Planning Sustainable Communities

A focus on community mapping case studies from the Lower Mainland and Sunshine Coast of British Columbia

A compilation of community mapping case studies from the Lower Main- land and Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, prepared for the Planning Sustainable Communities Workshops

Sponsored by

The Township of Langley The Community Mapping Network (a partnership of community and government conservation agencies in British Columbia) Fisheries & Oceans Canada Habitat Conservation and Stewardship Program Sunshine Coast Regional District

Friday, March 15, 2002 Murrayville Fire Hall, 22170 50th Avenue Langley, BC

Wednesday, April 3, 2002 Capilano College, 5627 Inlet Avenue Sechelt, BC

Prepared by

Glen L. Porter G.L. Porter Consulting Rose Moon, President Sun-Esprit Lifestyles Inc. Cheryl Trent Habitat Steward, Sunshine Coast Regional District

Acknowledgements

Many individuals have contributed to this document, whether by submitting case studies, providing resource materials, being interviewed, or reviewing drafts. Case study contributors are acknowledged at the end of each case study section. The generosity of contributors who took time from their busy schedules to share information is gratefully appreciated.

Brad Mason (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) and Rob Knight (Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection) helped to arrange funding for this project and to get it started. The project was overseen and guided by a committee consisting of Gretchen Harlow (Environment Canada), Rob Knight, Brad Mason, Kathleen Moore (Environment Canada), and Marc Porter (Fisheries and Oceans Canada), who also reviewed drafts of the document.

Section IV and Appendix 1 were written by Marc Porter.

iii

Table of Contents

I. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...... iii

II. TABLE OF CONTENTS ...... v

III. INTRODUCTION...... 1

IV. BUILDING COMMUNITY CAPACITY: THE ROLE OF LOCAL INVENTORY AND MAPPING ENDEAVOURS...... 7

V. THE CASE STUDIES ...... 11 Lower Mainland Region Planning tools: Township of Langley: Stream Mapping for Better Local Water Resources Man- agement ...... 13 Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Land Use Coding...... 19 Resource Mapping and Restoration: Langley Environmental Partners Society Wildlife Strategy...... 23 Squamish River Watershed Society Mapping, Restoration and Enhancement...... 29 Vancouver Island Small Streams...... 33 Fraser Valley Regional District Habitat Atlas ...... 39 Riparian Buffer Effectiveness Assessment...... 43 Hatzic Valley Watercourse Inventory...... 49 Sensitive Habitat Mapping by the Cheam Band ...... 53 SHIM in Chilliwack: Ford, Marble, Patterson and Calkins Creeks...... 55 Engineering Tools: Chilliwack Master Drainage Plan...... 59 Delineation of Streams and Top of Bank in Mission, B.C...... 63 Tools for Regulatory Compliance: Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Watercourse Classification and Ag- ricultural Ditch Maintenance ...... 67 Sunshine Coast Planning tools: Terminal Forest Products: Mapping Applications for Integrated Resource Man- agement Planning ...... 71 Resource Mapping and Restoration: Sunshine Coast Regional District Habitat Atlas ...... 75 Gambier Island Conservancy: Streamkeepers and Watershed Mapping Projects...... 81

v Sensitive Ecosystem Inventory of the Georgia Lowland and Islands in the Northern Strait of Georgia...... 87 Sechelt Indian Band Mapping: Vancouver River Spawning and Rearing Chan- nel Development ...... 93 Capilano College, Sechelt Campus: Training, Data Collection and Interaction with Community Mapping Projects...... 97

VI. APPENDICES ...... 101 1. Internet Sources of Environmental Data for Community Groups and Regional Planners in British Columbia ...... 103 2. Guide to Acronyms Used ...... 119 Introduction

Planning for sustainable communities

The Environmental Setting nity stewardship, awareness and effective land use planning. The value of maintaining healthy functioning sensitive habitats in British Columbia— Streams and other freshwater watercourses urban and rural watercourses, riparian ar- are a critical component to the health, vital- eas, wetlands, foreshores and nearshores— ity and economies of the urban and rural is poorly understood. This means species at landscapes of British Columbia. They not risk and sensitive habitats are under con- only contain the runoff for water downhill, stant threat from urban and agricultural de- but also provide critical habitats and corri- velopment. It may also mean that develop- dors for fish and wildlife. In coastal B.C. ment proposals received by municipalities small streams and watercourses provide are often reviewed without adequate critical spawning, rearing, over-wintering knowledge of the location or value of sensi- and feeding habitats for both adult and ju- tive resources, either because the informa- venile salmonids. These environments are tion has not been inventoried, or it may not also home to many other species of fish, be presented in the appropriate scale aquatic invertebrates, benthic organisms, needed for land use planning. wildlife and plants, all of which function as a part of the freshwater community and the We know that human activity and popula- entire ecosystem. tions are increasing in British Columbia. More people increase the stress on sensitive Conditions in and adjacent to streams are ecosystems by bringing more houses, cars, easily disturbed, and changes in land use industry and farm animals—but they can- can adversely affect the overall health and not bring more land, air or water to our state of the streams and watercourses and communities. We must understand that the plants and animals within them. Hous- natural resources are finite, and that it is ing, industry and road development often essential that community and land use result in disturbance to watercourses, lead- planning efforts incorporate the value of ing to the decline and alteration of surface sustainability—as it is the ecosystems of the water runoff, stream channel stability, wa- earth and the services they provide that are tershed-based nutrient cycles, other organic the foundations of a healthy economy and and inorganic constituents, riparian vegeta- social well being. tion, in-stream vegetation, and water temperature and flow regimes. These forms of Population growth within the Georgia Basin disturbance can cause dramatic changes in of British Columbia is expected to double in ecosystem biodiversity, population status the next 20 years. For this reason, ecologi- and the form and function of watersheds cally sensitive areas such as floodplains, ri- and ecosystems. For example, in British parian corridors, small stream channels and Columbia’s Georgia Basin, numerous wetlands may be severely affected by de- coastal salmonid stocks and populations of velopment unless there is strong commu- 29 wildlife taxa are at risk of extinction (red or blue listed) and are rapidly declining in

1 Planning Sustainable Communities

abundance due to loss of sensitive habitats ning and development decisions continue to which are vital to sustaining populations. be made in the absence of critical information. Recent studies1 reveal that at least 30% of small urban streams and watercourses in Good land use planning and decision mak- the Georgia Basin of British Columbia are ing require accurate, precise and recent not delineated on provincial or federal spatial habitat information. Accurately in- topographic maps and databases. This ap- ventoried and delineated small urban and pears to be typical in many regions and lo- rural watercourses, wetlands, and riparian cal municipalities. Local cadastral and areas will help improve current land use planning information can often be dated planning processes and promote decisions and not capture recent land use changes, made through greater understanding, im- while large-scale inventory maps of streams proved planning practices, heightened pro- and adjacent habitats are often not available tection and clearer priorities for fish and as a means to identify sensitive habitats for wildlife habitat restoration and enhance- fish and wildlife. As a result, many plan- ment.

Figure 1. The Community Mapping Network data model

The Community Mapping Network possible for local conservation groups and local governments to develop map-based (CMN) tools for sustainable land use planning. In Over the last decade lower costs and acces- British Columbia the Community Mapping sibility of mapping technology have made it Network (CMN) is being built by contribu-

2 Introduction tors and users interested in creating accu- and mapping community information rate resource data accessible through the (though in practice methods vary). The internet. The CMN integrates data from CMN does not have a master database. government and non-government sources and makes it accessible through a user- The Community Mapping Network: friendly mapping system. S Builds capacity within communities to collect and manage resource informa- The CMN encourages building expertise tion; locally, sharing ideas so as not to reinvent the wheel, and linking all community data S Uses a network of servers to provide across administrative boundaries to make it internet access to resource information, seamless. In this way CMN members build base maps and imagery; on each other’s investments and are able to S Develops common methods and stan- customize applications to meet individual dards for data collection; communities’ needs for mapping and inventory information. Building local capacity S Links community-based mapping with and expertise, sharing ideas and linking all larger agency databases such as the community data across administrative bounda- Canada/BC Fisheries Information ries are the key objectives of the CMN. Summary Systems (FISS) and the Coastal Resource Information System Who is the CMN? (CRIS); The Community Mapping Network is made S Shares ideas and project information up of a number of community groups, or- locally and internationally; ganizations and individuals that collect and S Provides information about watershed map natural resource information. A steer- management, stream ecology, fish and ing committee responsible for managing the wildlife habitat and restoration oppor- CMN includes representatives from the BC tunities and promotes active steward- Conservation Foundation, Fisheries and ship; Oceans Canada, Environment Canada (Ca- nadian Wildlife Service), BC Ministry of S Creates an open forum for discussing Water, Land and Air Protection, BC Ministry the use and management of natural re- of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Fraser sources; and Valley Regional District, Greater Vancouver S Promotes planning sustainable commu- Regional District, local governments, and nities. community groups. The CMN is a network of partners. How Community Mapping Works

What are the activities of the CMN? The Community Mapping Network integrates community and agency natural re- Integrated natural resource information is source information using an interactive necessary to assist communities and local geographic information system (GIS) called governments with land use planning, to Autodesk MapGuide. A series of servers is promote conservation and protection of utilized to share the workload of serving sensitive habitats, and to raise awareness province-wide base maps, high resolution and respect for ecological values. The CMN orthophotography and selected resource is about integrating information. The CMN information (Fig. 1). Maps and natural re- promotes standard methods of collecting

3 Planning Sustainable Communities source information are “web-served” in an The scope of the CMN easy-to-use format. Selected information and thematic maps are Many types of information are provided available at a scale of 1:5,000 for the Georgia through the CMN, such as fish and wildlife Basin and Central Okanagan. Province-wide distribution, streams and wetlands, eagles coverage is also available at smaller scales and herons, rare and endangered species, for watercourses, fish distribution, coastal and possible restoration sites. resources and other themes. Several mapping projects exist for specific resources or Agency and community members with for specific areas, for example the B.C. Wet- suitable qualifications and password clear- lands Atlas, the Upper Skeena Atlas, and ances can be granted direct access to CMN the Vancouver Island Wildlife Tree Atlas. maps and databases over the internet. On- line digitizing tools (Fig. 2) can then be used Four types of mapping projects can be ac- to update and edit existing resource infor- cessed through the CMN, including: mation and to delineate the location of S community mapping projects in British Community projects: Inner Coastal Columbia, Canada and around the world. Natural Resource Centre, Comox Val- ley Project Watershed and Upper Skeena Streamkeepers, and The Georgia Strait Alliance;

S British Columbia projects: Sensitive Habitat Inventory and Mapping, BC Wetlands, Wildlife Observations, Coastal Resources, Natural Resources Information Network, Vancouver Island Wildlife Trees, Sensitive Ecosystems In- ventory, BC Watersheds, South Coast Cutthroat;

S National projects: Stewardship Can- ada, FrogWatch

S International projects: Community Mapping Projects Directory.

A good example of a developing application on a provincial scale is agricultural GIS. GIS layers of information are used in agriculture for planning, regional drainage and water use efficiency.

Concrete results

Methods provided through the CMN reflect a set of tools to explore and promote aware- Figure 2. Digitizing features ness of sensitive habitats by mapping their location and inventorying their attributes.

4 Introduction

The awareness and commitment to local Additionally, case studies were selected to watercourses and other sensitive habitats is be reflective of the following themes: an important process created through co- S Planning Tools: e.g., greenways and operation of local communities, First Na- protected area mapping, community tions, municipalities, planners and manag- and neighbourhood planning, developers. Community mapping methods com- ment permitting, watershed planning prise a set of tools and methods that can be used to help conserve fisheries, wildlife and S Resource Mapping and Restoration aquatic habitat resources throughout British Opportunities: e.g., mapping invasive Columbia. plants, rare and endangered species, riparian and aquatic areas, wildlife habi- The time is right to share the results from tat, fish distribution and watercourses successful community mapping projects completed over the last few years, and to S Engineering Tools: e.g., determining demonstrate how the information is being impervious surface cover, managing used to make better resource management storm water drainage, ditch mainte- decisions. The purpose of this document is to nance (for settled and agricultural areas) demonstrate by examples how better information results in better planning, leading to concrete S Tools for Regulatory Compliance: e.g., results. streamside protection regulations, local government zoning and development Case study themes permit areas, watercourse classification, Land Covenant registry Given the large number of mapping projects that have been undertaken recently in Brit- S Information Systems Support: e.g., ish Columbia, it is possible to present only a Community Mapping Network, Sensi- small subset of them at this workshop. Case tive Habitat Inventory and Mapping study criteria for inclusion in the workshop methods [refer to Appendix 1: section included: on Sensitive Habitat Inventory and Mapping (SHIM)]. 1. concrete results have been achieved or are pending; 2. ample information is available and the cases can readily be presented in this fo- 1. Brown, T.G., L. Barton, and G. Langford. 1996. The rum; use of a Geographic Information System to evaluate 3. they are examples of good methods that Terrain Resource Information Management (TRIM) maps and to measure land use patterns for Black ought to be promoted. Creek, Vancouver Island. Canadian Manuscript Re- port of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 2395.

Building Community Capacity: the Role of Local Inven- tory and Mapping Endeavours

“Heroes are not grand statues framed against a red vation ethic with a respect for the land and sky. They are people who say this is my community water. As the Lower Mainland continues to and it is my responsibility to make it better.” Tom grow it is essential local public stewardship McCall (former Governor of Oregon), 1913-1983. of all natural habitats improves.

The Lower Mainland represents one of the continent’s most biologically diverse areas. In addition to its inherent richness, the Fraser River estuary is also part of an important flyway for migratory birds. The Fraser River and its tributaries support large and valuable salmon runs. Protecting the natural spaces that have generated this wealth of life is an issue of importance for conservation agencies and sections in all levels of government (federal, provincial, Traditionally, federal and provincial agen- regional, and municipal). However, gov- cies have been responsible for environ- ernments (at any level) do not have suffi- mental review of development projects cient funds to buy all the sensitive natural through interagency referrals. This ap- areas in the Lower Mainland that need proach has been piecemeal, and a variety of protection. Similarly, the ability of govern- staffing and financial constraints have often ments to regulate potentially detrimental prevented comprehensive assessment and activities on public or private lands is lim- follow-up. But if sound environmental in- ited by a lack of staff, political mandate, formation is generated at the local level it conflicting policies, a large and confusing reflects the commitment and ability of the array of regulations, and many other social community to shape and sustain their envi- and economic impediments. ronment. When communities are involved in collecting and managing resource infor- The real success of efforts to protect the en- mation they are better able to promote its vironment in the Lower Mainland and use in local and regional planning initia- elsewhere will depend on the individuals tives. who actually live on or manage the land— e.g., landowners, developers, farmers, There is a growing interest from communi- fishers, foresters and community ties and stewardship groups to take a more volunteers. These are the people who direct role in environmental planning and actually touch and change the land, whose management. These communities are look- actions directly impact both land and water. ing for encouragement, information, guid- These are the people who make everyday ance and the tools to undertake the tasks. decisions that maintain, transform or The growing number of Community Con- deplete the landscape. Long-term servation Centres focusing on local natural conservation of our natural environments resource knowledge are a step in this direc- will depend on a conservation ethic with a tion as are the Sensitive Habitat Inventory

7 Planning Sustainable Communities and Mapping Procedures (SHIM), that as- S Reduced staff and turnaround time for sist suitably trained volunteers to inventory habitat referrals by all reviewing agen- and accurately map existing natural areas cies within their communities. S Improved cooperation between communities, local governments and senior government agencies S Opportunities for training of community members, First Nations, and students in data collection, data analysis and data management skills.

Local habitat inventory and mapping projects have been undertaken throughout B.C. and many more are currently underway. Local resource atlases, customized for use by local government planners and developers, have been used to support Local Re- source Management Plans, Official Com- munity Plans, and Watershed Management Plans in a number of B.C. regional districts. The atlases have helped to define Develop- ment Permit Areas and have improved identification of candidate areas for protec- This growth in community capacity also tion, enhancement or restoration. The at- provides opportunities for education, skill lases have assisted local regulators in ad- development, public awareness and an ex- ministering the Forest Practices Code, the panded local economy.The long term vi- Water Act, the Land Development Guide- ability of sustainable communities depends lines and the Local Government Act, and on processes that fully integrate environ- will assist in future implementation of the mental, economic and social considerations Streamside Protection Regulations. Essen- into all aspects of decision making. tially, a knowledgeable community that knows where their sensitive resources, The benefits of having accurate environ- lands and wetlands are situated, can more mental information available to the com- effectively care for them. munities and local governments are significant. They include: S Consolidation of local resource knowledge for support of community-based management (information becomes more accessible and increasingly famil- iar to use) S Seamless integration of environmental information with other municipal datasets S Updated maps and environmental inventory (errors or omissions are identified and corrected at source)

8 Building Community Capacity: Role of Local Inventory and Mapping Endeavours

Some examples of local inventory and some Township projects, for example pro- mapping initiatives: viding stream surveying for watercourse classification, and hosts educational and S Sunshine Coast Habitat Atlas restoration activities.

The Atlas is a locally created centralized data warehouse for the Sunshine Coast Re- gional District, consisting of over 40 GIS layers compiled from government and non- government sources.

Benefits: Has provided training for large numbers of university, college and high school students in use of high end GPS systems, GIS analysis and computer database programs Benefits: Has provided local ecological data that TRIM road and stream lines for the dis- have been used for research papers and trict have been and will be corrected presentations on stream dynamics and Data has been converted into a single watershed ecology standard format and map projection Information has been used to prioritize All information existing for the Sun- actions on habitat improvement and shine Coast Regional District has been restoration in Langley integrated Has increased community pride and Accurate custom maps can be made for sense of stewardship of the land community groups and local businesses Has provided training and employment for a GIS specialist (full-time 3 year position) and seasonal employment for a small mapping crew in the field Has increased confidence in the information available for local planning purposes

S Langley Environmental Partners So- ciety S Ucluelet Inlet Shoreline Atlas The Township of Langley supported the creation of the Langley Environmental This atlas was created to provide inventory Partners Society (LEPS) to carry out stream information on the inlet for agencies, re- mapping and other conservation activities. gional and municipal planners and local LEPS now conducts the field component on stakeholders. It employed a pilot methodol-

9 Planning Sustainable Communities ogy for mapping coastal shorelines using Society is a non-profit group that produces GPS procedures developed by SHIM. environmental reports and accurate mapping to promote community stewardship initiatives and facilitate local planning.

Benefits: Provided direct employment for a field crew of displaced fisheries workers from the Ucluelet and Nuu-chah-nulth communities Benefits: Provided training for the crew in use of Products developed have been used by high-end GPS systems, data collection local environmental groups for public and GIS analysis and mapping awareness-raising and enhancement Provided accurate mapping of local project planning coastal resources to assist regional gov- Information has been used by the Co- ernment in protection, restoration and mox Regional District for development enhancement of habitats and resources of their Official Community Plan, De- native to the Inlet velopment Permit Area designations, Liquid Waste Management Plans, Greenway Plans and Watershed Man- agement Plans Has provided training in stream inventory and monitoring to over 200 local citizens Has provided regular seasonal employment to mapping field crews and associated training in use of GPS units Has provided full time employment for S Comox Valley Project Watershed a GIS technician and project manager Society

Established to operate in the watersheds of the Comox Valley, the Project Watershed

10 The Case Studies

Township of Langley: Stream Mapping for Better Local Water Resources Management

Abstract Actions

The Township of Langley initiated detailed Detailed mapping of streams and fish habi- mapping of streams and fish habitat in 1993. tat in the Township of Langley was initiated The stream survey data has been integrated by the Township in 1993, predating the de- into the Township’s GIS, and watercourse velopment of SHIM standards. The map- classification maps have been produced. ping was carried out by the Langley Envi- The mapping information will be used in ronmental Partners Society (LEPS), which the development of Water Management was instrumental in the development of Plans. SHIM standards.

Objectives Some 800 km of watercourses have been mapped (Fig. 1); this work is more or less The Township of Langley has adopted a completed. Over 17,000 points of features Water Resources Management Strategy that were found along the creeks have been (WRMS) to protect and manage local water recorded, entered into a database, and dis- resources. The goals of the WRMS are: played on GIS.

S To provide a clean and sustainable sup- Project Outcomes ply of groundwater and surface water for domestic, agricultural and industrial The stream survey data has been integrated use; into the Township’s GIS, and watercourse classification maps have been produced. S To conserve and enhance water quality These provide the Township with a useful and quantity for aquatic habitat and rec- planning tool. The information will help the reational use; and Township of Langley to save staff time and costs in managing its watercourses and set- S To minimize flooding and erosion. ting up agreements, and by streamlining Within this context, watercourses are environmental approval processes. mapped and the data entered into the By the use of Sensitive Habitat Inventory Township’s geographic information system and Mapping (SHIM) and earlier method- (GIS). The technical information and data ologies the Township now has accurate collection are meant to feed into planning stream and fish habitat mapping, putting it processes. This will be a proactive way of in an advantageous position in dealing with planning, avoiding the difficulties of the surface water matters and in developing past in which decisions for developing a policy and bylaws. In implementing the certain area, or for making designations in WRMS Action Plan and watershed man- the Official Community Plan (OCP), might agement plans (WMPs) in years to come, get made before appropriate studies were the Township will have a significant head done. start and will move ahead faster in those areas where work has been done.

13 Planning Sustainable Communities

S Moving ahead on management decisions, agreements, water management plans, and streamside protection regulations

S Reduced costs to the Township of hiring consultants as it may be less necessary

S Reduced costs to landowners who may not have to hire a consultant to do a full environmental assessment if the appropriate agencies already accept creek coding as it is

S Decreased uncertainty for developers, who will know from the start if a stream is fish-bearing

Some streams were discovered in the course of mapping. Some surface water pollution problems were also found, raising concerns for groundwater. The quality of groundwater, a source of drinking water in the Town- ship, is an identified public concern.

Landowner approval to access properties was anticipated to be a greater challenge than it turned out to be. The multi-partner Figure 2: Using a hand-held global positioning unit to nature of the project was an advantage in map watercourses this respect, as crews were able to present a Anticipated benefits of the watercourse variety of objectives for the project, result- mapping information include: ing in approval from most landowners.

S More local management of water re- The various partners who contributed a sources substantial portion of the project funding were able to meet their objectives in a more S More detailed community planning cost-effective manner than by doing it alone. S Memoranda of agreement to be devel-

oped with senior environmental agen- 1 cies Background

S Common ground between various play- The Township of Langley derives a large ers—community, local government, portion of its municipal drinking water senior agencies, any other community supply from groundwater. Groundwater is groups—all using the same information also used as a water supply by many agricultural, aquacultural and industrial facili- S Having the most up-to-date and accurate information 1 Much of the material in this section is from: Golder Associates Ltd. 2001. Draft final report.

14 Case Study: Langley Stream Mapping for Better Local Water Management ties, as well as by private well owners. Of The WRMS is an overall strategy for all sur- the five most accessible and economical aq- face and ground water in which mapping uifers, four are shallow and unconfined, work (which is ongoing to the present time) and therefore susceptible to contamination forms an important component. The Town- from surface sources. As well, declining ship initiated the mapping of fish habitat water tables in some aquifers indicate that and creeks in 1993, before the WRMS was the current and future rates of groundwater embarked on, as a process of information extraction may not be sustainable. gathering. The fact that eight years of mapping has already been done propels the The Township contains fourteen major sur- Township forward to being able to use the face watersheds that provide water for fish information to make management deci- habitat, agricultural irrigation, and recrea- sions. tional uses. Urbanization in some of these watersheds has had an impact on water An Action Plan developed under the WRMS quality, peak flow and availability of fish has been formally adopted by Langley habitat. As well, changing agricultural Township council. This Action Plan will practices have increased surface water ex- provide the Township with a 20-year traction rates and reduced floodplain areas schedule of projects to address water re- (e.g. by dyking and filling) in many of the sources issues in four categories: ground- rural watersheds. water quantity, groundwater quality, surface water quantity, and surface water The Township is ideally suited for the de- quality. velopment of a water resources management strategy, based on its dependence on Process and Partners groundwater as a source of water supply, the inherent vulnerability of its aquifers, the Funding and support for habitat inventory quality of its fisheries resources, and the mapping have been provided by a variety threats to surface and groundwater quality of agencies and organizations, including: and quantity from pressures related to agriculture and increased development. 1. The Township of Langley

In 1998 the Township of Langley initiated its 2. The Langley Environmental Partners WRMS with the following vision: to balance Society (LEPS), which is itself a partner- present and future water supply with de- ship. LEPS linked organizations and fa- mand for development, while maintaining cilitated contacts. The relationship be- and maximizing opportunities to enhance tween the Township and LEPS has been the quantity and quality of surface water close since the inception of LEPS. and groundwater. The WRMS is intended to 3. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) provide the township with a comprehensive and defensible approach to managing the 4. Human Resources Development Canada quantity and quality of the local ground- (HRDC), which provided funding for water and surface water. The Township an- work crews. This funding provided ticipates that by developing and imple- training for unemployed fishermen, menting this strategy, it will move from a street kids, and youth at risk. While position of reacting to individual problems learning to do stream mapping, the in an ad hoc manner, to a position of proac- trainees learned new life skills and at tively managing issues. the same time learned the importance of streams and stream protection.

