Comox Valley Salmon Stream Stewardship Project
Final Report
In 1999 a five-year project, the “Comox Valley Salmon Streams Stewardship Project“, was created within the Sensitive Habitat Stewardship Program operated by Comox Valley Project Watershed Society.
The objectives of the Comox Valley Salmon Stream Stewardship Project flow from the objectives of the Sensitive Habitat Stewardship Program, which are:
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~ Sensitive Habitat Surveys: to inventory and verify (ground truth) watercourses, wetlands and other sensitive habitat areas for updates and additions to the digital Comox Valley Sensitive Habitat (CVSH) Atlas, and to provide detailed descriptions of biophysical information that can aid in land use decision-making and watershed planning.
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~ Geographic Information System (GIS) Development: to digitize field information and manage data for updates and additions to the digital CVSH Atlas; to centralize watershed information for easier access by the community-at-large; and to raise awareness about sensitive habitat (locations).
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~ Community Partnerships: to increase public awareness of and involvement in watershed stewardship; and, in turn, to foster a coordinated effort locally to increase information exchange among partners and to reduce potential land use conflicts.
The salmon streams treated between 1999 and 2005 in the project included: Millard Creek, Piercy Creek, Brooklyn Creek, Glen Urquhart Creek, Mallard Creek, Morrison Creek, Arden Creek, Roy Creek, and Hart/Washer Creek, Perseverance Creek, Beacon Creek, Black Creek, small tributaries of the Puntledge River, Oyster River, Trent River and Pup Creek and Finlay Creek which are tributaries of the Tsolum River.
This project built on landowner contact and sensitive habitat information gathered during the Sensitive Habitat Inventory and Mapping (SHIM) work completed in the Comox Valley between 1998-1999.
Additional objectives developed during the project were to:
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~ Enhance our capacity to apply Trimble Pathfinder GPS technology and Sensitive Habitat Inventory and Mapping (SHIM) methods and Coastal Shoreline Inventory Methods (CSHIM) to collect data for community awareness and planning purposes,
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~ Continue to acquire and compile watershed information and make it more user-friendly with GIS (Arcview) technology and Internet Information Technology ,
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~ Develop more community partnerships with long-term relationships through networking, program development, and providing training and library resources through a “conservation centre” approach,
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~ Increase stewardship in the community by integrating volunteers into the mapping and inventory as well as library development work, building their capacity to act as long-term stewards.
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~ Assist in the formation of the Community Mapping Network to provide guidance and leadership to communities interested in developing projects and products that increase sensitive habitat stewardship.
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~ Integrate our sensitive habitat mapping/ inventory activities, landowner contact and community awareness projects into a one-stop local “Community Conservation Centre” complete with a catalogued library, field equipment loan system, computer terminal access, and Streamkeepers and Wetlandkeepers courses.
Should you need to view the report, and its 2 appendices, please contact us.
