.u - , FISS: 1><=0 \ ~

Category (Check one) x RWS (Resource & Watershed ~

HR (Habitat Restoration)

ST (Stock Rebuilding)

Area (Check One) VI (Vancouver Island & South Coast)

NCC (North & Central Coast and Yukon Territory)

x FRB (Fraser River Basin)

roponent Information

Organization Name fo'Jouette River Management Society

Contact Name ~oss Davies Jelmy.{-junggren

Contact Title ~atershed Coordinator Administrator

Mailing Address ro Box 21117, Ridge Post Office

Maple Ridge, BC

V2X lP7

Phone E04-467-6401

Fax E04-467-6478

Aft Phone: E04-467-0747 Aft Fax: E04-467-0747

Email ES@bc,sympatico,ca

Did you receive DFO input on this project? Yes

Name ofDFO Contact(s): Maurice Coulter-Boisvert - Community Advisor Matt Foy - Habitat Biologist Harold Beardmore - Engineer

'froject Ill/ormation

Project Title A10uette River Watershed Stewardship Coordination

Start Date 04/0 1198

End Date 03131199

1. Continue to promote community involvement and watershed Project Rationale (problem being addressed)

stewardship. ~. Continue to advocate accountability at all levels of government p. Work with and assist agencies in the fulfillment of their

mandates. ~. To undertake various projects in order to fulfill an overall

watershed management slrategy

Was a ftasibility study or pre-assessment done for this project? Yes If yes, please describe.

All instream works were preceded by input from the appropriate agency staff.

Activi(J' Type

Check all that apply

Inventory & Mapping

Public Awareness

Stock Enhancement

Other

Objective # I : Was it achieved?:

Objective # 2 :

Was it achieved?:

Objective # 3 :

Was it achieved?

Objective # 4

Was it achieved?

IPartllersh;"s I

Stock Assessment x

x Habitat Restoration ~

x Stewardship/Community Planning X

X SpecifY Assisting other community groups, such as KEEPS.

ro osal and/or II Treemenl)

Continue to promote community involvement and watershed stewardship.

Yes - see attached

Continue to advocate accountability at all levels of government

res - see attached

Work with and assist agencies in the fulfilhnent of their mandates.

res - see attached

To wldertake various projects in order to fulfill an overall watershed management slrategy

res - see attached

List and describe the personnel involved in the project.

I M!llIrit'P C'nlllt"'r_Rnivvp..t _ C'nmmnnitv A"'vi~lu· _ DI4'O ' l"Irnl11npc: f'pC:l\nrrpc: ~"ti !Ir1v;rp

30 # of persons trained # of persons employed 25 person-days of employment created 900

# of volunteers involved # of volunteer hours

50

23000 ,

Is the local community involved in this project? List and describe the partnerships involved.

n 1996 ARMS developed a data base of all riparian property owners within the Alouette watershed. We distribute a newsletter bi-annually to those households as well as our general membership. We also make every effort to inform and educate the community at large through the media (see appendix I) We have found these efforts to be qnite valuable since we bave been alerted to several on-going or potential habitat problems by riparian property owners. n 1998 the Aloueue Communications Task Team (ACTT), which is a flood notification fan-out team developed

during the Alouette Flow Agreement process, merged with ARMS. We correspond with riparian property owners as reqoired, in order to facilitate activities such as projects on private property and to provide a "bridge" of communications between landowners and federal and provincial geney staff (see examples in appendix 2 )

!ARMS has also assisted the Katzie and Kwayhquitlam First Nations with their FsRBC Historical Stream nventory project.

I' OJeCl LOCaTlO11

Check all that apply

Water body / System(s)

Watershed(s)

Marine Statistical Area(s)

Other

Latitude Longitude

UTM Coordinates

(Check)

x

x

49 - 14 ' 00" 122 - 36'00"

(Details - name, code or other)

South Alouette River

Pitt River

29-16

nia

529000 easting; 5453500 northing (South A/ouette River at 224th Street)

I

ResultslQlllmtijillble Mellsures

Species Addressed (Check as many as applicable)

Pink Chinook

Coho Chum Sockeye Other fSteelhead and Cutthroat Trout)

Habitat Addressed (Check as many as applicable)

In-channel Riparian Lake

For Mapping & Inventory Projects:

Off-channel Estuarinellv1arine Other

Was your data collected according to the DFO-HEB Info Mgmt. guidelines? (ref Brad Mason) YeslNo If yes, was it submitted in digitalformat?

Linear metres of area mapped: Other: tributary benthic sampling

assisted Scott Resources with stream classifICation project

For Stock Rebuilding Projects: 120,000 chum salmon (OctlNov '98)

# Adult Salmon Enumerated: # Juvenile Salmon Enumerated: 7,5 million chum smolts (Mar to June '98) # Salmon markedlTagged or released: Other: Spring fry trapping - various locations

, Jr

~ For StewardshiplCommunity Planning Projects:

# Public PresentationslMediaReleases: Public Presentations: ( 15 Iv J P

Media: See app.#1 # Landowners Contacted: 800 Other: ARMS attended public events, such as Maple RidgelPitt Meadows Home Show,

which together attracted approximately 30,000 visitors.

For Habitat Restoration Projects:

Fencing: n" (fence to bank) and kms protected: trees protected with beaver fencing 8 lineal km

Riparian re-planting (II plantsltrees and m2 area): 10,000 80,000sg. m

In-channel habitat (m2 area of section restored) 3500 sg. m oUarge woody debris habitat

Off-channel habitat (1112 area createdirestored) unknown - projects ongoing

Estuarine habitat (m2 area createdirestored) nla

Lake habitat (1112 area createdirestored) ) nla

Fish Access: (m2 or knl of habitat made available)

Other:

I Project Description

4,400 sg m habitat

Please enter a general project description below. Please include an oven'iew of the methods and techniques used. Ifrequired, you may attach an additional sheet.

u

See attached

I Follow-up & Monitoring Please describe the current status of the project. Has the problem being addressed been solved? (see "project rationale ") What are the ongoing issues in the area and your recommendations for future work.

tem 1: The Watershed Coordination deliverable to the community is on-going, subject to available funding.

tems2- 4: ) Riparian Restoration: This is intended to be a multi-year program. Recommendations for future work clude additional riparian plantings on denuded sections of urbanized watercourses.

) Habitat Enhancement: The primary issue involves habitat works on private lands. There has been much . sinformation concerning the Fish Protection Act and its possible implications for riparian property owners.

S has been and intends to continue to provide correct interpretations of this and other legislation to the n1l1lunity at large.

) Public Education and Awareness: This is also an ongoing process. ARMS hopes to increase its liaisons vith other watershed organizations through partnership ,vith the new Stewardship Coordinator program. ) Alouette Management Committee: This component of the Alouette Water Use Plan is also ongoing.

S Mil continue and expand its efforts to obtain additional funding for AMC projects through Fisheries enewal BC or other programs. ) Large Woody Debris: For 1999-2000 the primary focus oflhis program ,viII shift from additional structure stallalion to the monitoring of previous installations. This Mil include assessments of the salmonid usage of e habitat in and adjacent to the structures. Inventory/Classification: In February of 1999, ARMS held preliminary discussions with the Environmental

anager of the District of Maple Ridge concerning joint projects that would be designed to fill information gaps the watershed

) Fisheries Renewal BC: ARMS Mil continue to be represented in the Lower Mainland Delivery Partner roup and tile Watershed Coordinator will chair a Maple Ridge/Stave Lake subcommittee.

You may attach additional documentation to illustrate your project 's results. (optional)

Documentation Attached (Check as many as applicable)

x Maps x Brochure

x Photos x News clippings

x Data report X Other (Video of ARMS delegation to Maple Ridge Council)

IFillallcial Summary

Please specify project costs according to the following cotegories for the total budget received from HRSEP. You may also attach further financial statements in other formats, as produced by your group's

financial wstems. It is not necessary to forward copies of individual receipts and invoices. As per the terms oj our Agreement, please retain these in your filesJor a minimum period oJthree years, as DFO reserves the right to audit all HRSEP projects.

Projected Amount Actual Amount Details

Wages I Personal Costs $ I $41,000.00 II $33,341.89

Transport I Equipment $ I $2,300.00 I $1 ,814.57

Office I Overhead $ I $4,700.00 II $3 ,761.07

OlherCosls $ I $1,300.00 II $1,093.48

Total Received from HRSEP $ I $50,000.00

Watershed Coordinator and Administrator

vehicle mileage, field equipment, personal ~ear, and other

Newsletter, office supplies, printing, mailing and olher

Rivers Day, workshops and conferences

Contributions to tlte total budget may be from other agencies or in-kind contributions from your own organization, please specifY:

Amount

Other Contribulors to Total Project $ $101 ,639.56

$60,000.00

Details

USHP, Pacific Salmon Foundation, BC Gaming !commiSSion, FRBC, FsRBC, DFO Community kdvisor

Volunteer labour, CFDCIHRDC labour, !corrections, donation oj eqUipment

Figure I: Inclined plane frap s jishing in Soufh Alolleffe River near 224'}, Sf. Approximafely 7. 5 million chum fry were enumerafed through fhe fraps in I 998.

Figure 2: ARMS, CFDC and Inferior Re(oresfafion personnel enumerafing chum salmon fry at fhe 224'" St. trapping site.

Figure 3: Large woody debris installation on private property on South Alollette River at 230'h St.: the site prior to the LWD installation (AUgllst, 1998)

Figure 4: The completed installation The structures were anchored with cable and duck bill anchors. ARMSjilied the role a/Environmental Monitor/or this project at no cost to the landowner. The upslope area has since been replanted by ARMS and a youth crew.

o

Figure 5: The majority of Alouelle tributaries, particularly within the urban area, can benefit from LWD placement. This structure is in Hennipen Creek.

Figure 6: The "beaver pond" project was also enhanced in 1998 by the placement of these structures.

Figure 7: Cottonwood "whip" on South Aloueue near McKenney Creek. Note the wire mesh proteclor on the Iree. We have found during previous years that the use of traditional "vole guards" tended to attract vandalism. This projecl was carried out primarily through labour from the Community Fisheries Development Center.

Figure 8: Studentsfrom Harry Hooge Elementary planting native species on private property on Balabanian Creek.

Figure 9: Crossing Boundaries Conjerence at Allco Park, June, j 998. This forum brought a diverse group of watershed organizations together from around the world. The presentation shown here was/allowed by a tour of various ARMS projects.

Figure j 0: Rivers Day award.~ ceremony at Allco Park, September, 1998. From left to right: John Heaven, Bell-Irving Hatchery; Maurice Coulter-Boisvert, DFO; Dave Smith, Haney Horsemen. These individuals were recognized jar their outstanding support jar and contributions to community stewardship.

Figure 1 1:Chum salmon release on South Alouette at 232"" St. with Yennadon Elementary students, May 1998.

Figure 12: Floating "Coulter-Boisvert"jishfenee at Alleo Hatchery. Theftnce is supported by an air-jilled bladder. It was designed by Maurice Coulter-Boisvert, fimded by a Pacific Salmon Foundation grant, and installed by inmates from Alouelle River Correctional Center.

APPENDIX 1:

NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS

AWARD CANCELLED

Hydro deserves credit, environmentalist says

By SANDY MACDOUGALL

STAFF REPORTER Many Maple Ridge residents think B.C Hydro

displayed a callous, arrogant attitude about the environmental impact of the Alauette Lake Dam and the downstream degradation of the Alouette River for several decades.

That's all changed now and at least one per­son wants to see the corporate titan receive fair credit for its recent good works.

Geoff Clayton, executive director of the Alouette River Management Society. said he's disappointed that B.C. Hydro wasn't recognized for its environmental works at the recent Maple Ridge Chamber of Commerce awards night. Apparently the award was­n't presented this year because no sponsor could be found.

Clayton admits the com- Clayton pany was probably a reluc-tant hero but has many accomplishments {Q its cred it over the past few years.

According to Clayton, S.C Hydro is currently engaged in a pilot program to stock A10uette Lake with kokanee.

At $120,000 per year, the five-year experi­menr is a costly one and, if the project is suc­cessful, it will get even more expensive with B.c. Hydro prepared to enter a long-term, 65-year program thar cost $70,000 a year to maintain.

The first phase of the project is already under way to detennine a baseline that can be use to determine progress over the corning years.

In addition to the kokanee project, a water use

plan prepared in conjunction with the Stave Falls power reconstruction project is costing B.c. Hydro more than $400,000 in lost revenue due to the minimum flow agreement for the Alouette Darn and Alouette River, Clayton said.

B.C. Hydro also contributes $SO,OOO a year ro the Alouette River Management committee, a stakeholders' group with interest in the health of the Alouette River.

Hydro also donated $17,000 in the past two years to help establish the fan-out emergency

'The local newspapers and some citizens helped create a focus on the river and helped hold B.G. Hydro's feet to the fire. '

contact program, $12,000 a year for maintenance of trout rearing pens at Alouette Lake, and $10,000 a year on clean-up activi­ties in Mud Creek which is tributary to the Alouette River.

In total, S.c. Hydro is currently spending $640,000 per year on envi­

ronmental initiatives, Clayton added. While Clayton praised B.C Hydro for its

Johnny-come-lately environmental awareness of the Alouette River watershed, he said the her­itage river status conferred on the river by the provincial government, was a direct result of community involvement.

"What people said and felt about the AJouene River helps define rhe heart and soul of M<lple Ridge," Clayton declared.

"The local newspapers and some citizens helped create a focus on the river and helped hold B.C Hydro's feet to the fire."