15 Planning Sustainable Communities

5. School District 35: school students Next Steps helped in data collection as part of their career preparation program. The next steps are to apply the information that has been collected in ways that will be 6. Community stewardship groups directly useful to staff and to the public.

7. The Real Estate Foundation Mapping information will be used in the development of WMPs. As part of the 8. VanCity Savings WMPs, it is a goal to develop separate 9. Environment Canada, through its Ac- memoranda of agreement with senior envi- tion 21 youth program ronmental agencies for dealing with streamside protection regulations, taking a flexible 10. The Urban Salmon Habitat Program of approach to produce long-term agreed-on the Ministry of Water, Land and Air plans. SHIM mapping provides a level of Protection (MWLAP) detail that gives the planning process a huge head start in defining clearly the ob- 11. Fisheries Renewal BC, a former B.C. jectives of those plans. government agency The Township aims to make use of the 12. UBC, which helped develop GIS meth- stream information to streamline proce- ods dures and protocols for landowners requiring the information, as well as for its Recommendations for the Com- own staff. munity Mapping Network

1. Plan your project before you start: what Project Contacts information you want to collect, how it Marina Stjepovic will be used, what is the best way to Environmental Coordinator collect it, how you will pay for it, what Township of Langley partners you will work with, etc. 4914–221st Street 2. Design your database/GIS. Langley, B.C. [email protected] 3. Train your crews. The data is only as good as those collecting it. References

4. Monitor the results as you go, instead of Golder Associates Ltd. 2001. Draft final re- waiting until the field work or data en- port. try has been completed.

5. Try to build in landowner education and Acknowledgements encourage private stewardship. Thanks are due to all the funders and part- 6. Focus at the local government level: en- ners. Special thanks go to Brad Mason of courage partnerships. DFO and Rob Knight of MWLAP for their ongoing support.

The Township of Langley provided all the necessary equipment and system updates plus GIS expertise and technical support.

16 Case Study: Langley Stream Mapping for Better Local Water Management

LEPS not only conducted the work, but Community stewardship groups played a championed the project. Special thanks to helpful supportive role in community edu- the stream survey coordinator for ongoing cation. dedication, and to the stream survey crews for taking on any challenge! Hans Schreier of UBC set up the GIS system. Thanks to the landowners who allowed crews on to their property. Marina Stjepovic was interviewed for the preparation of this Case Study, and reviewed a draf

Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Land Use Coding

Sustainable Agriculture (1): Planning for Agriculture

Abstract ing and applicability to other areas of the province. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fish- eries (MAFF) has partnered with various An ongoing project in the City of Richmond B.C. local governments to develop agricul- will involve the local government updating tural GIS systems as a basis for agricultural its land use inventory within its farming land use planning, urban-rural interface areas while examining inventory methodol- planning and strengthening farming. A pilot ogy. Other important objectives of this proj- project has been completed in the District of ect are to ensure that methodologies are Pitt Meadows; additional projects have been compatible with local governments’ techni- completed or are ongoing elsewhere. cal capabilities and to document the findings in order to share the results with other Objectives local governments that may wish to undertake land use inventory work in their agri- In an effort to improve links between local cultural areas. governments, provincial agencies and the farm community, the Ministry of Agricul- Actions ture, Food and Fisheries introduced the Strengthening Farming Program. This pro- In 1996, MAFF and the District of Pitt gram has initiated several projects to im- Meadows joined together to work on an ag- prove these linkages and foster agricultural ricultural GIS pilot project. It was felt that awareness. GIS held considerable promise not only to enhance the understanding of farming ar- A key project that was successfully com- eas, but also to help identify issues impor- pleted under the program was the Pitt tant to strengthening, sustaining and pro- Meadows GIS Pilot Project, undertaken in moting agricultural development. partnership with the District of Pitt Mead- ows to explore the benefits of adding agri- MAFF is also working with the City of Rich- cultural data and tools to a geographic in- mond on a land use inventory project. formation system (GIS). This was done with Other projects have been or are being con- a view to supporting local governments in sidered in municipalities in various regions the development of official community of the province, including Creston, Peace plans (OCPs), bylaws, and agricultural area River, Comox, the Capital Regional District, plans; developing and evaluating various and Kelowna. planning scenarios for the urban-rural inter- A lot of the original Pitt Meadows survey face; evaluating the availability and useful- was done in 1995 and 1996. Richmond has ness of resource information and land use been surveyed twice as have Surrey, Lan- data regarding opportunities and con- gley and the Matsqui area of Abbotsford. straints for agricultural industry develop- Pitt Meadows intends to re-do its survey ment; and evaluating the usefulness of the this summer. technology in terms of strengthening farm-

19 Planning Sustainable Communities

(Information will out-date over time, so tools can help investigate the possibilities of keeping up to date is a challenge. Updating starting or expanding a farm business and is actually fast and efficient. An interval of provide information that can assist an op- three years between surveys is probably erator in making management decisions. reasonable; this is a question of available Additional features of the agricultural GIS resources and time.) include its ability to identify land use patterns along the farm edge and help deter- The inventory method developed by MAFF mine the need for buffering. involves a team of two surveyors using a combination of drive-by observations and The project also provided an opportunity to aerial photographic interpretation. Each le- test approaches to undertaking land use in- gal parcel in the study area is examined, ventories in farm areas and to examine the and both the land covers (e.g. buildings, applicability of a variety of different infor- crops and vegetated areas) and the land use mation layers and sources. The intent from activities (e.g. agricultural, residential and the outset was to ensure that the experience industrial use) are recorded. The survey gained in working with Pitt meadows work can be done quickly—about 100 ha would be available to other local govern- per day. The information is coded into data ments. Since the completion of the pilot pro- tables in a computer, which are then linked ject, MAFF has worked with several local to a GIS layer of the survey area’s legal par- governments, helping them to conduct agri- cels. A GIS user can then query and map the cultural land use inventories and incorpo- land use inventory information. rate the data into their GIS. Two documents have been produced and Project Outcomes one is in draft form. A booklet (MAFF The Pitt Meadows GIS Pilot Project enabled 2001(a)) based on the Pitt Meadows Pilot the District and MAFF to explore the bene- Project outlines the agricultural GIS tools fits of adding agriculture data and tools to and describes the pilot project. A related the District’s GIS. The agricultural GIS is brochure (MAFF 2001(b)) provides a brief proving to be a cost-effective, user-friendly synopsis of what an agricultural GIS is ca- planning tool. The District now has a sys- pable of. A draft manual for agricultural tem that will: land use inventory is in preparation; it will serve as a guide for communities interested S Increase access to local farm sector in- in undertaking an inventory of their agri- formation; cultural land base. S Act as a tool to enhance decision- making; and A future consideration is public access to municipal GIS information by means of the S assist in the promotion of farming in the internet. At least on municipality has plans community. to provide public access to some of this infor- More specifically, applying GIS to the Dis- mation via the Web. trict’s farming area can provide information that is useful in future updates of the Dis- Discussion trict’s Official Community Plan (OCP) and bylaws. Some of the tools that were devel- GIS technology provides a new way to con- oped can be used to demonstrate the effects nect with agriculture (Fig. 1). of setback distances and commodity restric- From a local government perspective, the tions on the agriculture industry. Other end product is a database of land use infor-

20 Case Study: Land Use Coding by Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries mation tied to the GIS parcel boundaries. properties meeting specified criteria. The From this a variety of different maps can be results of such examinations can then guide made, at varying levels of detail according the updates of plans or bylaws—e.g. official to need. The GIS resides with the local gov- community plans, agricultural area plans, ernment, making it easy to prepare maps or zoning and farm bylaws. do calculations. Urban land use data within a specific distance from the farm edge can also be identified with GIS. The data can then be used to help select the most appropriate setback distances, building standards and farm management practices within a specified area from urban edge.

Another way in which an agricultural GIS can be used is in the assessment of development and rezoning proposals next to farmland. Information gained through the assessment can be used to determine the suit- ability of urban development proposals near the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) boundary.

Other example uses would include identifying patterns of disease outbreaks, or determining how many animal barns are within or near a disease quarantine area.

Process and Partners

Partners include local governments and Ag- Figure 1: Agricultural GIS: Possible data layers riculture and Agri-Food Canada. Generally, GIS information may be used in many ways MAFF has simply partnered with the local by many users. Examples of GIS uses related government. Local governments provide to agriculture include agricultural area labour, expertise and technical support. plans, ditch maintenance, watercourse classification, irrigation studies, drainage stud- Recommendations for the Com- ies, agriculture development options, bylaw munity Mapping Network reviews, farm bylaw development, and tools for regulatory compliance. When planning an inventory project, first find out what inventories have already been A key way GIS can aid in the development done. Contact local government or MAFF of plans and bylaws that affect agricultural first, rather than starting from scratch. Talk areas is by demonstrating the impacts of to other groups and find out what their in- proposed policy or regulation on farm ac- formation needs are—see if something can tivities. An example would be assessing the be done jointly. Partners can do a project effects of setback distances or commodity together that meets the needs of each, shar- restrictions. A GIS can be queried for all ing the work.

21 Planning Sustainable Communities

Next Steps of several users and ensure that the most cost-effective means are used to collect, Given the success of the pilot project, MAFF store and share information through the is interested in pursuing further work with application of GIS. other local governments. It is anticipated that future projects will include building Project Contacts GIS tools to identify marketing and employment opportunities, as well as trends in Stacy Meech land use and ownership patterns. The op- Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries portunity for employing GIS to help in the Resource Management Branch application of buffers along the urban/rural 1767 Angus Campbell Road edges will also be examined further. Abbotsford, B.C. V3G 2M3 MAFF will continue to work with the Dis- [email protected] trict of Pitt Meadows to implement the existing tools of the project, evaluate new scenarios and provide support as required. References MAFF is also interested in working with Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries. and supporting other local governments 2001(a). AgFocus, An Agricultural GIS: the wishing to use GIS to undertake inventory Pitt Meadows pilot project. work in their farming areas, develop agricultural area plans, update bylaws and gen- Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries. erally promote and plan for agriculture as a 2001(b). AgFocus, An Agricultural GIS part of more comprehensive sustainability Overview: the Pitt Meadows pilot project programs. Several local government plan- (brochure). ning departments throughout B.C. have expressed an interest in using GIS to improve Acknowledgements their knowledge of the local agriculture industry. Ted Van der Gulik, Janine Nyvall, Karen Thomas and Stacy Meech, all of MAFF, A project is anticipated that will involve were interviewed and provided resource several provincial and federal agencies. This materials in the preparation of this Case project will help the different agencies to Study. Karen Thomas and Ted Van der Gu- better understand each other’s land and lik reviewed a draft. water inventory needs and allow the ex- change of information more readily. The Portions of this Case Study are drawn from objective will be to explore inventory meth- MAFF 2001(a) and MAFF 2001(b), as well as odologies that will accommodate the needs from the MAFF leaflet Growing Together: the rural-urban connection.

22 Langley Environmental Partners Society Wildlife Strategy

A wildlife strategy for the Township of Langley

Abstract 2. to work with municipal staff, Council, senior agencies and the community to The Langley Environmental Partners Soci- establish specific and quantifiable habi- ety, the Township of Langley and other tat objectives that would conserve a agency and community partners have healthy diversity of wildlife species; joined together to develop and implement a comprehensive wildlife strategy for the 3. to develop and implement a strategy for Township of Langley. SHIM techniques and incorporating these objectives into mu- data are used to generate a GIS database of nicipal policies and practices, as well as land cover and land use information within stewardship efforts by community the Township to aid in the establishment of groups; habitat objectives within the strategy. 4. to initiate a reasonable and consistent Objectives monitoring program for use by non- governmental organizations to evaluate The lack of comprehensive information on progress on achieving the habitat objec- the quantity and quality of available habi- tives; tats, and the absence of defined and achievable habitat objectives against which com- 5. to cooperate with recovery teams to munity partners and government agencies protect and restore habitat for local can measure their progress, are two major wildlife species that are endangered, obstacles to adequately conserving wildlife with particular emphasis on the Oregon habitat. Spotted Frog and the Pacific Water Shrew; The purpose of this project is to address and overcome these obstacles within the Town- 6. to develop and implement an invasive ship of Langley, and in so doing, to provide species control strategy, with particular a blueprint for success that can be replicated emphasis on the American Bullfrog; by other municipalities in the region. To this 7. to establish a comprehensive and practi- end, LEPS and the Township of Langley are cal program of volunteer-conducted in- working together to produce a comprehen- ventory and monitoring of habitat qual- sive Wildlife Strategy. ity and use by wildlife species in Lan- The project is complex, involving several gley; major initiatives over a two to three year 8. to develop and implement protocols for period. The principal objectives are: incorporating terrestrial wildlife values 1. to assess the quality and quantity of into local aquatic and riparian habitat available habitat in the municipality, restoration projects; and using Geographic Information Systems 9. to conduct educational activities in local (GIS) to delineate land cover polygons; schools, focusing on wildlife habitat issues.

23 Planning Sustainable Communities

SHIM-Related Actions scientific information on species habitat requirements, a series of habitat objectives for The objectives of the Wildlife Strategy are selected focal species will be established. wide-ranging, so only those actions related to the use of Sensitive Habitat Inventory and Mapping (SHIM) are described here. Results and Status

Mapping by LEPS of land cover and land The anticipated results and status to date use within the Township of Langley is un- for each of the nine project objectives are as derway, using modified SHIM land cover follows: classes. Orthophoto imagery is being pho- 1. A GIS database with polygons deline- tointerpreted at a 1:5,000 scale, with a ating the type and extent of vegetation minimum polygon size for most land cover cover and land use (scale 1:5,000) will be classes of 0.01 hectares (Fig. 1). produced. Using existing data and information from the land cover database, a Habitat Status Report will be prepared. The mapping at present is just over 25% complete; ground-truthing and field data collection will start shortly.

2. A series of habitat objectives for the Township of Langley will be developed. Selection of the focal species that will be used to establish the habitat objectives is currently in progress.

3. Achieving the habitat objectives will require a joint effort by the municipal Figure 3: Example of photointerpretation—land cover government and community partners. and land use polygons The planning, engineering and parks Ground-truthing of the mapping data in- departments of the municipality expect volves random sampling, stratified by con- to contribute through innovative poli- fidence level in the photointerpretation of cies and practices. The stewardship each land cover polygon. Along with field community will assist by restoring criti- verification of land cover and land use, cal habitats and promoting private land supplementary information will be col- stewardship. lected on structural conditions, habitat ele- 4. A reasonable and consistent monitoring ments, type and extent of disturbance, etc., program will be developed that non- during the ground-truthing process. governmental organizations can use to In addition, previously-collected SHIM data evaluate progress on achieving habitat will be used to verify the accuracy of pho- objectives. Once the methods have been tointerpretation in riparian areas. tested and baselines have been established, a monitoring manual will be The mapping data will be analysed to gen- produced. This will be initiated after the erate a coarse-level habitat status report. objectives have been established. . Combined with supplemental field data and

24 Case Study: Langley Environmental Partners Society Wildlife Strategy

5. It is hoped that the project will contrib- municipal government expects to incorpo- ute to a significant improvement in the rate the objectives into its planning proc- local status of endangered species. Co- esses, engineering policies and practices, operation with the Oregon Spotted Frog and parks planning. The stewardship com- Recovery Team is ongoing; no other re- munity will use the strategy to guide their covery teams are currently in place for efforts in private land stewardship, moni- species at risk in Langley. toring and assessment and habitat restoration. 6. A long-term strategy involving local landowners and the public will be de- Direct benefits include: veloped for controlling the spread of non-native, invasive plant and animal 1. the identification of critical habitats for species within the municipality. Re- protection and restoration; search is nearly complete. Mapping is 2. the control of invasive plant and animal ongoing, and will feed the prioritization species (Fig. 2), which will help restore of sites and species. The first priority the ecological integrity and diversity of will be the American Bullfrog. local habitats; 7. Protocols for volunteer-conducted surveys of the quality of available habitats and their use by wildlife species will be produced and distributed. Volunteer- conducted inventory and monitoring are currently in the initial stages.

8. A handbook or manual for community groups and other organizations involved in habitat restoration programs will be produced. This will assist groups involved in aquatic and riparian habitat restoration to incorporate terrestrial wildlife values into their projects. The Figure 2: Controlling Himalayan blackberry research for this is nearly complete; 3. the incorporation of wildlife considera- draft protocols should be ready by April tions into aquatic and riparian habitat or May of this year. restoration projects;

10. Several wildlife-focused education pro- 4. the exposure of hundreds of elementary grams, targeted at both the kindergarten students to the importance of wildlife to grade 3 and the grades 4 to 7 age habitat and the threat of invasive exotic groups, will be created and presented. species; and Some have now been developed. 5. the opportunity for secondary and post- secondary students and community Project Outcomes groups to get involved in assessing and monitoring the quality of habitats. The principal outcome of this project is a comprehensive long-term strategy for conserving and restoring wildlife habitat throughout the Township of Langley. The

25 Planning Sustainable Communities

Some of the many indirect benefits to habi- Background tat include: The rate of urban growth and the impacts of 1. an expansion in the quantity of available intensifying agriculture are threatening one habitat as a result of defining and of the most sensitive and productive eco- achieving habitat objectives; systems in North America: the Lower Fraser Valley of British Columbia (Langer 1997). 2. an improvement in the quality of avail- This region, which includes the Township of able habitat as a result of incorporating Langley, has been identified as containing habitat inventory and assessment data wildlife habitat at high risk (Wildlife Habi- into the habitat objectives; and tat Canada 2000). 3. an increase in community efforts to The Oregon Spotted Frog (Fig. 3), recently protect and restore habitat as a result of designated “endangered” by the Committee public awareness and education initia- on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in tives related to many of the project ob- Canada (COSEWIC), is at risk in Langley jectives. because of habitat fragmentation and pre- dation by the invasive, non-native Ameri- can Bullfrog (Fig. 4). Habitat fragmentation and the spread of invasive plant and wildlife species must be addressed if the integrity of local habitats is to be protected and restored.

Figure 3: Oregon Spotted Frog It is anticipated that this project will serve as a blueprint or model for other communities across the country. The products and results will be disseminated to other municipalities in the region in an effort to encourage replication of this project’s success. Figure 4: American Bullfrog In addition, the methods defined in several Federal and provincial legislation do not of the project components can be used by fully protect terrestrial species, while local community groups or government staff to government has considerable influence over conduct inventory, monitoring or restora- wildlife habitat. tion projects in other regions. The resulting data will prove invaluable for community This influence presents a unique opportu- partners, municipal staff and senior agen- nity to incorporate wildlife values into cies, as they each pursue their independent every aspect of the decision-making process objectives. of local governments, from the preservation of habitat corridors in urban developments to the use of stormwater management prac-

26 Case Study: Langley Environmental Partners Society Wildlife Strategy tices to improve the quantity and quality of Process and Partners available wildlife habitat (Wilson et al. 1998, Stephens 1999). A Steering Committee has been established for the Wildlife Conservation Strategy for While municipalities’ action on the issue of the Township of Langley, with representa- habitat protection is critically important, tives from three departments of the munici- there is recognition that adequate habitat pal government, local naturalists and stew- stewardship requires a combination of mu- ardship organizations, the Greater Vancou- nicipal activities (e.g. land use regulation ver Regional District (GVRD) and senior and appropriate investment in parks and government agencies. SHIM is well- public works) and private activities (e.g. represented on the committee through pro- public awareness and voluntary conserva- vincial and federal agency staff. All part- tion practices by landowners) (Government ners, including the Community Mapping of British Columbia 1997). Network, are providing in-kind support to the project. Funding is being provided by Many municipalities in Canada have initi- Wildlife Habitat Canada, Environment Can- ated environment-focused programs. Some ada and the Township of Langley. municipalities produce State of the Envi- ronment reports (e.g. Calgary, Kelowna), while others adopt environmentally focused Project Contacts by-laws (e.g. North Vancouver, Surrey). The Township of Langley, among others, com- Leanne Leith missioned an assessment of Environmen- Langley Environmental Partners Society; tally Sensitive Areas in the municipality. Township of Langley Wildlife Strategy However, the lack of defined and quantifi- Working Group able objectives against which progress can [email protected] be measured limits the effectiveness of such practices (Wildlife Habitat Canada 2000). References

As of 1995, fewer than half of local govern- City of Kelowna. 1999. State of the Envi- ments in the Lower Fraser Valley had estab- ronment Report. Kelowna, B.C. lished objectives and implemented sufficient regulatory measures to protect ripar- Corporation of the District of North Van- ian and aquatic habitats (Quadra Planning couver. 1996. Environmental Protection and Consultants 1995). No municipalities could Preservation Bylaw. North Vancouver, B.C. be identified that had objectives or measures for terrestrial habitats. Government of British Columbia. 1997. Stewardship Bylaws: A Guide for Local There are examples, however (Wildlife Government. Habitat Canada 2000), of programs using specific and feasible habitat objectives. Langer, O. 1997. Sustainability of Fish There are also many inventory and moni- Habitat in the Lower Fraser Valley. In Pro- toring programs for particular species ceedings: Urban Stream Protection, Restora- groups, e.g. the North American Bird Con- tion and Stewardship in the Pacific North- servation Initiative (NABCI) on which the west: Are We Achieving Desired Results? project partners plan to base their habitat Fisheries and Oceans Canada, B.C. Ministry objectives. of Environment, Lands and Parks.

27 Planning Sustainable Communities

Quadra Planning Consultants Ltd. 1995. Wildlife Habitat Canada. 2000. Habitat Protection of Aquatic and Riparian Habitat Status 2000. by Local Governments: Measures Adopted http://www.whc.org/hsr/report_2000 in the Lower Fraser Valley. Fraser River Ac- tion Plan, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Wilson, A., J. Uncapher, L. McManigal, L. Environment Canada, Vancouver, B.C. Hunter Lovins, M. Cureton, and W. Browning. 1998. Green Development: Inte- Stephens, K. 1999. Implementation of Eco- grating Ecology and Real Estate. John Wiley system-based Stormwater Management in & Sons, Inc., New York, NY. British Columbia: A Look Ahead to the 21st Century. CH2M Gore & Storrie Ltd, Van- couver, B.C. Acknowledgements Leanne Leith provided resource materials for the preparation of this Case Study and contributed revisions to the draft.

