)
Chaster Creek. Air & Water (Upper & Lower)
Angus Creek Water
Dakota Creek Water
Malcolm Creek. Water
We lost 2 loggers on November 15th due to the atmospheric river, but we believe we got off easy considering how the creeks were so ravaged by the heavy flooding!!
We are now completing the grant report to submit to the Pacific Salmon Foundation. We look forward to interpreting the data that the loggers have collected and will continue to collect in the coming years.
Please watch for the graphs etc. on our website in the coming months. We are particularly interested in the data during the summer months to monitor creek temperatures as high creek temperatures cause a high mortality rate for young fry.
Clearcutting/development affecting storm drainage creeks on the Sunshine Coast:
Many communities on the coast are experiencing changes to their neighbourhoods due to clearcutting of private lots for development. There are many issues that are now having to be dealt with including increased storm water drainage into road ditches and creeks. We know the SCRD does not have the authority to prevent this type of logging on private properties. If you then include the unprecedented weather events due to the climate emergency, it is clear policy changes need to happen.
We welcome your involvement in coming up with a strategy to change the status quo for Regional Districts and other government agencies. Please send an email to scstreamkeeper@gmail.com if you would like to be part of a working group on this issue.
“Fish Farms Out” Campaign:
There is an important deadline coming up – the decision by Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans & Coast Guard about the future of fish farms on the BC coast. If you follow Alexandra Morton’s work at all, you will know just how damaging this industry is to the wild salmon populations that pass by these fish farm sites on their migratory routes. We ask you to send an email to MP Joyce Murray: Joyce.Murray@parl.gc.ca to request she stand up for wild salmon and finally get rid of fish farms in the Salish Sea to make sure we do not lose one of our most precious keystone species: WILD SALMON! Thank you very much!
Here are a 4 links on how to help Alexandra continue her work and articles to give you more information on this issue.
https://www.patreon.com/alexandramorton
Upcoming Full Mapping of Creeks from Estuary:
After the weather events of last year, SCSS would like to map all the creeks we are monitoring so we can keep track of any changes and if needed, rehabilitate so we do not lose the precious salmon habitat we have. We plan to have training sessions this May, if you would like to join us, please let us know.
Riparian Area Community Awareness Project/Campaign:
If the riparian area of a creek is not healthy, then the creek and its inhabitants are at risk. That is why SCSS have decided to have a raising awareness campaign about Riparian Areas!
We have so many creeks on the coast and so many go through private property, it is important we know what can damage these unique and important ecosystems. We are printing informational brochures and will be distributing them at the above events and throughout the summer. If you would like to help, please let us know. Also, if you would like to donate to help cover the printing costs of the brochures, we would really appreciate this too! 🙂
Wilson Creek, Stephens Creek & Flume Creek – Monitors Needed!
There are 3 creeks that need a few volunteers to monitor them on a regular basis. If you are interested, please let us know!
We hope to see you at one of the upcoming events and hope that you can get down to your local creek to enjoy these special gifts of Mother Earth!
Kindest regards,
Shirley Samples
Denise Olson
SC Streamkeepers Society
https://www.facebook.com/sunshinecoaststreamkeepers
NEWSLETTER & UPDATE from SC Streamkeepers – News & Upcoming Events!
January 25, 2022
Happy New Year Everyone!
It has been awhile since we sent out a SC Streamkeepers Email Update!
We have lots of news and some exciting events and plans/projects for the coming months!
Post Atmospheric River Creek Report:
We want to start with a brief update on how the big storm, called an atmospheric river that hit our coast on November 15, 2021 affected our local creeks.
I am sure we were all taken off guard when the creeks overflowed to cover highways, bridges, walking paths, local roads, and took out culverts in many locations. It took a toll on many of us when we saw our beautiful creeks turn into raging rivers. We were told that this was a once in a 100-year event, and now we realize that this will not be an isolated occurrence but will become a more and more common event.
Many long-time salmon experts here on the coast reported that they have never seen anything like this in the past 30 – 40 years. Unfortunately, the unprecedented amount of water in such a short time scoured the gravel spawning grounds of the pink, chum and coho Redds (nests). Before that fateful day SC Streamkeepers had been doing weekly spawning counts. That is what made it especially hard for us, we had counted those salmon giving so much of themselves in preparing their nests and protecting them until their end. Many of you feel as we do, we have been so concerned and grieving for what we lost that day.
Unfortunately, this year was the first return of pink salmon since 2014. The chum run started on October. 3, 2021 on Roberts Creek. (To see the total of the salmon counts on each creek, please check out our website at
https://sunshinecoaststreamkeepers.com/spawning-counts-for-creeks-fall-2021/ .)
We won’t know for sure until the spring as to how many eggs made it through the storm, but we are hopeful that the tenacity of salmon will again show us their strength and why we care about them so much! They are amazing creatures!
After seeing the damage on the creeks SC Streamkeepers feel very strongly that we must do what we can to save the salmon runs here on the coast.