I / C ... ., ',., '- ".- \ " ;

Sll:."VE RAY/ News smfT

A crew was set up along the Alouerte River, at 216 Street, Monday to count fry as they travel down stream.

Heading off to sea

Chum count continues until May Up lO 12 million chum salmon fry are expected to pass

through the Alouerte River system as they head out to sea this spring.

And on their way out, a percentage will be counted and marked as part of Be Hydro's water use plan, which monitors the river's health.

The contrapt ions that can be seen in the Alouette Ri ver near 224 and 216 Streets are part of a counting program that started at the end of February and runs until May.

The incline plane traps and rotary screen traps are monitored by crews every morning and severa l times throughout the day.

The crews count the fish in (he (raps and use a nOll -tox ic dye to ma rk a percentage of them before releasing them back into the

liver. The dye will help in thc counting process when the fish Jl.! ttltll to the Alollcue to sp<lwn .

This year's fish count ing program is funded hy a grant from Fisheries Henewal lJ.e.

About e ight people an; involved, sOllle of thclll fro lll tilL' K;w/.ie First Na tion and the Alouet\(' Hiver Miln;lgellll'nt S()ciety, i lild others from the COll1llll'rci;d Fisheries I >cvt.'lopmelll Cellll'l" which n't r;lins comllH'n:i;d fishcrm cn .

Hnss J);\vles of AHMS s; tid dll' cOlilH ing progr'lIl1 i ..... (III ed llG IlIo nal OPp0l111 11 ity for !lu' pllbll(, ;lIld school ~rllllps.

Visi tors an.: welL-ollie to dlop hy ti ll' 22>'l Strl'ct !r:tp ;Uly Illorning. D'-Ivies is abo willill~! 1111111'1"1 pl'tlpll' ;11 llil' :-.i ll· III plovidt'lllOll' infWIII;tllOI1 :!11d .1 11\ \\'1'1 <l 111·\lill11.\ lIt' c,I!1I~ ' 1\';11'111'<1 :11 >'l(17 07,1 7.

:,J !"VI 111\\' N. ·,,, , I .• n

Andy Sa l11 pi ck ... Ottt the fry frolll the Irap along the AJoliett e Hi veI'

Wed .. March 10, 1999 MAPLE RlDGEiPilT·MF.t\I)()WS NEWS 7

LETTERS Express your views bye-mail: editor@mapleridgenews.com

Environmental bonding needed EDITOR, THE NEWS:

I note with interest Coun. Tom Baker's stated opposition to the notion of environ­mental bonding and his query about "why the municipality needs to create a policing state for something that isn't a major prob­lem". (Environmental protection or police state?, The News, March 3).

Perhaps Coun. Baker is unfamiliar with the chronic problem of environmental non-compliance concerning developments both in Maple Ridge and elsewhere in the Lower Mainland. For example, evaluations at Bear Creek in Surrey and at Hoy Creek in Coquidam show that compliance aver­aged just 32%. Anecdotal information from federal and provincial habitat protec­tion staff, ARMS and others indicates that this figure is probably quite generous.

To this end, I would encourage Coun.

Baker to take a drive along Kanaka Creek Road on any rainy day and inspect the level of suspended sediment in Salamander, Cottonwood, Kingfisher or Rainbow Creeks. Couple that with the findings of a Puget Sound-based consult­ing finn, which determined that conven­tional development beyond a density of one lot per two hectares resulted in a 9QO/o loss of the salmonid population, and two things become abundandy clear: one, it is no wonder that Lower Mainland coho stocks are in serious trouble, and two, this is in fact a serious problem.

Fortunately, we have a significant advantage over municipalities such as New Westminster, where the govenunents of the day allowed urban development to progress to the point where all that is now left of the historic salmon habitat is 2% of

the Brunette River and the Fraser River foreshore. We now know that the old ways won't cut it any more.

And as of 1997, local governments were given access through revisions to the Municipal Act to a number of avenues enabling them to take a front-end proac­tive approach to stream protection. The environmental performance bonding process can be an 'integral part of this pre­vention-type strategy. This has been the case in the District of North Vancouver, where bonding was implemented in 1993 and has since worked quite well. I applaud the District of Maple Ridge's efforts to implement a similar process here.

Ross DAVIES WATERSHED CooRDINATOR

AwUETIE RIvER MANAGEMFNI' SoaElY

MAPLE RIDGE

River group set for 'war room' JoanneMacDonald

TIMES STAFF REPORTER

It's not completely finished, but the AIouette River Management SOciety plans to take up residence in its rustic Rivers Heritage Centre next month.

ARMS president Geoff Clayton said watershed coordi­nator Ross Davies and adminis­trator J enny Wunggren will establish their offlce at the cen­tre, located just outside the Alouette River Correctional Centre, on Mar. 22.

That's also the starting date for Janice Jarvis, who's been hired by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans as a stew­ardship coordinator to cover the Coquitian1, AIouette and Kanaka watersheds.

"The offlcial open house for the interpretive centre won't be Mar. 22 because we don't have a fully finished amenity available yet. There's no tile /loor,"

Clayton said. "It'll basically be a war room

for ARMS." He said ARMS welcomes the

addition .of Jarvis, who's had lengthy experience as the manag­er of the Seymour hatchery. Jarvis, who will be based at the new centre, is married to Davies.

"What a stewardship coordi­nator generally tries to do is

. make stewardship organizations like ARMS more effective in drawing together community involvement in issues surround­ing the watershed," Clayton said. "They do that through education through the schools and in the community, putting on effective and businesslike programs."

He said the DFO also plans to hire some habitat auxiliaries, "who will help take some of the horrendous load off the backs" of people like DFO habitat biolo­gist Dave N anson.

"These paid people are also being hired to take the stress off

volunteers who have been effec­tive, but will suffer burnout if they're not given this assistance," Clayton said. "The volunteers are still an important link to the com­munity."

He said ARMS volunteers, who've been working on the Rivers Heritage Centre since 1994 with the help of some cor­porate and private funding, are looking forward to the centre's opening.

"We're excited but we're still strapped for cash," he said. ARMS is still waiting to hear whether they've qualified foded­eral funding for which they applied to bring the centre onstream.

ARMS receives funding from several sources including the federal Habitat Restoration and Salmon Enhancement Program; the provincial Urban Salmon Habitat Program; Forest Renewal B.C.; Fisheries Renewal B.C.; and the Pacific Salmon

Foundation. Meanwhile, Davies said the

offlcial opening for the centre is hoped to be sometime this spring.

The interpretive centre will be education-based, and will offer streamkeeper training, as well as a classroom-type setting that can be rented out.

"It'll be a place for community groups where they can sign out equipment, and do practical work and fmd out how to look after backyard streams," Davies said.

The centre will also feature general displays about local rivers, complete with manuals. It will be open to students, resi­dents and tourists, who can visit the nearby ARCC fish hatchery to view the actual life cycles and growth stages of fish.

• For more information about ARMS contact administrator Jenny Lunggren at 46&-3894 or Davies at 467-0747.

.2 The Times

news Province funds fish count plan

The Alouette River Management Society has been awarded a provincial grant of $18,000 from Fisheries Renewal B.C.

Geoff J:;layton, ARMS president, said the group has already received half of the promised grant.

"These funds will go .towards co-partnering with the Alouette Management Committee on juvenile enumera­tion and substrate monitoring," he said. "We're very pleased with this announcement."

The Alouette watershed is just one of the areas target­ed for fisheries-related projects which are being funded by FRBC, and coordinated through the Community. Fisheries Development Centre.

Groups receiving funding through . the Salmon Renewal Program range from First Nations, 'volunteer groups, post-secondary institutions, and displaced fish­ing industry workers, to youth and environmental orga-nizations. !

The projects will take place in watersheds throughout the Lower 'Mainland, including the Fraser estuary, and the Seymour, Salmon and Coquitlam rivers.

The ARMS juvenile enumeration and substrate moni­toring project is the continuation of a partnership set up to form the AMC.

According to Ross Davies, ARMS watershed coordina­tor, the objective of the juvenile enumeration will be to estimate the out-migration of juvenile salmonids using mark-recapture methods. Among the information to be collected and calculated will be length and weight sam­ples of the juveniles, as well as egg to fry survival rates for the South Alouette River.

Davies said the substrate monitoring program will analyze data by size classes, reach and habitat type col­lected during the assessment of the substrate composi­tion of the river.

Proposrus are currently being accepted by Community Fisheries for a first round of 1999 to 2000 fiscal year pro­jects.

The deadline is 4:30 p.m. April 16. Contact the Community Fisheries office for an application form at 596-7440 (Surrey) or 255-9978 (Vancouver).

\

8 MAPLE RIDGE/PfIT MEADOWS NEWS ·Wed.,·March 24,1999

'Lost streams' traced in Katzie-Kwayhquitlam fishery study By T ASHA B AILEY

NEWS CONTRIBUTOR

Karzie Slough, a scream once vital to the survival of the Katlie and Kwayhquitlam First

Nations, was used to fish, hunt and travel has been partially buried by heavy developments as population has increased.

The replacement of many

streams has caused great can· cern among the bands which has led to two research projects in hopes of creating environ­mental awareness.

Coordinator Tom Blackbird proposed the two projects to the Fisheries Renewal B.C. pro­gram in January and was awarded funding based on the

~ ~ ~.

partnership between the two native groups.

Researchers Glen Joe and Walter Leon have been work­ing on the "lost streams", which has received $11,000 from Fisheries Renewal B.C to tty to locate the exact areas of the existing streams.

By studying maps of 1868, attaining historical infonnation from the archives and visiting musuems, the detailed research provided useful infor­mation for the second project.

Researchers Stephen Armstrong and Sydney Johnson have been preparing a slide show presemation that received $4,900 from Fisheries Renewal B.C that will show slides of existing streams to educate the public on environ­memal awareness.

In 1910, Katzie and Kwayhquitlam fishing villages used to travel from Coquitlam to Hope beginning at the slough, which later branched off imo to other streams to pro­pel fisherman along their food­gathering routes.

. Now, the majority of the Katzie slough has been diverr­ed, resulting in ditches due to the diking system put in place to prevent the Fraser River from flooding Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge.

Increased land development has also been a large cause of the depletion of the slough.

The band partnership wants to preserve the environment, he said, but "bureaucrats keep getting involved."

Recently, at Kanaka Creek, Armstrong noticed machinery on the river bank to rebuild the dike system and emphasizes the presence of the machinery is a threat to fish habitat. Armstrong said this incident of damaging the environment is what they are trying to educate people about in their presenta­tion.

In the past, Coquitlam River used to be a prime fishing area for all native fishing villages, but damming has damaged the habitat.

"We sure did sacrifice a lor for power," Armstrong said.

At one time, Maple Ridge had eight strong creeks, but now Armstrong can only locate three of them underground.

In the 1930s, researcher Sydney Johnson said sockeye were abundant, but now (hey have lost their routes due to the development of land.

"We are killing them off and we don't even know it," Armstrong said.

The process of locating the lost streams is by using the Global Posirion System, a hand-held device that provides longitude and latirude coordi­nates.

Once the coordinate infor­mation is accumul<ltcd, the researchers use <I gcogrCl[1hic inventory systcm to cntcr in the recent data to indicate where the lost streams lie.

The slide sho\\' \'·;il! be [1~­sented to resourcc m,lnilgcrs on Fri. Mar. 26 ilt David Lam campus in Coquit\<"m.

(",,-II 2 January 10, 1999 - MAPLE RIDGE' PITT MEADOWS TIMES II

NEWS

Damage forces B.C. Parks to close pit By Joanne MacuonalO TIMES STAFF REPORTER

B C Parks has permanently shut down the controvers ial gravel pit in Golden

• • Ears provincial park. Jeff Such, Alouette area supervisor for B.C. Parks, said the closure resulted from two incidents in the last two weeks which caused some silt to cloud the Alouette River.

"We permanantly shut down that gravel pit. It's been sea led off and absolutely no activity is taking place. We've indicated we will not lise that gravel pit anymore because of its environmental sensitivity," Such said Thursday.

He added local parks officials have notified capital development officials in Victoria of the decision to close the pit, as well as the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the Ministry of Environment, and the Alouette River Management Society.

The TIMES reported Wednesday that parks officials halted excavation work at the pit after ARMS president Geoff Clayton complained Dec. 28 about an excavator ripping out a drainage ditch situated between siltation ponds at the pit's base. A small portion of silt drained from one of the ponds into the Alouette River.

The excavator had been instructed by B.C. Parks to park his equipment at the pit and not proceed with any work. Parks officials backfilled the ditch to stop further runoff; a berm was constructed around the siltation pond to prevent further drainage problems; and fences and straw bales were put in the ditch to handle any ovefflow. The excavator operator was also dismissed from the site.

Such said he and environmental consultants from Golder and Associates inspected the gravel pit site last Tuesday, approving the berm and other measures taken to ensure no silt was being discharged.

Howcver, last Wednesday, the project supervisor for the new campground, who was contracted by B.C. Parks, began some gravel extraction from the pit around 10:30 a.m. without B.C. Parks approval. The gravel from the pit was to be used for the construction of the park's new campground at the north end of the park's main road, above North Beach.

Such said the extracted gravel did not impact the rein­forced ditch but problems arose when it began to rain. He said the two trucks hauling the gravel were travelling down the access road to the pit and, because of the rain and slush, the trucks caused some puddling and pothole water to spray into a nearby drainage ditch. That water then worked its way down to the

"It proceeded some 60 metres from the siltation p OI,d through the forest. About 20 metres from the river it Wen!

underground and percolated underground and folIo" od the hydrology pattern into the river and resurfaced in the­river," said Such. "So there was filtration of the water 111

the ground before it went into the river. But because sam,' of the particulate (in the silt) is so fine it travelled through to the river and created a cloudy bloom."