28 Squamish River Watershed Society Mapping, Restoration & Enhancement

Abstract in the process of being transferred into GIS format for future use. Using SHIM methodology, the Squamish River Watershed Society GPS-mapped the Project Outcomes Little Stawamus River watershed with a view to identifying restoration opportuni- Some restoration projects have been under- ties and producing an easy-to-use end taken in the lower portion of the water- product for planners. The information is to shed—the removal of collapsed bridges and be added to the municipality’s GIS. Some some riparian planting. A larger project that restoration work has been undertaken and is being considered is to meander a chan- more is planned. It is anticipated that the nelized portion of the Little Stawamus. accurate stream location mapping will prove very useful in planning future devel- The SHIM mapping will be very useful in opments within the watershed. the not-yet-developed headwater reaches of the watershed. The District will be able to Objectives use the information in pre-planning for future development. When development pro- The objectives for the project were: posals eventually come forward, accurate stream location information will be avail- S To map the Little Stawamus watershed able to developers in advance. accurately in its entirety, from the headwaters down to the confluence Resources Inventory Committee (RIC) with the Stawamus River (and to in- markers have been placed in the lower clude the tributary Magnolia Creek), by reaches of the creek for the purpose of spa- means of GPS tially tying in future enhancement work to the GIS. S To identify restoration opportunities and add them to the District of The deliverables, consisting of a final report Squamish’s GIS with accompanying digital GIS files for all stream and feature data, provide an easy-to- S To provide an easy-to-use end product use end product for use by planners within for planners within the District, the the District, the Regional District and any Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, and other interested groups. The report includes any interested user group, in electronic a description of the project, methodology, or hard copy. results, recommendations, and a series of 11” x 17” maps (Fig. 1). The series of maps Actions generated for the report provides an overview of the watershed with respect to land Over a two month period in 2000, a team use, stream and wetland location, and en- trained in SHIM practices digitally mapped hancement opportunities. The GIS product the entire Little Stawamus watershed using establishes a framework for future data a Trimble Pathfinder GPS unit. Approxi- collection, mapping and data entry. mately 16.5 km of stream and 6 hectares of wetland were mapped. The information is

29 Planning Sustainable Communities

At present, the intent is to provide a digital tion of Squamish: Little Stawamus Creek. copy of the map to the District of Squamish This watercourse was once a spawning bed planning and engineering departments to for pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) be included in any future land use decisions but has been rechannelled, rerouted, and (i.e. Official Community Plans (OCPs)). dramatically altered with the construction of housing in the area. Background Little Stawamus Creek and its tributaries The Squamish River Watershed Society has (Magnolia Creek) are still heavily utilized been actively involved with restoration by spawning coho salmon (Oncorhynchus works since 1995 when the Society first un- kisutch) and chum salmon (Oncorhynchus dertook Forest Renewal BC (FRBC)-funded keta). The Creek does not appear on many of projects working with the Ministry of Envi- the provincial maps and some of the head- ronment, Lands and Parks (MELP). The in- waters and ephemeral streams and wet- tention of the Watershed Society was to un- lands did not appear on any map prior to it dertake a holistic approach towards man- being mapped by GPS. aging the watershed working with the local, Squamish Nation annually undertakes regional, and provincial governments and spawner surveys and includes this stream. bodies. At present, the Watershed Society In addition, smolt surveys and enumeration has representation from the local, regional, have been undertaken by Fisheries and and provincial governments, local commu- Oceans Canada. nity groups, public and private industrial, commercial and retail organizations, as well as Squamish Nation participation. Process and Partners

In recent years, the Watershed Society acted This project is a component of a larger wa- as the administrative body for Fisheries Re- tershed plan for the lower sections of the newal BC (FsRBC) on behalf of the Stawamus River. Squamish/Lillooet Rivers Watershed Part- The project included the resources of Fish- nership Group. The direction that the Wa- eries and Oceans Canada staff and back- tershed Society brought to this group and ground information as well as involvement the projects that were given funding were from the District of Squamish. The Water- part of an overall strategic plan that was shed Society has worked over the years initiated in 1999 to prioritize restoration op- with the Squamish Trails Society, who were portunities, identify information gaps, de- interested in obtaining the maps in order to velop a resource centre, and secure long incorporate them with their trails system. term funding. As well, the information was made avail- A need was recognized early on for proper able to Squamish Nation who provided mapping of the watercourses and the water- background information on fish densities shed and emphasis has been placed on and distribution and suggested restoration developing digital mapping on the major opportunities. watercourses. Bit by bit, this is being Three people were hired to map the 3 km of accomplished and the information is being stream (over a 15 km2 area). Funding for the utilized locally in OCPs and provincially. project was obtained from FsRBC. Informa- This case study highlights the GPS mapping tion from previous years was made use of, of one of the watercourses in an urban sec- including the Urban Salmon Habitat

30 Case Study: Squamish R. Watershed Society Restoration & Enhancement mapping project. The Little Stawamus Creek watershed land cover and streams. This map is an outcome of the SHIM of the outcome an is map This streams. and cover land watershed Creek Stawamus Little The Figure 1: Figure

31 Planning Sustainable Communities

Program (USHP)-funded Inventory of Acknowledgements Squamish Nation Territorial Lands, and DFO-funded fisheries data. Randall Lewis Squamish Nation The project to meander the stream section 604 892-5166 would be a joint project between Squamish [email protected] Nation and the District of Squamish. Rob Bell-Irving and Sam Gidora Next Steps Fisheries and Oceans Canada 604 892-2040 Funding has been applied for to meander [email protected] the channel of the Little Stawamus and to Jas Michalski build a new crossing. As funding becomes District of Squamish available, the Watershed Society hopes to 604 892-5217 continue to map the watercourses within [email protected] the developed portion of Squamish. Stephanie Lemmon Project Contacts Omni-Tech Environmental Services 604 682-7379 Edith Tobe [email protected] Coordinator Squamish River Watershed Society This Case Study was contributed by Edith 604 898-9171 Tobe. Jas Michalski provided additional in- [email protected] formation.

Stream enhancement by the Squamish Streamkeepers: building a “beaver baffler” on the Little Stawamus River

32 Vancouver Island Small Streams Stream lines on a map: a critical first step in protecting fish habitat

Objectives west, as continued urbanization, agriculture and logging in low-gradient valleys is ex- BC Fisheries Research, in partnership with erting growing pressure on small stream the Community Mapping Network, under- habitat and their associated fish stocks took a project to assess how well the most (Murphy 1995, Reeves et al. 1997). Small commonly used regional topographic map streams and wetlands are important not series delineate small stream networks in only for their intrinsic ability to contribute different coastal landscapes. The primary to specific fish stocks, but also because these objectives were: habitats can provide other components of value to urban dwellers. Biodiversity, green S to walk, measure and map the total areas, and natural recreation opportunities lengths of all streams located within a are all recognized by public groups and variety of west coast watersheds; and municipal governments as valuable com- S to determine the extent of streams munity assets that should be retained (Paish 1997). missing from these drainages on gov- ) 2 3.0 ernment 1:50,000 and 1:20,000 topo- South Coast 2.5 graphic maps. Bella Coola A 2.0

-1.36 1 for SC Background 1.5 density = (2.94) bfw (0.4 for BC) Traditionally, fisheries research efforts and 1.0 conservation strategies have focused on 0.5 large rivers and lakes, and not on the types 0.0 Cutthroat density (No./m of fish habitat prevalent in low gradient 0 30 60 90 120 150 landscapes like that of the Fraser Valley, i.e., 3.0 ) wide and dispersed networks of small 2 2.5 -0.44 1 for SC tributary streams and ditches (Paish 1997). density = (0.85) bfw (1.69 for BC ) Only in the last few years has there been a 2.0 recognition that smaller scale streams—the 1.5 aquatic systems most likely affected by un- 1.0 regulated urban development—are proba- 0.5

bly critical components in maintaining the densityCoho (No./m health of many important fish stocks. Re- 0.0 0 30 60 90 120 150 cent research has shown that small streams Bankfull width (m) contribute a disproportionate amount of total rearing habitat for anadromous cutthroat trout and coho salmon (Fig.1), and has highlighted the need for riparian regulations and land-use management plans that Fig. 1. Highest densities of cutthroat trout and coho adequately protect small streams (Rosenfeld salmon occur in small streams (< 5m bankfull width) et al. 2000). This is becomingly increasingly (from Rosenfeld et al. 2000). urgent for many areas of the Pacific North-

33 Planning Sustainable Communities

Small fish bearing streams are, have been, 1:20,000 TRIM maps of the Black Creek and/or will be protected to varying degrees drainage on the east coast of Vancouver Is- within British Columbia by Federal Land land, which included an estimated 12% of Development Guidelines, the now defunct coho and 20% of cutthroat rearing habitat. Forest Practices Code, the proposed B.C. Underestimation of small streams on pub- Fish Protection Act and assorted municipal lished topographic maps may be a general bylaws. The key element of this protection feature of wetter coastal areas with exten- most commonly takes the form of leave sive forest cover or high wetted stream den- strips, areas of the land and vegetation adja- sity. This could present significant problems cent to watercourses that are to remain in an for stream protection during industrial de- undisturbed state, throughout and after any velopment or urbanization, since streams development process. Leave strips are in- that are not identified will not be accom- tended to protect both the watercourse itself modated during development plans, and and the adjoining riparian areas, a varying are less likely to be protected during re- width of land designated as the Fisheries source extraction or urbanization (Rosenfeld Sensitive Zone (FSZ). Theoretically, leave 2000). strips are intended to apply to all watercourses that flow into or contain fish and Process and Partners fish habitat. This could include wetlands, ponds, swampy areas or other intermit- Funding was provided by Forest Renewal tently wetted areas, small streams, side BC (FRBC) to the B.C. Ministry of Water, channels and ditches. Leave strips are in- Land and Air Protection, Fisheries Research tended not only to directly protect fish and Section to support an extensive study on fish habitat, but also to avoid wasteful loss habitat use and requirements for coastal of land due to stream erosion and instabil- cutthroat trout. ity. Funding was also provided by Human Re- The absence of leave strips from many small sources Development Canada (HRDC) to streams in B.C. is likely a combination of the Regional Aquatic Management Society inconsistencies within the regulatory (RAMS) and the District of Ucluelet to fi- mechanisms and a failure to accurately de- nance retraining for displaced fisheries lineate the presence of many of these small workers in the Ucluelet District and Nuu- systems in regional or municipal plans. chah-nulth territory . Topographic maps (such as NTS and TRIM) Logistical support for SHIM methods, crew used for planning purposes at multiple training and maps were provided by staff at scales are digitized from air photographs, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Re- where stream drainages are usually most gion (Brad Mason and Louise Porteau). apparent in high gradient topographies with incised channels, and least obvious in low gradient landscapes. The number of Actions streams missed on any given projection will In order to estimate the proportion of likely vary both with the underlying topog- streams missing on 1:50,000 and 1:20,000 raphy, the scale of the coverage and the topographic maps, streams were walked on skills of the individual cartographer who foot and channel lengths and widths sys- digitized the air photos. Research by Brown tematically measured in discrete drainages et al. (1999), for example, found that 48% of Fig. 2). All streams were identified by care- linear stream length was omitted on fully inspecting shorelines by boat or on

34 Case Study: Vancouver Island Small Streams foot. Stream channel widths and lengths were measured with a tape for streams in 1:50,000 NTS Tofino Inlet and Meares Creek (BC Fisheries protocol). Stream measurements within 30 drainages of the Tofino and Ucluelet penin- 25 sulas and Smith Creek followed standard 20 SHIM protocols employing a Trimble Pro XLR GPS georeferenced daily with an accu- 15 10 racy of + 5m. K ilom eters 5

0 Tofino Inlet Meares Smith Creek Tofina Ucluelet Creek Peninsula Peninsula 1 2

Tofino

3 1:20,000 TRIM

N 30

5 25

20 4 km 0 2 4 6 8 10 Ucluelet 15

10 Kilometers

Fig. 2. Locations of the areas (shaded in black) where 5 stream habitat was surveyed on the West Coast of 0 Vancouver Island, British Columbia. 1=steep Tofino Tof ino Inlet Meares Smith Creek Tofina Ucluelet Inlet streams, 2=Meares Creek, 3=Tofino Peninsula Creek Peninsula Peninsula streams, 4=Ucluelet Peninsula streams, and 5=Smith Creek (from Rosenfeld 2000) Fig. 3. Total length of stream missed in topographic The percentage of streams that were miss- mapping of Vancouver Island drainages. ing on 1:50,000 and 1:20,000 topographic maps was calculated by comparing lengths was least pronounced in the high gradient of streams digitized from maps to lengths of Tofino Inlet region, although a full 33% of streams measured in the field. The propor- anadromous stream length was missed at tion missing was calculated for total stream the 1:50,000 scale, dropping to 3.1% at length (all gradients) as well as assumed 1:20,000. Underestimation was most pro- fish-bearing reaches (gradient less than nounced on the low gradient Ucluelet pen- 20%). insula, where virtually none of the 26 km of measured stream channel (including ap- A surprisingly high proportion of streams proximately 9.4 km of potentially fish was absent from the topographic maps bearing stream) appeared on either the (Fig. 3). 1:50,000 or 1:20,000 topographic maps. Al- though the 1:20,000 TRIM maps tended to Many kilometres of anadromous fish habi- show more streams than 1:50,000 maps, un- tat were absent even on 1:20,000 TRIM derestimation of fish-bearing stream length maps, particularly in low gradient drain- at this scale still ranged from 34% to 100% ages. Underestimation of total stream length across the lower gradient drainages (Fig. 4). within the watersheds varied from 13.2% to 100%. Underestimation of streams

35 Planning Sustainable Communities

credibility are key factors. The legality of 1:50,000 NTS Stream Protection laws and bylaws can be challenged and overturned if the baseline

100% information is in error. Projects can be un- necessarily delayed, emotions can be ig- 80% nited, planners and regulatory agencies can 60% be made to look foolish and unprepared,

40% and general acceptance of the process is weakened. 20%

0% Tof ino Inlet Meares Smith Creek Tof ina Uc luel et Challenges Cr eek Peninsula Peninsula The assessment presented here focused on 1:20,000 TRIM the often unrecognized contribution of small fish-bearing streams from the perspective of their direct contribution to fish 100% habitat. It should also be noted that small 80% fishless streams also serve less directly

60% quantifiable ecosystem functions that affect downstream fish habitat, including the stor- 40% age, retention and processing of organic 20% matter, and production of both terrestrial

0% and aquatic invertebrates. In the interests of Tof ino Inlet Meares Smith Creek Tof ina Uc luel et multispecies management, it is also impor- Cr eek Peninsula Peninsula tant to recognize that small fishless streams can provide habitat for potentially unique Fig. 4. Proportions of fish-bearing streams missing invertebrate communities as well as a diver- from topographic mapping of Vancouver Island sity of amphibians. The universal geometry streams. of drainage networks is such that small streams are always more abundant than The results of this analysis indicate that larger ones, and the connectivity of aquatic there is no real substitute for careful and systems dictates that small streams cannot accurate field surveys to document location be lost without compromising the integrity and extent of streams and other aquatic of downstream reaches and wetlands (Ro- habitats where development is planned senfeld 2000). The challenge is quite (Rosenfeld 2000). Although detailed inter- broad—a greater understanding and pretation of localized high resolution air awareness of the value of these smaller photographs will likely identify a signifi- streams and wetlands, and a concerted ef- cant number of small streams that are not fort to identify and accurately map these present on standard topographic maps, systems prior to the onset of inevitable de- even these photogrammetric techniques are velopment pressures. If economic issues unlikely to discern small stream systems should override our concerns for habitat obscured by overhanging canopy or with- protection then we shall have to deal with out well defined stream corridors (see ac- that as a society, but at least the choices companying Case Study: Delineation of should be based on the best information we Streams and Top of Bank in Mission, B.C.). can provide. From a regional planning and habitat protection perspective, data accuracy and

36 Case Study: Vancouver Island Small Streams

ping achievable under SHIM protocols. They also should serve as an example of the very need for the integrated data sets being created through the community mapping network. No single government map layer could presently capture all the pertinent fish and fish habitat information necessary for planning purposes, as important inventory and landscape information is often linked to maps and images created at different spatial scales. For local decision makers traditional approaches for bringing all these data sources together, and then merging and ex- tracting the best quality information have generally been difficult and time consum- Project Outcomes ing. The Community Mapping Network has an important role to play by continuing to Analysis based predominantly on the SHIM build and expand on its role as a centralized collected data contributed to a chapter in a hub for environmental information, inte- recently published BC Fisheries research grating existing map and inventory datasets report (Rosenfeld 2000). and encouraging the acquisition of new This analysis will also soon be released as a data at spatial scales relevant to community scientific article in the North American Jour- planners. nal of Fisheries Management (Rosenfeld, J., S. MacDonald, D. Foster, S. Amrhein, B. Next Steps Bales, T. Williams, F. Race, and T. Living- stone. 2002. NAJFM 22: 177-187). The focus of the Community Mapping Network on small stream aquatic habitats The SHIM mapping project provided direct puts it at the forefront of an awakening re- field training for seven displaced fisheries alization of the valuable role these systems workers from the Ucluelet area in the use of play in overall watershed functioning. Re- high end Trimble GPS units and ArcView search and habitat protection groups within GIS mapping technologies. environmental organizations are putting increased emphasis on the importance of The District of Ucluelet now has access to small streams and the development of highly accurate and complete stream map- methods to mitigate impacts to these sys- ping and inventory information for the area, tems. Witness ongoing federal research pro- obtained using the SHIM procedures. This grams like that of Fisheries and Oceans information should aid all future planning Canada’s “Managing land-use impacts on activities within the regional district. streams to protect fish habitat: evaluation of small-stream and managed riparian buffers for mitigating forestry operations”, and a Recommendations for Community recent symposium at UBC this February Mapping Network entitled “Small stream channels and their riparian zones: their form, function and The results of this project clearly illustrate ecological importance in a watershed con- the importance of the detailed habitat map- text”. The Community Mapping Network

37 Planning Sustainable Communities needs to continue with its mapping of these Reeves, G.H., J.D. Hall, and S.V. Gregory. small aquatic systems, to contribute the real 1997. The impact of land-management ac- data that can be used in these evaluations tivities on coastal cutthroat trout and their and provide the actual spatial context for freshwater habitat. In Sea-run cutthroat their protection and management. Ulti- trout: biology, management, and future con- mately, it won’t be sufficient to recognize servation. Edited by J.D. Hall, P.A. Bisson, the importance of these small streams if no- and R.E. Gresswell. Oregon Chapter, body even knows where they are. American Fisheries Society, Corvallis. pp. 138-144. Project Contacts Paish, H. 1997. Stream stewardship and fish Brad Mason habitat advocacy. An assessment of the cur- Fisheries and Oceans Canada rent and potential group involvement in the Habitat and Enhancement Branch lower Fraser Valley. Urban Initiatives Series Suite 360, 555 West Hastings #09. Fraser River Action Plan. Fisheries and Vancouver, B.C. Oceans Canada. V6B 5G3 Rosenfeld, J., M. Porter and E. Parkinson. [email protected] 2000. Habitat factors affecting the abun- Jordan Rosenfeld dance and distribution of juvenile cutthroat Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection trout (Oncorhynchus clarki) and coho salmon BC Fisheries Research (Oncorhynchus kisutch). Canadian Journal of 2204 Main Mall Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 57: 766-774. University of British Columbia Rosenfeld, J. 2000. Chapter 2: Distribution of Vancouver, B.C. available habitat at a landscape scale (rela- V6T 1Z4 tive importance of small streams). In: [email protected] Freshwater Habitat Requirements of Ana- dromous Cutthroat Trout and Implications References for Forestry Impacts. Province of British Brown, T.G., L. Barton and G. Langford. Columbia. Fisheries Management Report 1999. Coho salmon habitat within Black 113. Creek, Vancouver Island. Canadian Techni- cal Report of Fisheries and Aquatic Science Acknowledgements 2294. Special thanks to Scott McDonald of RAMS Murphy, M.L. 1995. Forestry impacts on for leading the SHIM field crews and coor- freshwater habitat of anadromous salmonids dinating GPS data collection. in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska—re- GPS equipment and support was contracted quirements for protection and restoration. from Clayoquot Forest Engineering in NOAA Coastal Ocean program Decision Ucluelet. Analysis Series No. 7. NOAA Coastal Ocean Office, Silver Spring, MD. This Case Study was prepared by Marc Porter.

38 Fraser Valley Regional District Habitat Atlas A partnership towards accessible habitat information for Fraser Valley residents

Bringing Project Partners To- Conservation Foundation (BCCF) and the gether SHIM partnership are building on this proven method by providing map products With funding provided by Fisheries and to all local governments in the FVRD. Oceans Canada, the Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD) is participating in a proac- SHIM data, acquired through community tive land use planning initiative through partnerships, will be captured and inte- shared mapping products of local and sen- grated with the maps of local governments ior governments. This information will be and the FVRD. The habitat atlas will be used to publish atlases of habitat informa- published in limited numbers as 11”x17” tion for all the local government areas in the binders at project completion in April, 2002. FVRD. Each municipality will have access Watercourse classification will be included to this watercourse inventory for land use in the second edition of habitat atlases for and operations planning. high priority areas and agricultural lands, based on available field data. Through extensive data sharing, new SHIM data for these habitats will be integrated with the existing map data of local, regional and senior governments to produce user- friendly, accurate and up to date maps. The FVRD recognizes a need for mapping work of this scale and atlases as part of its long range planning, to ensure that development is socially, environmentally, and economically healthy. This information will assist local governments in coordinating their Of- ficial Community Plans with the Regional District.

A Proven Success

Similar atlas products have been published by Fisheries and Oceans for Squamish and All of these data including integrated local other communities on Vancouver Island. government data and new SHIM data about These are proven products used extensively watercourse alignment, fish presence and by local governments. They have been ef- riparian habitat will be made available to fective tools for informed land use planning the public via the SHIM web site on an on- and revising OCPs. Squamish is now revis- going basis, long after the term of this proj- ing their atlas and the Sunshine Coast Re- ect. gional District and the Capital Regional District are now building new atlases for their planning needs. Similarly, the B.C.

39 improve existing information by using SoftCopy Photogrammetry. A unique soft- Who will benefit from the Habitat ware program that allows for 3D viewing Atlas Project? and ortho interpretation via a computer monitor, SoftCopy is useful for improving A variety of uses may be derived from this the existing data set. It is being used in parts Regional Atlas project, including public in- of the FVRD as a quality assurance tool to formation and planning processes. Because redefine misaligned streams and rivers the users will range from highly trained where necessary, and is also being used to technical staff to concerned members of the collect missing ditches and streams. This public, there is a need to make this infor- new technology offers the advantage of 3D mation as user-friendly as possible. Smaller viewing for quality assurance, where the communities without GIS departments will image and the line data are superimposed also benefit from easily accessible informa- directly into the stereo image. tion.

For planning purposes, local governments Project Outcomes and communities in the FVRD will be greatly assisted by these atlases of sensitive Paper versions of the Fraser Valley Habitat habitats, based on best available informa- Atlas will be available at public libraries tion. They will help to flag the lands around and local government offices within the watercourses and wetlands that require Fraser Valley Regional District. FVRD mu- special attention during land use planning nicipalities will each have customized ver- and operations planning. Accuracy is im- sions reflecting their jurisdictional bounda- portant, but it is important also to recognize ries. These will be available for public re- that the product is intended to be used as a view. planning tool, not a legal document. Its Although most of the mapping sources will limitations must be explicitly recognized by be at a 1:5000 scale, hardcopy versions of the project partners. this atlas, printed on 11”x17” sheets, will be Because these mapping products are both shown at 1:11,000 to 1:12,000 scale. user-friendly and easily accessible through The Atlas will also be available in an elec- the SHIM website, they will be of tremen- tronic version, which will be revised to in- dous benefit to diverse users. This point is corporate new information as it becomes especially relevant for smaller communities, available. This will be accessible through which may be best served by the user- the Community Mapping Network Website friendly format of the web site service in- at www.shim.bc.ca. The CMN will continue cluded as part of this project. to post the most recent data. Partners of course must continue collecting data. How will the Atlas Work?

By compiling and integrating existing data, Process and Partners the atlas will provide one of the best and Supporting partners include: most accessible sources of information for fish-bearing streams, storm water systems, S B.C. Conservation Foundation (BCCF) watercourse data, local government contour S Environment Canada/Canadian Wild- lines, wildlife inventory, and any ecosystem life Service (CWS) inventory. However, this project will also

40 Case Study: Fraser Valley Regional District Habitat Atlas

S Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) 8430 Cessna Drive Chilliwack, B.C. S Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD) V2P 7K4 and member municipalities [email protected] S Fraser Valley Regional Watershed Coa- lition (FVRWC) Acknowledgements S Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Fisher- This Project Summary is a reworking of in- ies (MAFF) formation in the pamphlet: Newsletter # 1, S Ministry of Water, Land, and Air Pro- Habitat Atlas, A partnership towards accessible tection, Urban Salmon Habitat Program habitat information for all B.C. residents, pre- (USHP) pared by Diana Hall and published by the S Sensitive Habitat Inventory & Mapping FVRD. Partnership (SHIM) Shannon Sigurdson of the FVRD provided S University College of the Fraser Valley information used in the preparation of this (UCFV) Project Summary. Katrina Roger of the Cas- cade Institute provided the graphic of the map. Project Contacts

Shannon Sigurdson Fraser Valley Regional District

A page from the Habitat Atlas

Riparian Buffer Effectiveness Assessment

Abstract (Castelle et al., 1994; Hachmoller et al., 1991; An integrated index that rates the effective- Millar et al., 1997; Osborne & Kovacic, 1993; ness of a riparian buffer at protecting fish Wegner, 1999). It is often difficult, how- habitat and water quality is being devel- ever, for managers to select which areas oped for the Lower Fraser Valley, B.C. The should be protected and/or restored. The project was initiated to help establish pro- impetus for this study comes from the need tection and restoration priorities. The index to develop a methodology to help deter- is based on using four indicators (riparian mine these priorities. This project has two integrity, land use, slope and surficial mate- main objectives: rials) to estimate the capability of the buffer to maintain five functions (contributing 1. To develop and test assessment proce- large woody debris, stabilizing stream- dures for determining the effectiveness banks, capturing nutrient and sediment of a riparian buffer at protecting fish runoff, moderating water quantity, and habitat and water quality from land use moderating stream temperature). An index impacts. has been developed for each function.