Our priority is to protect wild salmon and the way to do that is to continue to push on rehabilitating salmon habitat.
The salmon species are now more vulnerable as it is very clear that we can expect these very unusual weather events in the future due to the climate emergency.
(Please see the PS at end of email for a quote from an article from Canadian Geographic describing the extreme challenges spawning salmon endure, truly amazing!)
SC STREAMKEEPERS UPCOMING EVENTS:
1.) “Gardening in Harmony” Event @ Quality Farms:
March 5, 2022 – 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Quality Farms has made a pledge to not sell invasive plants any longer! We are thrilled about this! Their great staff is organizing an event that we know you will all enjoy! SC volunteers will be hosting info table regarding invasive plants, native plants and how to protect riparian areas beside creeks. Hope you can visit us!
Please check out our website in the coming weeks as will post more information or watch for the poster on your community info boards.
2.) “Roberts Creek Invasive Plant Removal & Planting”
January 29, 2022 @ 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
-Meet us at Lower Road bridge (beside RC Legion) a block away from the Gumboot Cafe. Bring gloves, pruners and a shovel!
https://www.facebook.com/events/618589539480204
3.) “Malcolm Creek Planting (Roberts Creek)”
February 26, 2022 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Meet us at the foot of Metcalfe Rd. (off Lower Rd.) beside Beach Access Sign.
https://www.facebook.com/events/642033903790520
4.) Chapman Creek Invasive Removal & Planting
February 12, 2022 @ 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Meet us at Brookman Park, Sechelt BC (Parking lot located beside Chapman Creek bridge on Hwy 101, east of Davis Bay)
https://www.facebook.com/events/646252439838704
All Sunshine Coast Future Events are on our website:
Please check periodically to see what is happening next! 🙂
Report on World Rivers Day Event / September 27. 2021:
The day was such a success we have decided this will be an annual event! We hosted a beach cleanup and info table at Roberts Creek mandala/pier. Please check out this link to get some background information on why and how the BC Rivers Day became World Rivers Day celebrated in more than 100 countries worldwide. We heard Mark Angelo speak at a webinar, he is the founder of BC Rivers Day and World Rivers Day. We were so inspired we decided to celebrate the creeks on the Sunshine Coast. We chose the theme of “Why are Riparian Areas/Zones so important to the health of a creek and wild salmon?” https://worldriversday.com/
Hope to see you at our next one in September 2022!!
SC Streamkeepers Current Projects:
Riparian Area Native Planting & Invasive Plant Removal Project:
A huge thank you to the SCRD for a grant for $1,200.00 enabling us to buy over 120 native plants to plant in the riparian zones of local creeks. We have removed truck fulls of invasive plants such as ivy, laurel, and blackberry. So far, we have planted at Chapman Creek, Malcolm Creek, and Charman Creek.
We still have many plants left and must get them in the ground in the next 2 months! PLEASE come out on one of the dates listed above .
Climate Change & Salmonid Temperature Data Loggers Project Update:
We didn’t lose as many temperature loggers in the big storm on November 15, 2021 as we thought we would. Most of the temperature loggers hung on through the unrelenting torrential water coming down the mountain! We purchased a grand total of 14 temperature loggers and currently have them in the following creeks:
Chaster Creek: (Upper and Lower) Air and Water
Langdale Creek: (Upper and Lower) Air and Water
Dakota Creek: (Lower) Water only
Hutchinson Creek: (Lower) Water only
Malcolm Creek: (Lower) Water only
Roberts Creek: (Upper and Lower) Air and Water
Wilson Creek: (Lower) Water only
Chapman Creek: (Lower) Air and Water
Angus Creek: (Upper) Water only
We are gathering important and interesting data from the temperature loggers (both water and air) that record the temperature every hour. As the weather changes with longer and hotter summers, we will be able to track how the creeks are fairing. We also have committed volunteers visiting the creeks every week to take the water and air temperatures.
New Equipment from Pacific Salmon Foundation Grant: We are so happy to announce we were approved to purchase a GoPro camera, a GPS Locator, and a Dissolved Oxygen meter. The DO meter is for the Chaster/Gibson Groups to more easily complete the Module 3 Creek Assessments. Thank YOU, Pacific Salmon Foundation, for your continued support!!!
The GoPro will replace one SCSS had been given but it wasn’t able to keep the Wi-Fi signal very long, now we will be able to film underwater this spring when looking for tiny fry and in the fall looking for spawner in areas that are very hard to see (undercuts, under logs and deep pools.)
The GPS locator (with picture feature) will help us keep a more accurate record of locations on each creek so our data sheets are correct. This will enable people in the future to find the exact location and will be much more helpful as historical data.
Wanted and Needed – New Volunteers!
If you have been thinking of joining us to do work on your local creek or help with creek activities, there is no time like the present!! We have at least 2 creeks that really need ambassadors to monitor them – Wilson Creek and Stephens Creek!