He said the actual discharge "was a small amount of siltation," adding the environmental consultants said tho impact on the fish habitat would be minimal.

Since Wednesday's pit closure, parks officials hUI'o invited Clayton, ARMS watershed coordinator Ross

Davies, and officials from MELP and Alouette River. .. Such said B.C. Parks was not aware of this second .incident until Clayton informed officials of another change in the river water around I :30 p.m. Wednesday. He talked to Ray Peterson, B.C. Parks district manager for the Lower Mainland district, who then contacted Such, who immediate­ly closed the project.

We've indicated we will not use that

gravel pit anymore because of its envi-

DFO to a meeting to discuss the park's already completed environmental impact assessment and to have an open discussion about the situation.

"We want to continue to work with Geoff and ARMS. They've been very helpful to B.C. Parks. This could have been a very serious problem. But because of good communication with B.C. Parks, we stopped the project," Such said. Since then, more filtration fences

and straw bales have been installed at the overflow parking lot where the water was running along the drainage ditch. Such added the equipment oper­ator was instructed to remove his

ronmental sensitivity.

~ "We want to show all of the people involved that we have taken extreme mitigation measures. Any more gravel that will be needed will be drawn from sources outside of the park."

Jeff Such

equipment and not proceed with any further work in the gravel pit. The project supervisor was also removed from the project.

Such said it's important to realize the original leakage of silt from the siltation pond was "not a direct discharge into the Alouette River. .

The new campground is about 60 per cent finished with the opening date targeted for April I. However, Such said parks officials will now have to re-evaluate costs since they will now be going outside of the park to obtain gravel for the project.

Clayton could not be reached for comment Friday.

.. ENVIRONMENT .7X< / i"-<.!> jo~ {./Y/

B.C. Parks work muddies Alouelle By Joanne MacDonald TIMES STAFF REPORTER

Environmentalists are upset that excavation work by a B.c. Parks contractor caused silt from a gravel pit in Golden Ears Park to drain into the South Alouette River.

It happened on at least two occasions between Christmas and New Year's Day. The work has been halted due to complaints from the Alouette River Management Society, but Geoff Clayton, ARMS president, said the group is concerned about work being done in "an environmentally sensitive area" during such wet weather.

"It's a very sensitive time in the river. The coho are in there spawning and they're an endangered species," said Clayton. "These slope faces (in the pit area) are very unstable and they could slough off and create more silt. The use of heavy equipment could precipitate even more."

Clayton said the pit in question is located about 500 metres downstream from the Alouette Dam on the west bank. It was created when earth from the park area was used to reconstruct the dam by B.c. Hydro in 1983-84.

Clayton said he was out hiking in the park on Dec. 28 when he noticed that an excavator working on the face of the pit had ripped out a trench between the siltation ponds located at the pit's base. Silt from the ponds subsequent­ly drained into Ihe nearby Alouette River. Clayton immediately contacted a park official who assured him the work would stop.

The ARMS president returned to the area the next day with ARMS watershed coordina­tor Ross Davies and found the trench had been back-filled, which prevented any more silt draining into the river.

However, while out walking his dog on New Year's Eve, Clayton said he discovered the

within Golden Ears, specifically for the park's new campground development.

"We had an environmental assessment done. Now we want to get an environmental plan done. I gave Geoff my assurances nothing more would be done without a plan," said Peterson. "We will be working with Geoff and whomev-

er else to make sure everyone '5 .. trench had again been opened up, with silt qrainage occurring

again. Clayton notified park officials and, as of this week, the excavation work had been halted.

Ray Peterson, B.C. Parks district manager for the Lower Mainland district, said the con­tractor had been hired by B.C. Parks to stabilize the pit area. But he said no stabilizing work was to have been done before an environmental plan for the project had been developed.

This all happened due to a lack

of a coordinated approach.

happy. We're a parks agency and the last thing we want to do is anything that's environ­mentally insensitive."

When asked if the contrac­tor who did the excavating work was still working for B.C. Parks, Peterson answered, "All work has ceased. If the contractor had done what we'd asked, none of this would have happened."

~ Geoff Clayton

Clayton, meanwhile, has fired off a letter to the

Department of Fisheries and to the Ministry of Environment about the excavation work.

"My understanding was the equipment was to be brought in al\d parked. But...a trench was dug that shouldn't have been dug. It has been backfilled," said Peterson Monday. "An envi­ronmental consulting company has been con­tacted and some hay bails and fencing have been put in place. Nothing is going into the river now."

Peterson said the equipment was brought in to stabilize the area because the old gravel pit is considered unsafe. But he added if ·the pit can be stabilized, B.C. Parks is hoping to even­tually use the pit's gravel for other projects

He said he's concerned about how the pit will eventually "be returned to the park," and whether slope reduction and replanting of the area will actually take place.

"This all happened due to a lack of a coor­dinated approach to an environmentally sensi­tive area," he said. "We want assurances that before these types of operations go on in the park, that the branches of the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks are coordinat­ing their activities."

Sun., November 15, 1998 ·MAPLE RIOGFJPITJ' MEADOWS NEWS 3

Flood hits houses, cranberry bog By KARIN MARK AND SANDY MACDOUGALL

ST AFP REpORTERS

Thlelve homes in north central Maple Ridge were flooded in Thursday's deluge which saw 97 mm (four inches) of rain fall in less th2Il 24 hours.

The rain-swollen and undiked North Alouette River escaped its banks and flooded a localized area north of 132nd Avenue and 224th Street, municipal clerk Jim McBride said Friday.

'The water level peaked in the middle of the night but we expect it to be back within its banks within the next 24 hours; McBride said.

The area affected by the sudden flood has suf­(ered from similar incidents on a regular basis over the years and warning signs are posted on 224th Street advising people that the road is subject to flooding.

Municipal crews were busy Thursday night

and Friday lending assistance wherever needed. The crews 'We've been making were also making plans to carry ,

"It's going in there at about 10 miles an hour," Cayton said. 'The area of his fann is full of adult and juvenile fish." . out repairs to damaged drive- the pomt aU along

ways ·and road shoulders when that that's aquatic the flood waters had receded" ,

ARMS' concern is not only about the fate of those fish when the bog is drained, Clayton said.

McBridge added. habltat. Nature's Just Meanwhile, fisheries and envi- proved us ng' ht'

ronment staff were called out ' The organization has always Friday to a cranbeny fann on the west side of 224 Street owned by Aquilini Investment Group.

Due to heavy rains, the rising North Alouette River burst through the clay dike on the proper­ty, allowing the river to flow into the cranbeny bog.

Geoff Clayton of the Alouette River Management Society said the breach is 20 to 30 feet across.

claimed the approximately 500-acre cranberry fami. is in aquatic habitat, Cayton said, but little can now be done to recti­fy the sitiation. But now, he said, Aquilini Investments also wants to expand the fann to include approximately 200 acres directly across 224 Street, on the Maple Ridge side.

ARMS has put the wheels in motion to protect that area, which Clayton said includes Blaney Bog and low-lying vegetation and swamp land

that is prime fish and bird habitat. "We've been making the point all along thaI

that's aquatic habitat," he said. With Friday's dike breach, "nature's just proved us right."

While the North Alouette River went on an unrestrained rampage, the South Alouette River stayed well within its normal channels.

McBride said tributary streams below the Alouette Lake dam were adding significandy to the water flows in the South Alouene but there were no signs of flooding.

In past floods in the Alouette River system, water spillage from the Alouette u.ke Dam has been a significant factor but there was seven metres ofleeway above the dam Thu",day night, McBride said.

Sandbags and emergency assistance will be provided by the municipality for anyone in need. The emergency contact number is 463-9581.

COLLEEN KIDD!Sltr ling News Service

FEARS FOR STREAMS: Maple IGdge's Geoff Clayton is concerned about the ecosystem surrounding the cranberry farm under"eon­struction at the north end of224th Street. Clayton and other community members are worried about the effect on streams in the area.

Cranberry farms 'damaging environment' A river protection group in the Maple Ridge area says expansion of the farms poses a threat to fish and wildlife.

EARLE GALE STERLING NEWS SERVICE

Geoff Clayton stands on an unpaved Maple Ridge road and shakes his head at the muddy fish-bearing ditch and cranberry farm beside it.

The president of the Alou­ette River Management Soci-

ety has spent decades restor­ing tributaries feeding the nearby Alouette River. For every step forward, he says he takes another back.

The cranberry farm is being carved out of Blaney Bog, an area of shrubs, trees and wa­terlogged soil at the north end

of 224th Street in Maple IGdge. In preparation for cranberry

farming, a 160-hectare barren landscape was created by scalping the bog and building an earthen dike around it.

"There are salmonids in all these ditches," Clayton says. "The last time we had a heavy rain, the whole area flooded and fish were swimming down the road."

Clayton's group and several local organizations have band­ed together to explain how the rapid expansion of cranberry farming is damaging the envi­ronment.

He's joined by the Pitt Polder Preservation Society. which campaigned last year to stop a golf club building homes near­by. The Alouette Field Natural-

SF.I' FNVIRONMEr-rT. B3

EDITOR.S DESK

Enviro-Chicken Littles gear up for Christmas Enviro-scare campaigns continue to be fash­

ionable among the suburban set. Loud, scientif­ically illiterate protests about every imagined threat to Mother Earth keep hanging around, like platform shoes, in defiance of all appeals to conunon sense.

Case in point: with the sudden rerum of heavy winter rains in November, a fairly common event took place. There was a mudslide in the Coquitlam U1ke re5eIVOir which caused what the GVRD calls ''turbidity" in the water system for a few days. Dramatic media images of water that looked like weak tea were

TOM FLErQIER

accompanied by soothing assurances that this awful brush with Thinl World conditions was not really life-threatening. No doubt sales of designer bottled water spiked upward again.

MAPLE RIDGE • pm MEADOWS

NEWS A member ~ MetroValley

of the ....... Newspa~

lief &C:2 jCjfJ 7)uikws ,

Of course sales are already brisk, since many people have already relegated Greater Vancouver's tap water to washup-only status. (J guess they haven't heard about Honduras and

It was funny watching national media outlets bite on the latest Greenpeace gambit: killer vinyl

Bangladesh.) After this horrible cata­

strophe, the pioneering environmental action group SPEC and the important-sounding Sierra Legal Defence Fund were quick to the barricades to denounce logging in the Coquitlam U1ke watershed as the culprit in the washout. A protest cam­paign has gone on for years at the GVRD, claim­ing that a greedy sellout to oorporate logging interests

is a threat to Greater Vancouvers water supply. Alas, SPEC and Sierra had to eat their words. After a helicopter tour of the watershed, the enviro-Chicken Littles were fo",ed to conclude

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that the slide was caused by plain old rain. Of course the logging indusay is aimost at a

standstill across the province, so there is little damage left for the scare indusay to do to it Dam, the SPEC and Sierra fundraising drive will just have to look for another catastrophe to feed off.

The pre-Chrisonas period, where every­body's in a generous mood, seems to bring them out It was hilarious watching national media outlets bite on the latest Greenpeace gambit: killer vinyl. In case you missed i~ Greenpeace stirred up a minor medla frenzy over the prospect of plastic-cllewing tots keel­ing over if they somehow get in the mood to eat an entire Barbie house.

Greenpeace, bored with logging and whales for the moment, issued a news release making various claims about the use of vinyl com­pounds. Here is the response of Dr. Michael Day, a plastics specialist at the National Researt:h Council in Ottawa: "Since polyvinyl chloride (PVC) does not deoompose in a land­fill, it therefore cannot emit vinyl chloride

monomer," Vmyl indusrry spokesman Marion Axmith pointed out that despite Greenpeace's chemical confusion, vinyl is actually the pre­ferred material for landfill liners because of i~ resistance to decomposition.

"I have never seen a news release that mixed so many myths and misinfonnation on one page," she said, adding its main pwpose seemed to be ''photo ops and fundraising".

Finally, we have the recent effOrt by bog­huggers in Maple Ridge and Delta to chase away the cranberry fanning industry. AI a news conference with the obligatory staged visuals for 1v, they issued a list of all the chemicals it is permissible to use on a cranberry farm, pm­jecting dire consequences to the watershed without reference to what chemicals are actual­ly in use. As usual, they targeted the farms instead of the federal and provincial govern­men~ which long ago approved these herbi­cides and pesticides for Canadian farms.

Next time the envirnnmentalists go before the cameras, check to see if they're still wear· ing platfonn shoes. Vinyl ones.

PUBUSHER

DAlENEI50N

The ~ b an i.nr'kpendent communi!)' newspaper, qualified Wlder Schedule Ill, Pan Ill, Pangr.lph III «!he E:Idse 1U N;t. It is published Su.ndiy ~ Wedl'lC5lday It Maple RkI,e s.c. for Meaciowridse PubUations ud. CopyriahI and/or property ri&;hts subsist In all display acMer­tisinaand 0I:her materiallppcaring in this issue oIThr: NrwI.. Second class naiiing ~don No. 4830.

EDITOR

TOM Fu!rcHER

The publisher sN.1I ~ be UabIe for sIiaht dwtges Of t)pOSBphkal errors that: do no( Icsxn the yaJue 0/ an adw!'. dsemerIt. The PJlXisher's liahilUy for errors or om.is:sioas in conneaion wah my ~ b RriaIy limiu!d to ~ Iicatioo 01 the advenisement in any $I.Ibsequelu issue Of dw MuM r:J any monic; paid for the IIdvmiscment.