These individual indices will be integrated a) Select a suite of indicators to represent into one overall rating. An example of the buffer functions. Develop these indica- assessment is provided for one of the func- tors into an integrative index to rate the tions, moderating stream temperature. This effectiveness of the buffer at protecting assessment uses percent stream shading fish habitat and water quality. and presence of groundwater to rate how b) Apply this index to three watersheds in well stream temperature is being moder- the Lower Fraser Valley: Elk Creek, ated. The application and verification of the Salmon River and Miami River Water- moderating stream temperature section of sheds. the assessment is demonstrated using four c) Verify the index with water quality and sites in the Elk Creek Watershed. The two physical stream habitat data. sites rated as poor have higher daily temperatures and greater temperature fluctua- 2. To develop a framework for setting res- tions than the two sites rated as excellent. toration & protection priorities from the Further work is currently being conducted riparian buffer effectiveness assessment. to edit and integrate the assessment, to test the assessment in three watersheds, as well a) Develop a framework to establish pro- as, to incorporate more in-stream data to tection and restoration priorities. allow a rigorous verification of the assess- b) Set restoration and protection priorities ment. for one of the test watersheds using the framework. Objectives Background The characteristics a buffer must have to protect water quality and fish habitat are The Elk Creek, Salmon River and Miami fairly well documented and researched River Watersheds are predominantly agricultural with some large lot residential areas. All three areas face agricultural intensi-

43 Planning Sustainable Communities fication and increasing residential devel- tity, and moderating stream temperature. opment. By the year 2021 the population of Each index by function will be amalga- the Lower Mainland is expected to be over mated into an overall rating for the buffer 3, 300, 000 people (B.C. Statistics, 2001). zone. An example of the index for stream With an increasing population comes the temperature is given in Figure 1. intensification of urban and agriculture areas. This intensification could possibly re- Figure 1. Example of rating system for sult in threats to water quality from eutro- stream temperature phication, ammonia toxicity, nitrate contamination and increased storm water run- > 60% of < 60% of up- off (Schueler, 1994; Arnold & Gibbons, 1996; upstream stream area is area is shaded Cook, 1994). Riparian buffers can poten- shaded tially help to mitigate the threats associated Groundwater pre- Excellent Excellent with land use intensification. sent Groundwater ab- Excellent Poor Current B.C. buffer width regulations are sent fixed widths with some provisional conditions applied to increase the buffer width Riparian vegetation controls stream tem- under certain circumstances (BCMELP, perature by intercepting short-wave radia- 2001; BCMAFF, 2001; BCMoF, 1995). Provi- tion during the day and insulating the sional conditions are typically fish presence, stream from long-wave radiation loss at presence of community watershed, stream night (LeBlanc et al., 1997). Knutson & Naef width and width of existing or potential (1997) noted that a stream surface should vegetation. Conditions such as slope, land have 60-80% shade through out the day in use and surficial materials can alter the ef- order to moderate water temperatures. A fectiveness of a buffer, but are complex to range of buffer widths from 10-30m has incorporate into buffer width regulations been shown to moderate stream tempera- and are not usually included (Wegner, ture (Osborne & Kovacic, 1993). Percent 1999). This project aims to develop a shading will be measured within the 10m method to more easily incorporate these buffer. The minimum buffer size of 10m conditions into habitat protection and resto- was chosen because of the westcoast's mild ration priorities. This has the potential to climate and commonly overcast skies provide greater protection to sensitive areas (Beschta et al., 1987). Stream temperature is and give more flexibility to landowners. moderated with the inflow of cool groundwater (Schreier et al., 1997; Moore and Actions Story, 2001). Summer stream temperatures are kept lower and winter temperatures higher. Four indicators: riparian integrity, land use, slope and surficial materials, have been se- The assessment will be applied in each of lected to measure buffer effectiveness. An the three watersheds. Data layers for use in assessment has been developed based on the assessment are in the process of being the relationship between these four indica- collected and organized for each of the wa- tors and five key buffer functions. The five tersheds. The data layers have been com- key riparian buffer functions being used piled by the Langley Environmental Part- are: contributing large woody debris, stabi- ners Society using Sensitive Habitat Inven- lizing streambanks, capturing nutrient and tory Mapping (SHIM) techniques; by Mu- sediment runoff, moderating water quan-

44 Case Study: Hatzic Valley Watercourse Inventory

nicipal Governments, such as the Township rated as poor, Elk 5 and 6. Increased sam- of Langley and the City of Chilliwack; by ple sizes and the incorporation of other in- the Ministry of Forest and by project mem- stream parameters will add rigour to this bers digitizing from air photos. verification process.

Most of the in-stream data that will be used Process and Partners to verify the assessment has been collected. Water quality data has been sampled at 36 This project was initiated by Lea Elliott, sites in the three watersheds. Twelve tem- MSc. Candidate and Dr. Hans Schreier, perature loggers have been placed in the project supervisor, at the Institute for Re- three watersheds. They have been record- sources and Environment, University of ing stream temperature each hour since British Columbia. August 2001. An example of how the in- stream data could be used to verify the ap- Funding for the project was from Fisheries plied assessment is given in Figure 2 for Renewal B.C .– Urban Salmon Habitat Pro- stream temperature in the Elk Creek Water- gram. Data layers have been provided by shed. the City of Chilliwack, Township of Lan- gley, Langley Environmental Partners Soci- Figure 2. Comparison between moderating ety and the District of Kent. Ministry of stream temperature rating and actual in- Forestry provided forest age data for each stream temperature data sampled in Elk of the watersheds. In-stream invertebrate Creek. data has been provided by Environment a. Stream temperature rating of 4 sites in Elk Canada. Water quality data was collected and Creek. analyzed in co-operation with Dr. Ken Hall Site Rating and Jody Addah. Equipment, maps and Elk 7 Excellent training have been provided by the Com- Elk 8 Excellent munity Mapping Network, Shortreid Ter- Elk 5 Poor rain Data and B.C. Conservation Founda- Elk 6 Poor tion.

b. Daily high temperature (*C) for August Next Steps 11th to 31st, 2002 at 4 sites in Elk Creek.

25 The next step in the process is to review the El k 7 riparian buffer effectiveness assessment by El k 8 individual function and develop a method 20 El k 5 El k 6 to integrate the assessment into one rating. 15 When the data layers for the watersheds are finalized the assessment will be applied to

10 each of the watersheds. Physical habitat parameter data will be collected to further Temperature (*C) verify the assessment. In-stream data will Note5 that the two sites rated as excellent, be compared with the applied riparian Elk 7 and 8, have lower daily high tem- buffer effectiveness assessment. The final peratures0 and more stable temperatures 5 7 step will be to develop a framework for es- 11 13 1 1 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 tablishing restoration and protection priori- throughout the monthAugust 2001 than the two sites ties that can be applied to one of the three

45 Planning Sustainable Communities watersheds. This project should be com- B.C. Ministry of Forest. 1995. Forest Prac- pleted during this year, 2002. tices Code. Riparian Management Area Guidebook.

Project Contacts Castelle, A. J., A. W. Johnson and C. Con- olly. 1994. Wetland and stream buffer size Lea Elliott, MSc. Candidate requirements - a review. Journal of Envi- Resource Management and Environmental ronmental Quality. 23(5): 878-882. Studies Institute for Resources and Environment Cook, K.E. 1994. An evaluation of water University of British Columbia quality and land use in the Salmon River Watershed, Langley, BC using GIS tech- [email protected] niques. MSc. Thesis. University of British Columbia.

References Hachmoller, B., R.A. Matthews and D. F. Brakke. 1991. Effects of riparian community Arnold, C. L. and C. J. Gibbons. 1996. Im- structure, sediment size, and water quality pervious surface coverage - The emergence on the macroinvertebrate communities in a of a key environmental indicator. Journal small, suburban stream. Northwest Science. of the American Planning Association. 65(3): 125-132. 62(2): 243-258. Knutson, K.L. and V.L. Naef. 1997. Man- Beschta, R.L., R.E. Bilby, G.W. Brown, L.B agement Recommendations for Washing- Holtby, T.D. Hofstra. 1987. Stream tem- ton's Priority Habitats - Riparian. Wash- perature and aquatic habitat. In: Salo, E.O., ington Department of Fish and Wildlife. and T.W. Cundy, editors. Streamside Man- Olympia, Washington State. agement: Forestry and Fishery Interactions. University of Washington, Institute of For- LeBlanc, R. T., R. D. Brown and J. E. Fitz- est Resources. Contribution no. 57. p. 191. Gibbon. 1997. Modeling the effects of land use change on the water temperature in un- B.C. Statistics, Population Section, Ministry regulated urban streams. Journal of Envi- of Finance and Corporate Relations, Gov- ronmental Management. 49: 445-469. ernment of British Columbia. 2001. www.bcstats.gov.bc.ca/DATA/POP/pop Millar, J., N. Page, M. Farrell, B. Chilibeck /EstsPop.html. and M. Child. 1997. Establishing fishery management and reserve zones in settle- B.C. Ministry of Agriculture, Food and ment areas of coastal British Columbia. Ca- Fisheries. 2001. Agricultural Watercourse nadian manuscript report of fisheries & Maintenance Guide for Lower Fraser Val- aquatic sciences. ley/Vancouver Island. Moore, D. and A. Story. 2001. Do clearcut- B.C. Ministry of Environment, Lands and heated streams cool when they flow back Parks. 2001. Fish Protection Act. Stream- into the forest? Branchlines. 12. side Protection Regulation. Osborne, L. L. and D. A. Kovacic. 1993. Ri- parian vegetated buffer strips in water

46 Case Study: Hatzic Valley Watercourse Inventory quality restoration and stream manage- following individuals and groups: Brad ment. Freshwater Biology 29(2): 243-258. Mason, Fisheries and Oceans Canada; Rob Knight and Krista Payette, Ministry of Schreier, H., K. Hall, S. Brown, L. Lavkulich Water, Air and Land Protection; Kathleen and P. Zandbergen. 1997. Integrated Water- Moore, Canadian Wildlife Service; Darrin shed Management CD-ROM. Institute for Heisler, Shortreid Terrain Data; Leanne Resources and Environment. University of and Lisa, Langley Environmental Partner British Columbia. Vancouver, BC. Society; Marina Stepjovic and Bob Reiger, Township of Langley; Dipak Basu and Schueler, T. 1994. The Importance of Imper- John Wiley, City of Chilliwack; Katrina viousness. Watershed Protection Tech- Roger, Elk Creek SHIM group; Stephanie niques, Centre for Watershed Protection. Sylvestre, Environment Canada; George Derksen, Environment Canada; Bev An- Wegner, S. 1999. A review of the scientific lit- derson, Ministry of Water, Air and Land erature on riparian buffer width, extent and Protection; Keith Paisley and Councillor vegetation. Office of Public Service and Out- Westlin, District of Kent; Ministry of For- reach. Institute of Ecology. University of Geor- est, Harry Gill; Dr. Hans Schreier, Dr. Ken gia. Hall, Dr. Scott Hinch, Dr. Brian Klinken- berg, Gina Bestbier, Jody Addah, Trevor Acknowledgments Davies, Nick Page, Kate Schendel, Stepha- nie von Westarp and Mike Pearson - UBC professors, staff and students. This project would not have been possible without the enthusiastic support of the

Hatzic Valley Watercourse Inventory

Developing Community Capacity Abstract will enable balanced decision-making that takes into account stream hydrology, func- Watercourses in the Hatzic Valley were tions, and habitat. mapped using a Global Positioning System (GPS). The information collected will be The information will be used to: used to enhance regional land use planning S initiatives for issues such as flood control, support drainage and flooding preven- drainage, ditch maintenance, runoff man- tion programs; agement, habitat enhancement, and channel S identify enhancement opportunities stability. The data will supplement and such as riparian planting; validate existing databases and maps. The S aid applications for in-stream works; project is currently underway, projected to finish near the end of March 2002. Some of S inform watershed planning efforts; the results have already been submitted to a S protect resources; and, regional atlas project. S assist in community planning. Objectives The information should also reduce or Information collected from this project will eliminate costs to landowners for habitat be used to enhance regional land use plan- surveys associated with applications to the ning initiatives for issues such as flood province for works in or about a water- control, drainage, ditch maintenance, runoff course. management, habitat enhancement, and channel stability. The data will supplement Actions and validate existing databases and maps. Watercourses in the Hatzic Valley (streams, Previous projects utilized aerial photo in- creeks, ditches, and tributaries) were terpretation or hand-drawn maps, resulting mapped by field staff using a Trimble in watercourses that are presently mapped ProXR GPS with a TDS Ranger datalogger. at 1:20,000 scale, often only to 1:50,000. At that scale features can be up to 20 metres off Obtaining landowner permission proved and many features are not captured at all. more difficult that first anticipated. In the This project will map all watercourse fea- Hatzic Prairie many of the properties are tures to within 1 to 5 metres of their actual very large, and any exclusion affects a large location. portion of the area to be mapped. Some landowners have been slow to respond, and Previous studies of the Hatzic Valley water- of those who have replied, approximately sheds provide a wealth of useful informa- 10% have declined permission to access tion. However, there has been no inventory watercourses on their property. of the biophysical features and habitats of the watercourses that make up the water- Once property access permission was shed. The watercourse inventory and map- gained, efforts were made to co-ordinate ping, along with the existing information, with landowners. Many had dogs or bulls that they wished to contain while the field

49 Planning Sustainable Communities

crew was on the property. Assurances were regional planning for air quality and solid also made that no liability could be incurred waste reduction, and growth management. by the landowner during stream mapping on the landowner’s property. Located within the FVRD is the Hatzic Val- ley, a picturesque area east of Mission just north of the Lougheed highway. The valley contains two distinct watersheds, Stave and Hatzic. Many properties are owned by families who have been in the valley for many generations.

Records indicate that this area was utilized by salmon, and to a certain extent it still is. Landowner and salmon issues don’t mix, and in recent years these two factors have collided head-on. Heavy sediment loads have caused many of the watercourses in Photo: Stream mapping the valley to “fill up”. This poses significant Project Outcomes problems for both landowners and salmon. Sediment, particularly in the lower reaches, This project is currently underway, pro- adjacent to farmland, has drastically re- jected to finish near the end of March 2002. duced the drainage capacity in the area. Some of the results have already been sub- This has led to increased pressure for water- mitted to a regional atlas project (see ac- course maintenance, an activity that is companying Case Study: Fraser Valley Re- costly, both fiscally and environmentally. gional District Habitat Atlas). The frequent threat of flood is exacerbated A main drive during this project has been to by complicated ditch maintenance regula- develop community capacity. This begins tions and the farmers’ perceived inability to with training staff and ensuring that soft- help themselves. Old ways of doing things ware, data-collection devices, and computer that used to work to the landowners’ liking hardware are up to the task. This challenge, are now not allowed. although greater than first anticipated, is nearly overcome. This method of mapping, In late 2000 and early 2001, two proposals including the technology, is user-friendly were submitted to the USHP on behalf of enough to allow for this to happen. the Hatzic Valley Community. One proposal was submitted by the FVRD, the other by Background the Hatzic Valley Watersheds Committee. Both proposals were well received, and The Fraser Valley Regional District provides grants were awarded. services such as fire protection, sewer, water, storm drainage, building inspection, Process and Partners bylaw enforcement, planning, zoning and development to electoral areas. The Re- Partners include the FVRD, the Urban gional District also provides services com- Salmon Habitat Program (USHP), Fisheries mon to both municipal and electoral areas Renewal BC (FRBC), the Hatzic Valley Wa- such as regional parks, emergency 911 tele- tersheds Committee, and the Community phone service, fire department dispatch, Mapping Network.

50 Case Study: Hatzic Valley Watercourse Inventory

Recommendations for the Com- the data to determine appropriate water- munity Mapping Network course maintenance procedures (e.g. observing fisheries windows and guidelines Begin well in advance of the project in noti- pertaining to their particular watercourse fying the public, and try to notify them classification). through several complementary means. For example, send a formal mail-out, then fol- From the outset one of the main goals of low up with phone calls, an information this project was to develop community ca- newsletter, and information handouts at pacity. In keeping with this, FVRD staff will residences where contact has not been es- be working with other community groups tablished. to continue mapping areas within the FVRD. At present FVRD staff are working In many cases permission is not necessary with the Seabird Island Band to map their in order to access watercourses, even on reserve. In this situation they will provide private land. However, it is definitely a training, support, and the opportunity for good gesture and helps in respect to the in- lower cost GPS rental. terest in the project and the good will towards it. Landowners who do not at first Project Contacts grant permission often change their minds upon receiving more information. For those Dirk Lewis, Biologist, FVRD: 604 702-5000 who don’t change their minds, it is often enough to look into the watercourse from Graham Daneluz, Planning Technician, the edge of the property and make notes on FVRD: 604 702-5000 what is there. Acknowledgements Next Steps Brad Mason of DFO and Rob Knight of MWLAP helped in obtaining funding for Once the Hatzic Valley mapping project is this project, and in getting it up and run- completed, there will be initiatives to use ning. the data gathered to assist in the design and implementation of sediment control proj- This Case Study was submitted by Dirk ects. It is hoped that local residents will use Lewis.

Sensitive Habitat Mapping by the Cheam Band First Nations SHIM

Objectives Mapping information has been transferred into the Stó:lõ Nation GIS. The SHIM mapping project was initiated with a view to involving young members of Background the Cheam First Nations band with the watershed, in line with the inherent First Na- The Cheam band is one of 19 Stó:lõ Bands. tions relationship with all streams and wa- The traditional Cheam territory includes the ter, to reaffirm and rebuild an old relation- Cheam Lake watershed, located between ship with the land. Mount Cheam and the Fraser River.

Actions The band has undertaken two habitat mapping and inventory projects: The majority of the Cheam Lake watershed 1. An Overview Study of the entire water- was mapped with SHIM methodology us- shed was undertaken in partnership ing a Trimble Pathfinder GPS unit, em- with MELP, DFO, and the regional dis- ploying members of the Cheam band. The trict. Within the watershed boundaries, data was entered into a database. the project collected information from Following the SHIM mapping, some further elders, biologists, governments and mapping was done to produce a jurisdic- other stakeholders. However, the project tional map of the watershed. lacked a mechanism to involve all stakeholders and user groups in all rele- Project outcomes vant issues, and generated too much information for the band to deal with. The SHIM watershed mapping verified the existence of some streams and found some 2. A Mapping and Inventory Project in- tributaries that did not appear on existing cluded: maps. S spatial mapping, including SHIM The SHIM mapping led to riparian planting, mapping stock assessment, and spawning bed devel- S a downstream fish trap for collecting opment work, and to relating the numbers out-migrant coho of fish to different parts of the watershed. S water quality testing with a general The jurisdictional map shows the areas of water quality test kit over a period the watershed that are under the jurisdic- of one month tion of different agencies, including DFO, MWLAP, MAFF, and the Ministry of For- Process and partners ests. The mapping crews took training from the An important benefit for the band is infor- Langley Environmental Partners Society, mation sharing with SHIM partners, e.g. which also provided the data entry tem- neighbouring municipalities and cities. plates. DFO and MWLAP also provided

53 Planning Sustainable Communities support. Information is shared with other Unit 29 - 6014 Vedder Road CMN partners. Chilliwack, B.C. V2R 5M4 Next Steps E-mail: [email protected]

The GIS information will be updated regu- Acknowledgements larly with data collected by partners, as the Cheam band has no plans to do additional Ernie Victor provided information used in SHIM mapping. Information will also be the preparation of this Case Study. shared with other bands that do not have access to the GIS. Information from the Community Mapping Network web site at Project Contacts http://www.shim.bc.ca/Stolo.htm was also incorporated into this write-up. Ernie Victor Stó:lõ Development Corporation

A male coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in spawning colouration (photograph by Ernest Keeley)

54 SHIM in Chilliwack: Ford, Marble, Patterson and Calkins Creeks

Introduction S obstacles to fish passages (culverts, falls etc.) With intentions of developing a Master Drainage Plan, the City of Chilliwack is cur- Because the previous watercourses on the rently conducting a survey of all of its wa- Eastern Hillside are not accurately depicted, tercourses. Beginning with a proposal from the streams are being mapped, using a GPS, The University College of the Fraser Valley to determine their accurate locations. Sensi- (UCFV) in April 2001, a grant was provided tive Habitat Inventory and Mapping from the Real Estate Foundation of B.C. to (SHIM) mapping standards are being rec- conduct SHIM for the watersheds of Chilli- ognized which makes the data collected wack’s Eastern Hillside. Since the initial useful to multiple organizations including funding of the project, the City has taken Fisheries and Oceans Canada. This infor- over the funding. mation will be used by the City to determine appropriate development zones, espe- The success of the project has been accom- cially in regard to stream presence. The plished through a partnership involving watercourses mapped will also be available Fisheries and Oceans Canada, B.C. Ministry to the public on the SHIM website as the of Water, Land and Air Protection, UCFV’s data is processed. Cascade Institute, and MCC Ecoworks. The City has provided transportation, a cellular phone and a micro-computer to the team. The GPS unit used for the mapping has been provided by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. UCFV’s Cascade Institute in Chil- liwack has provided work space for the team which is used for the GIS data interpretation of the watercourses. MCC Eco- works has been contracted to provide the members of the team conducting SHIM on the Eastern Hillsides.

Objectives Methods The purpose of this survey is to determine the following information for the City: The landowners of the Eastern Hillside containing property where watercourses S accurate watercourse location flow are contacted before inventory begins to keep them informed about the project S channel dimensions (cross sections) and surveyors entering their land. S watercourse elevations The stream inventory has been collected S channel flow volumes using a Trimble Pathfinder GPS. As the S presence of fish or potential to provide team of two walks through a stream, satel- fish habitat lites record the user’s path, recording a spe-

55 Planning Sustainable Communities cific point every second. Using version 24 of Partnerships the data dictionary associated with the GPS, the team records an array of data for every Partners in this project included the City of segment of the stream. The collection of Chilliwack, UCFV’s Cascade Institute, Fish- data includes measurements about specific eries and Oceans Canada, Ministry of Wa- water levels, substrate of the creek, vegeta- ter, Land and Air Protection, and MCC tion covering and riparian zone classifica- Ecoworks. tions, as well as the tops of the riparian zone banks. Specific features are also recorded Results and Status such as fish habitat location, waterbody presence such as tributaries, and man-made Since April 2001, four watersheds have been modifications such as culverts, to name a mapped including Elk, Ford, Marble and few. Patterson Creeks. Calkins Creek is currently being mapped but will not be completed in The City has also required the collection of this phase of the project. cross-section data to be recorded when there is a significant change in the slope or ripar- There has been a lot of important data col- ian vegetation of the stream. These cross lected in the field from this project which sections (Fig. 1) will be valuable to the City will be valuable to both the City of Chilli- as they determine where suitable areas to wack and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. develop are located, including the tops of Many tributaries as well as other water- banks. Data is collected for each band in a bodies have been found on the hillside cross-section including specific types of which have not been recognized on recent vegetation as well as the bearings and gra- Chilliwack maps. There have also been a dients. number of areas noted which contain ob- structions directly related to the streams as well as developments relative to them. Some of these include banks with high degrees of erosion, roads and culverts which have collapsed over time and are obstruct- ing water flow, areas which have been clearcut and where vegetative buffer zones for the stream have been ignored, and even areas where the stream has been completely ploughed over. Many sites have also been encountered which contain the presence of Figure 1: Example stream cross-section diagram fish. All of these points which have been nested with the GPS may be returned to in The data that is collected in the field is the future. Areas which have not been com- brought back to the office at the Cascade pleted, including the remainder of Calkins Institute and interpreted using the ArcView Creek, must be revisited in the future, as GIS. This program enables the user to clean this project continues. up the raw data and to create an accurate streamline that may be usable by the City. Recommendations This data will be applied to Chilliwack’s older maps. There are a few recommendations in regard to the enhancement of the data dictionary. Features such as ‘barbed wire fence’ or

56 Case Study: SHIM in Chilliwack

‘pond’ would be useful to have because we Contacts ran across many of these. It may also be useful to create a feature in the data dictionary Ryan Klassen to write or estimate the distance of the top Chilliwack SHIM mapper/GIS technician of bank for each segment instead of only (604) 819-7851 asking if the top of bank is in the band or not. Acknowledgements This Case Study was submitted by Ryan Klassen.