Please consider doing something, even in a small way. Everything matters! 🙂
IGA Donation Cards: If you haven’t received a Sunshine Coast Streamkeeper IGA card yet, please let us know and we will get one to you! SCSS receive 4% of your grocery bill. We have been getting $200 – $250 every 3 months! If we can increase this, we can raise funds for future events.
Closing Comments:
We would like to host Information Meetings on different subjects pertaining to salmon and our local watersheds in the coming months. We will keep you posted when this can become a reality!
Wishing you all the very best and good health as we look forward to spring and new adventures!
Kind regards,
Shirley & Denise
SC Streamkeepers
604 614 9814
https://www.facebook.com/sunshinecoaststreamkeepers/
PS I read the following article and wanted to share one paragraph that so eloquently describes how spawning salmon give all……. ❤
“It took every last sinew, tissue and fibre of the parent salmon to fertilize and hide these eggs. These adults survived the jaws of orcas and the ingenious traps of humankind — and battled for weeks against water more powerful than Niagara Falls to reach this particular pebbled safehouse. They had not paused to eat since leaving the ocean weeks before, drawing energy from every last muscle save for their reproductive organs. After this arduous journey, the mother salmon used her last reserves to cover her eggs, flipping pebbles with her tail until it was literally stripped to the bone. When she did finally die, her rotting body decomposed into the water, becoming food for the children she would never meet.” – Kate Helmore – Canadian Geographic January 14, 2022https://www.canadiangeographic.ca/article/insurmountable-battle-bring-salmon-run-home?mc_cid=d2d8af7517&mc_eid=c473051d3b
SC Streamkeepers Email Update – September 21, 2021
Hello everyone!
We are all thrilled that the fall rain has arrived for the sake of our streams, spawning salmon and of course, our gardens! I also heard today we are back at Stage 1 water restriction!
This is a special email to let you know we are planning an event on World Rivers Day this Sunday, September 26th! We would like to send a special invitation to come meet with us to talk about something we all love: SALMON!
World Rivers Day started in Burnaby by Mark Angelo over 20 years ago, he is a passionate advocate for rivers that is now being celebrated in over 100 countries!!!
We are meeting at the mandala/pier in Roberts Creek. We plan to collect garbage from the beach, estuary and Roberts Creek riparian zone. We will also have tables to share information on the importance of protecting our creeks and salmon habitat. We will have special info boards to learn more about Streamkeepers and ‘Why are Riparian Zones important’?
A special thank you to the generous persons who have made donations to SCSS so we can make this event happen! 🙂
Celebrate World Rivers Day with SC Streamkeepers
Date: Sunday, September 26, 2021
Time: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Place: Roberts Creek Pier/Mandala
We invite you to bring gloves, picker-uppers and a bucket if you have them.
Please dress for the weather as we will go ahead even if we have inclement weather.
https://www.facebook.com/events/2986485231594601
Monthly Invasive Plant Removal at Roberts Creek:
A friendly reminder that we will be hosting our monthly event to remove invasive plants (mostly ivy) from the Roberts Creek riparian zone this Saturday, September 25th at 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. We will meet at Lower Road bridge (beside the Roberts Creek Legion). We may move to the estuary as a large tree has fallen. Please text me at 604 614 9814 for our exact location. https://www.facebook.com/events/406261967497221
Also, a reminder that the monthly invasive plant removal at Chapman Creek (Brookman Park) will be on October 9th at 11:00 am – 1:00 pm.
https://www.facebook.com/events/147908244202273
We also want to send a very special thank you to the SCRD for approving our grant request to purchase native plants. We plan to plant them in the areas that we have removed ivy, blackberry and laurel. If you would like to help out with this project, please let us know.
Spawning Season is upon us!!
There are numerous creeks that have spawning pink salmon making their way up our local creeks. So far we have seen pinks in Dakota Creek (over 500 pink), Stephens Creek (a few sightings), Chapman Creek (2,000+) and Roberts Creek (137).
In the first part of October the chum will start their return to their home creek. If any of you would like to join us, we could use the help!
Climate Change & Salmonid: Recording Creek Water/Air Temperatures Project:
We are pleased that the Pacific Salmon Foundation has featured the SC Streamkeepers climate change project in a recent blog! https://psf.ca/blog/climate-action-in-the-community/This project is to support wild salmon and ensure their habitat remains healthy as our climate changes with longer, drier and higher temperatures putting salmon at risk.Thank you Pacific Salmon Foundation for your grant to make our project possible! Thanks to that grant we have been able to install a total of 18 temperature loggers to record both water and air every hour of every day. The data we collect will be important historical data to make the best future decisions including development and logging of forests in the riparian zones of our creeks.
We have lots of work we plan to do in the coming months, if you have any questions or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to email us at scstreamkeepers@gmail.com and have a look at our website for interesting articles and information.