LETTERS Sun .• December 6, 1998 MAPLE RIDGF/PfIT MEADOWS NEWS 7

Please note our new e-mail address: editor@mapleridgenews.com

Reducing the impact of cranberry farms EDITOR, THE NEWS:

Local environmental groups are right to oppose cranberry crops in environmentally sen­sitive areas like Blaney Bog (Cranberry farm tar­geted, The News, Nov. 25.)

But it is important not to target all cranberry growets. As a member of the Professional Pest Management Association and an independent integrated pest management (!PM) consultant, I monitor several cranberry farms in the Pitt Meadows area. Crops are regularly checked for pests and diseases and if damage reaches "threshold levels" a variety of natural and chem­ital pest control methods are recommended to growers.

This helps to reduce pesticide use because pesticides are applied only when needed and in the correct amounts. At the same time, the use of natural pest control methods, such as sanding of crops and encouraging natural predatots, helps reduce the environmental impact of grow­ing cranberries.

This is a vast improvement from the past, when pesticides and herbicides were indiscrimi­na,ely applied to crops, without regard to the environmental impact. In fact, the cranberry

industry in B.C. has been very proactive in resean:hing and adopting new techniques to reduce pesticide use and move toward natural control methods.

While there is still a lot of work to be done, growing cranberry crops on existing agricultur­al land using !PM techniques is still a better alternative to building subdivisions.

MAlum TAMMINGA

AlA CoNSULTING

MAPLE RIDGE

ARMS takes exception to column EDrroR, THE NEWS:

Once agalin, otte of your editorials has taken the serious state of the Georgia Basin coho salmon stocks and their habitat as well as the efforts to preserve both and has attempted to tum it all into some kind of a joke (Enviro­Chicken Littles gear up for Christtn_as, The News, Dec. 2).

Since the Alouette River Management Society issued a statement at the Nov. 23 Blaney Bog press conference, I assume that we are the ''bog­huggers· that you make reference to. Consequently, I take serious offense at several of

your statements. Perhaps you did not take the time to read the statement of the Alouette River Management Society, which was subntitted to this newspaper and read by Geoff Clayton at the press conference.

Nowhere in this statement was there any mention of cranberry farnting, let alone any suggestion of "chasing away the cranberry industry". We did not mention pesticides or her­bicides. What the statement did contain was a list of activities observed and photographed by ARMS that contravene the federal Fisheries Act, the provincial Water Act, or both. We also pro­posed a cooperative working arrangement between ARMS, the landowner and the govern­ment agencies. We have done and will continue to hold those agencies accountable to their man­dates of aquatic habitat protection.

We also invited the executive director of the B.c. Cranberry Growers Association,. Byron Mehl, to the press conference. (Mr. Meh!, inci­dentally, sUPIX>rts our position concerning the Blaney Bog site.)

Yes, there are environmentalists out there who like to sensationalize and ham it up in front of the media, although I have not come across

this in my day-tcxIay dealings with community groups in the Ridge-Meadows area. ARMS, for example, would far rather work proactively with the community in order to ensure the preservation of our natural resources than stand in front of a 1V camera. Our liaison with the media is simply one of me tools we use to attempt to educate and inform the community.

We have always been honest and up-fron' with the media and have tried to communicate watershed issues as objectively as possible in order to ensure that the media receives the most accurate information possible. We would expert similar counesy in return.

Ross DAvt>'S

WA1'F.RSHED CooRDINAJOR

ALom:rn; RIvER MANAGEMENt SocmY MAPu RIDGE

Editor's note: Mr. Dovies is righ~ and I apolo­gi7.e to him, to Mr. Clcryton and to ARMS for leav­ing the impression that my criticisms were direct· ed at them I should have specified that I was talk­ing about the Pitt Polder group, whose brief histo­ry has in my opinion been characterized mainly by self-serving publicity stunts and alannis, rhetoric of questionable accuracy.

EDITOR.S DESK

Farmers getting tired of enviro-smear tactics When a "coalition of environment groups"

called a news conference at Blaney Bog for Nov. 23, reporters were promised that they would be exposed to ''The 'Dark' side of cran­berry fanns".

This dramatic billing was provided by the Pia Polder Preservation Society, which aaended along with representatives of Alouene River Management Sodety, the S.c. Cranberry Association, the Bums Bog Conservation Society and A10ueae Field Naturalists.

Geoff Clayton of ARMS TOM and SytOn Mehl, executive FLErOIER direcror of the growers' group, had a real news story. ARMS had documented what they described as serious problems with a cranberry field being constructed next to Blaney Creek, including prohibited levels of sediment dis-

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charge and infringement of stream setbacks. Mehl said .Blaney Bog, which floods fre­

quently, is not appropriate for cranberry farm­ing, but took great palrts to distinguish

ARMS did the legwork on Blaney Bog, and the Chicken Littles piled on with the strident rhetoric

berween this problem site and other farms that are sniving to maintain high environmental standards. He said government test· ing has found no residues of any kind from opera­tional cranberry fanns, except for a half-degree increase in temperature, and suggested that the filtering effect of a stan­dard cranberry operation may acrually be beneficial to a fish-bearing environ-ment.

"We have been on record for months as not supporting this planting," he said. "If you would hit the nail on the head it would pene­trate quicker. Other serious and environmental·

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Iy aware farmers are not your target here." Who do you suppose is targeting legitimate

farmers? Is it the media? No, it's self-styled "environmentalists" such as the Pitt Polder group, whose representative poured out a glass of cranberry juice on the ground and disnib­uted literature about pesticide spills in WISCOnsin (no local horror stories could be found, apparently), and the Burns Bog group, whose spokesperson said cranberry farming creates ''unsightly pits that degrade recreation and ecotourism values as well as creating virtu· al deserts for wildlife."

The self-styled polder protectors have rmuble grasping the concept of private property, and are evidently content to enjoy their "eeo­tourism" experiences on any farm they find handy. A member of the Pirt Polder group found Roundup boxes while trespassing on a local farm. Imagine, a chemical that is legally used on lawns all over Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, applied by a professional farmer!

Their list of pesticides allegedly used on B.C. cranberry farms contains no fewer than six

chemicals that may be used to conrml black· headed fireworm. An: they suggesting that local farms are using all six? Do they care? Did they hear Mehl say runoff from fanns has been tested and found to be free of contaminants? Have they ever heard of integrated pest man­agement? Or are they just chanting their usual anti-fanning, more-regulation mantra?

fve heard from three local farmers in the past week who are afraid about their furure, and angry at the ignorance of their critics. They work hard and take enormous risks to stay in business, and they don't need smear campaigns from self-righteous city dweUers.

ARMS did the legwork on Blaney Bog tha, provincial and federal officials get paid to do, and came up with specific observations about one fann development. The enviro-Chicken 11ttles piled on, providing strident rhetoric tha , unfairly portrays all farm operators as reckless chemical abusers.

ARMS continues ro do valuable work that helps farmers and the public. But they should be more careful about the company they keep.

PUSUSHER

DAlll NEl50N

• EDITOR

TOM FlETCHER

The News is all indtpendent community tIe'oYSpaper, quali ­fied under"Schedule 111, Part Ill, Paragraph III of the Excist: 1U I+C..lt Is published S~y and 'Nednesday Jt Maple Ridge B.C. for MeIdowridge Publications Lui. Copyright andtor property rights subAsI: in all display ~g and other material .ppe:aring in Ihi:s issue of The News. Second dus: mailing registration No. 4830.

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WeJCi ·Gk ( 0 I"j <i

.-ENVIRONMENT .

Sides argue over bog's habitat status . - .. By Joanne lVIacuonalo

TIMES STAFF REPORTER

I n the debate about whether Blaney Bog should be preserved or developed, two issues have become the focal points of recent discussions involving a

landowner, government officials and environmentalists. At issue is whether certain sections ofland owned by

the Aquilini Investment Group Inc. in Blaney Bog are fish habitat or not. If they are, can they be developed for cranberry farming? Or, the fish habitat issue aside, should the bog remain untouched and turned into a con­servation area?

The Aquilini group owns between 70 to 80 per cent of the 300 acres within Blaney Bog in Maple Ridge, includ­ing an approximately 70-acre diked area. The latter area is located east of 224 Street in an area known as "Parcel A" and, according to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, is bounded by Blaney Creek, Anderson Creek and Spring Creek.

It's that diked area that the Alouette River Management Society and the DFO both contend is fish habitat.

Gary Wharton, a lawyer representing the Aquilini Investment Group Inc., disagrees. "It's established farm­land within the Agricultural Land Reserve; it has been for 50 years. The area inside that circumferential dike is not fish habitat," said Wharton.

"We think that it is not a stretch you can make to (say) that's fish habitat unless you choose to declare that whole area of Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows fish habitat,

regardless of whether it's been developed or not." ARMS president Geoff Clayton said he challenges

Wharton's stand. "There's no question it is fish habitat and we have

found natural flow patterns between the river and Parcel A that clearly show it is fish habitat," said Clayton. He said ARMS plans to talk to Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks officials in Victoria to ask them to take action on the issue.

"It's not clarified from our point of view that it 's pro­tected the way it sits. That's what we're ultimately look­ing for, a way to protect it," said Clayton.

Bruce Reid, the DFO's head of land use within the Lower Mainland, said his department has notified the Aquilini group by letter that Parcel A is considered to have "fish habitat values."

He said he understands the parcel has been considered for cranberry farming.

"We advised Mr. Aquilini that based on our inspec­tions, Parcel A appears to be part of the active floodplain of several fishbearing creeks and the DFO considers it to be fish habitat," said Reid. "It means that if they want to plan any development in this area, that they need to be mindful of that." .

He said an engineer retained by the Aquilini group met last week with DFO and MoE officials to discuss the company's plans for the area.

But Reid said he wasn't sure if any future meetings had been scheduled.

As for the district of Maple Ridge, officials say they're not as concerned with the fish habitat issue as trying to

find ways to preserve the "pristine bog" area of Blaney Bog.

Councillor Ken Stewart said the district is acti"ely meeting with provincial and federal officials to discuss

. preserving parts of the area. Stewart said he and mayor Carl Durksen also met with Luigi Aquilini and his t\\·o sons about two weeks ago to discuss the company's plans for their property within Blaney Bog.

"They said they'd entertain anything we'd put to them. They've accepted that we

Coun. Ken Stewart: met have an interest in the bog. with the landowner. And they basically said the/d wait to hear from us. He (Luigi) said their initial plan was to pursue cranberry farming, but he's aware that the land inside the diked area was better to farm than the outside." said Stewart.

"Our preference, of course, would be to bring the land into public ownership ... and to leave the pristine section of the bog with extreme limitations to access."

Stewart added any work by the Aquilinis has been shut down until next summer due to the wet weather.

"The municipal interest is it has a conservation value, but the reality is that it's privately owned. At this time, we don't know what the Aquilinis are prepared to do. If they chose, they could just donate it to the city. People do that."

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Geoff Clayton: pilot program worked well.

STAFF REPORTER Alouene River to provide an also trap the dead and decaying B.C. Hydro, me Alouette River enhanced fish habitat. The stumps bodies of fISh ' after they have

Managemem Society. Corrections are placed in the bed of the river spawned and that creates a natural B.C. and the Ministry of and men anchored m place wim fertilizmg effect, Clayton said. The Environment, Lands and Parks cables. debris also deters stream bed ero­have come up with a better way to 'Geoff dayton, executive director sion and helps maintain a healthier dispose of cedar stumps that wash of ARMS, said this is the second system for the entire river. up on the shores of Stave Lake. Ifs year of the program. The stump transfer was carried a simple program and fish in the "We staned this last year as a out Feb. 11 and 12 by crews pro­Alouette River are going to love pilot program and it worked so vided by the Stave Lake mem for it. well ifs bemg repeated,' Clayton Corrections Centre. Funding for the

The stumps are removed .from said. program was supplied by Forest the Stave Lake reservoir and then Besides providing shade and Renewal s.c.

,s. su - ,

.,

Chinook back to AloDen By KARIN MARK STAFF REPORTER

OUnook salmon, absent for almost 60 year.; from AIouette River, are starting to find the Jocal waterway attractive again.

It's just one of the benefilS the A10uette River Management Society has seen since B.G. Hydro starred increasing water flows to the river a few years ago.

Three healthy chinook salmon were eaught in the new fish fence at the hatchery at A10uette Regional Correctional Cenrre.

Constructed in August and September with a Sl2,OOO grant from the Pacific Sabnon Foundation, the fence helps the society track the numbers of fish in the A10uette and collect egg stock.

lIS unique design was the brainchild of Deparnnent of "lSheries and Oceans staff member Maurice Coulter-Boisvert, who saibbIed it down on {he back of a napkin in a restaurant more than a year ago.

The beauty of the design is ilS simplicity. Eighty feet long, the basic contraption consists of aluminum sheets resting atop a floating air·fiIIed bladder. Inflate the bladder, and the sheelS rise over the water level to redirect fish into a finger wier that hatchery workers can aa:ess. Deflate the bladder to deactivate the fence for cleaning or during heavy river flows.

It's sturdy, yet easy to manage and portable, said ARMS' watershed coordinator Ross Davies. Davies foresees the fence becoming a community education tool that would work well with the hatchery and the nearby interpretive cenrn; which is close to completion.

As evidenced by the chinooks, the fence "is paying dividends already."

Although it's possible one or two of the newly trapped chi­nook came from the smalt releases ARMS started on the Alouette in 1997, Davies is guessing at least one might have . strayed into the river by accident and decided to stay there.

That probably wouldn't have happened if the ·A1ouette's habi­tat hadn't improved to the degree that it has, Davies said.