Chilliwack Master Drainage Plan

Abstract S to alleviate all existing and potential drainage, erosion and flooding concerns The City of Chilliwack is developing a due to the past and future growth in the comprehensive Master Drainage Plan to en- City of Chilliwack; sure sustainable development and provide S future infrastructure savings. Watercourses to protect streamside resources, includ- were mapped using SHIM techniques. By ing riparian and aquatic habitats by this means, accurate stream locations are policies and bylaws; now known, and useful stream cross- S to remediate existing and potential sections were derived. stormwater quality and quantity problems prior to its discharge to a natural Objectives body of water; and

The City of Chilliwack aims to become a S to provide infrastructure savings in the leader in the province with a state-of-the-art future by superior hydrotechnical integrated drainage system which is techni- analysis and by adopting site specific cally sound, fiscally responsible and envi- modelling. ronmentally commendable. To achieve this Council authorized the MDP in 1998. There goal, the City requires a Master Drainage will actually be three MDPs; it is anticipated Plan (MDP). that by 2004 the first of these will be done. A The MDP is expected to provide flood pro- Draft Action Plan has been completed. The tection, erosion control, water quality im- MDP will be integrated into the Official provements, habitat enhancement and Community Plan (OCP). ground water protection. As well, it will facilitate prior approval of development proj- SHIM-Related Actions ects from senior agencies and minimize costs of future storm infrastructure by eco- The objectives of the MDP are wide- nomic design of drainage systems based on ranging, so only those actions related to the accurate hydraulic and hydrological data. use of Sensitive Habitat Inventory and Mapping (SHIM) are described here. The MDP will contribute to the sustainable development of the Eastern Hillsides area of SHIM methods and standards were used to Chilliwack, where conventional drainage map watercourses in the City of Chilliwack. practices would be unaffordable and could Working with the City, SHIM methods for lead to deleterious consequences for the ag- stream profile cross-sections were refined to ricultural lowlands downstream. produce an acceptable level of detail.

The goals and objectives are: Mapping is still being carried out under S to route urban runoff from upland areas contract to the City of Chilliwack. through the agricultural lowland to the Fraser River without impacting the lowland community;

59 Planning Sustainable Communities

Project Outcomes A point to be noted is that a SHIM cross- section is not a hydraulic cross-section. The MDP is halfway done. A Policy and De- SHIM procedures using GPS technology sign Criteria Manual for Surface Water cannot provide centimetre-level precision. Management will be completed this spring. Although SHIM procedures do not provide the level of accuracy of an engineering sur- SHIM mapping provided accurate stream vey, useful stream cross-sections were inter- locations, important because accurate preted from the SHIM data. knowledge of stream centrelines is essential. Useful stream cross-sections, used to model The standard SHIM procedure involves flow, were interpreted from the SHIM data. collection of stream channel wetted, bankfull and floodplain widths and depths. In Some endangered species were found and terms of providing a general description of mapped (Pacific Giant Salamander). stream conditions at different points along the stream channel this is considered sufficient. However, more detailed SHIM field procedures and accompanying mapping software tools have also been developed to capture greater details of stream channel complexity, to aid in development of hydraulic models used for regional flood planning.

Photo: Ford Creek

Discussion

SHIM provides: S information regarding stream truthing, i.e. legally locating the streams S stream cross-sections Photo: Lefferson Creek S riparian forest information Required cross-sectional measurements of S stream classification stream channel widths, depths and eleva- S information on top of bank tions as well as upland riparian features are based on the survey points as shown in S information on in-stream work that may Figure 1. The ArcView Cross-Sectional tool be required is used to graphically display the collected S water quality data—temperature, dis- data. solved oxygen, suspended solids S streambank condition information S substrate information

60 Case Study: Chilliwack Master Drainage Plan

left top of bank - JL

start of additional riparian bands - IL

start of first riparian band - GL

floodplain edge- FL

bankfull edge - EL JR wetted edge - DL IR G channel measurement - CL R Elevation (m) Elevation FR center line - A C ER * HL R DR * HR 0elev B

Wetted Depth (m) Bankfull Floodplain Width (m)

Figure 1. Cross-sectional measurement points for SHIM stream surveys.

Process and Partners In future partnership projects of this sort it The source of SHIM funding was Fisheries will be desirable to ensure that biologists Renewal BC; this source has been lost with and engineers have the same understanding the cancellation of that agency. of the required watercourse parameters. Other partners include: Next Steps S B.C. Ministry of Environment, Lands Any new SHIM mapping will require new and Parks sources of funding to be secured. S Fisheries and Oceans Canada S Environment Canada Project Contacts S Human Resources Development Canada S Pacific Initiatives Dipak Basu S City of Chilliwack City of Chilliwack S Real Estate Foundation of B.C. 8550 Young Road South S Cascade Institute Chilliwack, B.C. S University College of the Fraser Valley V2P 8A4 S Ecoworks [email protected]

Recommendations for the Com- Acknowledgements munity Mapping Network Dipak Basu, Peter O’Byrne and John Wiley, It is important to involve all participants, to all of the City of Chilliwack, and Katrina maintain contact, and to ensure common Roger of the Cascade Institute were inter- objectives by maintaining the flow of com- viewed for the preparation of this Case munication. Study. Dipak Basu reviewed a draft.

Delineation of Streams and Top of Bank in Mission, B.C.

Objectives instream aquatic habitat and the adjacent riparian areas above the normal high water The Community Mapping Network, in part- line of the stream or wetland. Defining FSZs nership with the District of Mission, under- is an essential planning component for es- took a project to assess the accuracy of pho- tablishing the minimum setbacks required togrammetry at delineating watercourses for development adjacent to a stream. Set- and top of bank (ToB) in a selected test area: backs are areas of land and vegetation adja- the Cedar Valley Comprehensive Develop- cent to watercourses that are to remain in an ment Plan (CVCDP) area of Mission, B.C. undisturbed state, throughout and after the The primary objectives of the project were development process (Chillibeck et al. 1992). to: The location and extent of these setbacks will be determined by the presence and 1. select a representative sub-drainage proximity of a watercourse on or adjacent to (project area) from within the CVCDP a development site, by the presence or ab- where the top of bank boundary was de- sence of fish in the watercourse and by the lineated using photogrammetric tech- nature of the watercourse and surrounding niques (Method One); vegetation. Provision of these setbacks may 2. ground truth the project area to locate be a primary component of streamside the top of banks and watercourses using protection regulations being developed un- Global Positioning System (GPS) tech- der Section 12 of British Columbia’s Fish nology (Method Two); Protection Act (FPA).

3. compare the top of bank boundaries and Watercourse and ToB locations can be deter- watercourse locations as determined by mined directly in the field using high preci- the two methods; sion GPS survey units or else interpreted remotely through photogrammetric analysis 4. provide recommendations for delineat- of high-resolution aerial photographs. The ing the boundaries of Fisheries Sensitive use of photogrammetry represents a poten- Zones (FSZs) in British Columbia using tially lower cost and time saving approach the results of this assessment; for delineating stream and riparian corri- 5. establish accurate “natural open space” dors over larger geographic areas. However, boundaries for Cedar Valley so that the the accuracy of the existing photogrammet- District of Mission can proceed with ric methodology is presently untested and it their Development Plan for the area. is uncertain whether the technique has broad reliability. Background Project Actions Determining the correct location of watercourses and their associated top of banks Black and white aerial photos of the project (ToB) is a necessary prerequisite for deline- area were captured in two flight lines dur- ating the boundaries of Fisheries Sensitive ing leaf-free conditions using a 305-mm fo- Zones (FSZs). FSZs are comprised of both cal length camera (Method 1). A digital

63 Planning Sustainable Communities

1:10,000 base map depicting hydrographic ods varied on average from 8.3 to 35.2m, and top of bank information within the en- and maximum displacements were in the tire CVCDP area was subsequently pro- range of 18.4 to 70.2m. duced.

Ground-truthing (Method 2) of ToB was ac- 1 complished by placing numbered flags 2 along the top of bank boundary approximately 15 m to 20 m apart. The flag loca- 3 tions were then confirmed using GPS tech- 4 nology (i.e., Trimble Pathfinder Pro-XR with a precision of + 5m with 95% accuracy). 5 Ground-truthing of stream centreline locations was established by walking all watercourses present within the project area. 6 Eight study plots were selected for detailed comparisons of the two methods used for delineating watercourses and ToB within the project area. Within each site, major habitat and terrain features were described and any observed discrepancies between the two methods in determining streams and ToB were identified. Apparent reasons for these discrepancies were deduced from 7 an integration of information obtained from 8 the field (i.e., relative habitat and terrain conditions) and detailed examination of the aerial photo overlays. Differences between the two methods in depicting stream location and right and left ToB were determined for each site by measuring the horizontal Fig. 1. Comparison of photogrammetrically interpreted distance between respective linework at 20 streams (light blue) and ToB (gold) versus GPS field- surveyed streams (dark blue) and ToB (red) in Cedar approximately equidistant intervals. Valley. Boxed areas (1-8) represent individual site assessments. Project Outcomes Serious photogrammetric errors in mapping Top of bank and watercourse locations de- for the study area included: termined by photogrammetry (Method 1) differed considerably from ground-truthing S failing to sufficiently extend ToB to the with GPS (Method 2) (see Fig. 3). Within edges of low gradient floodplains along study sites for which streams were correctly the creek corridor identified by both survey methods, photogrammetry misplaced stream locations by S incorrectly mapping the actual locations 7.6 to 11.6m (on average) and maximum of watercourses stream displacement relative to GPS loca- S mapping watercourses that were not tion was as much as 25.5m. Location of site actually present (see Fig. 2) ToB boundaries depicted by the two meth-

64 Case Study: Delineation of Streams and Top of Bank in Mission, B.C.

S missing several watercourses altogether. tions. However, the technique may be sufficient under certain limited conditions. A direct objective of the mapping work un- These might include areas where a clear de- dertaken for this project was to establish marcation between a narrow forested ravine “natural open space” boundaries for the and urban landscape allows an easy assess- Cedar Valley Comprehensive Development ment of stream location and associated ToB Plan (CVCDP). These boundaries are in- (Fig. 3). Alternatively, open non-forested tended to form the basis of a Memorandum areas should also allow relatively easy interpretation of watercourse locations and ToB. Further work may suggest situations where photogrammetry could play an effective role in defining Fisheries Sensitive Zones.

Fig. 2. Photo of a walking trail through a salmonberry dominated thicket. The trail was incorrectly identified as a creek channel by air photo interpretation. of Understanding between the District of Mission, B.C. Ministries and DFO that will chart the course for development in the area for at least 10 years and possibly longer. Previous efforts to map the CVCDP had generated public concerns that the indicated boundaries were not accurate and were, in Fig. 3. ToB determined for an area with a clearly defined some cases, inappropriate. Now that the forest-urban boundary, using photogrammetry versus streams and area boundaries for the CVDCP ground-based GPS surveying. have been mapped in an accurate and comprehensive manner using field based GPS, At present, however, there is no indication the District can proceed with the Memoran- that photogrammetric interpretation dis- dum, and the public can be assured that the plays the general requisite level of accuracy job has been done using the best available necessary for use as a detailed inventory technology. tool. Streamside protection setbacks based solely on photogrammetry would likely be Recommendations for Community seriously erroneous, and require consider- Mapping Network able readjustment by ground based measurement. Ground-based GPS surveying for Photogrammetry displayed considerable stream locations and ToB represents a much difficulties with correctly mapping streams more reliable method than photogram- and ToB boundaries within the study area metry. In addition, besides establishing across a range of different terrain condi- stream locations and the boundaries of top

65 Planning Sustainable Communities of banks, field assessments can provide in- Project Contacts formation about important biological, chemical or physical features of a water- Brad Mason shed. Fisheries and Oceans Canada Habitat and Enhancement Branch Results from this project suggest that map Suite 360, 555 West Hastings interpretations based upon photogram- Vancouver, B.C. metry (even using very high resolution im- V6B 5G3 agery) may fail to accurately capture and [email protected] delineate small streams and wetlands, and may seriously misrepresent Fisheries Sensi- Jim Scott tive Zones. However, high quality air pho- Scott Resource Service Inc. tography (especially in the form of digitally 31856 Silverdale Avenue rectified ortho-photos) is increasingly be- Mission, B.C. coming an accessible and attractive tool for V2V 2K9 urban planners. As such, landbase interpre- [email protected] tations based on photogrammetry and other Darren Heisler remote sensing techniques are likely to play ShortReid Terrain Data Ltd. a major role within regional planning exer- Unit 1 - 20120 92A Avenue cises in the future. Low level aerial photog- Langley B.C. raphy will provide significant detail over V1M 3A4 large areas, more quickly and perhaps more [email protected] cheaply than intensive ground based surveys over the same area. As such it repre- References sents an important element in capturing some types of information required for sus- Chillibeck B., G. Chislett, and G. Norris. tainable community planning. However, in 1992. Land development guidelines for the terms of aquatic habitats the work here sug- protection of aquatic habitat. Department of gests that although high resolution photog- Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Pacific Re- raphy represents an improved starting point gion. Vancouver, B.C., and B.C. Ministry of for identifying potentially sensitive areas, it Environment, Lands and Parks, Integrated should not be used as the sole method to Management Branch, Victoria, B.C. delineate stream centre lines, top of banks or Fisheries Sensitive Zones. This Project Summary was prepared by Marc Porter.

66 Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Watercourse Classification and Agricultural Ditch Maintenance

Sustainable Agriculture (2): Regional Drainage

Abstract Actions Watercourse classification and fish presence The definitions of natural streams, chan- information are useful for landowners, local nelized streams and constructed ditches governments and agencies as planning re- have been used to classify watercourse sources to assist in habitat improvements, channels in the Fraser Valley Regional Dis- watercourse maintenance and conservation. trict Habitat Atlas (see FVRD Habitat Atlas Used in conjunction with Agricultural Wa- Case Study). Natural streams and con- tercourse Maintenance Guides and Riparian structed ditches were classified first. The Self Audit Handbooks, this information can remaining watercourses were then classified be used to establish watercourse protection as channelized streams. and ditch maintenance practices. Water- course classification uses data acquired by The Habitat Atlas has used the best avail- Sensitive Habitat Inventory and Mapping able data to locate, map and classify water- (SHIM) methods and incorporated into local courses. Techniques used include aerial GIS databases. photo interpretation, on-the-ground Global Positioning System (GPS) information using Objectives the SHIM method, contact with landowners and/or visual inspection of the areas in The objective is to provide for adequate question. drainage and irrigation of productive agricultural lands while protecting valuable The Agricultural Ditch Maintenance Guide fishery resources. The Agricultural Water- project has been in progress for four years. course Maintenance Guide is intended to It was piloted in the Fraser Valley first, in provide farmers and municipalities with 1999 and 2000; it will be extended in 2002 to clear direction on how to proceed with Vancouver Island, and eventually over the maintenance works under various condi- rest of the province. tions. At the same time the Guide will reduce the need for the Ministry of Water, Project Outcomes Land and Air Protection (MWLAP) and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) to issue Watercourse classification and fish presence approvals, authorizations and/or letters of information are used by landowners, local advice for routine maintenance of con- governments and agencies as planning re- structed agricultural drainage ditches. This sources to assist in habitat improvements, is accomplished by streamlining contact re- watercourse maintenance and conservation. quirements for constructed ditches through Used in conjunction with Agricultural Wa- processes outlined in the Guide, and the tercourse Maintenance Guides and Riparian development of protocol agreements be- Self Audit Handbooks, this information can tween proponents and the environmental be used to establish what riparian assess- agencies. ments may be required for habitat protec-

67 Planning Sustainable Communities tion, implementing the ditch maintenance Constructed ditches are watercourses that guidelines and determining building set- drain individual properties or local areas. backs. They have been constructed by landowners for the purpose of removing excess storm- The Agricultural Watercourse Maintenance water and runoff, and may be a source of Guide uses the classifications to determine irrigation water in summer. agency requirements for contact when doing work in and about watercourses (i.e. DFO authorization is required for mainte- ditch maintenance), and in the riparian nance work on constructed ditches if the audit to develop watercourse protection work is expected to result in the harmful measures for channels in agricultural areas. alteration, disruption or destruction of fish habitat (as determined by a habitat biolo- Watercourse classification and the Agricul- gist). Guidelines are provided, depending tural Watercourse Maintenance Guides are on the condition of the ditch, so work can be ongoing projects. done with minimum red tape. The benefit The watercourse classification initiative for agriculture and agencies is fewer ap- contributes to the integration of multiple provals required. The process is thoroughly kinds of land and resource data in GIS sys- outlined in the Agricultural Watercourse tems, where it helps build a comprehensive Maintenance Guide. database of information that can be ac- Once the type of watercourse has been de- cessed by a variety of users for different fined, the presence or absence of fish must purposes. also be determined. There are three categories that can be used: fish presence, fish ab- Discussion sence and unknown fish presence. The watercourse classification system is then In 1995, Fisheries and Oceans Canada mapped using a combination of line types (DFO) changed its way of managing for and colours (Fig. 1). habitat, requiring authorization to clean ditches. A committee was struck to find ways to do maintenance. This process led to the recognition of three categories: natural streams, channelized streams and constructed ditches.

Natural streams are historic watercourses that have not been channelized or have not recently been altered. Often characterized by a meandering channel, they may only flow seasonally and may have intermittent or subsurface flows. Figure 1. Watercourse classification system in agri- Channelized streams are permanent or relo- cultural areas cated streams that have been diverted, dredged, straightened and/or dyked. They The watercourse classification system is of- often carry water from more than one prop- ten incorporated into a GIS. Figure 2 shows erty, upland areas or wetlands. data layers that could be incorporated into a GIS system for agricultural areas. Different information collected by other agencies can

68 Case Study: Terminal Forest Products Ltd. also be incorporated into the various layers. Process and Partners The watercourse classification system would be part of the water features layer. The Partnership Committee on Agriculture Figure 3 is an example of the watercourse and Environment is: S classification and fish presence layer as pre- Fisheries and Oceans Canada sented on a cadastre map. Figure 4 shows S Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fish- the same information as presented on an eries orthophoto. S Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protec- tion S Ministry of Sustainable Resource Man- agement S B.C. Agriculture Council S Union of British Columbia Municipali- ties S Canadian Wildlife Service S Environment Canada S Agriculture Canada

The Partnership Committee struck the Ditch Maintenance Task Group, which is the first six agencies listed above.

Figure 4. Orthophoto Figure 2. Agricultural GIS: Possible data layers Recommendations for the Com- munity Mapping Network

Users want different things from the same data. When the data is collected, therefore, collect it all at once, to facilitate use of the database by different users. Open up the vision to ensure collection of information for use by all. It has to be collected by local governments, since they have the need and Figure 3. Cadastre map the resources—i.e. the vision. Collect a common datasheet and share it.

69 Planning Sustainable Communities

Project Contacts

Ted Van der Gulik Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Resource Management Branch 1767 Angus Campbell Road Abbotsford, B.C. V3G 2M3 [email protected]

References

Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries. 2001. Resource Management Factsheet (pamphlet).

Partnership Committee on Agriculture and the Environment. 2001. Agricultural Water- course Maintenance Guide. Lower Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island. Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries and Minis- try of Water, Land and Air Protection.

Acknowledgements

Ted Van der Gulik and Janine Nyvall of MAFF were interviewed and provided resource materials for the preparation of this Case Study. Ted Van der Gulik reviewed a draft.

70 Terminal Forest Products Ltd.: Mapping Applications for Integrated Resource Management Planning

Abstract amalgamation of digital resource information and mapping, a comprehensive re- Integrated Resource Management Planning source values database is created to assist (IRMP) is an operationally based planning resource managers and stakeholders, that tool that allows the forest manager to direct allows for sustainable management of the development within a planning area. An planning area. further projects of this na- operational plan will normally “nest” ture. within a higher level strategic plan. The planning area is generally a watershed or a landscape unit, but can also be an opera- Background tional area usually ranging between 10,000 Terminal Forest Products has been granted and 100,000 hectares. An IRMP amalga- logging rights to a large area (approxi- mates all known resource values and in- mately 15,000 hectares) of the Sunshine ventory information within a planning unit. Coast peninsula ranging from Sechelt to Aerial photos and maps are used to identify Egmont. To manage their operations eco- critical resource values and topographic nomically and on a sustainable basis, Ter- constraints for road and bridge locations in minal uses a sophisticated process of long the planning unit. Once the road infra- and short range planning. Digital resource structure has been designed, a preliminary information is analyzed to develop future harvest plan can be developed for the entire harvest plans that includes timing of the planning area over time. This process re- harvest and the type of logging methods to views the entire area, not just available tim- be used, while minimizing environmental ber for harvest. Critical to the process is the impacts. inclusion of knowledgeable field staff that has a working sense of the area and on the ground expertise.

Harvest sequence, timing of operations and design pattern is based on available operational and inventory timber information. Following design, detailed field reconnais- sance is completed for the area, ground verifying critical control points and operational constraints. Once the main road systems and harvest patterns are determined, other resource values are over-laid to determine potential conflicts. Where resource conflicts exist, a detailed strategy is developed. When all known resource information has been collected, interpreted and strategies developed, the final Figure 1. Map illustrating area of Terminal’s plan can be created. In addition to the logging rights on the Sunshine Coast Peninsula

71 Planning Sustainable Communities

Objectives sustainability and minimize the likelihood of environmental risks and hazards (e.g. To achieve sustainable and integrated forest road failures). Loggers and field staff are management through economically viable trained in standard operating procedures forestry practices. that help to recognize and prevent potential environmental problems thus avoiding en- Process, Partners, Costs vironmental impacts. Detailed operational maps (1:5,000) and aerial photographs pro- Terminal participates as a supportive part- vide vital information necessary to com- ner in numerous projects. For example, it plete planning and assist in the identifica- has made financial contributions to the Sen- tion of potential risk or hazard areas. Every sitive Ecosystems Inventory on the Sun- logger is required to carry a copy of the shine Coast and a Marbled Murrelet Re- map and understand critical issues involved search Project currently being conducted by when working on the block. Simon Fraser University. Terminal endeavours to be a good corporate citizen through Strategic plans are developed to ensure its practices and participation in many proj- sustainability and that other resource values ects and stakeholder groups, including the are adequately protected for a planning sharing of resource information. unit. This type of planning utilizes 1:5,000 and 1:20,000 TRIM base maps and inventory Accessing and utilizing enhanced technolo- information including the forest cover, vis- gies like GIS has required the commitment ual quality objectives, recreation sites, ter- of financial resources by the company. rain and wildlife. However, this is considered an investment in the continued economic viability of the Utilizing base TRIM map information each company as well as being indicative of a polygon has a site index that is analyzed strong continued commitment to environ- and drives all cut levels. Digital inventory mentally sensitive and sustainable forest information is constantly being revised and management practices. updated as new information becomes available and is added to the database. Ana- Actions lyzing the various layers of information permits sustainable development in an area To achieve sustainable forestry manage- that takes into consideration numerous ment practices and environmental stan- factors including protection of fisheries ri- dards, Terminal has become third party parian zones, ecologically sensitive sites, certified under both the International Stan- old growth and other sensitive habitat site dards Organization (ISO) 14001 Environ- preservation. mental Management System and the American Forest and Paper Association’s Terminal has recently upgraded their map- (AF&PA) Sustainable Forest Initiative ping capabilities and have recently pro- (SFISM) Standard. Terminal adheres to tough duced a new series of 1:5,000 scale maps standards of practice that often exceed those using the latest information and technology. established by law and are routinely sub- This has provided much greater detail than jected to internal and external auditing. To was previously provided by any other maintain certification, Terminal has devel- source. The increased level of detail and oped environmental programs and stan- accuracy in the mapping allows for better dard operating practices to ensure

72 Case Study: Terminal Forest Products Ltd. forward planning and decision making Recommendations for the Com- prior to any harvesting taking place. munity Mapping Network

As per the challenges identified, an overall Results “champion” for community mapping Utilizing GIS has allowed Terminal to stra- would be ideal in terms of helping to stan- tegically plan and commit to environmen- dardize the work and ensure that the conti- tally sustainable forestry practices while nuity and efficiencies are in place particu- still remaining economically viable. larly at a point in time where human and Through this planning process, Terminal financial resources are in scarce supply. has established good relations and commu- Enhanced communication strategies be- nication with all levels of government and tween the various user groups would help various groups and organizations. Re- ensure economies of scale and avoid unnec- cently, delegations from the United King- essary duplication of projects, fieldwork, dom, Russia and Germany have visited for- etc. estry sites to view the exemplary forest practices that Terminal engages in. Next Steps

Terminal is committed to an ongoing proc- Challenges ess of enhancing forest management prac- Creating a collaborative approach that sees tices and being an open and contributing all stakeholders working together, sharing partner to projects of this nature. information with a common goal. Stan- dardization of collection methods, reliabil- Project Contacts ity and validity remain challenges for all Mr. Dave Marquis, R.P.F. user groups whether they represent indus- Terminal Forest Products Ltd. try, government or community groups. Phone: 604-740-0603 or 604 717-1263 E-mail: [email protected] Project Outcomes

Using GIS technology has provided Termi- nal with greater decision making tools that allow the company to make good “economical” business decisions. This same technology has enabled the company to engage in better forestry practices that are sustainable and environmentally sensitive. A detailed map of the whole region with several layers of detailed information provides the opportunity to plan with a “big picture” and long range future in mind. As well, any polygon area can be analyzed in minute detail to ensure that the best possible decisions are being made and implemented.