Thank you all and let’s keep doing the work of protecting Mother Earth and her creatures. Kind regards,Shirley, Jean and DeniseSC Streamkeepers Societyhttps://sunshinecoaststreamkeepers.com/
https://www.facebook.com/sunshinecoaststreamkeepers
Email Update sent August 12, 2021
Hello everyone!
We have updates, news and concerns to share with you regarding the many creeks on the Sunshine Coast.
It’s hard to believe we are almost halfway through August already and we need rain now more than ever! The creeks levels have never been this low so early into the summer months, most are lower than many have ever been in recent history! The creeks we are monitoring are on average only about 20% bank full. We are very concerned about the salmon fry and resident cut-throat trout. We would like to ask everyone to be very mindful of the precious creatures that are under severe stress with higher water temperatures and low water levels. It is best not to disturb them. If you have any questions or see anything that is concerning, please feel free to contact us.
Climate Change & Salmonid Project
Many have commented that the effects of climate change are here, we see the changes right before our eyes. In view of the seriousness and the impact rising temperatures have on salmon, it is imperative that the right decisions are made to protect wild salmon and their habitat going forward. In order to achieve that goal as the planet’s climate changes we need historical data. That is the reason SCSS has started an important and timely project “Climate Change & Salmonid”.
We have reported previously in an earlier update that our application for a grant from Pacific Salmon Foundation to purchase temperature loggers had been approved.
We are happy to say we have received the grant, purchased 11 temperature loggers and last Thursday we installed them!! These loggers will be recording the temperature of the creeks every hour of every day of every month in the coming years. Along with the water temperature loggers we have also installed air temperature loggers at strategic locations as well.
They have been installed in Dakota Creek, Hutchinson Creek, Langdale Creek, Chaster Creek, Malcolm Creek, Roberts Creek, Wilson Creek, Chapman Creek and Angus Creek, for a total of 9 creeks! We are hoping to add Colvin Creek (Sargeant Bay) to that list in the near future.
We had previously installed 7 temperature loggers donated by our DFO Community Advisor, so together with the latest installations we now have 18 loggers in the field collecting valuable data!
If you would like to view the data, we retrieve every 3 months, it will be posted on the SCSS website.
The last few days of June when our area experienced the high temperatures due to the heat dome, the highest creek temperature recorded was 19.6C at Malcolm Creek.
The temperature did not stay high for long. We know that high temperatures over 20C for a prolonged period of time are deadly for salmon.
With the collected data we can ensure that any decisions on future development and forest cut blocks will be done with priority given to protect the riparian zones of the creek’s watersheds. We need trees and forests that provide valuable shade to keep water temperatures cooler in the longer and drier summers we are experiencing. Thank you Kelly, Brian and Ryan!!
Also a huge thank you to PSF for their support so we can continue our work to protect wild salmon.
Healthy Riparian Zones = Healthy Creek Temperatures Project
This leads to our next project….
Healthy Riparian Zones = Healthy Creek Temperatures Project.
We will give you more information in the coming months on what this project will entail.
Ongoing Invasive Plant Removal Events
We are excited to say that we have added another location to our monthly invasive plant removal events. A very enthusiastic group from Sechelt have started to remove ivy from the Chapman Creek riparian zone @ Brookman Park. If you would like to join them, they will be there this Saturday, August 14th at 11:00 am – 1:00 pm. This will be an ongoing event on the 2nd Saturday of each month. Please send Deb an email at debcrispin@gmail.com with any questions. More information can be found at:
https://www.facebook.com/events/227054602629343
The Roberts Creek invasive plant removal will recommence September 25, 2021 at 11:00 am – 1:00 pm occurring the last Saturday of the month.
https://www.facebook.com/events/406261967497221
We are pleased to report that we have received the grant from SCRD Grant-In-Aid Program for $1,200.00 to purchase native plants to plant in all the areas we removed ivy, laurel and blackberry. We will be planting the native plants at the September and October events at various creeks, please join us! A huge thank you to the SCRD for their support!
Malcolm Creek Culvert Repair
The Malcolm Creek culvert located at Metcalfe Road and Roy Road is almost totally rusted out along the bottom. So much so that at the current time, no water makes it to the end of the culvert, it all falls through the rust holes and water then runs underneath the culvert. We are very concerned about any salmon fry or other fish due to this situation. We were able to have a discussion last week with the new MOTI Area Manager, Joey Tasker on ways to restore the culvert to make it passable for salmon and safer. We are waiting to hear back on the plans. We will keep you updated.
IGA Fundraising Cards
We want to thank all those using their IGA cards when purchasing groceries. SC Streamkeepers receive 4% of your total bill – and this all adds up!! We have lots of work to do and any donations are greatly appreciated! Please contact Jean Hamilton, treasurer at hamilton.jean@gmail.com.
Streamkeepers Training Update
We are glad to report we were finally able to host a long-awaited training on June 26 and 27 at Chaster Creek. The next 2 training sessions are being planned in September. We would like to welcome the 5 newly certified Streamkeepers!
