"Committed to the recovery of wild Pacific salmon in mid Vancouver
Island watersheds through habitat restoration and community engagement"
"Committed to the restoration of wild Pacific salmon in mid Vancouver
Island watersheds through habitat restoration and community engagement"

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Ballenas ROAMS Students and Teacher Invade the Wetlands!

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On October 18, twenty three ROAMS students from Ballenas high school and their teacher, Heather Quinn, helped the City of Parksville Parks Department plan 500 trees, shrubs and sedges in the Parksville Wetlands.

ROAMS stands for Rivers, Oceans, and Mountains School and is an outdoor leadership program which focuses on career preparation, work experience, adventure education and community leadership in School District 69. Joining Parks staff in planting the seedlings was made possible through an Action Plan developed by student Emily C as part of her course curriculum. You can see the students in action below.

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 So how do the Parksville Wetlands help salmon?
About 70% of the water supplied to Parksville comes from the Englishman River. We know that flow in the river gets very low in summer and early fall which can negatively impact juvenile and spawning salmon. Watering restrictions come into effect during this time to keep more water in the river.

The other 30% of the water supply comes from wells that are fed by an aquifer lying beneath the Parkville Wetlands. Without the water from these wells, all of Parksville's water would come from the Englishman River in the summer. You can imagine the impact that would have on salmon. 

The vegetation and soil in the Wetlands collect and store rainwater and allow it to percolate into the ground which helps feed the aquifer. Keeping the Wetlands healthy through planting native vegetation in areas degraded by human activity will benefit the wells and take some of the pressure off the Englishman River.

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You may remember that this time last year, 40 volunteers came out to plant in the Wetlands. Those plants are looking pretty good as seen by the Douglas fir and rose in the photos above.

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Other folks who came out to plant on October 18 were (left to right): Nancy Pezel (MVIHES), Dave Hutchings (Arrowsmith Naturalists), Parks staff Logan, Enrique, Sean, Ethan, and Aimee, Mike Shillingford (Volunteer at Large). Photo taken by Barb Riordan (MVIHES).

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And let's not forget Graham Gidden, Manager of Parks.

Many thanks to the Ballenas ROAM students and teacher, Parksville Parks Department, and our volunteers. The coffee and donuts were great, too!

 

 

 

 

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Ballenas High School Students and Teachers Rock!

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Teacher Allison Lavoie who heads the Ballenas Eco Club and Leah Walberg, grade nine teacher, are leading students in environmental stewardship and education.

On October 4th, Allison Lavoie and nine Eco Club students joined Friends of Shelly Creek Park and Parks Department staff in the planting of 200 native plants (20 species) in Shelly Creek Park (on Hamilton Rd off Corfield St South). The plants are replacing the invasive species that were removed because they were choking out the native species. A resident population of Coastal Cutthroat Trout lives in the section of Shelly Creek that flows through the park, so this work benefits the trout in addition to the park forest.

This isn’t the first time the Eco Club has worked in Shelly Creek Park. They've visited the park on a number of occassions to remove invasive English ivy and lamium (Yellow Archangel), seen in the photos below.

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Shelly Creek Park is vital to the Coastal Cutthroat Trout which is a blue-listed species. In 2018, we collaborated with Vancouver Island University who provided a student to conduct a study on the diet of the trout in the park. You can read that article here. And another student to track the movements of the trout using PIT tags and a scanner. You can read about that here. The City of Parksville Parks Department (Warren Payne) has been very supportive in the conservation of the trout by installing a split rail fence and a pedestrian bridge to decrease disturbance of the fish, as well as educational signage. Click here to read all about it.

Meanwhile, back at Ballenas on October 4th, Leah Wahlberg and two student teachers were running three back-to-back grade nine science classes (about 70 students) on identifying benthic invertebrates (insects that live at the bottom of creeks). They also learned about their importance to fish and aquatic ecosystems, and which species are indicators of a healthy stream.

The insects were collected by Leah and Barb Riordan (president of MVIHES) the day before from Shelly Creek and kept alive in buckets with an air pump. Students sorted the bugs into petri dishes and ice cube trays (seen below) and worked on identification and counting. Leah said there was lots of science learning going on along with lots of "this was so much fun" comments.

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The Ballenas students determined that Shelly Creek is healthy to somewhat healthy. MVIHES did a similar exercise on the Englishman River and four of its tributaries in 2019 to assess their health. Learn the results here.

 Our gratitude goes out to these teachers and students. They are carrying the torch for nature.

 

 

 

Blue Ecology and Volunteer News

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Have you heard of the Blue Ecology Institute Foundation (BEIF)? 

Founded by Michael Blackstock, retired forester and Independent Indigenous Scholar, BEIF is dedicated to tackling today’s pressing environmental issues by sharing the Blue Ecology philosophy, a holistic water centric approach that interweaves Indigenous wisdom with scientific knowledge.

Intrigued? Below are two upcoming events during Culture Days (Sept 20 – Oct 13) where you can learn more and participate in discussions surrounding a more holistic approach to solving today’s environmental challenges. Please register as spaces are limited.