FISh runs in the river are growing stronger each year. Most of the salmon in me Alollette now are chum, the subject of an annual enwneration project.

With corlSCrvation key in many people's minds, Davies said residents need not be concerned if they spot crews of three to five people using seine nets on the river beno.-een about 216 and 227 SrreelS. Scott Resoun:es - which won the $35,000 contract from s.G. Hydro - is working with ARMS and B.G. Instirute of Technology srudenlS to do the enumeration.

The worker..;, who will present a collection pennit on request, are simply tagging the fISh so that they can be identified later when they spawn and die. Team members will later walk the shores looking for tagged carcasses, chopping them in half to avoid recounting them_

U!st year's count totalled 70,000 to 80,000 - probably the best return in 60 years, Davies said.

But because of rumours of illegal chum egg poaching this year, Davies said residents should be sure to report anyone on the river who might look suspicious by calling 666-3500. A vehicle licence plate number is also helpful.

Having those extta eyes in the commurury watching out for the river is part of ARMS strategy_

The organization's upcoming newslener, to be sent (0 up to 700 households along the A10uette and ilS tnbutaries, will pre­sent a challenge to river neighbours to help improve its habitat. Simple but effective strategies include planting along the banks and embedding debris into the riverbed.

r'Or more infonnarion about ARMS, call 465-3894. Ross Davies holds a chum salmon from the A1louette hatchery. Ne" behind him, where returning chinook were verified.

Sun., April 26, 1998 MAPLE RIDGE/ PIn MEADOWS ~EWS 3

From catching t:Salmon to counting them By KARIN MARK

STAFF REpORTER After years of hauling fish from the

waters for a living, a group of com· mercial fishennen are helping enhance their swvival rate in the Alouette River.

They are clients of the Commercial Fisheries Development Centre, a fed­eral program that aims to retrain com­mercial fishennen as pan of a strategy to downsize the Pacific salmon fleet

Dwing the off-season, the centre gives unemployed fishennen opportu­nities to retrain in areas such as water· shed restoration, while topping up their Employment Insurance premi­wns_

The aim is that eventually, fewer and fewer of them will retum to com­mercial fishing when the next season starts. And that plan suits CFDC client Mark Cameron just fine.

"I want out,'" said Cameron, super· visor of a group of six CFDC clients who have been working on various projects along the Alouette River. "It's too unstable, and I reaIize rm not too old to retrain."

Currently, the team is collecting data to be used by the Alouette Management Committee - which includes BC Hydro, the provincial fisheries ministry and Alouette River Management Society - to srudy the river in the wake of the increased flow levels of the past rwo years. Information is being collected to determine the river's optimum water level.

SIMONE PONNElNews staff Dave Karjala Oeft) and Mark Cameron work on fish COWlt of juvenile salmon in the South Alouette River near 224 Street.

The CFDC team's job is to monitor and maintain three sets · of down­stream traps on the south ann of the

river. Seven days a week, the workers remove fry from the traps for count­ing, weighing and sorting by species.

Other tasks include occasionally exposing the fry to a biological dye and releasing them upstream to help

determine the acrual run size. Once the fry are gone, the team will con­centrate on adult enumeration.

Ross Davies, watershed coordinator for the Alouette River Management Society. said the program has been a lifesaver for the project Its small bud­get could barely afford the hiring of biologist Scott Cope, let alone a num­ber of technicians to assist him.

And the CFDC labour is not only free, it is rontinuous and committed, Davies said. The reliability of the data is of key importance, particularly because the findings of the srudy will also be applicable to other water· sheds, Davies said.

If the data wasn't being collected, "we could just tum the water on the Alouette dam and not really know what effect it has."

ARMS has used the CFDC program before for habitat assessment, stream­side planting, placing woody debris and net repalring.

"We're not tallcing about a simple make-work project. It's offering a valuable service and right now it's get­ting ARMS out of a bind," Davies said.

CFDC team member Davin Krujala said he hopes the program will lead to a year-round job that he could possi­bly alternate with commetcial fishing, while John Puska said he plans to leave his options open.

Capilano College will possibly be offering the program's clients a chance to use their work experience for credit towards a diploma of tech­nology.

Cut fish not the work of

poachers The carr:as:ses of fish found

on the banks of the Alouette River are probably not the work of poacher.;.

Jim Scott, a private environ­mental contractor, has been hired by the province to oon­duct an enumeration of adult fish of all species in the river.

Scott's crews reaieve dead fish and then chopped them in half with a machete to ensure they aren't counted twice.

Several of the fish were spot­ted by a teenage girl who was making her way along the riverside trail

She was horrified because she thought the carr:as:ses were the work of poachers.

One of Scott's office staff confirmed Thesday that there are crews working along the Alouette River.

"They'll probably be there until sometime in November." she added.

CARCASSES ALONG THE RIVER

~TI-:VC RAYlNews S!;lff A young girl was honified to find hundreds of fish cut in half along the shores of the Alouette River near Horseman's Park this week

• TENVIRONMENT

Heavy rain hils rivers

Last week's first heavy rain of September resulted in an abundance of silt in 'some local streams and that's "unacceptable," says one local environ­, mentalist.

Ross Davies, watershed coordinator for the Alouelte River Management Society, said he took samples , from four local streams on Friday and was surprised to see a high concentration of silt in three of the streams,

"You know, we had a sediment control workshop in June, 1997, and' all the stake­holders were invited. But nothing seems to have been done since then," said Davies. "The fact that we had that much

SILT: growth blam,ed Cont. from Page. 4

sediment is not acceptable at aIL This is all caused by urban development, no question."

Silt found in the South Alouelte River at 2 I 6 Street measured 20.8 NTUs, which is a mea­surement of suspended solids. In Morse Creek at 224 Street, Davies mea-

sured silt in the water at 96.6 NTUs, while the stream in Maple Ridge Park at Fern Crescent mea­sured 578 NTUs.

Conversely, the North Alouette River at 224 Street, measured 0.90 NTUs, which Davies said "is pretty close to where it should be. It's in its natural state."

He said the silt-laden

streams have all been affected by large areas of ground being disturbed by on-going development in Maple Ridge.

"I'm hoping the differ­ent levels of government will get together and try to resolve this silt problem," said Davies. "I think once the environmental manag­er starts, he'll be a busy person

2 = i. .£.

MAPLE RIDGE· PITT MEADOWS TIMES November 22,1998 3.

NEWS TDEVELOPMENT

Residents ~

sidents turned out en masse to a public hearing Tuesday to tell

aple Ridge council that if they insist on approving development propos­als in Silver Valley, they must first imple­ment strict environmental safeguards.

Some people in the almost capacity council chambers voiced direct opposition to the development application for a 500-unit residential project at 13819 - 232 Street in Silver Valley.

But others called for environmental bonding for developers, as well as envi­ronmental controls which would protect streams, aquatic habitat, and horse trails; reduce the number of trees sacrificed for house construction; and ensure adequate storm water management.

They also urged council that before proceeding with further rezoning or development in Silver Valley that they complete comprehensive plans related to urban forest, infrastructure and the envi­ronment.

In a brief to council, the Silver Valley Neighbourhood Association called the development proposal a "land use blank cheque" which only has conceptual plans available.

"The message Maple Ridge citizens want to send to council is yes, we would like our community to grow and develop - but we want to know what it is going to

little Silver lining grow and develop into," said th.e brief.

Resident Ed Auersperg apologized to council for taking up their time at the pub­lic hearing, saying it must be frustrating for them go through the hearing "when you've already made up your minds."

He noted two-thirds of aIr adults in Silver Valley are against the style of development being proposed, adding: "What part of stop do you not under­stand?"

The Alouette River Management Society said if local governments can't or won't control the development process, then they shouldn't be approving develop­ers' proposals.

Peter Barnes, who presented a brief on behalf of ARMS president Geoff Clayton, said developments like those proposed in the Silver Valley area "are a net loss to our wildlife habitat as well as aquatic habitat."

Added Barnes: "There is no amount of slick engineering showing magical miti­gation that will bring back this natural beauty of our open spaces for wildlife or our residents. There is no such thing as a win-win on these type of proposals, it is . just a case of Maple Ridge deciding how much of our natural, rural areas must be traded off for the god of supposed progress."

Ross Davies, ARMS watershed coordi­nator, said he's particularly concerned

about the close proximity of the northern section of the proposed development area to Anderson Creek, adding the area is within the catchment area of Blaney Bog ani:! Cattell Brook.

He warned development could result in possible habitat and water degradation, and alteration of flow regimes.

He' recommended that any land alter­ation be carried out with environmental safeguards, and also suggested options

. like roof gutters being routed into perime­ter drains instead of the storm water sys­tem.

After the hearing, Auersperg said the meeting probably attracted so many peo­ple not only because of the size of the application, but "because it's the begin­ning of the decimation. It's the major blow that makes the remainder of the hillside no longer worth fighting over."

Dr. Shiraz Mawani said he hopes coun­cil realizes that the residents at the public hearing "are a handful of people repre­senting a much larger section of con­cerned citizens."

Added Mawani: "We certainly hope that council will listen to this cry from us. But, you know, we shouldn't exhaust the community with this job of always being watchdogs. It should be up to council to make good decisions. ·1 question the process."

• ---' . / I , ,: U: .. : . )

NEWS

Citizens slam Silver Valley o Development doesn't do anything for residents, environmentalists or recreation groups, hearing told.

If Maple Ridge citizens could have their way, major housing developments would come to a standstill.

That was the message sent to council Tuesday when residents, neighbourhood associations and environmental­ists packed council chambers to ask counci l to halt some proposed developments.

The majority spoke agains t phase two of the Silver Valley development which calls for the creation of 175 lots in and around 240 Street, all north of 130 Avenue.

Many comments echoed those of Geoff Clayton, presi­dent of the Alouette River Management Society. He told council it's imperative p,eople realize that water-based wild life like fish, insects and frogs will be at risk if the development, near Mi llionaire Creek, proceeds.

"Wi ll it (the de ­velopment) be a dys-functional mess? Or are you getting your environm ental house in order? The whole com munity is needed to take care of a wa­tershed," sa id Clayton.

Several residen ts were upset phase two would: red uce an d mudd y th eir water

The whole community is

needed to take care of a watershed.

Geoff Clayton

supply; create extreme runoff if a stormwater manage­ment plan is not established; proceed before an adequate connector road is built.

Dave Smith, president of the Maple Ridge Equestrian Trai ls Counc il , pleaded wi th council to delay the proposal until new plans "show that it benefits the neighborhood.

"Over the past 20 years, an extensive trai l system has been built in the northeast section of Maple Ridge. It gives local citizens an alternative to roads and a chance to inter­act with nature," sa id Smith .

But he argued the current S ilver Va lley plan fails to consider recreat ional enthusiasts.

"Thi s proposal has too many concerns ... too many ben­efits are left up in the air," said Smith.

What benefits will recreational groups, environmen tal­ists or residen ts ga in "from supporting this proposal in any [orm 'I" asked Smith .

Dr. Shiraz Mawani s<Jid there is "a IrcIlH.:ndolls sense of unhappiness" among citi ze ns w ho feel their conccrns arc flot hcing heard.

"We li ve hen:. Wt.:. should hc listcllcd to. Thcn you arc

11ll' Sl'I"V;uH " or Ihl' COlll lllllllil y thaI I hel ieve you arc,"

Mawani told council at the hearing. "Council has our sacred trust in what you are doing. If

the things we see happening in Maple Ridge continue, all of Maple Ridge and the Lower Mainland will be the poorer for it." ,-

i

_~(' . N[ 'NS ' _. __

Fisheries minister .. drops by with money for river o Minister of Fisheries and Oceans David Anderson commended the work of local volunteer river stewards on a brief visit to Maple Ridge Wednesday. By Joanne MacDonald TIMES STAFF REPORTER

Dav id Anderson says citizens' groups are the key to educating children and adults about habitat restoration and fish enhancement.

The federal fis heries and oceans minister made the comments Wednesday after arriving by helicopter at the Alouelle River Correctional Centre to meet with repre­se ntati\'es of several cit izens' groups, B.c. Hydro, prison officials and the Alouelle River Management Society.

"I see considerable concern among individual urban dwellers, which we've not really had in my li fet ime in British Columbia ... Previously it's been difficult, the DFO has been seen to be a commercial fishery industry-ori­ented body which regulates and deals with their concerns .. .This was not considered to be an urban mat­ter," Anderson sa id.

He said only so much can be done through govern­ment, the school system or outdoor education programs. But when local citizens fo rgo movies or ball games to participate in environmental activit ies, others sit up and take nOle.

"You gel the understanding that this is important to individual people, it's not just an imposed value or con­cept from government or authority," he said.

Earl ier in the day, Anderson an nounced ARMS would receive S50,000 in federal funds to raise public aware­ness, improve watershed stewardship and coordinate the group's efforts 10 restore fish habitat.

Another $60,000 was given to the Community Fisher­ies Development Centre, which will join ARMS in map­ping and restoring habitat in the Alouelle and Coquitlam river watersheds.

Anderson said he tries to visit local groups as much as possible, offering encouragement and funding when pos­sible.

There are currently 10,000 volunteers associated with DFO in B.C., Anderson sa id, working on a wide range of

h .. •

TiMES PHOTO BY CHUCK RUSSEl l

Federal fisheries minister David Anderson gets a tour of the South Alouette River from Alouette River Manage· ment Society's Geoff Clayton as they fly in a Canadian Coast Guard helicopter Wednesday afternoon.

act tvltles like enhancement programs and stream im­pttvement.