Water Donation Request for Native Plants
The SCRD has declared Stage 4 water restrictions for the Sunshine Coast Regional District due to the lack of rain and low water in Chapman watershed. SCSS has a favour to ask…… Another streamkeeper and myself have been watering the newly planted native plants at Malcolm Creek twice a week throughout the past and present summers, Wednesday (me) and Sunday (Odette). We are now unable to use water from our homes to do this job. If anyone has access to well water and would like to volunteer to donate water, we would be so grateful. It would be a shame to lose the many ferns, trees and oregon grape plants due to the drought. We can arrange pickup! Thank you in advance! 🙂
Water Licenses Holder Request
SCSS would like to appeal to those who hold water licenses on the various creeks on the Sunshine Coast. The creeks are unseasonably low and in this state of emergency we ask that if possible, no water be removed from the creeks unless absolutely needed but left for the creek creatures that are under severe stress due to low water levels and high temperatures.
So, friends, please take care during the upcoming heat wave, please take it seriously and keep hydrated. Please check in with those who live alone and seniors.
Our thoughts are with those in the interior of BC who are contending with major wildfires and evacuation orders.
Stay safe!
In solidarity,
Shirley, Jean and Denise
SC Streamkeepers Society
PS The photo attached is the temperature logger installed at Angus Creek. The logger is attached using a zip tie inside a black metal pipe that is attached to a heavy chain. To hold the logger in place, we drill a hole into the large rock to hold the concrete screw, the heavy chain is then attached. The reason for such rugged equipment is to hold and protect the temperature loggers in place during the fast and high water levels during the winter.
********************************************************
Email Update sent: June 6, 2021
June 8, 2021 – World Oceans Day
Hello Everyone!
On such a beautiful sunny day living beside the amazing Salish Sea, let’s celebrate all that the ocean means to each of us!
There are a few special events happening over the last few days, SCCA and Pacific Wild – (links below) so you can see the diversity of life on our coast!
We have been busy at SC Streamkeepers so we thought we would send out an Update email to let you know what we are doing and future plans!
Temperature Logger Installations:
Due to the generous donation by our DFO Community Advisor of 6 temperature loggers we were able to start our project we are excited about: Climate Change and Salmonid: Creek Air/Water Temperatures
We have installed those temperature loggers in Langdale Creek (2), Chaster Creek (2), Malcolm Creek (1) and Roberts Creek (2). We have already downloaded the data from the Chaster Creek water logger to find that the data corresponds perfectly to the data our volunteers are gathering in their weekly visits to the creek. We also are so excited to say that a grant application to purchase 14 more temperature loggers has been approved from Pacific Salmon Foundation!! We will be installing those in more creeks along the coast.
The reason we feel it is important to gather this information is due to the warmer, longer and drier summers and the fact that salmon are very sensitive to high water temperatures and we feel it is important to have historical data going forward. We will keep you updated on this important project!
Invasive Plant Removal Report:
We are continuing with our monthly invasive plant removal events on the last Saturday of the month in Roberts Creek.
The amount of ivy, laurel and blackberry community volunteers have removed from the Roberts Creek riparian area is totally amazing! We have had some super energetic people come out to our invasive plant removals on the last Saturday of the month and it is amazing how much a small group of concerned citizens can accomplish! A HUGE thank you to those of you that came out and a BIG welcome to the new volunteers that joined us! Our next Invasive Plant removal will continue June 26 @ 11:00 am – 1:00 pm at Lower Rd bridge in Roberts Creek (beside RC Legion).
We are happy to say we have started a new group at Brookman Park, Chapman Creek in Sechelt to remove invasive plants on the 2nd Saturday of the month. Our next event is this coming Saturday, June 12th at 11:00 am – 1:00 pm.
Also, we are going to be participating in a Work B at Charman Creek in Gibsons on May 19 at 11:00 am- 1:00 pm. For details and location please check out our website.
If that is something you would like to join, please join us!
Plant Sales/Donations:
We have perennials and tomato plants available for donation. If you would like one or a few, let us know.
(Small red and yellow tomato seedlings, hollyhock and calendula.)
IGA Donation Cards:
To date we have received over $600.00 from our IGA donation cards! If you would like to help with an easy way to raise funds for our projects, please contact Jean Hamilton, treasurer at hamilton.jean@gmail.com Our group receives 4% of your grocery bill, and it sure adds up! Thank you to those that are using the cards! 🙂 We have cards available!
Streamkeepers 2-Day Training Update:
While we have had to wait for the Sk training to take place for a seemingly long time, we are cautiously optimistic that our planned dates of June 26/27 we will be able to host a training on Chaster Creek. We plan to host another training soon for those that have already registered. If you would like to put on the wait list or want more information, please email scstreamkeepers@gmail.com.