 

Sept 29, 2024   7:00 pm – 8:30 pm  World and BC Rivers Day
 
Blue Ecology Hope For the Future:  Michael Blackstock will take you on a storytelling journey, beginning with why he has dedicated the last 25 years to encouraging a shift in human attitude towards water and nature.  He will share a new ecological philosophy called Blue Ecology, which is rooted in peer reviewed academic research, but structured to be implemented in practical ways.  He will close off with a message of hope, in the face of overwhelming threats to the environment.

Location:
Berwick Qualicum Beach (Retirement Home * Theater lower level)
120 First Avenue West
Qualicum Beach, BC
 Sept 30, 2024  1:00 – 2:30 pm    Truth and Reconciliation Day 
 
Talking Circle: Sitting in a circle with Michael and others in a serene garden will provide an opportunity to engage in conversation.  Rain or shine, the event will take place outdoors. Please dress accordingly. The talking circle is a time-tested way Indigenous peoples have a respectful conversation, this one on climate change, that includes all voices.  This is especially important in these polarized times.

Location:
Berwick Qualicum Beach (Event is in the Gardens on the main level)
120 First Avenue West
Qualicum Beach, BC
 
Many thanks to organizer Diane Moran, Visual Artist and Community Connector residing in Qualicum Beach. This year’s theme for Culture Days in QB is Tree to Sea. A Pop-Up Art display featuring wooden painted salmon, and other works including photographs taken by residents with a Tree to Sea theme, will be installed at Berwick. Drop by and admire.

 

Volunteers on the Go
MVIHES volunteers have been busy this summer

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Volunteer Dick Dobler and his crew have been rescuing Coho Salmon fry stranded in tiny pools (like the one in the left-hand photo) in Shelly Creek and French Creek. Stewardship groups, including MVIHES, have been rescuing stranded fry for years but now Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has asked us to report on these activities.

 

 

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DFO also requires that we measure the water temperature and dissolved oxygen levels in the pools to make sure the fry actually need to be rescued. We also measure those parameters at the release site (like the one in the right hand photo) to make sure the release site will support the fry. Good idea! And yes, we release the fry in the same creek they were rescued in.

 

 

So far, we have rescued approximately 3500 fry. Dick's crew includes Terry Baum, Rick and Randy Walz, Maggie Estok, Carl Rathburn, Chris Smith and Barb Riordan.


Did you know two of our volunteers are artists with exhibits at the McMillan Art Centre?
Xpey' is a gorgeous art exhibit at the MAC in Parksville celebrating our Wetlands. Several artists have created beautiful works showcasing wetlands using steel, wood, glass, pastels, photography and videography. MVIHES volunteer and professional glass crafter, Chris Smith, created lily pads with coho salmon fry taking cover beneath in a glass medium (bottom left-hand photo). Volunteer and professional photographer, Deb Freeman, created window screens from one of her photos of Hamilton Marsh (bottom right-hand photo). Aren't they beautiful!? The exhibit runs until September 1.

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Running concurrently with the exhibit in another room is ETHOS, a collection of interactive displays and activities by community groups and NGO's which highlight our Oceanside wetlands and the programs to conserve them. MVIHES is hosting a "Pond Critters Tank" that showcase some typical insects and other invertebrates found in local marshes, ponds and wetlands. There was lots of drama in that tank including predation, mating, and cannibalism.

Sue Wilson of Friends of Shelly Creek Park (and volunteer with MVIHES and Arrowsmith Naturalists) is in the photo below overseeing curious visitors to the tank. In the foreground are activities for kids provided by Arrowsmith Naturalists and MVIHES. While the pond critter tank ended on August 9, the ETHOS displays run until August 25.

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Many thanks to Sue and our other volunteers at the Pond Critters Tank: Terry Bajenko, Sally Soanes and Jeannie Diewold of Arrowsmith Naturalists; Janet McManus, Catherine Watson, Larysa Bilous, Chris Smith, Jane Murray-Smith, Shelley Goertzen, Pete Law, Barb Riordan and Ross Peterson of MVIHES.

And many thanks to our Team Leader, Maggie Estok, who set up the display with her son, Ralegh, and kept it filled with lively insects with the help of Meghan MacIsaac of North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre; Jeannie Diewold of Arrowsmith Naturalists; Carl Rathburn, Pete Law, Craig Wightman and Denis Cote of MVIHES.

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Beach Day in Qualicum Beach
We also had a Pond Critters Tank at Beach Day on July 21 where folks learned about the importance of aquatic insects. Thanks to volunteers Kathy Miller, seen in right-hand photo, Liz Campbell and Barb Riordan.

 

 

 

No microplastics here!
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On July 16 we conducted our quarterly marine debris survey at Rathtrevor Beach where we surveyed a 100 m span of beach for macroplastics (plastic debris over 20 mm in size) and microplastics (<20 mm in size). Once again, we found only a handful of macroplastics and no microplastics. Yipee!

 

 

 Many thanks to Jacob Frankel of Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute who trains us and enters our data into the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) database. Thanks also to our volunteers Yana Maltais, Martin Yeo, Liz Campbell, Bob Williams, and Barb Riordan. To learn more about this global initiative, click here.

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