Commenting on the current coho crisis, Anderson said fish have to come first.

fish. You can't always be playing catch-up," he said. "You want to try and get ahead of the curve so that you

actually can do something to head off some of these cri· ses, instead of having a crisis every two or three years as

"You can't keep putting fishin2 oooortunitv ::I hp.~n nf ~ WP C::PPIT1 t .... ~ ..... "

Developers haven't compromised in Maple Ridge EDITOR, 1'H:E NEWS:

I'm not going to attempt to rebut Lance Felgnar concerning his statements about certain individuals, since he seems to have done his homework. However, there is another side to this whole urban develop­ment issue.

I have been involved with several envi­ronmental organizations in the Maple Ridge area since 1988. These have includ­ed "rowards a Livable Commuruty", which was active in the late '80s, the present Alouette River Management Society and to some extent the Silver Valley Neighbourhood Association.

None of these groups have ever taken the position that all development must stop immediately. Instead, the theme has been that development could occur, pro­vided that a little technology and a lot of

common sense was applied in oroer to ensure . minimal environmental impacts. "Sustainable development", "community greenways", "no net loss" and others were popular catch phrases. Couple all that with the official community plan, which looks very good on paper, and we were ready to show the world how it's done. We could have it all.

In oth.er words, the environmental groups were prepared to compromise.

But now, as I look around and see the evolving mess in Silver Valley, the chronic silt problems in Latimer Creek, Morse Creek, Balabanian Creek and Lower Kanaka, one thing is clear: urban develop­ment, as we know it in Maple Ridge, trash­es the environment. That has been demonstrated over and over.

In other words. the development com-

.. '/1..£ ft.J.k ).) ~'--('..L 7/? Y

munity was not prepared to compromise. This is both unfor:runate and fmsmning.

Unfortunate, because there are some very good developers out there and a hoSt of readily available technologies (1$ well (hello, Snohomish County?).

Frustrating, because a ' considcritblc number of "moderate" envimnmenlitlly conscious' individuals and organiwliolls have now been backed into a "no develop­ment" comer after witnessing too many examples of "development equals destntc-· tion".

It's no wonder. then, that so milny development proposals have so little pub­lic support.

Ross DAVlI'S

WATERSHED COOROIN, .. mR ALoUETIE RIvER MANAGEMENT SOCl~:rY

MArly. RJDGF.

•

.-

v

"

\J

To ,-OMMUNITY l V"":/1919tf1 Students

offered green day job

Some local students are getting paid for a one-day work experience while they learn about the envi­ronment.

It's all part of a push by the Human Resource Centres for Students across the Lower Mainland to organize spe­cial environmental work projects for youths on Student Environmental Experience Day.

The Ridge Meadows Human Resource Centre for students, in partnership with the Alouette River Management Society and Choquette and Company Accounting Group, will be staging their environmen­tal youth work project on Wednesday.

The intent of the project is to create employment for students who might otherwise not get the opportunity to gain work experience, to improve the conditions of the salmon hatchery on lower Kanaka Creek and to promote environmental awareness in the community.

Students will be required to help maintain about 1,000 recently plant­ed cottonwood seedlings on Kanaka Creek between Lougheed Highway and 240 Street.

The seedlings were planted to improve stream conditions for young salmon fry by providing shade, thus reducing water temperatures, and need considerable watering in order to survive the sum­mer heat.

The students will be responsible for watering and will assist with stream cleanup in the area.

The student centre is hoping to employ as many as 15 students for the one­day work experience. Any businesses who would like to sponsor a student for four hours of work are encouraged to call Jenny or Alex at the centre at 467-4714 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:40 p.m., Monday to Friday.

Interested students are invited to drop by the stu­dent job centre anytime at # 107-22550 Dewdney Trunk Rd.

"

S '~:f -r';]~ A/mIette Rjver success story due jn good m easure to prjsoI7 jnmatcs

A wiped-out salmon run shows signs of comeback A fish hatch e ry near Maple Ridge is being used to help stock the rive r and dozens of othe r local s treams.

EARl.E GALE STERLING NEWS SERV ICE

When a Maple Ridge salmon run was blocked off in the 1920s by the construct ion of a gener­ating dam across the Alouette River, sockeye and chinook, un­able to return to their spawning rivers upstream, waited at th e (oot of the dam for death.

Within a few years of the bar­rier's construct ion. salmon in the river were wiped out.

Now, cooperat ion between a former B.c. Hydro employee, a Corrections Canada official and s.c. Hydro is reversing the dam­age. The fish that were once just a memory on the river are mak­ing a comeback.

Th e succe ss s to ry broug ht Fisheries Minister David An­derson to a hatchery northeast of Maple Ridge last week so he

- could witness the turnaround. The hatchery, in the Alouette

Rive r Correc tional Centre, is staffed by prisoners and super­vised by correc ti o ns o ffi cers . The fi sh ra ised at th e prison ca mp help stock not only the ~ d j a1:e n t Alo ue tte Rive r but dozens of other local streams.

T he rebirth of the Alouette is a success s tory that may serve as a reminder to those who wor­r_y abo ut the futu re o f e ndan­gered B.c. fi sh stocks, Anderson said during his visit.

"I do n't think it's too late," he said. "I' ve seen, e lsewhe re in the wo rld, sa lmon restoratio n. In­deed, in Canada we have some good exa mples of success in-

Great Lakes system and we have seen success here in s.c. I think, ove r all , there is hope, bu t it is going to take a higher level of education."

Anderson said he believes the d e p art m e nt o f fi she ri es and oceans has a role to play, but so do groups such as the Alouette River Ma n agem e nt Society, which helped to bring about the Aloue tte 's rebirth.

He said that perhaps the most important link in the cha in is educating the public, so every­one values the rivers that play such an impo rtant ro le in the salmon's li fe-cycle.

To assist in that education. the society is building a Rivers Her­itage Centre, to be staffed by a full -time coordinato r. The cen­t re is the brain chil d of Geoff Clayton, the society's 62-year­o ld president.

Clayton. a B.c. Hydro worker for 24 years before he re tired in 1990, started worrying about the barren river in the 1960s. At first Hydro wasn't interested in envi­ro nme nta l issues, he sa id, but gradually it changed and want­ed to do more to help.

"We we n t from oppos it e camps, bitterness, and acrimo­ny between ourselves and cer­ta in factions in B.c. Hydro until today, they are one of our best all ies and working partners ," he said.

The company agreed to main­ta in constant water levels com­ing out of the dam. In the past, the flow ranged from a fl ood to a tric kle, leaving banks down­stream washed out and fish eggs swept O:.lt to sea.

B.C. Hyd ro has helped fun d the society and plowed money into the $lOO,OOO-ce ntre being

After Hyd ro co mmitte d to mainta in fl ow levels in the riv­e r, Clay to n locate d a ru n of salmon that swims only a short di s tan ce up strea m b e fo r e spawning. He arranged to have fry shipped in to be reared at the prison and they have been in­troduced into the Alouette. The hope is when these salmon re­tu rn, they w ill have a genetic code that tells them to spawn be fore they reach the Hydro dam.

Clayton said the Alouette pro­ject is about making the future better for the next generation, as well as providing a blueprint for other areas where local salmo n runs have been destroyed.

"If it proves sustainable and of high value, it will not only give heart to myself but it will give some leadership to o the r areas in the Lower Mainland that have been heavily impacted."

To m Cad ie ux, the man w ho looks after the lSI-inmate Alou­ette River Correctional Centre, is as committed as Clayton to bringing the salmon back.

The institution started to fash­ion its four fish ponds in 1978 af­ter corrections o fficer Jim Jose id e ntifie d it as a worthw hile project for inmates.

Since then, the operation has g rown and, today, p ri so ne rs help raise t"vo mill ion chum an­nually, alo ng w ith two million pink, and several hundred thou­sand coho and s teel head. The e ffort is worthw hile for every­one in the community, Cadieux said.

"It's a w inner for the commu­nity. It' s cost-effective. It's good for the inmate, for his own reha­bilitation. It's good for the parks because they get a value-ad<led

FISH FOR THE FUTURE: Geoff Clayton, chair of the Alouette River Management Society (left) and Tom Cadieux, former director of programs at the Alouette River Correctional Centre, hold a chi­nook salmon carving that symbolizes the fi sh hatchery.

ARMS because they get inmate labour. "

During his v is it, Anderson an­no un ced th e A lo ue tt e River Manageme nt Soc iety w ill get a $50,000 grant and a half-share of an additional $60,000 grant.

'.' ~t 's ~o r st.ream i.mprovement~

th e wo rk th e y are d o ing on some o f the more e nd angered species suc h as coho, c hinook, and steel head, " said Anderson.

ARMS w ill also spend some of the money o n surveying local c reeks and rivers and poss ibly o n comp.ie ting work on the in-

• 16 September 6, 1998 - MAPLE RIDGE' PITT MEADOWS TIMES • COMMUNITY

Issues stay. on cou'rse on Rivers Day S

eptember is one of my favourite

months of the

iii resided on the river long enough to have experienced a major flood at all . But on that

SPEAKER'S CORNER

year. ROSS DAVIES For many peo-

ple, the day after Labour Day feels like the real beginning of another New Year. As a fisheries techni­cian , this is especially true. For the arrival of September 's cool , dark mornlllgs means that salmon season IS just around the corner. It means preparation: brood stock collection equipment is dug out of summer stor­age, sampling gear is orga­nized, and plans are made. It means anticipation: How large will the run be? How many storms will we get thi s winter? Will there be a

G lood? It means a whole lot of activity. The fish are coming, and we had better be ready for them.

And since 1996, it has meant Rivers Day.

Once again, our theme for the Sept. 27 event at Allco Park will be "yester­day, today, and tomorrow." However, I have taken the liberty of this column to present a theme of my own, on behal f of our urban rivers and streams. It goes something like, "give them room to breathe."

Our relationship with streams, rivers and even oceans has been what could best be described as a love-hate interaction. We like to live near water. We like to build near it, and play in it. We like the look of it. And, being human, we try to control and man-

, ___ ) ge it. For the most part, we are successful. Our dikes, seawalls, riprap and culverts allow us to have the best of both worlds. We can "reclaim" land, and make tile town a little bit larger by making the body

-Of.l.\la.ter a li.ttle bit smaller.

I'V-",,"~'-" '-

Subdivisions and business­es spring up behind the dikes, and life goes on while the river flows inno­cently by.

Eventually, nature will call in its markers. Heavy rainfall or snowmelt will send the river over the stur­diest of dikes. Because if nature has been suffocated for too long, she will inevitably take a huge breath. When that happens, it's usually pretty impres­sive. "Recla~med" land is actually borrowed land, on borrowed time - perhaps property damage and loss of life is nature's way of collecting interest. Many of you will remember the ..

If nature has been suffocat­

ed for too long, she will

inevitably take a huge breath,

~

catastrophic flooding in the Midwest in 1997, and closer to home, the flood on the South Alouette in 1995. Although it is not my place to hypothesize whether B.C. Hydro's actions had any bearing on the Alouette flood, it was apparent that many down­stream residents had been lulled into a false sense of security after IS years without a flood of that nature. In fact, a numoer of the property owners, including myself, had not

November day, the river took that huge breath, and exhaled over its banks into backyards, sheds, gardens, and even living rooms. It will happen again. Maybe not this year; perhaps not for another 50 years. But it will happen, believe me. And in the meantime, if history repeats itself, we will have once again encroached onto the flood plain, setting ourselves up for future flood damage. Or we could pull back, save ourselves the trouble and the cost, and give the river room to breathe.

Many readers may be familiar with the map called "Vancouver's Lost Streams", that shows the dozens of streams in the Vancouver area that once supported salmon and trout, but were covered over and put into pipes, I would like to see a publica­tion called "The Lower Mainland's Constricted Streams." These are the hundreds of small urban streams that have been diverted into roadside ditches, channelized, straightened, and so on. During a storm event, water races down these constricted watercourses at velocities far in excess of what mlmy aquatic species can tolerate, And since the stream no longer has any room to spread out, or "breathe", juvenile salmonids such as coho have nowhere to take cover. Those that do remain after the torrent has passed find that much of their food supply has been washed away. Fish, and their food, need places of refuge. Often, a side chan-

nel that may be dry 90 per cent of the time provides

. shelter during a storm. Lower Mainland coho

are in serious trouble, as many are aware. While there are factors such as EI Nino .and global warming

that are beyond our con­trol, we can do our part locally to help this situa­tion. We can stop fighting with our flvers and streams. We can control how the land is used adja­cent to watercourses. We

-~

can lobby for more effec­tive protection of riparian corridors . And we call' return land to its natural state . We can give our streams room 10 breathe­and everybody wins.

See you on Rivers Day.

1

l

I. A24 June 3, 1998 - MAPLE RIDGE· PITT MEADOWS TIMES • ENVIRONMENT WEEK

Group's effOrts breathing life into river By Joanne MacDonald TIMES STAFF REPORTER

If you were asked to name an environmental group in Maple Ridge, chances are one of the first names to come to mind would be the Alouette River Management Society.

ARMS lays claim to about 350 members, people who have been involved not only with raising public aware­ness about the Alouette, but also enhancing fish habitat.

Geoff Clayton, ARMS president, said the members include people from all walks of life including doctors, retired residents, new residents to the district who are beginning to understand local issues, as well as longtime residents '~who are shocked at having their rural values being torn apart by development and urbanization."

ARMS has been a registered society since December 1993 and came into being when local citizens felt there was a need to take back the ownership of the south Alouette.

The group was concerned about the "stranglehold of water held by B.c. Hydro on the Alouette River," said Clayton.