For an outline of what will be covered please see Handbook: http://pskf.org/modules.html
Donations for Volunteer Insurance Greatly Appreciated:
Thank you to the people who generously contributed towards our Streamkeeper Volunteer Insurance – even with the increased insurance premium, we were able to cover it!
All donations to SCSS go directly to on-the-ground expenses that help us to provide the needed equipment/supplies that help us to continue to work at protecting wild salmon and their habitat here on the coast.
Streamkeepers Equipment Update:
Also, we just heard the news that SCRD have approved our grant application to purchase native plants for Chaster Creek, Malcolm Creek and Roberts Creek!
GoPro Camera Donation: Thank you Larry Reid for your generous donation of a GoPro camera installed on a pole making it possible to look under water especially during spawning season!
Ongoing Creek Assessments:
We have completed the Module 3 assessments on the following creeks; Chaster Creek, Malcolm Creek, Langdale Creek and Roberts Creek.
All creeks scored above 43 in the range for good (40-45) that indicates that they are considered in the healthy range for wild salmon and other creatures that call the creek their home! This is heartwarming to know and we will keep monitoring to make sure they stay that way! We plan to start monthly assessments every month throughout the summer. If you would like to join us, please let us know.
World Ocean Day hosted by SCCA
We were happy to be invited to be part of the SCCA World Oceans Day virtual event that took place over the past few days. Please check out their website to watch the webinars as they were all recorded. They include webinars on eelgrass, forage fish, orcas, fishing history of the Sunshine Coast and our presentation on “What are Streamkeepers?” We want to give a big thank you to the people who worked hard behind the scenes to make this event such a success!
We look forward to keeping busy on the creeks and hope as many of you as possible join us! There are many jobs that can be done and what better way to spend our time!
Here is a beautiful little video of cutthroat and coho fry in Chaster Creek by Larry Reid with his GoPro. Thank you Larry
Wishing you all the best and the new freedoms this summer!
Kindest Regards,
Shirley, Denise & Jean
Sunshine Coast Streamkeepers Society
Email update sent: April 18, 2021
Hello Everyone!
Isn’t it great spring is here – today it felt like summer! The birds are chirping away in the mornings and evenings letting us know they are back and busy building nests for their young! The cherry and plum trees are full of blossoms! The perennials are showing up again and the sun’s rays are getting warm! Also….the salmon fry are starting to emerge from the gravel and will be continuing in the coming weeks! Mother Earth is busy and so are we! We are gearing up for important activities for wild salmon in the coming months!
Temperature Logger Installations:
Due to the generous donation by our DFO Community Advisor of 6 temperature loggers we can start a project we are excited about: Climate Change and Salmonid: Creek Air/Water Temperatures
We have installed those temperature loggers in Langdale Creek (1), Chaster Creek (1), Malcolm Creek (2) and Roberts Creek (2). We have already downloaded the data from the Chaster Creek water logger to find that the data our volunteers are gathering in their weekly visits to the creek are the same as those collecting digitally. We are hoping to receive more funding soon so we can install temperature loggers in more creeks along the coast.
The reason we feel it is important to gather this information is due to the warmer and longer summers and the fact that salmon are very sensitive to high water temperatures and we feel it is important to have historical data going forward. We will keep you updated on this important project!
Invasive Plant Removal Report:
We are continuing with our monthly invasive plant removal events on the last Saturday of the month in Roberts Creek.
The amount of ivy, laurel and blackberry community volunteers have removed from the Roberts Creek riparian area is totally amazing! We have had some super energetic people come out to our invasive plant removals on the last Saturday of the month and it is amazing how much a small group of concerned citizens can accomplish! A HUGE thank you to those of you that came out and a BIG welcome to the new volunteers that joined us! Our next Invasive Plant removal will continue April 24th @ 11:00 am – 1:00 pm at Lower Rd bridge in Roberts Creek (beside RC Legion).
We are happy to say a few individuals have come forward and want to start a new group in Sechelt to remove invasive plants on the second Saturday of the month. They are keen to rehabilitate the creeks and waterways in that area. We have an invasive plant removal planned for May 8th in Sechelt at Brookman Park (Chapman Creek). If that is something you would like to join, please contact Denise at denise.olson@gmail.com
Plant Sales at Wednesday RC Market:
As an annual fundraiser we have started seedlings to sell at the Wednesday’s Farmers Market – we will have vegetables and perennials available in the upcoming months. Watch for them!
IGA Donation Cards:
To date we have received $470.83 from our IGA donation cards! If you would like to help with an easy way to raise funds for our projects, please contact Jean Hamilton, treasurer at hamilton.jean@gmail.com Our group receives 4% of your grocery bill, and it sure adds up! Thank you to those that are using the cards! 🙂 We have cards available!