Sunshine Coast Regional District: Sunshine Coast Habitat Atlas

Abstract The Habitat Atlas will contain forty different layers or categories of information. The Sunshine Coast Habitat Atlas is a Geo- Currently, thirty-six layers of information graphic Information Systems (GIS) database have been collected and processed. Four containing an inventory and mapping of layers are still being processed while two natural areas and fish habitat for the SCRD; remain unavailable. A complete listing and from Langdale to Egmont and north past status of these layers can be found at the top of Jervis Inlet. The Habitat Atlas http://www.user.dccnet.com/ctrent/. All will provide comprehensive information of these layers are stored at the SCRD office that can be used by planners, developers, in Sechelt and will be made available as an government agencies, non-government or- Internet mapping website. Seven of these ganisations, First Nations, local businesses layers will be included in the published and individual property owners. The in- Habitat Atlas mapbook. Each page of the formation will assist these groups in making mapbook will contain a map illustrating informed land use planning and steward- features that include streams, roads, trails, ship decisions that will help protect, en- land parcels, fish and wildlife habitat, parks hance and restore fish habitat. This three- and protected areas and aerial photographs. year project will conclude in April 2003. Prior to the initiation of this project, this type of information was not included in the various maps that were used to make important land use decisions. This project will provide land use decision-makers with vital information that should be taken into consideration.

Background

The SCRD determined that there was a need to have more comprehensive and accurate environmental information to make land use and planning decisions. This data could be used to inform and educate the community about natural resource assets, revise and develop new Official Commu- nity Plans, develop new Local Resource Management Plans, revise or develop new Watershed Management Plans and implement the Streamside Protection Regulations.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (F&OC) Figure 1. Sunshine Coast Habitat Atlas study area Habitat Conservation & Stewardship Pro- gram (HCSP) provided examples of how and where other Habitat Atlases were ful-

75 Planning Sustainable Communities filling similar data requirements. The ing include Fisheries Renewal BC, Sunshine SCRD determined to proceed with the Sun- Coast Regional District and the Urban shine Coast Habitat Atlas project. A part- Salmon Habitat Program. The SCRD also nership was formed through the F&OC provides office space, various supplies and Habitat Conservation and Stewardship Pro- significant in-kind staff time. The Ministry gram. Funding was secured and a qualified of Water, Land and Air Protection also pro- consultant was hired to lead the project and vides in-kind staff time and has donated a liaise with all interested groups. significant amount of data to the project.

The project is now into its third year and the Many community partners provided a first draft of the Habitat Atlas was circu- source of support, expert knowledge, in- lated in March 2002 for review. The final formation, tools and funding. See Ac- Sunshine Coast Habitat Atlas will be com- knowledgement section for details. plete and available by March 31, 2003. Actions Objectives The first step taken was to create a detailed The project was funded to achieve the fol- work plan for the project, which was and lowing objectives: approved by the SCRD and F&OC. Soon after, a Technical Steering Committee of 17 S Produce and publish the Sunshine Coast individuals was formed to enhance com- Habitat Atlas with current and accurate munication between key parties. The com- maps and an inventory of aquatic and mittee continues to meet three or four times terrestrial habitat and fish species. per year. S Develop, strengthen and maintain partnerships with government organiza- Next, an exhaustive and extensive search tions, land developers, First Nations, was done to compile the existing informa- community organizations and local tion that was available for the Sunshine businesses. coast. With much of the data located at S Compile existing data, identify gaps in numerous sites under the jurisdiction of the information and collect new data to many levels of government, this process fill these gaps. was time consuming. Accessing the infor- S Engage in public outreach efforts to so- mation was challenging due to licensing licit input from interested parties, to issues, prohibitive costs and confidentiality generate project support from the com- clauses. munity and to foster data sharing. S Provide a knowledge resource to assist During the process of data compilation, with the enforcement of local govern- missing information has been documented ment regulations to protect and main- and prioritized for future data collection. tain fish and wildlife habitat. Funding proposals were submitted to sev- Process, Partners, Costs eral funding agencies that secured approximately $60,000: Funding for this project was made available through Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Habitat Conservation and Stewardship Pro- gram. Other agencies that provided fund-

76 Case Study: Sunshine Coast Regional District Habitat Atlas

Fisheries Renewal BC $25,000 S To increase public awareness, Urban Salmon Habitat Program $20,000 S To solicit input from the community, F&OC Sunshine Coast $10,000 S To generate project support, and S To ensure information is up-to-date. These funds were used for colleting new data to fill the gaps identified during the A Habitat Atlas website has been developed data compilation phase. A two-person field and is kept up-to-date and an article has crew was hired to map streams with a GPS been published in a local conservation receiver in selected areas. A Trimble Path- newsletter. finder GPS capable of centimeter accuracy was rented from Terra-Pro GPS Survey Ltd., who provided commendable service and Results support. This fieldwork was completed The Sunshine Coast will soon have access to using provincial Resource Inventory Com- the Habitat Atlas. A draft format has re- mittee (RIC) GPS data standards and fol- cently been circulated for review. April lowed the Sensitive Habitat Inventory and 2003 is the target completion date for the Mapping (SHIM) guidelines. This mapping final hard copy 200-page Sunshine Coast is still ongoing but funding cuts will make it Habitat Atlas. Copies will be available for difficult to continue. viewing/use at the SCRD, government offices, and the libraries.

As a large “warehouse” containing forty layers of information, the SCRD and various community groups are already using the data. A new website is under development to provide easy access to all of this data. The maps can be created and printed from a home computer. Numerous applications present themselves such as tourism oriented maps that accurately detail trails, bike paths, areas of interest, etc.

Figure 2. SHIM stream mapping in Anderson Creek Challenges

A significant amount of “outreach” has Some of the challenges faced include: been done over the past two years. Presen- S Obtaining existing digital data through tations have been made to local government data sharing agreements planning committees, schools and numer- S ous community groups in an effort to en- Negotiating “free” access to maps and sure the Atlas meets the needs of these data. Negotiating various exchanges for groups. data. S The objectives of these outreach efforts are: Investigating funding sources and writing grant proposals and obtaining S To foster data sharing between organi- the funding. Three of seven proposals zations, written were successful. Each grant application proposal was unique and re- S To avoid duplication of effort, quested a complex array of information

77 Planning Sustainable Communities

that made this a time consuming proc- ning, zoning etc. and identify “green” tour- ess. Funding criteria varied making it ism opportunities. impossible to simply develop a grant application template that could be used. The quality maps can form the basis for promotional materials to be used by tour- Project Outcomes ism umbrella organizations as well as individual business operators. The information The project resulted in many positive out- may serve to make planning more cost- comes. The consultative process resulted in effective by preventing costly development enhanced information sharing and less du- errors, e.g. where NOT to locate buildings, plication of effort by those involved in roads etc. similar efforts. Meetings served to enhance the awareness between numerous commu- Recommendations for the Com- nity groups who work on similar projects in munity Mapping Network distinct areas. The project is proving to be a “priceless” The SCRD is utilizing this enhanced infor- endeavor providing information that all lo- mation to make more informed land use cal communities need. This type of infor- planning decisions. Questions about vari- mation should be readily available at local ous land parcels can be answered with repositories in addition to government of- more confidence and in more detail. The fices since so much of the land use planning map information serves as a benchmark to decisions occur at the local government help in the review of applications for level. building permits, development permits, and bylaw amendments. A long term source of funding to assist with these initiatives would provide the re- The project has assisted in the identification sources required to map sensitive habitat of areas that have been restored and need areas before irreversible damage may be preservation and those that will need re- done as might be the case when land use storative action and protection in the future. decisions are made in the absence of vital The overall map provides an opportunity to environmental information. assess what is happening in the entire area whereas previously, only one segment Next Steps could be viewed at a time. This is useful S when assessing land use proposals provid- Completion of the Habitat Atlas by ing an opportunity to see what the impacts April 2003 S would be on adjacent lands. Completion of a mapping web-site for the Habitat Atlas Stream data information can be used to find S Initiate further “outreach” including efficient and expedient solutions to various presentations to various communities water problems, environmental disasters and groups on the coast to inform them and other potential emergency situations. about the Atlas, the information it contains and how it can be used. From an economic development perspec- S Host an open house training session in tive, the Habitat Atlas provides prospective the winter of 2002-03. buyers with detailed information that can be utilized for development permits, plan-

78 Case Study: Sunshine Coast Regional District Habitat Atlas

Project Contacts Mason, B. and R. Knight, 2001 Sensitive Habitat Inventory and Mapping. Fisheries & Cheryl Trent Oceans Canada. Vancouver, BC. Habitat Steward Sunshine Coast Regional District Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks 5477 Wharf Road, Box 800 and Geographic Data BC. 2001 British Co- Sechelt, B.C. Canada VON 3AO lumbia Standards, Specifications and Guidelines 5477 Wharf Road, Box 800 for Resource Surveys Using Global Positioning Phone: 604-885-2261 System (GPS) Technology. Release 3.0. Fax: 604-885-88 March, 2001. Email: [email protected] Acknowledgements References The Sunshine Coast Habitat Atlas initiative Fisheries & Oceans Canada and the Minis- is made possible through the key financial try of Environment, Lands and Parks. 1992. and in-kind support of the following or- Land Development Guidelines for the Protection ganizations: of Aquatic Habitat. S F&OC Habitat Conservation and Stew- Fisheries & Oceans Canada, the Ministry of ardship Program Environment, Lands and Parks, and the S Sunshine Coast Regional District Ministry of Municipal Affairs. 1994. Stream S Ministry of Water, Land and Air Pro- Stewardship: A Guide for Planners and Devel- tection. opers. S Urban Salmon Habitat Program S Fisheries Renewal BC

Figure 3. Sample page from the Habitat Atlas

Gambier Island Conservancy : Streamkeepers and Watershed Mapping Projects

Abstract Plan (OCP) with detailed and accurate environmental information that now serves as a The Gambier Island Conservancy (the Con- basis for land use decisions. Prior to the servancy) was formed by a group of local Conservancy’s projects, OCP maps con- citizens who wanted to ensure that land use tained no environmental information and planning decisions were made based on ac- development applications were approved curate environmental information. Gov- without consideration of the potential dam- ernment maps that were being used did not age to sensitive ecosystems. include any detailed information with respect to streams, wetlands, trails, old growth ecosystems or other ecologically Objectives significant areas. Grant applications were The Conservancy is dedicated to enhancing submitted to secure funds for local resource and sharing knowledge of Gambier Island’s mapping projects that would provide accu- ecosystems and to developing appropriate rate information and maps with which to management strategies to preserve and re- make objective, environmentally sensitive store its biological diversity. land use decisions. A number of projects have been successfully completed and To accomplish these objectives it was recog- many local residents are adopting a com- nised that current and accurate environ- munity stewardship attitude towards future mental information is necessary to inform development. those making land use decisions. Such environmental data will provide key informa- This case study is an excellent example of tion necessary for restoration, preservation how a group of concerned residents can and future land use planning for the Gam- work together to access the funding and bier Island community. technical expertise to create a comprehensive and sophisticated environmental data- Actions base for use in official community land use planning. The Conservancy has initiated and overseen the following projects:

Background Streamkeepers Project: This project began The Conservancy was formed in 1995 by a with the detailed description and mapping group of residents concerned about the in- of fish habitat in six known fish-bearing creasing human pressures on the natural streams and included other biophysical in- habitats on Gambier Island and who be- ventories such as water quality, spawner lieved that increased environmental knowl- surveys and species presence. Desmond edge and public awareness are the founda- Paine transcribed the field notes and meas- tions of sustainable land use. A number of urements into maps and attribute tables. different projects have been completed re- There was significant local volunteer efforts sulting in maps being included in the newly and several residents were sponsored to do revised Gambier Island Official Community their Streamkeeper’s training. More de-

81 Planning Sustainable Communities tailed mapping (overview maps) and fish Streamkeepers grant. Maria Van Dyk was habitat assessments (FHAPs) were com- the GIS Project Coordinator. pleted later on all stream reaches that were candidates for rehabilitation or habitat en- Trails Project: Existing roads and trails are hancement work. Significant effort was being marked, upgraded and sometimes re- given to increase local volunteer participa- routed to protect sensitive areas, and then tion through public information and aware- included in the GIS database. The focus is ness activities. Because of the demograph- upon public properties given that 60% of ics of Gambier Island, however, there was Gambier’s landmass is Crown Lands. The an increasing reliance on grant-funded Conservancy is hopeful that eventually a stream technicians and biologists to do this network of environmentally sensitive trails work. To date, detailed fish habitat assess- will provide walking access throughout ments and stream mapping, as well as Gambier. This network will not only pro- habitat enhancement and stream rehabilita- vide land links between isolated communi- tion work have been done for seven streams ties on different parts of the Island, it will be on Gambier. The project Coordinator is a strong physical example of the commu- Lois Kennedy. nity’s recreational and ecological preserva- tionist values. Accurate and detailed trail maps help keep people on proper trails rather than getting lost, keep the public from venturing onto private property or into hazardous areas, and assist Search and Rescue groups to more easily access remote areas. Wolf Weideman is the Trails Project Coordinator.

As a result of this information and further community planning, CANFOR, who have been given logging rights to Gambier’s Crown Lands, have agreed to respect the local community’s conservation and recreation values. For example, in bays where Figure 1. Stream restoration on Manion Creek, Gam- kayakers and campers use the beach areas, bier Island or where cutblocks are in close proximity to trails, CANFOR will leave buffers and ade- Geographic Information Systems quate green spaces. (GIS)Computer Mapping Project: All existing environmental information for Gam- In addition, when developers are submit- bier Island was collected and digitized into ting subdivision applications, public access the computer. These maps included TRIM, trails and parks will be dedicated, which terrain hazards, forest cover, cadastral, and will connect into the trail network. These a 1998 color orthophoto created from aerial strategies are viewed by some developers as photographs. Updated information can be adding value to their subdivision proposals added to this baseline data in layers to show since many people appreciate the recrea- various ecological and environmental data. tional value of trails and parks as a desired This project was funded with the USHP lifestyle component. Developers are also required to ensure that there are green

82 Case Study: Gambier Island Conservancy space corridors providing connectivity for Year Four: This phase is “in the works”, wildlife. with the objective being the beginning of a sensitive plant species inventory. Environmentally Sensitive Areas Project: Capilano College Environmental Sciences Watershed Mapping Project: This project Students have joined with the Conservancy involved the mapping of streams, tributar- in a unique partnership to complete a num- ies and wetlands in fourteen watersheds ber of valuable projects which have been and included the documentation of existing funded by the Real Estate Foundation. human impacts. Ground-truthing was done Capilano College Faculty member Victoria by GPS (global positioning system) and in- Troupe, who initiated these partnerships tegrated with the digitized TRIM and or- has since passed away, but these joint proj- thophoto maps. All watersheds, sub-basins, ects are being continued in her memory. A streams and tributaries on Gambier have total of four sets of students have worked now been delineated and enumerated ac- with the Conservancy on a variety of proj- cording to provincial code. All environ- ects. All phases of the project have pro- mental information in the existing vided information vital in the consideration GIS/computer mapping system was reor- of any land use proposals that may impact ganized on a watershed basis and previous sensitive ecological systems. The students’ Streamkeepers’spatial and attribute data enthusiasm and expertise has been a great was included. inspiration for the Conservancy. A number of projects coordinated by Maria Van Dyk Gambier Island Watersheds and Watercourses R

EL AMILLIES and Wolf Weideman, have been completed ANN CH N

W E during the past four years: Plow d en B ay S

H UG RO Douglas C Year One: Students conducted a broad- Bay H A N N eek e Cr E g L brush study of Gambier Island to locate and a Damsoo n Lake Gamb ier s s Lake a ier mb P Ga a survey the various types of ecosystems n o t a ) ek re L c ot fo in (L Lost Lake k e Andys Bay re C n through ground-truthing, inventories and oo s m a D R Lil y Pad La ke A

B M riga k de e Bay e C the use of aerial photos. r re I ek C L Muskeg Lake L e r k t I

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C C ay B Brigade S ys nd Andys A k Bay e e r L C Bay o n d g l B a a y n Sain t John Creek Cr o e e d k c a C

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C e yle e Year Two: Students completed a detailed k k o ee W C Cr h i s p e r i k n Broo g cett

analysis of the riparian zones of five lakes. Faw

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This included the identification of plant k C B

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o C t s r e g Bay e n k i recommendations for protective buffer K k e re k C e n e o r n C n

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F Halkett G Masset Creek zones and re-routing of trails. Thornbrough Bay

Bay U H ow e O C re ek R Legend B Burgess ek re C N Co ve ay Watercourses Watershed Boundaries B on al R Av Land Parcels O Gambier Harbour Year Three: Students identified, inventoried H Avalon Lakes & Wetlands T Ba y Spring Estuary

Groundwater and located the remaining intact old growth Openwater Wetland H Linear Corridors OWVehicleE Roads HOWE ecosystems on Gambier. Coring samples Tr ail s Old Road B

SOUND ta n Historical Road a Columbine h c n Land Parcels Bay E EL identified trees up to 1400 years old. These N Smugglers P Cove Safe 1000 0 1000 2000 Meters students subsequently continued on for two Cate years to work with the Streamkeepers on the Watershed Mapping Project. Figure 3. Gambier Island watersheds Watershed reports have been produced which document this information for eight

83 Planning Sustainable Communities

major streams. This project has made it habitat and environmentally sensitive areas possible to analyze existing and potential on Gambier Island. human impacts on a watershed basis. The Project Coordinator is Lois Kennedy. Challenges

Data Sharing Project: The various project Vigilance: Remaining forever alert in the reports can be obtained from the Project face of on-going human pressures for de- Coordinators in hard copy. The digital data velopment on Gambier. is available upon signing a limited use contract with the Conservancy. Islands Trust Funding: Support for future and on-going and SCRD have already used this database projects is a major challenge and requires for the production of new maps for the significant time and effort by Conservancy Gambier Island OCP and Habitat Atlas for members. the Sunshine Coast. Hard copies of the watershed reports will be distributed to all Patience, Endurance and Faith: At several government agencies involved in land de- times the Conservancy activities have been velopment issues such as provincial Minis- met with hostility and suspicion by some tries of Transportation, Water, Land and Air members of the community. To help de- Protection, Federal Fisheries and Oceans, fuse the misinformation, misunderstand- and to private individuals and corporations ings and resolve conflicting points of view as requested. issues, the Conservancy has hosted open houses to display and discuss projects, posts Results all meeting agendas and minutes and writes frequent articles in the Gambier Island When the Conservancy was formed there newsletter. The benefits of the work are be- was no accurate environmental information coming increasingly clear to everyone with available for making environmentally sen- the publication of the new OCP and the sitive land use decisions. The Conservancy consultations with CANFOR regarding the members all share a great love of the out- impending logging on Gambier’s Crown doors and treasure the natural beauty of Lands. Gambier Island. The resulting maps and data have helped create a benchmark of in- The Streamkeepers have been surprised and formation to help preserve and protect the dismayed by F&OC’s reluctance to enforce environment for future generations. the Federal Fisheries Act in spite of detailed documentation and evidence of severe and Conservancy members remain active and deliberate destruction of fish habitat. vigilant as members of the local Advisory Planning Commissions (APC) for the Island Project Outcomes Trust, the SCRD Recreation and Parks Committee, West Howe Sound Gambier Island now has one of the most Stakeholders Association, Sunshine Coast sophisticated and comprehensive tools pos- Watershed Stewardship Society, the Sun- sible for environmentally-sensitive land use shine Coast Salmon Enhancement Partner planning and an informed and vigilant Group and Sunshine Coast Conservation community to make good use of it. The Association to ensure that any land use Conservancy is increasingly being recog- planning and decisions respect the natural nized and respected for its contribution to the community and to the Island. People

84 Case Study: Gambier Island Conservancy now recognize the incredible value of the son, a F&OC stream technician, the Stream- work that has been completed. The map- keeper’s Coordinator, a local excavator op- ping work has made it easier for various erator, a contractor and a private property government departments, forestry compa- owner. They engaged in a consultative pro- nies, land developers and local residents to cess to resolve how to repair the road while work together to make informed decisions. protecting and even enhancing the stream. The data facilitates informed and objective This type of consultation would have been land use planning based on the shared and politically impossible until now. It is an integrated values of wildlife and habitat extremely gratifying example of building conservation, aesthetics, eco- healthy communities and healthy water- nomic/industrial activity, recreation, and sheds through public awareness. settlement. Recommendations for the Com- Companies like CANFOR are utilizing the information in their planning. The Official munity Mapping Network Community Plan has a very strong envi- The Conservancy hopes that their projects ronmental policy statement and detailed and other similar projects maintain their supporting maps. Through sharing of in- momentum to continue the work. Funding formation and resources, strong networks of for these worthwhile stewardship projects is people have been created throughout B.C. vital. Connections to the technical expertise to assist other similar projects achieve their of the various resource management indi- success. viduals are also a vital component of success. They are the “glue” that helps hold On a qualitative basis, the Streamkeepers these projects together and their input is can already see the results of their efforts to gratefully acknowledged. enhance fish habitat and rehabilitate streams. New log shelters and other fish Next Steps habitat features have resulted in the return of fish to these areas. They are observing Now that the information has been collected the fish now using these areas and how the there is a need to facilitate the ongoing local streams are starting to “heal themselves”. stewardship, expand the volunteer base and Once streams were mapped, people came to help the local communities take ownership realize that streams had “legal rights”. As of the land around them. The information another example of progress, the Fircom must now be managed. Knowledge is a camp had been running people through a source of empowerment, influence, and of nearby stream in an obstacle race. With the community pride in “taking ownership”. encouragement from the Streamkeepers they are now looking at using the stream as The Conservancy hopes that their work will an educational project. help to identify, preserve and protect the delicate environmental balances that are The Conservancy has faced many chal- present on Gambier. lenges and has worked hard at community building. It is gaining widespread recognition as a model of community stewardship. For example, a recent bank slide into a small roadside stream brought together the Min- istry of Transportation’s maintenance per-

85 Planning Sustainable Communities

Project Contacts In addition, Grant McBain, the Community Advisor for the Fisheries and Oceans Can- Lois Kennedy ada (F&OC) provided the necessary techni- Gambier Island Conservancy cal support, equipment and some crew for Phone: 604-886-4987 the stream rehabilitation projects. E-mail: [email protected] Cheryl Trent, the Habitat Steward for the SCRD regularly provides maps that are Acknowledgements needed for land-use planning. The Islands Trust generated the official maps for the Generous funding has been received from new Gambier Island OCP. Several local the Urban Salmon Habitat Program (USHP) businessmen including Ken Sneddon of and from Fisheries Renewal B.C. (FsRBC) in Sechelt Creek Contracting, John Cosoluch of support of the Streamkeepers, GIS (com- Rivtow and Barry Proknow have provided puter) Mapping and Watershed Mapping much appreciated on-site support for the projects. The Real Estate Foundation pro- stream projects. Dr. Bob Newbury provided funds in support of the Capilano vided valuable advice at the beginning of College/Conservancy Environmentally the Watershed Mapping Project. Most Sensitive Areas project. The Sunshine Coast property owners of large and small tracts of Regional District (SCRD) has contributed to land have been generous in permitting ac- the Trails Mapping and Marking Project. cess. ESRI donated the ArcView computer software and BC Hydro’s Corporate Donations The Conservancy also extends its thanks Department donated a much-needed com- and appreciation to Rob Knight (USHP), puter to the Streamkeepers to facilitate the Marion Towne and Angus McKay (FsRBC), data organization for the Watershed Map- Victoria Troupe (Capilano College) and ping project. The funds secured were Margaret Lamarche (CFDC) for their sup- used primarily to hire biologists, technicians port of this work. and other qualified individuals to complete the technical work. The Conservancy Proj- ect Coordinators became a sort of “com- mand central” for the various projects.