So ARMS met with B.C. Hydro and hammered out a flow alid flood control agreement for the river, which Clay10n said is undoubtedly ARMS' proudest achieve­ment.

"The life-giving flow of water in the river is evident. The bird, animal and aquatic life is ' flourishing," said C lay1on.

"B.C. Hydro is just as excited and enthused as us. This is the pilot water-flow agreement which has given heart to Hydro. It's a ray of hope that will enthuse Hydro to move forward and try and achieve simi­lar things. in the other watersheds in their control."

This has been a good year for

.. The life-giving flow of water in the river

is evident.

~

Geoff Clayton

ARMS. They not only recently celebratcd the designa­tion of the Alouette as a B.C. Heritagc River, but last month ARMS also rece ived $50,000 in federa l fund s to continue its work raising publi c aware ness, imp roving watershed s tewardship and coord inating the group's effort s to restore fi sh habitat.

ARMS wi ll also join the Community Fisheries Development Centre in using ,m ot her $()O,OOO ill rC<.krai funds to map and restore habitat in the A Inllclle and Coquillam ri ver watersheds.

ARMS is also working Oil Iht: cOlllpklillll or Ihe

Rivers Heritage Centre, the interpretive centre which has been in the works since 1995. It 's expected to officially open on the grounds of the Alouette Regional Correctional Centre in October. .

Funded by private and public foundations and corpo­rations, the centre will primarily be used as an environ­mental education centre.

"One of the strong themes will be the protection and enhancement of our aquatic habitat through education and advocation of the values of this heritage river basin," said Clayton.

In the meantime, ARMS will continue to act as a watchdog for various development proposals.

C layton said ARMS is especially concerned about development in Silver Valley, which they feel must be

1--

tempered with sustainable, environmental plans. "ARMS therefore is at a fork in the road with the

municipal council. Until council shows clear evidence that they will use the tools within the Municipal Act to protect the environment in the development permit process, then we have to take the position that we are against development without the due process and pro­tection that this community has the right to expect," he said.

He added once council demonstrates a commitment to protecting the environment, ARMS "will surge in behind with all the expertise and help we can muster to support and enhance their endeavours."

Added Clay1on: "We advocate. We're not an adversar: ial body. We're the Ralph Naders of the environment."

•• -:1"

.':.~::~

--------------------------~~~~,~I

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u

• A4 September 2,1998 - MAPLE RtDGE ' PITT MEADOWS TIMES

NEWS

Culvert issue still murky as sides argue about best route to pursue By Joanne MacDonald TIMES STAFF REPORTER

The Alouette River \Ianagement Soc iety says a culvert installed in North -"l illiol1aire Creek 111

Silver Valley was installed without proper approval.

So ARMS is calling for a review of an Environmental Appeal Board consent orde r which approved the instal­lation of the culvert after it had already been insta lled by devel­oper Gary Lycan's compa ny In the creek at the 133 Avenue alignment.

ARMS pres I-dent Geoff Clayton sa id the EAB's order, which states the culvert's instal­lation was· autho­rized under the Water Aet and by Ihe Ylinistry of j:ov ironment,

I.ands and Park s; ··:-;anitizcs the act Ill' breaking the lil\ ~·'"

"This is not a Yinclicti\'C move

order to the EAB. Lycan's appeal was held June 25 and a consent order was later drawn up after repre­sentati ves for MoE and lawyers for Lycan agreed to vanous conditions, including the removal of the existing culvert and the installation of a larger par­tially embedded culvert (see photos on this page).

"The important thing in there is they acknowledged that the installation was

far as waterflow was con­cerned," said Lycan.

"But on the re-design, we felt a larger one would be better if we ever got fish up this far. There is hope to improve the whole system and actually bring fish up this far to spawn."

In addition 10 ARMS' concerns, Lycan is also being investigated by the MoE's fish, wildlife and habitat protection branch

working with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans because of con­cerns the cul­vert's installa­tion resulted in fish habitat destruction.

Brian Clark, the branch '5

manager, said the Water Act "doesn't deal with the federal Fisheries Act and we still deem the bigger culvert will impact the habi­tat and take away from fish habitat. So we want to find out, does it meet the needs of the Fisheries Act?"

against Gary Lycan. This IS an appeal for due process," said Clayton. "This has been a bumbling by the mi n istry itself. And I'm worried about the

Lycan said he's willing to

TIMES PHOTO BY CHUCK RUSSELL Developer Gary Lycan stands at the end of culvert that will replace smaller one. do any neces­

sary work to repair any habitat destruction the cul­vert may have caused.

prcce-dent the case sets,"

Lycan, whose company is developing sections of Silver Valley, said the cul­vert was insta lled In

August, 1997, because Ihere had been no objec­tions to hi s original appli­calion in April, 1997 from the MoE.

"They're supposed to respond in 45 days. And despite follow-up calls by us, they had not ex pressed <lny objection to a culvert," said Lycan.

He admitted, however, that in normal circum­stances work would not proceed without a permit.

A fter the culvert was installed, Lycan and his company were served with an order from the provin­cial water management branch to remove the cul­vert and restore the chan­nel to its original condi­tion .

But under a section of the Water Act, a person is allowed to appeal such an

duly authorized under the provisions of the Water Act. We re-designed the whole thing to make sure that the culvert we put in was proper and would do the job, as rar as runoff, as

....... .. · ·_ ·.-~ ~~J ::l~~~~:~~

But he said he feels "up in the air" because he was told to install the larger culvert, yet is still being

investigated. "We would like to bring

everybody on side ... We don 't like to destroy fish habitat or be reckless with the environment," he said.

"Right now we're try­ing to set up a meeting with DFO just to find out really where they're at and try to find some common ground just to resolve this. Otherwise, we'll run out of time this year."

Clayton, meanwhile, said ARMS is willing to work with Lycan "because at this point, nobody is happy."

Added Clayton: "The different (government) branches are in conflict as to the resolution of this issue. That's the issue about which ARMS wish­es to to have a thorough investigation."

I

TIMES PHOTO BY C"UC{ 0 _,

Developer Gary Lycan and culvert to be remo':c·:

u

APPENDIX 2:

LANDOWNER CORRESPONDENCE

Harvey Gigun 24024 Fern Crescent Maple Ridge, B.C.

Dear Mr. Gigun:

July 22, 1998

Your recent letter to Mr. Geoff Clayton concerning the proposed Fern Crescent Channel has come to my attention.

You have every right to freely express your concerns as they relate to your property and your investment into it. However, I have reason to believe that you are painting an unrealistically negative picture about what effects, if any, the proposed works would have on your property. For example, there is documentation available that demonstrates that properties that contain or are adjacent to salmonid habitat actually increase in value as compared to similar properties without salmonid habitat. I have asked for a copy of a report from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans wbich documents an average increase of 10%. Similarly, the B.C. Hydro stakeholder process that led to the Minimum Flow Agreement on the South Alouette River determined that waterfront properties were worth 10"10 to 30% more than non-waterfront. I would be willing to share this information with you I soon as I obtain it.

A number of landowners have expressed concerns to ARMS about the upcoming Fish Protection Act and the potential effects on their abilities to sell, subdivide, or even maintain their properties. The fact is that as far.asresidents of the Alouette River side of Fern Crescent are concerned, the FPA will change nothing. Smce 1he proposed right-of-way of the Fern Crescent Channel is within the presently protected ripatian strip of the South Alouette River anyway, there will be absolntely no effect on the acljacent properties other than enabling residents to observe coho salmon and cutthroat trout in or near their backyards. Incidentally, my Alouette River property is bisected by Hennipen Creek, wbich supports several species of salmonids. Hennipen Creek is very similar in size and appearance to the proposed Fern Channel. Accordingly, you are welcome to attend my property to get a "preview" of how the completed channel may look

We are aware that it may be possible to route the Fern Cbannel in such a manner as to bypass the ptivate properties along Fern Crescent, thus enabling its completion regardless of input from acljaceut landowners. However, ARMS does not wish to operate in such a dictatorial fashion. We would prefer to work in cooperation with riparian property owners so that everyone can enjoy the natural setting and fish and wildlife habitat that attracted us to settle here. We are not "out to get" developers. We are not environmental terrorists. We are not interested in becoming involved with local politics of any kind We are simply in it for the river.

I would encourage you to respond to me at 467-0747 or Geoff Clayton at 463-6523.

Sincerely,

&-:) /"~- ., Ross Davies :> Watershed Coordinator, Alouette River Management Society

BOX 21117 RIDGE P.O., MAPLE RIDGE, Be V2X IP7

To: Mark Adams July 31 , 1998 From: Ross Davies SUbject: Proposed works on property of Lart"Y Parish: REM S.W. 1/4, SEC. 32, TP 12

Geoff Clayton recently brought to my attention your interest in the possibility of a habitat compensation project on the property of Mr. Larry Parish at the above location (224 St. north of 136 Ave.) Enclosed is a copy of a document that I recently sent to David Walton, who is acting on behalf of Larry Parish. Please note that this is not an actual proposal. An . ";: , .. official proposal will likely be submitted by Mr. Walton and Mr. Parish. The habitat configurations that I have suggested will probably form the basis of their proposal. You may want to speak with Mr. Walton directly: his number is 466-9151.

To: David Walton From: Ross Davies

BOX 21117 RIDGE P.O., MAPLE RIDGE, Be V2X I P7

July 24, 1998

Subject: Compensation I mitigation proposal for Parish property Total pages including cover: 5

Please find enclosed a draft copy of the proposed confignration of the new channel. The channel referred to is at the north end of the Parish property and extends from the junction of the connector ditch (to the Aquilini property immediately to the north) to a point 200 meters to the east

I have provided plan and profile scale drawings that illustrate how the completed channel may appear. It would be helpful from your end to reproduce the overall site drawing, noting which ditch is to be removed as well as the location of the new channel.

Call me if yon have any questions.

BOX21117 RIDGE P.O., MAPLE RIDGE, BC V2X IP7

Compensation / mitigation proposal for property of Larry Parish REM S.W. 114, SEC. 32,1P 12

The proposal consists of the removal of a 130x2 meter section of ditch in exchange for a 200x2 meter constructed channel. The new channel would by accessible to salmonids from Blaney Creek (North Alouette tributary) via the roadside ditch that parallels 224 Street The channel would primarily function as overwintering habitat for juvenile coho salmon.

The channel will average I meter in depth from top ofbank. Included will be 6 5 meter x 5 meter pools, that will be approximately I to 2 meters in depth. (refer to enclosed illustrations) - ~,-~;

Materials required I source p= paid D = donated

I meter x I meter rootwads (10): Stave Lake Correctional Center 0 3 meter x 0.5 meter logs with attached rootwad (10): Stave Lake Correctional Center D Duckbill anchors (22): Supplier to be determined P Native willow cuttings (250) Transplants onsite I other 0 Cottonwood cuttings (250) As above 0 Red alder bare root stock (250) As above 0 Western red cedar (250) ARMS 0 Other (red-osier dogwood, thimbleberry) Transplants onsile 0 Transportation of wood debris from Stave P

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On May 20, 1998, Fed­eral Fisheri es Minister Dav id Anderson, together with Ted Perry and Gary Logan of the Department of Fisheri es and Oceans, arri ved by helicopter at the interpreti ve center. The Mi nister met with a small gathering at the Center before taki ng a hel icopter tour of the Alouette watershed. Although Mr. Anderson was pleased by the over­all community spirit that was ev ident, hi s enthusi­asm was somewhat dampened by the sight of the Si lver Valley deve lop­ment along with ARM 's rend iti on of the agencies'

., handling or the situation.

Development Issues - Sliver Valley I Blaney Bog

ARMS has continued to voice concerns over the development in the Silver Valley area. The culvert that was placed in North Mi llionaire Creek in August 1997 was ordered removed by the Ministry of Environment shortly

became a source of concern after extens ive land clearing resulted in several s ignificant silt events in adjacent Millionaire Creek. A common theme through­out has been the delayed or non-existent response

thereafter. Thi s issue is still unresolved. ARMS recently con tacted the Assis­tant Deputy Minister in order to express the Society's

On November 13, Ihe North AtoueUe River left iI's banks. Much of Blaney Bog was flooded,

and coho juveniles were observed on this seclion of 2241h SI.

concerns that the compensation op ti ons proposed by the deve loper's consultant were, in the op inion of the Watershed COOl'd ina­tor. inadequate. Mean­while, the Atlanti s Medi tation Foundation development property

of federal fi shery officers, despite re­peated ca ll s to the DFO Rad io Room. To thi s end , ARMS wrote to the Di rec tor General of DFO Pacific Region express ing the Society's

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Enhancement PTogTam and Commumty F1SheTles Development CentTe

This program is a successful in securing a variety of projects federal initiative that is funding for their day to including habitat intended to. rebuild day operations in the assessment, streamside depressed salmon Alouette and Coquitlam planting on the stocks. watersheds. The Alouette River and

continuation of this Kanaka Creek, ARMS received funding has enabled rescuing stranded fish $50,000 from HRSEP ARMS to maintain its and AMC projects. for the 1998-99 fiscal role of providing ARMS is once again year. These funds are continued watershed utilizing the manpower being administered on coordination. More than supplied by the CFDC behal f of the 70 projects have been for many of the Department of funded under HRSEP projects that fall under Fisheries and Oceans and ARMS has been the HRSEP funding (DFO) through the selected as one of the and owe a debt of Pacific Salmon five groups that will be gratitude to the CFDC Foundation. The showcased by DFO. for the countless hours Community Fisheries and continued Development Centre The CFDC has supplied enthusiasm shown by (CFDC) was also much of the critical labor this dedicated group.

to ARMS since 1996 on

Development Issues - S.lveT VaHey I Blaney Bog

(Cont inued /rom page I) has generated consider- almost any water-frustration over this able interest. An exten- course, including water apparent indifference si ve amount of land used to flood cranberry regarding freshwater alteration has taken fields, if given the habitat. Our efforts, place north of 136 Ave. opportunity. The fact along with similar and west of 224 St. , and that coho salmon were endeavors by other ARMS is of the opinion recently observed in Lower Mainland that this has resulted in the 224 St. ditch at 136 stewardship organiza- the diversion of certain Ave. along with the tions, appear to have watercourses as well as flooding that occurred made an impact: the release of sediment November 13 under-recently, DFO an- into the North Alouette. scores ARMS' con-nounced the creation of There is much debate cerns that any develop-60 new Habi tat Aux i l- over what is and isn't ment in this area could iary positions. fish habitat, but the fact result in habitat loss,

remains that juvenile seasonal fish stranding, The Blaney Bog area coho salmon will enter or both.