Streamkeepers 2-Day Training Update:
While we have had to wait for the Sk trainings to take place for a seemingly long time, we are being cautiously optimistic that our planned dates of May 15 & 16, and May 29 & 30 will happen! These training sessions are full, but we are happy to announce we will be registering for the next training session for June and September. An email went out last week to those on the waitlist. If you received that email, please confirm you still want to participate. If you would like to put on the wait list or want more information, please email scstreamkeepers@gmail.com.
For an outline of what will be covered please see Handbook: http://pskf.org/modules.html
Donations for Volunteer Insurance Greatly Appreciated:
Thank you to the people who generously contributed towards our Streamkeeper Volunteer Insurance – it is now covered!
All donations to SCSS go directly to on-the-ground expenses that help us to provide the needed equipment/supplies that help us to continue to work at protecting wild salmon and their habitat here on the coast.
Streamkeepers Equipment Update:
We are happy to say with the approval of our application for a grant with PSF we were able to purchase important testing equipment: A Dissolved Oxygen Tester and Ph meter. With these 2 additional testers we have 2 full Sk kits, so now the Gibsons Group (Langdale & Chaster) and Roberts Creek (Malcolm & Roberts) have their own sets!!
GoPro Camera Donation: Thank you Larry Reid for your generous donation of a GoPro camera installed on a pole making it possible to look under water especially during spawning season!
Ongoing Creek Assessments:
We have completed the Module 3 assessments on the following creeks; Chaster Creek, Malcolm Creek, Langdale Creek and Roberts Creek.
All creeks scored above 43 in the range for good (40-45) that indicates that they are considered in the healthy range for wild salmon and other creatures that call the creek their home! This is heartwarming to know and we will keep monitoring to make sure they stay that way!
We look forward to keeping busy on the creeks and hope as many of you as possible join us in the coming months and through the summer! There are many jobs that can be done and what better way to spend our time – connecting with Mother Earth and speaking for those with no voice!
Wishing you all the best and looking forward to everyone being healthy!
Kindest Regards,
Shirley, Denise & Jean
Sunshine Coast Streamkeepers Society
*********************************
Email Update sent: January 6, 2021
Happy New Year EveryONE!
We want to send a special wish of happiness in the coming new year to all of you! It has been a year few of us will forget for all kinds of reasons, but we thought it would be a great time to share all the 2020 accomplishments of Streamkeepers here on the Sunshine Coast!
We also wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyONE that contributed in so many ways to make this last year a success for wild salmon! 🙂
Also wanted to share with you our plans/goals for the coming year – we have lots of them and hope you will find one or two that you might like to participate in!
2020 Spawning Salmon Report:
We are pleased to report we finished a second year of counting spawning salmon in 4 creeks, Chaster Creek, Roberts Creek, Langdale Creek and Malcolm Creek. The numbers increased substantially in Roberts Creek and Chaster Creek! Also, the chum salmon that did return were notably large in size! The number of returns of coho were less than 2019, we hope that number will increase as this species is important to our whole ecosystem but especially for southern resident orcas that depend on them as one of their desired food preferences. Special thank you to Libby, Kelly, Jean, Brian, Angela, Ryan, Larry, Kalum, Michael, Lorraine and Ann for coming out no matter the weather!
Salmon Survey Year End Totals (mainly chum):
Roberts Creek
2019 115 (including 16 live coho)
2020. 483 (including 2 live coho)
Chaster Creek
2019 4
2020. 103 (including 2 live coho)
Langdale Creek
2019 –
2020 20
Malcolm Creek
2019 11 (all live coho)
2020 0
Hutchinson Creek
2019 –
2020 5
Ouillet Creek
2019 –
2020 15
From the above data, we see that the numbers for chum in Chaster Creek and Roberts Creek were higher in 2020 than 2019. That was great and fun to see SO many this year!
This information will become even more valuable as we continue through the coming years. We will begin to see possible trends and as we continue to monitor the creeks, we can make sure we remedy any problems that may be hindering or obstructing spawning salmon or destroying fish habitat.
Module 3 Water Quality LUSH Project:
SCSS completed a project generously sponsored by LUSH (B.C. company that makes handmade cosmetics). We completed Module 3 “Water Quality Surveys” during the warmer months from June to September. An average of 3 – 4 volunteers did the monthly assessments. With the hotter/drier summers due to climate change the temperature of the creeks can become intolerably hot making it impossible for fry to survive. We want to give a huge shout out of thank you to the Streamkeepers volunteers! By completing this project, SCSS was awarded a $500.00 donation by LUSH!! Thank YOU LUSH and Pacific Streamkeepers Federation for your continued support!
Monthly Invasive Plant Removal Event:
In the last year we have been happy to host 11 monthly invasive plant removal events! On the last Saturday of every month we have been removing invasive plants (mostly ivy) from riparian areas beside Malcolm Creek. We are now starting to remove the invasive plants beside Roberts Creek. We have lots of work to do, if you would like to join us, our next event will be on Saturday, January 30th at 11:00 am – 1:00 pm at the Lower Road bridge beside the Roberts Creek Little Legion.