86 Sensitive Ecosystem Inventory of the Georgia Lowland and Is- lands in the Northern Strait of Georgia

Abstract verified using selective field checks (ground-truthing). The information is being April 2002 marks the commencement of the captured using Arc/Info GIS (Geographical fourth year of the Sunshine Coast Sensitive Information System). The maps will be Ecosystems Inventory (SEI) which will available in both hard copy (1:20,000) and identify and map rare and fragile terrestrial digital formats by March 2003. ecosystems. The SEI study area is approximately 1,800 square kilometres and com- This project has led to the identification of prises the mainland portion of Georgia Ba- numerous unique and sensitive ecosystems. sin Lowland, between Desolation Sound Unlike the Vancouver Island study where and Howe Sound, and includes adjacent only 7.9% of the entire landscape contained islands within the Strait of Georgia Ecosec- rare and fragile ecosystems, preliminary tion, such as Texada, Harwood, Hernando, findings suggest that the percentage is Savary, Cortes and the southern part of higher on the Sunshine Coast thus provid- Quadra Island. Biogeoclimatic Units in- ing an opportunity to maintain and pre- cluded in the study area are Coastal Doug- serve these sites for future generations. las-fir Moist Maritime (CDFmm), Coastal Western Hemlock Very Dry (CWHxm1) Background and Coastal Western Hemlock Dry Mari- time (CWHdm). The mild climate and long growing season of the Sunshine Coast supports many rare plants, animals and plant communities – including several “at risk” species. Rapid development along the coast is resulting in the fragmentation and degradation of terrestrial ecosystems. The Sensitive Ecosys- tems Inventory is a “flagging” tool that identifies these systems and provides scientific information and support to local governments and others who are trying to maintain biodiversity.

The Sunshine Coast project builds on the success of the East Vancouver Island SEI. Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands mapping was completed in 1997 and a variety of support materials and services were devel- Figure 1. Sunshine Coast SEI study area boundary oped over the following few years, including one-on-one user support, a 300-page The inventory data was derived from aerial Conservation Manual, pamphlets and photography (photo-interpretation) at workshops. Local governments on east scales between 1:10,000 and 1:16,000 and Vancouver Island and adjacent Gulf Islands

87 Planning Sustainable Communities are now using the SEI data in regional gional District and Terminal Forest Prod- growth strategies, official community plans ucts Ltd. The project is jointly managed by and greenways/parks plans. The informa- Environment Canada (Canadian Wildlife tion also assists in making site-specific deci- Service) and the B.C. Ministry of Sustain- sions on land use planning issues. The Van- able Resource Management, with assistance couver Island SEI can be seen at from a multi-agency steering committee http://srmwww.gov.bc.ca/cdc/sei or at that includes federal and provincial agen- www.pyr.ec.gc.ca/wildlife/sei. cies, local governments, First Nations and industry. A total of $400,071 was secured Objectives over the first four years of the project with approximately 875 days of “in-kind” labor Through the completion of a systematic, contributions. scientific inventory of the remaining sensitive (rare and fragile) terrestrial2 ecosystems A “Memorandum of Understanding” the project will identify, classify, evaluate (MOU) is in the process of being signed by and map remnant native wildlife habitats various partners involved in the use of the including those supporting species at risk. Sensitive Ecosystems Inventory of the The SEI will help increase the understand- Georgia Lowland and adjacent islands. The ing of and respect for the ecological values MOU is between Environment Canada and of these sensitive ecosystems and encourage the following parties to the agreement: BC land use decisions that will conserve the Ministries of Sustainable Resource Man- sensitive ecosystems. The SEI information agement and Water, Land and Air Protec- will provide mapped data for use by local tion, Sechelt Indian Band, Sunshine Coast government, environmental and other Regional District, Powell River Regional community and economic groups with an District, Regional District of Comox- interest in land use, conservation and pres- Strathcona, Terminal Forest Products Ltd., ervation. Once completed the maps and and the BC Conservation Foundation. The information will be available for use and MOU is a demonstration of interest and of presented in “Community Outreach” edu- intention to co-operate on matters related to cational programs that would assist others the use of the data. It is an acknowledge- in using the data and communicate the ment by all parties of the value of the in- value and uses of this information by the formation for land use planning. community. Actions Process, Partners, Costs Year 1(1999-2000): Startup and Air Photo Major funding for the SEI is provided by the Interpretation - A Steering committee was Georgia Basin Ecosystem Initiative (GBEI), created with joint partners to oversee the with contributions from the Habitat Con- direction of the project and ensure good servation Trust Fund, the Sunshine Coast communication. The classification criteria Regional District, Comox-Strathcona Re- and inventory methodologies were developed. Air photo interpretation was conducted for most of the study area. 2 Wetlands (bog, fen, marsh, swamp, shallow water, wet meadow), Riparian ecosystems, Year 2 (2000-2001): Air photo interpretation Woodlands, Older coastal forests (structural stages 6 & 7), Herbaceous ecosystems, Cliffs and was completed, identifying 5,511 sites. Seasonally flooded agricultural fields. Groundtruthing field visits, with high qual-

88 Case Study: Sensitive Ecosystem Inventory ity assurance strategies in place, were con- Challenges ducted for selected sites identified during air photo interpretation. Field data was Most challenges were financially related. entered into attribute files. Lack of full Due to funding shortages the amount of funding prevented the completion of groundtruthing for Texada Island was re- groundtruthing this year. duced. Ensuring good communication between the various agencies and partners Year 3 (2001-2002): Groundtruthing was was time consuming but there was good completed, although due to a lack of fund- support and cooperation. ing, only a limited number of field visits were conducted on Texada Island. Map and Coordinating with other studies and database development: Digitizing of 5,511 sources of data presented some challenges. polygons was completed, but database For example, the SEI information will be linking, plotting and quality control was included as a single layer of the Habitat postponed until Year 4. Atlas mapbook, causing some users to think that SEI information is limited to what is Year 4 CURRENT (2002-2003): Map and presented in the Habitat Atlas. Users need database development: Digitized polygons to be made aware of the depth of additional will be linked to an attribute file and draft SEI information available to them, including maps will be produced. All maps and da- secondary and tertiary ecosystem compo- tabases will be subject to thorough quality nents, and detailed ecosystem information assurance. on plant communities, stand structure, and site condition. Our experience has shown Map production and distribution: digital that many users think they “have it all” and hardcopy maps will be published and once they have looked at the atlas maps. distributed to all local governments and re- For the Sunshine Coast Habitat Atlas, this source agencies. will be explained in the report accompanying the mapbook. Extension Materials: A report will be prepared and published describing inventory Another challenge faced is that terrestrial methods, ecological characteristics, and inventories require specialized scientific ex- summarizing/analyzing inventory results. pertise to identify in the field. The SEI data The report will also present management records plant communities and this ecologi- guidelines and conservation tools. Further cal data is incorporated into the Conserva- outreach products such as pamphlets, dis- tion Data Center databases where it con- play materials and workshops will be de- tributes to the development of the “red” pendent on the availability of funding. and “blue” conservation lists for plant communities. Results Project Outcomes Not all of the data is ready yet for analysis or publication. When the data is processed, Once completed, this information will serve it will be possible to tell what percentage of to alert local governments, resource agen- Sunshine Coast land is considered to be cies, First Nations, landowners and other ecologically sensitive. They have accumu- citizens as to the existence and importance lated significant scientific data that supports of these remnant ecosystems. It will en- an accurate interpretation. courage land use decisions that will help

89 Planning Sustainable Communities conserve these systems. This project is con- oping an interactive mapping site that will sidered to be an essential component of the include the SEI data layer. Georgia Basin Ecosystem Initiative that is fully supported by both Provincial and Fed- A final report is being written which will eral governments in their efforts to assist detail the findings of the inventory, describe local governments and communities in pre- the values of the plant communities in de- serving and improving the quality of the tail and will provide management guide- environment. lines. A “conservation tools” section will provide details with various models or Due to increasing development pressures sample clauses that could be used in Official throughout the Sunshine Coast and adja- Community Plans and Development Permit cent islands, as in most areas of the Georgia Area Guidelines. While the information is of Basin lowlands, there has been a loss and significance to all levels of government it is fragmentation of the natural ecosystems at the local government levels that many of upon which many species and communities the land use decisions are taking place, so depend. Further habitat loss is expected these guidelines will be of extreme impor- unless Official Community Plans, Growth tance to these user groups. The target date Management Strategies and various day-to- for completion of this manual is April 2003. day land–use decisions can direct growth and development away from these sensitive Recommendations for the Com- areas. munity Mapping Network

The combination of a broad ecosystem ap- There is a need to ensure that all data can be proach and plant community identification overlaid on top of one another on the vari- used by the SEI is new to most land use de- ous maps. Compatibility of data from one cision-makers. As a result, an outreach map to another is important to allow for educational strategy is a vital component of comparisons and other analysis of data. the project that will help to ensure wise use of the inventory data. Mapped information should be readily available to anyone. The maps are rela- The SEI website contains some descriptive tively inexpensive and the digital informa- material about the Sunshine Coast SEI, but tion can be accessed by those with GIS ca- it primarily describes the Vancouver Island pability. SEI project, presents ecological information on the ecosystems of concern, and provides It is important that groups who are consid- access to its publications. Once the Sun- ering mapping projects assess what has al- shine Coast SEI is completed, more com- ready been done and adhere to standard prehensive information will be posted on and approved methodology as opposed to that site. “seat of the pants” mapping. Some data generated simply cannot be used since there Currently, the SEI maps for Vancouver Is- is no scientific level of confidence in the land and Gulf Islands can only be accessed methodology and protocols as dictated by through the Internet on the Community the province. Mapping Network (CMN) website at http://www.shim.bc.ca/sei/seimain.html. However, the B.C. Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management is currently devel-

90 Case Study: Sensitive Ecosystem Inventory

Next Steps References

See year four of “Actions” section. Once the Contact project contacts (Carmen Cadrin) maps are produced a report will be pre- for further details. pared and the various community outreach projects will be initiated, pending funding. Acknowledgements The target audience for these workshops will be the local government staff and poli- The Sensitive Ecosystems Inventory for the ticians, community groups, resource agen- Sunshine Coast has the support of the fol- cies and other entities including private lowing partners: business groups like logging companies, S Georgia Basin Ecosystem Initiative land developers etc. S Habitat Conservation Trust Fund S Sunshine Coast Regional District Project Contacts S Comox-Strathcona Regional District Carmen Cadrin S Terminal Forest Products Ltd. Conservation Data Centre, Ministry of Re- S Environment Canada (Canadian Wild- source Management life Service) Phone: 250-387-2730 S Ministry of Water, Land and Air Pro- E-mail: [email protected] tection, S Sechelt Indian Band, Jan Kirkby S Powell-River Regional District, Conservation Data Centre, Ministry of Re- S Ministry of Sustainable Resource Man- source Management agement. Phone: 250-387-0732 E-mail: [email protected]

Peggy Ward Habitat Conservation Planner, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada Phone: 250-752-9611 E-mail: [email protected]

91 Planning Sustainable Communities

92 Sechelt Indian Band Mapping: Vancouver River Spawning and Rearing Channel Development

Abstract sockeye in 1985. The cause was readily identified. Logging and ancillary develop- The Sechelt Indian Band (SIB) successfully ment had led to the destruction of most of undertook a three year project to increase the off-channels of the river that are such a the number of fish spawning and rearing in necessary component of healthy fish habi- the off-channels of the Vancouver River lo- tat. cated in Jervis Inlet on the Sunshine Coast. A total of eight channels consisting of ap- The water level in the Vancouver River proximately 7,000 meters, were excavated. fluctuates severely. Without off-channels, Water flow was connected through the the fish stock had no refuge from the torrent channels and fish habitat features were waters that result during periods of high added. Fish returned almost immediately to rainfall and thaws and there were no sites to these sites. Using a Leica GS50 GPS back- give young fry a place to develop. pack unit, the channels were mapped and are now available as a resource to ensure SIB determined that drastic measures were that any subsequent logging or develop- needed to rehabilitate the Vancouver River ment does not destroy the rehabilitated fish to bring back the fish stocks. habitat. The site is now an excellent place to study fish biology.

Construction of a town site and access roads had destroyed or cut off many of the channels from the river system. As a result, most of the channels were dry and void of fish habitat. The three-phase project undertaken in this area is likely one of the largest rehabilitative projects done in B.C. It has helped establish a track record of success and protocol for further projects of this nature.

Background Figure 1. Vancouver River The Vancouver River watershed had at one time sustained large populations of fish. Objectives Fish stock monitoring done over the past ten years at the Vancouver River site indi- The objective of the project was to increase cated drastically falling numbers of fish. In the fish populations in the Vancouver River recent years, Vancouver Bay fish popula- Watershed. Achieving the objective would tions were almost extinct, down from ap- result in increased fish stocks for commu- proximately 8,000 chums in 1973, 13,000 nity enjoyment, harvesting and to correct pinks in 1987, 5,000 coho in 1979 and 24

93 Planning Sustainable Communities for the past physical decimation of the wa- structed. A large excavation cut through tershed. the logging road and provided a feed to Jitco Creek. The river had previously Process, Partners, Costs shifted and cut off the water supply to Jitco Creek which was nearly void of water. The SIB Resource Management Department in conjunction with the Community Fisher- Phase III (2000): Two parallel channels were ies Development Center and Fisheries & excavated on either side of the main logging Oceans Canada (F&OC) applied for funds road near the Vancouver Bay Lodge. A cul- for this extensive project. Funding was se- vert was added to connect the two channels cured through the F&OC Habitat Restora- that fed another 1000 meters of channels tion and Salmon Enhancement Program that eventually drain back into the main (HRSEP), Fisheries Renewal BC, and Inter- Vancouver River. national Forest Products (Interfor). In addition, “in-kind” contributions were made During Phase III mapping was completed. by SIB in the form of providing labour, Using a backpack GPS unit the channels boats, trucks, office and administrative were walked and mapped. This was con- support. This project was a joint venture verted into digital format on 1:20,000 scale between SIB and F&OC HRSEP. TRIM maps. Maps now show all the recon- structed and rehabilitated channels along the Vancouver River area. Actions

The project work was conducted in three The work for all three phases included the phases, as funding became available. use of excavators and backhoes with fill being provided by dump trucks. Some mi- Phase I (1998): Previous channels of the nor access roads were created. Native Vancouver River that had been cut off from vegetation re-planting was done. Through- the river and had either been filled in or had out the construction the process was de- dried up, were re-excavated. The channels signed to minimize siltation and further were connected with the main river through damage to the areas. flow pipes that had control valves. A total of eight channels representing some 7,000 Results meters of new stream were dug deep enough for ground water feed and river The project is considered to be a great suc- water to flow into them. Once dug, the cess. “If you build it, they will come.” water flow was reconnected and small Adult fish have returned to all the channels. logs/wood was put in place to provide Juvenile salmon came in faster than the shade and shelter for returning fish. This channels could be constructed, apparently phase took approximately five weeks and just waiting for the off-channels to be fin- provided employment opportunities for ished to provide shelter and a place to hide. eight people. Numbers of fish have been recorded through foot surveys, trapping programs Phase II (1999): A berm was constructed and the assessment of smolt migration pat- that allowed for water to be piped through ters. it so it did not interfere with the main river flow yet kept the river from eventually eat- The area now provides an excellent outdoor ing into the channels that had been recon- laboratory to study fish biology, water

94 Case Study: Sechelt Indian Band Mapping chemistry, logging impacts and soil analy- summer that restricted work on the project sis. It is a controlled environment that al- to mostly late August and September. lows for the mimicking of the natural processes in a watershed. There are facilities on- Equipment: The GPS unit back pack (Leica site that make it easier for crews to study GS 50) was found to be superior in mapping and monitor the river system as well as do capability especially when under tree can- repairs and maintenance. opy cover.

Interfor is actively logging in the valley and Natural Destruction: Ongoing problems contributed to the funding for the project. included some siltation, pools and channels They have been very supportive of the proj- filling in from natural run-off or collapsing ect and are sensitive to maintaining the re- banks. habilitated area. Ongoing resources to provide monitoring and maintenance remains a challenge.

Project Outcomes

The Vancouver River and the off-channels have now been mapped. The information has been layered onto existing SIB maps. Developers are required to consult with SIB, Resource Management Department, before proceeding with any development in an effort to help ensure there will be no negative environmental impacts in the area. Prior to

Figure 2. Coastal Cutthroat Trout in intake pool. the updated mapping, there was no official record of where the various channels ex- Challenges isted and development of logging roads and actual logging practices were done with Funding securing ongoing funding was the minimal regard for the ultimate damage to biggest challenge. The project was run on a the surrounding eco-systems. phased basis since there were no guarantees that funding would be provided from one Reports are being written to identify the phase to the next. The application process various project results and will be submit- was time consuming and cumbersome. ted to the funding agencies. SIB may eventually publish the project details in appro- Remote Location: To access the site requires priate publications or on a web-site. approximately 30 nautical miles of travel (or approximately 25 minutes from Egmont) by SIB keeps the newly mapped stream data water. However, SIB owns the Vancouver available in digital format and F&OC also Bay Lodge located at the mouth of the Van- has this as part of its HRSEP program. couver River that provides overnight ac- commodation and shelter during foul Most importantly, fish are back to the Van- weather. couver River site and off –channels in in- Weather/seasons: The ideal time for chan- creasing numbers. The site is now a place neling was during the “low flow” months of to study and provides a legacy for future

95 Planning Sustainable Communities generations. The experience gained by the steps” can be taken. Ideally SIB would like project workers and supervisors can be to “turn the clock back” on a number of used to expedite and complete future proj- watershed areas with a process similar to ects of this nature in other watershed areas that used on the Vancouver River area. that are in need of rehabilitation. There are five major watershed areas in the region; all of which have sustained various Recommendations for the Com- degrees of damage as a result of previous logging practices. munity Mapping Network

The updated maps provide some form of Project Contacts insurance that any development in the area Mr. Rick August will not damage the restored fish habitat Fisheries Coordinator, Resource Manage- areas. Mapping has provided a historical ment Department & Band Councilor, benchmark that can be used to track river Sechelt Indian Band system changes in the decades to follow. Box 740, Sechelt, BC. VON 3AO Any development in the area will now have Phone: 604-885-2273 access to the information to ensure that Fax: 604-885-3490 plans are developed in accordance with E-mail: [email protected] preservation standards.

If funding had been available it would have Acknowledgements been ideal to map the river and channels prior to the reconstruction work. This The Sechelt Indian Band would like to would have provided information that thank the funders and supporters of the would have made it easier to do a cost- Vancouver River spawning and rearing analysis and to plan the project in more de- channel development initiative: tail in advance. This may have resulted in S more cost-effective procedures. In the ab- Fisheries & Oceans Canada Habitat sence of maps the work proceeded using an Restoration and Salmon Enhancement “eye ball” method to determine what Program S should be done. Fisheries Renewal BC S International Forest Products S Community Fisheries Development Next Steps Center

Phase III reports are being completed. Ac- cess to funding will determine what “next

96 Capilano College, Sechelt Campus: Training, Data Collection and Interaction with Community Mapping Projects

Abstract

For fourteen years Capilano College has been training students through a variety of programs on Fisheries and Community Stewardship like the Streamkeepers program. As part of the training, students have conducted a wide range of streamkeeping mapping and restorative projects in local watershed areas. Streamkeepers students have provided a “volunteer” labour force to map many of the local streams and tributaries and participate in restorative activities. The data collected has been shared Figure 1. Capilano College, Sechelt Campus with relevant agencies and has formed the basis of many further studies and projects. Background The College (Dave Bates) continues to serve Capilano College located on the Sunshine on a number of advisory committees in the Coast in Sechelt, B.C., through the Depart- community and as a consultant to various ment of Applied Fisheries and Forestry Sci- projects including significant involvement ence offers a Watershed Restoration Techni- in the various Sechelt Indian Band Resource cian Certificate Program and Stewardship Management Department projects. Gradu- Training (Streamkeepers) programs. Stu- ates from the program are now working dents registered in these programs have with a number of different agencies, pro- participated in numerous local initiatives viding technical and academic skills in the that involve stream mapping, restoration, field of fish habitat stream enhancement, enhancement, and collection of fish data. restoration and conservation. This case The projects and data collected have been study is an excellent example of academic shared with relevant agencies and have institutions working with community part- been used in other projects, such as the Sun- ners on projects that enhance the overall shine Coast Habitat Atlas. Many skilled preservation and conservation of fish habi- technicians who have graduated from the tat. various programs are now working in the field. Those working in the Resource Man- Dr. Bates developed the delivery model and agement offices of the Sechelt Indian Band parts of the content of the Streamkeepers program that is now used throughout BC and is be- have received their training through the ing adapted for use in other countries. College and continue to work together closely on various watershed projects.

Watersheds of the Sunshine Coast offer world class "real life" laboratories that provide practical excellent "hands-on" training options for the program participants. Since

97 Planning Sustainable Communities the College coordinates its projects with S Developing field programs, field work various community groups, the projects into student exercises; undertaken by the students and the pro- S RIC approved watershed restoration gram in general provide valuable data and surveys; work that assists these other agencies. The S Watershed or stream assessments to high standards and quality of work ensures identify, rehabilitate and restore fish that the project data is “useable” in the sci- habitat; entific community and meets high stan- S Establish goals and project design for dards and quality assurance measures. various projects ; S Adult and juvenile salmon and trout Objectives assessments – annually enumerate and survey Chum salmon returns in Ander- The objectives of the program are to provide son Creek and Pender Harbour (Infor- skilled technical people who can collect reli- mation forward to F&OC); able and reproducible information. The S Mapping projects is a large part of the data collection process and methodology Streamkeepers Program that involves used will help ensure the conservation and students using tapes, compasses and protection of local salmonid populations other assessment programs to map vari- and resources. ous streams, channels and tributaries; S Completion of small demonstrative Process, Partners, Costs restoration projects. E.g. Ouellett Creek; S Assisting with the writing of funding The College has developed a close working proposals; relationship with the Sechelt Indian Band. S Assisting with the writing of Technical They have partnered on numerous projects reports; and, where the College students have provided S Finding employment opportunities for the labour and technical expertise while SIB trained Applied Fisheries graduates. has provided access, equipment and other associated project costs. The College also maintains an excellent working relationship Results with Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Significant data and mapping information has been compiled and shared with local Actions government, the SIB, and resource management organizations. The “real life” During the course of the various programs training exercises have helped train world offered by the College, students have taken class technicians, many of whom are work- on a number of field projects under the su- ing with various projects and agencies. The pervision of Dave Bates. Some of the proj- projects completed have provided much ects that have been undertaken include: needed data that have been used for the planning and initiation of a variety of wa- S Stream assessments: fish population tershed restoration projects. surveys, students or graduates have surveyed almost every Anadromous stream on SIB lands; Challenges S Two students (graduates) completed the Challenges for the program include secur- early SHIM surveys and trained SHIM ing sufficient students and funding. Al- crews in Powell River;

98 Case Study: Capilano College, Sechelt Campus though the local outdoor classroom settings Next Steps provide an excellent learning environment, potential students may not want to tempo- The program is somewhat at risk due to rarily relocate to the Sunshine Coast. Find- funding uncertainties and enrolment issues. ing local year round employment opportu- The College hopes to continue the program nities has been frustrating to program to supply the technically qualified person- graduates forcing many to relocate for nel who can then form the basis of a reliable work. Cooperation between the College labour pool to work on projects in BC, Can- and local groups has been excellent and has ada, and internationally. Without well- proven to be a long lasting mutually benefi- qualified individuals, many community cial arrangement. mapping and stewardship programs would be at risk.

Project Outcomes Project Contacts The College’s Streamkeepers Workshop has Dr. Dave Bates formed the basis of the model being used by Capilano College, Sechelt Campus numerous training institutes. The work of Box 1609, Sechelt, B.C. Canada VON 3AO the College and its students has led to nu- Phone: 604-885-9310 Fax: 604-885-9350 merous publications and distribution of in- E-mail: [email protected] formation that is relevant and important to the protection of local watershed resources. Dave Bates has taught and delivered many Acknowledgements workshops in Canada and internationally. In the spring of 2002 he will be traveling to The College acknowledges the ongoing Malaysia where they want to adapt the support of F&OC (Grant McBain and his Streamkeepers model to meet their local technician, Jim Wilson), the Sechelt Indian environmental needs. Band Resource Management Department, and the excellent cooperation and communication between the various local govern- Recommendations for the Com- ment agencies. munity Mapping Network

Groups or organizations engaged in Com- munity Mapping projects should consider the possibility of partnering with College’s and other educational institutes. The col- laboration can be mutually beneficial and rewarding. Communication amongst these various groups can lead to new ideas, projects and possible collaborative efforts.

Efforts to diffuse quality control controver- sies by assisting with the standardization of techniques and methodology would be welcome. There have not been a lot of standards developed for foreshores and up- slope terrain.