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F1Sh PTotechon Act Hardly a week has gone by this year without a fisheries ­related issue making the news. Recently, the state of the commercial salmon fishery has been in the spotlight. Earlier this year, news was being made by the imminent arri val of the Fish Protec­tion Act.

This legisla­tion has been shrouded in rumors and speculation since the day it was originally announced. Predictions of financial ruin

ment income; (3) They want to turn every little ditch into fish habitat.

Nonsense.

The Fish Protection Act will have absolutely no effect on existing properties. None.

courses or other greenbelt areas should note the results of a 1996 study by Stanley Hamilton and Moura Quayle, who studied the effects of green­belts on property values at four loca­tions within the

Georgia Basin. They found that "greenbelt" properties were worth an average of 15% more than similar "non-

for single-family homeowners living along streams or

IT'S A DITCH ... but it supports coho salmon. The Fish Protection Act wi ll enhance the Municipality's ability to prevent habitat damage such as vegetation removal on banks.

greenbelt" properties. In addi­tion,

respondents of a questionnaire that was dis-

rivers have prolifer­ated. For example: (I) If my house burns down, I won't be able to re-build because of the new setbacks, and I'll be left with a vacant, "sterile" lot; (2) Since my property is closer than 50 meters to the stream, no one will ever buy it. So much for my retire-

Period. And as for example #3, under the existing Fisheries Act any water that directly or indirectly drains into fish-bearing water is designated as fish habitat. This is true whether it is fish bearing or not­Owners of properties adjacent to water-

tributed during this study indicated that they believed that the greenbelt proxim­ity would add up to 20% to their property value, and also make it easier to sell. This probably does not come as a surprise to many streamside owners, who have

(Conlinued on page 4)

shelrles Renewal BC

F1sh PTotechon Act

(Col1lilluedfrom page 3) "traditional" (read: opportuni ty to further known all along that urban sprawl) fashion, control the destiny of they have something or do we want to fish habitat within their very special. conserve and rebuild jurisdictions. Many

our salmon stocks? It's factors have an influ-Granted, there may be been demonstrated time ence on the survival of changes in the manner after time that we can't our salmon stocks, and that new developments have both. some of these, such as take place. Large tracts El Nino and global of land adjacent to Undoubtedly, the warming, are beyond watercourses may not failure or success of the our control. However, be able to "fit" the Fish Protection Act will the protection and same number of lots as largely depend upon the restoration of fresh would have been willingness oflocal water habitat is entirely standard in the past. governments and the in our hands. Let's not This is where we have general public to lose this opportunity. to make a choice: Do embrace it. Local we want to continue to governments in particu-develop land in the lar will be given every

lahmer Channel Two Septembers ago, and invertebrate popu- the situation at Latimer we turned the valve lations in the channel was getting out of that re-introduced flow and the results show hand. Consequently, a into Latimer Channel, a that the channel is in- crew from the Commu-one kilometer side deed top quality habitat. nity Fisheries Develop-channel of the South ment Center went into Alouette near 240 St. However, the "build it the area and protected a Within a matter of and they will come" number of the remain-days, as many as 200 slogan is by no means ing trees with galva-adult chum salmon had limited to salmon and nized wire mesh. This moved into the new trout. It appears that a project is not quite habitat to spawn. The very determined group complete as there are channel has also pro- of beavers has staked a sti II a few trees to pro-vided quality habitat claim on the lower end tect, and periodic for cutthroat and steel- of the channel. Nor- breaching of the main head parr as well as mally, beaver dams tend dam will be required overwintering coho to create fish habi tat during the chum migra-juveniles. We have also through the creation of tion. measured water quality off-channel ponds, but

'-Shirt Sales

large Woody Oebns (lWO) The LWD project was Construction has been training purposes. completed on schedule made possible through with a total of 125 root- inmate labor. Along A second LWD instal-wads being moved wi th the assistance of lation took place at the from Stave Lake to the si te crew boss Rod De- trailer park at the north Alouette Ri ver for vries and Daiva Zal- end of 229th Street. placement. The LWD dokas from the The property owner had structures generally MOELP, the Watershed previously expressed take the form of cabled Restoration Program as- concern about the po-and ballasted triangular sisted the construction tential for bank erosion. wood structures enc1os- as needed. FRBC tech- After consulting with ing rootwads and fi- nicians inspected all ARMS and the Min-nally loaded with small structures, with "stress istry of Environment, woody debris. A total tests" being performed they agreed to install 8 of 40 structures were on the cables in order to rootwads on the bank. installed this year, pro- ensure that our struc- The results were quite viding approximately tures stay where we encouraging, since this 2,500 square meters of want them! Members of clearly demonstrates new habitat. The suc- FRBC have greatly that bank stabilization, cess factor is already praised the technique if done correctly and noted in that immedi- and procedures that Ge- imaginatively, can actu-ately upon completion off Clayton has utilized ally result in a habitat of the "aquatic condos" and we anticipate that gain. We hope that this a considerable number these methods will be catches on elsewhere. of juvenile salmonids replicated in other wa-(tenants) moved in. tersheds as well as for

AloueUe Rlver Awarded Be Hentage RlVer Status

On May 3,1998, the Ministry of Environ­ment Lands and Parks announced that the Alouette River had been named as a BC Heritage River, joining 17 other ri vers around the province with similar status. The B.C. River Heritage Rivers System provides a framework for recognizing British Columbia rivers with provincial significant natural heritage, cul­tural heritage or recre­ational values. The ob­jectives of the BC her­itage Rivers Systems

As a community orga­nization, we are striving towards the mainte­nance of a vibrant, healthy community through the preserva­tion of our natural re­sources. Our benefit to the community is en­hanced by the involve­ment of our member­ship. After all, this is your watershed. Get involved - become a watchdog! Here are a few examples of activi -

are: • To raise awareness

and promote good stewardship of British Columbia's flvers.

• To encourage public discussion of the her­itage values of rivers

• To identify rivers in British Columbia that reflect a diversity of natural heritage, cul­tural heritage and recreational values.

• To ensure that the stewardship ofrivers is addressed in exist­ing and future land use planning and

Membershlp

ties that require the at­tention of enforcement agencies: • stoning, chasing, or

otherwise harassing spawning fish

• silty water being discharged into a stream, either di­rectly or via a storm drain

• land clearing and/or tree removal adjacent to a stream

• discharge of cement wash, paint, deter-

management pro­cesses.

• To recognize the strong link between First Nations inter­ests and river stew­ardship.

With the BC Heritage River System nearing completion, the Her­itage River Board's role for the next two years will shift in emphasis from identification and nomination, to promo­tion of community based monitoring and stewardship of recog­nized heritage rivers.

gent, oil etc. into a storm drain

DFO Radio Room: (604) 666-3500 Provincial Habitat Biologist: (604) 465-0829 Remember, when con­tacting an enforcement agency it is important to request a follow-up phone call from the Fishery or Conservation Officer that is assigned to the complaint.

DID YOU KNOW:-

Rivers Heritage

Want to help YOUT backyaTd stTearn1

Our urban streams can works . Of course, this • Stream channel en-lise all the help they is all free to the prop- hancement: often, can get. If you would erty owner. Here are urban streams are like to improve the some examples of habi- severely restricted habitat in your back- tat improvements: in width. By widen-yard stream, an ARMS ing the channel, the representative would • Streamside planting: stream once again be delighted to attend provides shade, has room to mean-your property and pro- food, erosion con- der. Water velocity vide technical advice. tTol, and reduced and bank erosion is We also have access to summer water tem- reduced, and stream materials and labor, peratures. productivity im-and we are familiar • Log or stump place- proves. with the permitting ment: provides processes that may be cover, bank stabi- If you are interested, necessary on order to lization, and food phone liS at 467 -07 47. complete instream production.

VolunteeT OppoTtunlhes If you have a project you wish to implement, or have questions re­garding your backyard stream, or have any other comments or sug­gestions, we want to hear from you. The table below shows

some of the seasonal activities that ARMS is presently involved in. For more information, contact either the Ad­ministrator or the Wa­tershed Coordinator.

Write letters, attend meet- I All year

f

COTpoTate MernbeTshlp The care of our envi­ronment and health of the planet is everyone's business. Now, ARMS has a new Corporate Membership Category, which will enable both large and small busi­nesses to do their pmt by supporting ARMS. To date, we have re­cei ved support from the Ministry of Attor­ney Genera l, Canada Trust, LED. Lepage,

Baxter Corporation, Al­can Aluminum, Bens Market, B.C. Hydro, Mohawk, Robson and Associates, Kiwanis, Lafarge Canada, Allard Concrete, B.C. Build­ings Corporation, Dis­trict of Maple Ridge, West Rock, Pacific West, The Times Newspaper, Ministry of Environment and the Department of Fish­eri es and Oceans.

Corporate membership fees are $ 100.00 ini­tially and an annual re­newal of $50.00. Strata title corporations or councils who wi sh to preserve green space or join ARMS for envi­ronmental reasons are al so welcome. For more information, con­tact our Administrator.

New ARMS Llalsons Alouette Communication Developed flood warni ng Tom Charters Task Team (ACTI) system 467-9723

Maintain riparian property database

Pitt Polder Preservation Development issues in Pitt Chri s Rum-Society Polder ball

Public events 465-4310 Kanaka Education and Envi- Development issues Dave Smith ronmental Partnership Society Promotion of multi -use areas 462-8643 (KEEPS) Public education

- -- ---------

Board of Directors and Contact People for ARMS

President ... Geoff Clayton Vice PJ'esident ... Peter Barnes (Me l11 bership I ARCC Liai son)

I JJlreClOrs at Large: Hogarth ............... Urban and Civ ic Issues/OCP & Rurat Plans

Charters ........... Delegate/Re presentati ve for ACTT. I ndlilly Rousey.... ... ... Local angld Rick Bailey ......... , .. . . Katzic f-irst Nat ion isslies

TreasUI'er ... Ed White

Pauche ................ Isslles arising oll l AlollClI1! Road and surrounding areas I Smith .................. Hatchcryl DFO Liaisonl ARCC Liai son

I \o\'a tenoihed Coordinator: Ross Davies Pho ne/!'ax: 604-467·0747 (Fisheries and Hahitat In itiativcs. Education, Violations)

llusiness Administrator: Jcnny Ljunggrcn 604-465-3894 ( fa x 604-465-3893)

8

=--

APPENDIX 3:

TABLE OF PROJECT ACTIVITIES

APPENDIX 3 - PROJECT ACTIVITIES ALOUETTE RIVER MANAGEMENT SOCIETY - HRSEP 1998-1999

Start End Location Personnel Partnerships Community Project Project Study Methods Projects Involvement RationalelProblems

Riparian April 98 Ongoing South CFDC, ARMS, CFDC, ARMS, Private property Lack of riparian cuttings, bare root Restoration Alouette, landowners USHP, owners cover transplants and

private HRSEP, seedlings properties Tree Canada on Foundation tributaries

Habitat June 98 Sept 98 As per map ARMS, UBC, ARMS, UBC, Landowners Restoration of off- Application of Enhancement Corrections, USHP, HRSEP, where projects channel habitat recognized habitat

FRBC, DFO-RRD Corrections, occurred on improvement FRBC, DFO-RRD private land techniques

Public Education on-going on-going Throughout ARMS, KEEPS, ARMS, HRSEP, Events such as Improved Displays, newsletters, and Awareness watershed Community USHP, FsRBC Rivers Day and stewardship through handouts, media,

Advisor others public awareness others Alouette on-going on-going South ARMS, BC BCHydro, Landowner and Component of South Juvenile trapping, Management Alouette Hydro, DFO, MELP, DFO, volunteer Alouette Water Use adult enumeration, Cormnittee MELP, Katzie HRSEP, FsRBC involvement Plan Wolman pebble count

First Nations, and training District of Maple Ridge

Large Woody July 98 Aug 98 South FRBC, MELP, FRBC Structures Restore L WD to Installations of Debris Alouette UBC, ARMS, installed at 230 historic levels structures to

River Corrections Street property engineerinJ( standards Inventory and ongoing Ongoing South ARMS, District of District of Maple Landowner Identify and fill ARMS' assisted Scott Classification Alouette Maple Ridge, Ridge, HRSEP, involvement as inventory gaps Resources with stream

River Scott Resources USHP required classification project Fisheries Renewal Sept ' 98 Ongoing Maple ARMS, FsRBC ARMS, FsRBC AsperHRSEP ARMS ' participation Be RidgelPitt projects on Lower Mainland nla

Meadows Delivery Partner Group

u

APPENDIX 4:

LOCATION MAP

APPENDIX 5:

BENTHICIW ATER QUALITY REPORT