We had a great turnout on November 29th when we were very mindful of Covid protocols. We were very happy to have numerous school age children accompanying their parents help us remove two truck loads of ivy and laurel!
Also, in 2020 SCSS started to remove knotweed from various locations near creeks and on beaches here on the coast. We are following a similar protocol without the use of harmful chemicals that was used at Henderson Beach in Roberts Creek. Please see further information on the Henderson Beach Knotweed Removal project here:
If you would like to take part in removing knotweed in the coming year, we will need volunteers to do bi-weekly plant clipping during May to September.
PSF Grants Received:
We are very happy to say we received 2 grants from Pacific Salmon Foundation of $450.00 each in order to purchase native plants that were used to replace the ivy we removed and to help stabilize the banks of Malcolm Creek. Thank you PSF!
Also, we are very happy to say we have just received notice that our application for water testing equipment including an OxyGuardportable Dissolved Oxygen (DO) meter and Hanna pH/Temperature tester from PSF for $1,500.00 has been approved! As SCSS is growing in numbers, we want to have equipment available to all groups to perform Module 3 water quality testing efficiently.
Weekly Creek Temperature Project:
SCSS has also started to take the weekly water temperatures of 4 creeks, this will be valuable information to monitor the health of our creek’s ecosystems. Another thank you to those that are visiting the creeks every week to take its temperature! We would like to expand this to include other creeks including Angus Creek and Wilson Creek. If anyone would be interested in helping with this, that would be great!
IGA Donation Card Update:
This year we received $502.76 from the IGA donation program! This has been so helpful to cover many of the operating SCSS expenses! Thank you to those of you who have been using your IGA cards! (If you would like a card, please let our treasurer Jean Hamilton know!) We receive 4% of your total food bill! Good deal for us!
If anyone would also like to donate to SCSS or has any ideas for fundraising, please let us know! We will have the expense of volunteer insurance coming due in May for $360.00 and we will need to raise these funds! 🙂 You can e-transfer to scss.financialdept@gmail.com
Seedling Sales @ RC Market:
In the last year we have been raising funds through the sale of seedlings at the weekly Wednesday market at Denise’s table. We sold tomatoes, perennials, aloe vera and numerous other plants. If you would like to contribute some seedlings for the coming spring market or would like to purchase some little plants, that would be awesome! Thank you, Denise, for your efforts to make this such a success!
Update on Streamkeepers Training:
We are hoping to host the 2-day Streamkeepers training in May 2021. We have 12 confirmed participants. Due to covid the training has been postponed twice. We hope the spring will bring a better situation to hold the trainings. We will probably have each training reduced to 6 instead of the regular 12 participants. We also have another 6 people who are on the wait list and we hope to have them confirmed, so we have a total of 18 people in total for Streamkeepers training! This is fantastic! 🙂
If you would like to be added to the list, please let us know. The fee is $50.00 and if you would like to see what is covered please have a look at the following link: http://pskf.org/modules.html
2021 SCSS Upcoming Goals and Projects
A few of the 2021 projects we are planning are as follows.
Creek Mapping Project:
We are very interested in pursuing a project to map the creeks, we will be hosting a creek mapping training in April 2021 if you are interested in helping with this, please let us know.
SCSS Fry Trapping Project:
An important aspect of knowing the health of a creek is to know the number and species of fish in a creek and to know how successful the previous spawning season was. Our creeks are alive with various kinds of fish, there are cutthroat and skulpin. By obtaining this data we ensure the creeks are designated as fish bearing.
Malcolm Creek Metcalfe/Roy Rd. Culvert:
We have spoken to the company that oversees the culverts on the Sunshine Coast. We are pleased to say the Malcolm Creek culvert on Metcalfe @ Roy Road is to be refurbished this coming summer (at low flow). The culvert is so rusted that during the summer, no water makes it to the end as the whole bottom of the culvert is rusted out and we believe this is a barrier and detrimental for spawning salmon and their fry.
Riparian Zone Information Brochure:
We would like to compose/print an information brochure on the importance of the riparian areas of creeks for the general public and officials in local government. We believe the federal, provincial and municipal government laws/bylaws need to be followed so we can protect and ensure we contribute to the health of each creek when development is requested and to highlight just how important it is that all recommendations are followed and laws are enforced. Please watch for this new brochure in the coming months!
As you can see, we have been busy! But we plan to be even busier in the coming year! There is so much to do and what better thing could there be than being out walking our creeks and advocating for those that have no voice.
Also please check out the link below for a video produced by Bob Turner that is an amazing capture of a female chum laying her eggs. The video is from the Squamish area and is a must see! ! Also, please check out our website and f/b page. If you have any suggestions for either, please don’t hesitate to let us know! 🙂
We look forward to lots of work being done for wild salmon in 2021! Please join us in any way that is workable for you!
Best wishes,
Sunshine Coast Streamkeepers Society
Sunshine Coast Streamkeepers Society 