Appendices

101

Appendix 1. Internet Sources of Environmental Data for Com- munity Groups and Regional Planners in British Columbia

The following is only a small selection from Langley Environmental Protection Society, an ever-growing list of organizations as- B.C. Conservation Foundation, Integrated sembling and distributing environmental Mapping Technologies Inc., Fraser River datasets for easy access by the public. Many Estuary Management Program, Comox of the following groups employ (or are Valley Project Watershed Society, City of moving towards) web sites with interactive Surrey GIS map interfaces that provide an under- standable geographic context for their data, Abstract: The Community Mapping Net- and allow the information to be used within work was created to display and describe formal planning exercises. Additionally, watershed-based community mapping some of the organizations presently ac- projects that are either in progress or have cessed through the umbrella of the Com- been completed, and to make this valuable munity Mapping Network now promote information available to both local and in- mapping functions that allow community ternational communities. This information members (with the appropriate qualifica- has been and will continue to be used for tions and password access) to directly con- land use planning purposes as well as a ve- tribute to developing databases by entering hicle for empowering community conser- new spatially-linked information directly vation and stewardship of natural re- over the internet. A fuller listing of infor- sources. mative environmental websites can be accessed at: A community mapping network is made up http://www.shim.bc.ca/links2.html. of a number of groups, organizations, and/or individuals that collect and map The listing of supporting partners provided similar information about their community. for each group is generally only a sample of Although standard methods of collecting the players involved in these undertakings. and mapping community information are The full partnerships are more fully detailed promoted, all community mapping projects, within the individual websites. regardless of methodology, are welcome to become part of the community mapping network. The aim of many of the mapping 1) Community Mapping Network projects is to collect inventory information for fish presence and habitat, wildlife, URL: http://www.shim.bc.ca/ mapped and unmapped streams and wetlands, sensitive areas, and possible restora- Supporting Partners: Fisheries and Oceans tion sites. Mapping typically takes place in Canada, Environment Canada (Canadian rural and urban communities where hu- Wildlife Service), B.C. Ministry of Water, mans land use may influence the riparian Land and Air Protection, Ministry of Energy areas. For each project the geographic loca- and Mines, Habitat Conservation Trust tion, and in some cases specific features, of Fund, Fraser Valley Regional District, Inner the project sites are shown on an interactive Coast Natural Resource Centre, The Real map. A detailed description of each project Estate Foundation of British Columbia, is also available, and outlines the project’s

103 Planning Sustainable Communities goals, methods, and status. Contact infor- V6B 5G3 mation for the organization(s) responsible Tel: (604) 666-7015 for each project is also provided, and inter- Email: [email protected] ested viewers are encouraged to contact the organization to ask questions or find out 2) Sensitive Ecosystems Inventory how they can get involved. Since many of Project (SEI) the community mapping projects are ongoing, information found in this atlas is URL: constantly being updated. Inventory and http://www.shim.bc.ca/sei/seimain.html mapping projects currently accessible through the Community Mapping Network Supporting Partners: Fisheries and Oceans include: Canada, Environment Canada (Canadian Wildlife Service), B.C. Ministry of Water, S Sensitive Habitat Inventory and Map- Land and Air Protection, B.C. Ministry of ping Project (SHIM) Sustainable Resource Management, Sun- S Wild, Threatened, Endangered and Lost shine Coast Regional District, Regional Streams of the Lower Fraser Valley District of Central Okanagan, Habitat Con- S Frogwatch Sighting Mapping Tool servation Trust Fund S Wildlife Observations Mapping Tool S Sensitive Ecosystems Inventory Abstract: The purpose of the Sensitive Eco- S Inner Coast Natural Resource Centre systems Inventory (SEI) project is to identify (ICNRC) Stream Observation Mapping remnants of rare and fragile terrestrial eco- Tool systems and to encourage land-use deci- S B.C. Wetlands Atlas sions that will ensure the continued integ- S Pacific Coastal Resources Atlas rity of these ecosystems. It is intended for S Upper Skeena Atlas use in a variety of land-use planning proc- S Watersheds B.C. Atlas esses. S South Coast Cutthroat Atlas S Bald Eagle and Heron Atlas Sensitive ecosystems are first identified on S Comox Valley Project Watershed aerial photographs. Identified sites are then S Community Mapping Network Direc- field checked to verify boundaries, classify, tory photograph and evaluate present conditions. This information is placed into a GIS Contacts: (Geographic Information System) database, Rob Knight and the maps are made available both in Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection hard copy and digital formats. Maps will be Lower Mainland Region at a 1:20,000 scale on the TRIM map base. 10470 152 St., Surrey, B.C. V3R 0Y3 SEI project staff work with local govern- Tel: (604) 582-5293 ments, landowners, developers and others Email: [email protected] to use existing tools and mechanisms to protect and conserve the sites identified. Brad Mason Every one of these sites is potentially a Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Habitat and valuable component of the area’s natural Enhancement Branch landscape. The SEI is a “flagging” tool that 360 - 555 West Hastings Vancouver, B.C. identifies sensitive ecosystems and provides scientific information and support to local

104 Appendix 1. Internet Data Sources for Community Groups and Planners governments and others who are trying to aquatic information using high-end global maintain biodiversity. positioning systems (GPS) and subsequent data incorporation into geographic infor- Contacts: mation systems (GIS). S Southeast Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands: This method attempts to ensure the collec- S http://srmwww.gov.bc.ca/cdc/sei/va tion and mapping of reliable, high quality, ncouverisland/information.htm current and spatially accurate information S Sunshine Coast: about local freshwater habitats and water- http://srmwww.gov.bc.ca/cdc/sei/sun courses. Watercourses in residential, com- shinecoast/contacts.htm mercial, agricultural, industrial and recrea- S Central Okanagan: tional land use areas in coastal British Co- Steve Gormley lumbia are the primary focus of this stan- Environmental Planner dard, but these methods can be applied for Regional District of Central Okanagan use across all areas of British Columbia. (250) 868-5257 These methods have been designed to capture information not currently identified or acknowledged in local/regional plans and 3) Sensitive Habitat Inventory and maps. SHIM is designed to provide the ba- Mapping (SHIM) sis for accurately mapped baseline data that can be integrated into local mapping and URL: planning initiatives. The mapping informa- http://www.shim.bc.ca/method2.html tion collected is intended to augment and potentially enhance local land use planning Supporting Partners: Fisheries and Oceans maps and/or specific site or detailed plan- Canada, Environment Canada (Canadian ning surveys. Wildlife Service), B.C. Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection, Ministry of Energy SHIM information can be applied to: and Mines, Habitat Conservation Trust S Fund, Fraser Valley Regional District, Inner Identify sensitive habitats for fish and Coast Natural Resource Centre, The Real wildlife along watercourses; S Estate Foundation of British Columbia, Assist in determining setbacks and Langley Environmental Protection Society, fish/wildlife-sensitive zones; S B.C. Conservation Foundation, Fraser River Help guide management decisions and Estuary Management Program, Comox priorities with respect to habitat resto- Valley Project Watershed Society ration and enhancement projects; S Assist in the design of storm water or Abstract: The Sensitive Habitat Inventory runoff management plans; S and Mapping (SHIM) method is intended as Monitor for changes in habitat resulting a standard for fish and aquatic mapping in from known disturbance; urban and rural watersheds in British Co- S Provide a means of highlighting areas lumbia. The principal objective is to iden- that may have problems with channel tify, inventory and map all watercourses, stability or water quality, and require their associated riparian habitats and im- more detailed study; portant fish and wildlife habitat features at S Identify and map point and non-point a scale of approximately 1:5000. SHIM sources of pollution; methodology involves field collection of

105 Planning Sustainable Communities

S Provide current information, not previ- V3R 0Y3 ously available to urban planners, to al- Tel: (604) 582-5293 low more informed planning decisions Email: [email protected] and provide inventory information for Official Community Plans; Brad Mason S Provide baseline mapping data for fu- Project Co-ordinator ture monitoring activities; Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Habitat and S Map and identify the extent of riparian Enhancement Branch vegetation available and used by wild- 360 - 555 West Hastings Vancouver, B.C. life and fisheries resources; V6B 5G3 S Provide preliminary data for analyses Tel: (604) 666-7015 which can be used to indicate potential Email: [email protected] trends in resources that may require further study; S Integrate new map information with 4) Sensitive Habitat Atlases existing TRIM and municipal planning maps; URLs: S Contribute information towards an in- S http://www.shim.bc.ca/sens_hab_atlas ventory of fish distribution and limiting es.htm factors to watershed based fish produc- S http://www.user.dccnet.com/ctrent/ tion; S http://www.naturalareasatlas.ca S Assist in understanding urban water S http://www.fvrd.bc.ca/growth/RGS_Co runoff patterns and help determine ar- ncepts/Habitat_Atlas/habitat_atlas.html eas of impervious surfaces in urban watersheds. Supporting Partners: Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ministry of Environment Lands During the past five years local communi- and Parks, Comox-Strathcona Regional ties have performed trials and reviews of District, Sunshine Coast Regional District, SHIM methods to collect and integrate ac- Fisheries Renewal, Urban Salmon Habitat curate and precise watercourse information. Program, Habitat Conservation and Stew- At least 30 separate community SHIM ardship Program, Real Estate Foundation of based mapping projects have been com- British Columbia, Veins of Life Watershed pleted throughout the Georgia Basin and Society, South Island Aquatic Stewardship west coast Vancouver Island. Two work- Society, Islands Trust, City of Victoria shops have also been held in Nanaimo and Abbotsford to review the status of all SHIM Abstract: The Sensitive Habitat Atlases are mapping projects, consider potential data land planning, computer-generated tools gaps, review and improve methods, and that identify sensitive aquatic and terrestrial provide recommendation for future method habitats within a district. A Sensitive Habi- development. tat Atlas consists of several map layers: the backdrop consists of an up-to-date aerial Contacts: photograph. This is overlaid with property Rob Knight boundaries, land parcels, and road net- Project Co-ordinator works. Additional overlays include land use Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection information and the locations of sensitive Lower Mainland Region resources compiled from existing informa- 10470 152 St., Surrey, B.C. tion sources and through interpretation of

106 Appendix 1. Internet Data Sources for Community Groups and Planners aerial photographs. Colour-coding of the and Saanich Regional Districts. A new gen- resources facilitates their identification. By eration of Sensitive Habitat Atlases are cur- combining resource information from a va- rently being developed for the Sunshine riety of sources the Atlases provide a strong Coast, Fraser Valley and Capital Regional foundation for integrated resource man- Districts. These Habitat Atlases will be cre- agement and planning in urban areas. The ated as digital Geographic Information development of Habitat Atlases is the rec- System (GIS) databases. The database will ognized initial step towards the protection provide constantly up-dated information to of natural areas. These atlases are one of the planners, developers, government organi- primary tools used by local government zations, municipalities, First Nations, com- planners and engineers who are responsible munity organizations and local businesses, for making day-to-day decisions regarding enabling them to make informed land use land use and development in and around and stewardship decisions in support of the environmentally significant landscapes. An protection, enhancement, and restoration of atlas can locate and describe natural areas fish habitat and sensitive ecosystems. in relation to property boundaries, road networks and other cadastral information. Some of the themes to be included in these In this respect, natural areas atlases are ex- new Atlases are: all water courses and asso- cellent ‘flagging devices’ for planners, con- ciated information (enhancements, obstruc- sultants, architects, engineers and the de- tions, artificial modifications), fish presence velopment community to inform them that and species information, parks and pro- further study of a proposed development or tected areas, and land use. These themes activity may be required. These atlases also will serve to identify the location of impor- provide essential background information tant habitat and its relation to other fea- for tasks such as defining setbacks on wa- tures. The Atlases will provide accurate tercourses and can also be used to compli- mapping for enforcement of the Fish Pro- ment land use bylaws and Official Commu- tection Act (including the Streamside Pro- nity Plans (OCPs). tection Regulation), the Forest Practices Code, the Water Act, the Land Develop- In addition to resource and land use plan- ment Guidelines, and the Local Govern- ning, government and non-government ment Act. agencies and community groups are able to use the atlas to highlight and prioritize ar- Contacts: eas that may be in need of protection Brad Mason and/or restoration. By compiling informa- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, tion from a wide variety of sources and Habitat and Enhancement Branch making it easily accessible, the Natural Ar- 360 - 555 West Hastings Vancouver, B.C. eas Atlas will become an essential education V6B 5G3 and information tool for land use planning Tel: (604) 666-7015 decision-makers and the public. Email: [email protected]

The Atlases may also be readily incorpo- Rob Knight rated into habitat resource databases and Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection used in geographic information systems. Lower Mainland Region The first generation of Sensitive Habitat 10470 152 St., Surrey, B.C. Atlases were produced in the late 1990’s for V3R 0Y3 the Comox-Strathcona, Nanaimo, Squamish Tel: (604) 582-5293

107 Planning Sustainable Communities

Email: [email protected] Stewards (WITS), a stewardship initiative of the Vancouver Island Region of the Federa- Cheryl Trent tion of B.C. Naturalists (FBCN). Volunteers Habitat Steward document the location and monitor use of Sunshine Coast wildlife trees. Landowners provide access Gibsons, B.C. to, and information regarding, their trees. Tel: (604) 886-7705 The Wildlife Tree database and interactive Email: [email protected] GIS display system are maintained by the Community Mapping Network. New and Matthew Tutsch spatially accurate wildlife tree locations and Habitat Steward associated information can be entered by Environmental Services qualified community members with appro- Storm Water Quality Program priate password clearance. The goal is to Capital Regional District conserve dwindling coastal wildlife tree 524 Yates St. PO Box 1000 habitats through volunteer monitoring, Victoria, B.C. landowner agreements, and community V8W 2S6 education along the Strait of Georgia on Tel: 250-360-3203 Vancouver Island. Of particular concern are Fax: 250-360-3047 mature coastal trees and mixed tree stands Email: [email protected] with documented high levels of wildlife use. Volunteer wildlife tree stewards and Regional Growth Strategy Coordinator cooperative landowners are crucial to this Fraser Valley Regional District initiative. The WiTS initiative is built on the 8430 Cessna Drive results of a decade of fieldwork conducted Chilliwack, B.C. on Great Blue Herons (a threatened species V2P 7K4 in B.C.) and on Bald Eagles by Vancouver Tel: 250-702-5000 Island naturalists and biologists. This new Fax: (604) 792-9684 initiative is expanding to include trees and Email: [email protected] habitat important to other wildlife species.

Contacts: 5) Vancouver Island Wildlife Tree Kerri-Lynne Wilson Atlas FBCN Wildlife Tree Stewardship Coordi- nator URL: (250) 746-3803 http://www.shim.bc.ca/eagle/main.htm [email protected]

Supporting Partners: Community Mapping Network, Vancouver Island Region FBCN, 6) Fisheries Data Warehouse Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS), Ministry of Water, Land, and Air Protection URL: (MWLAP), BC Hydro, Cowichan Commu- http://www.shim.bc.ca/shim/main.htm nity Land Trust (CCLT), Land Trust Alli- or ance of B.C. (LTABC). http://www.bcfisheries.gov.bc.ca/fishinv/

Abstract: The Vancouver Wildlife Tree At- las has been developed by the Wildlife Tree

108 Appendix 1. Internet Data Sources for Community Groups and Planners

Supporting Partners: B.C. Ministry of Sus- First Nations, Kwakintl Traditional Fisher- tainable Resource Management, Fisheries ies Commission, Sayward Chamber of and Oceans Canada Commerce, Town of Port McNeil, Village of Alert Bay, Village of Port Alice, District of Abstract: The Fisheries Data Warehouse Port Hardy, Ecotrust Canada, U’Mista provides access to federal-provincial fish- Cultural Society, VINVA, Community Fu- eries datasets compiled under the Canada- tures Development Corporation, Intergraph B.C. Agreement on the Management of Pa- Canada cific Salmon Fishery Issues. All data are linked to “active” maps and to standard ta- Abstract: The Inner Coast Natural Resource bles and reports that allow you to choose Centre (ICNRC) was created to provide a detailed information from any location. The forum for North Island Communities to simple map-based interface allows easy ac- recognize, enhance and sustain social, cul- cess to the most recent information from tural, economic, and environmental values. government data sets that include: The ICNRC has gathered local information pertaining to the marine and watershed S Salmon Escapement: data from Fisher- ecosystems of the region, including their ies and Oceans Canada geology and forests, fish and wildlife. This S B.C. Watershed Atlas: detailed 1:50,000 information has been built into an interac- maps of watersheds, stream networks tive on-line stream habitat data entry and and lakes mapping tool primarily for the use of S Fisheries Information Summary System Northern Vancouver Island Stewardship (FISS): summarized fish, fish habitat Groups. New information put into the and resource use data for over 27,400 ICNRC streams database is instantly provincial streams and lakes viewable as points or zones on the maps S B.C. Lakes and Release Records: physi- and associated data reports. The stream cal, chemical, and fish data for over habitat database is to be used as a tool in 3,500 lakes setting priorities for restoration projects in S Release Records: hatchery fish stocking the Combined North Island Fisheries Center data area and to catalogue new fisheries related S Lake Depth Maps: for over 2,500 lakes. information collected by local stewardship S FFHI Reports: provincial fish and fish groups and individuals. habitat reports and associated data files Contact: Contact: Inner Coast Natural Resource Centre Email: [email protected] PO Box 9 Alert Bay, B.C. V0N 1A0 7) Inner Coast Natural Resource Tel: (250) 974-2805 Centre (ICNRC) Fax: (250) 974-2806 Email: [email protected] URL: http://www.shim.bc.ca/icnrc2/main.htm 8) B.C. Coastal Resources Atlas Supporting Partners: Fisheries and Oceans Canada, B.C. Ministry of Water, Land and URL: Air Protection, Ministry of Forests, Namgis http://www.shim.bc.ca/coastal2/main.htm

109 Planning Sustainable Communities

9) Wild, Threatened, Endangered Supporting Partners: Community Mapping and Lost Streams of the Lower Network Fraser Valley

Abstract: The B.C. Coastal Resources Atlas URL: has been designed to display the data from http://www.shim.bc.ca/shim/main.htm a series of inventories undertaken to identify the location of commercial and recrea- Abstract: This map and database product tional fishing activity on the coast of British evaluated the condition of streams in the Columbia. The application is intended for Lower Fraser Valley and classified them as general interest and land use planning pur- lost, endangered, threatened, or wild, based poses. Areas of activity for a given fishery on the number and types of impacts on the are represented as a series of polygon stream, including channelization, water di- themes with common data structures. Each version, removal or alteration of riparian polygon represents an area where a par- vegetation, and pollution. Information on ticular type of fishery operates, with timing stream condition was derived from many and intensity of use specific to that location. sources—maps, airphotos, reports, various The marine fisheries data were compiled databases and interviews with field work- through interviews with DFO Fisheries Of- ers. The methodology also involved com- ficers and Biologists and were performed by parison of historical maps and surveyor several contractors. field notes, circa the 1860’s, with contempo- rary National Topographic System (NTS) The coastal resources covered by this data maps (1:20,000 and 1:50,000) in order to set include: identify streams that are no longer present in the lower Fraser Valley. 1. marine invertebrates: Abalone, crabs, geoduck, octopus, prawn, scallop, sea The assembled information can be used at a cucumber, shrimp, sea urchins, squid; strategic level for determining needs for 2. marine fish: anchovy, groundfish, her- habitat protection and restoration for en- ring; dangered and threatened streams which 3. anadromous fish: salmon still have the potential to produce viable 4. recreational fisheries: Abalone, crab, populations of salmon and other species of fishing, prawn, scallop, squid fish. Using the SHIM maps and data entry function on the CMN website, individual Contact: streams can be queried for watercourse Brad Mason classifications and downloading of either Fisheries and Oceans Canada, simple or detailed stream classification re- Habitat and Enhancement Branch ports. Additionally, qualified individuals in 360 - 555 West Hastings Vancouver, B.C. the community (with appropriate password V6B 5G3 access) can enter the site directly over the Tel: (604) 666-7015 internet, and update/edit the Lost Streams Email: [email protected] database and associated map linework with the most current information.

Contact: Joanne Day

110 Appendix 1. Internet Data Sources for Community Groups and Planners

Information Co-ordinator, ceive this information and make it available Habitat & Enhancement Branch, for amphibian conservation. Biologists, Fisheries & Oceans Canada, naturalists, teachers and students are all 360-555 W. Hastings Street, Vancouver, B.C. working together, and sharing their infor- V6B 5G3. mation across B.C. and Canada. Tel: (604) 666-6614 Email: [email protected] Contact: BC FrogWatch Wildlife Branch 10) B.C. FrogWatch Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection PO Box 9374, Stn Prov Gov URL: Victoria, B.C. V8W 9M4 http://www.shim.bc.ca/frog/main.htm Phone: (250) 387-9755 or Fax: (250) 356-9145 http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/wld/frogwatc Email: [email protected] h/index.htm 11) Conservation Data Centre Supporting Partners: Habitat Conservation (CDC) Trust Fund (HCTF), B.C. Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection (MWLAP) Wildlife URL: Branch, B.C. Ministry of Sustainable Re- http://srmwww.gov.bc.ca/cdc/index.htm source Management (MSRM) Inventory Branches and Conservation Data Centre, Supporting Partners: B.C. Ministry of Sus- Environmental Monitoring and Assessment tainable Resource Management, Nature- Network (EMAN) Serve

Abstract: BC FrogWatch is a program to Abstract: The British Columbia Conserva- collect information on frog and toad popu- tion Data Centre (CDC) systematically col- lations in British Columbia. The program lects and disseminates information on the will soon expand to include salamanders. rare and endangered plants, animals and The website contains lists of the amphibians plant communities of British Columbia. This to be found in each area of B.C. and this in- information is compiled and maintained in formation is stored and accessed through an a computerized database that provides a interactive GIS system. Information has centralized and scientific source of infor- been derived from museum collections and mation on the status, locations and level of government records to determine the his- protection of these rare organisms and eco- torical distributions of the species, but vol- systems. Information accessible through the unteer input is used to assess current range CDC includes: and species movements. The Ministry of Water, Land, Air and Water Protection 1. Species Tracking Lists (names, conserva- maintains the Oracle database that stores tion status ranks and Red or Blue List status the assembled information; the Community of animal/plant communities) Mapping Network (CMN) maintains the 2. Element Occurrence Reports (individual, GIS interface that allows display of the data verified locations for rare species or plant and (with proper password access) updat- communities in a requested geographic ing of frog records directly over the inter- area) net. Government Supporting Partners re-

111 Planning Sustainable Communities

3. Species/Plant Association Summary Re- search, restoration and enhancement, reports (all verified locations in the province source use planning, stewardship and eco- for an individual species, group of species nomic development. The purposes of the or plant communities) Registry are: to identify who is doing what 4. Detailed Individual Occurrence Records where, using which standards or methods; (all the information recorded for a single co-ordinate projects and activities; promote species or natural plant community occur- partnerships among organizations; and re- rence) duce project duplication. The Registry con- 5. Electronic files (DBase files and digital tains projects approved by funding Sup- ArcView shapefiles) porting Partners or sponsoring organiza- Contact: tions, giving other individuals and groups B.C. Conservation Data Centre the ability to quickly and easily identify and Ministry of Sustainable Resource Manage- get basic information about projects in any ment watershed or within any stream, lake, wet- P.O. Box 9993 Station Provincial Govern- land or marine statistical area/sub area. It is ment planned that the existing FPR will be Victoria, B.C. V8W 9R7 merged into a consolidated Natural Re- [email protected] sources Project registry in the coming year.

Contact: 12) Fisheries Project Registry Cheryl Lynch (FPR) FPR Manager Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Habitat and URL: http://www.canbcdw.pac.dfo- Enhancement Branch mpo.gc.ca/FPR/Qf_Welcome.asp 360 - 555 West Hastings Vancouver, B.C. V6B 5G3 Supporting Partners: Fisheries and Oceans Tel: (604) 666- 7980 Canada, B.C. Ministry of Land, Air and Water Protection, B.C. Ministry of Sustain- Email: [email protected] able Resource Management, Fisheries Re- newal BC, Forest Renewal BC (Resource Inventory and Watershed Restoration Pro- 13) Pacific Streamkeepers Federa- grams), Habitat Conservation Trust Fund, tion (PSKF) Urban Salmon Habitat Program, Habitat Restoration and Salmon Enhancement Pro- URL: http://www.pskf.ca/ gram, Pacific Streamkeepers Federation, Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Compen- Supporting Partners: Fisheries and Oceans sation Program, Peace Williston Fish and Canada Wildlife Compensation Program, BC Hydro Abstract: The Pacific Streamkeepers Fed- Abstract: The Fisheries Project Registry eration (PSKF) is a non-profit society help- (FPR) is a map-enabled database manage- ing individuals take action through support, ment system, accessible on the Internet, education and building partnerships. PSKF which tracks minimum data about the ex- assists British Columbians in improving istence, general nature, location and key their communities by helping them become contacts for specific categories of fisheries- involved in their local streams and water- related projects including: inventory, re- sheds. Streamkeepers offers training on

112 Appendix 1. