Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF) has awarded a $10,470 grant to a community-led stewardship project by Powell River Salmon Society (PRSS).
According to a media release from PSF, the salmon society is using data to protect salmon populations in the Lang Creek watershed, which encompasses roughly 1,200 hectares east of Powell River. By tracking environmental conditions, PRSS engages more than 240 community members and equips local agencies with information about habitat degradation in salmon-bearing streams, the release stated.
“Our water monitoring program plays a crucial role in preserving Lang Creek's watershed,” stated PRSS assistant manager Philip Nakatsu. “Continuous water quality sampling ensures the creek remains healthy for salmon populations. PRSS produces an annual technical report providing valuable data, guiding conservation efforts and safeguarding the watershed's integrity for future generations of salmon.”
With PSF’s funding, volunteers will access new mobile monitoring devices and gear to track the effects of climate change and incidents such as landslides, log jams, or runoff pollution, the release stated.
Shane Dobler, PRSS manager, said in an interview with the Peak that PSF regularly provides PRSS with funds for various operational items. He said this year’s contribution will go toward water monitoring equipment used for measuring water parameters such as pH, salinities, temperatures and flows.
“We regularly do a trip through the watershed, and we also have continuous monitoring stations that record water temperature every 15 minutes,” said Dobler. “We compile all this data, and in conjunction with our other work we do in that neck of the woods, it just sort of encompasses the watershed. It’s valuable to have long-term data to see trends, what’s changing and what’s not changing. The information is really valuable.”
Dobler said it is interesting to monitor temperatures in the upper watershed versus the lower watershed to see how things change over time and how it affects fish.
“Having long-term datasets that you can look at and not just assume that things are going in one direction or another is really important,” said Dobler.
He said he wanted to mention the contribution that the City of Powell River makes, and that city director of infrastructure Tor Birtig has been instrumental in helping with water flows in the salmon rearing ecosystem.
“A lot of people around the province don’t have water, so our city is fortunate, but so is our own Adams River, which is Lang Creek,” said Dobler. “It’s because of water management. It wasn’t always the case. It was managed differently a long time ago, including on our part.
“We wanted water early, because that’s what draws fish. We learned however, to store it and let it happen as nature intended.”
Dobler said that through monitoring, the PRSS has more data, which helps with better decision making.
“With good information, you can be more efficient and more impactful,” said Dobler. “Water is important to fish, and to all human life, for that matter.”
Dobler said in addition to the PSF, Powell River Community Forest has been great with the salmon society, supporting the organization with funds. There are also partnerships with Tla’amin Nation and BC Timber Sales, according to Dobler.
Every year, PSF’s community salmon program strategically leverages $1.5 million in revenue from its salmon conservation stamp, along with generous donations, to support more than 150 salmon conservation projects in BC and the Yukon. In the latest funding round, PSF awarded a total of $613,531 across the province, generating a total value of $3.1 million for salmon.
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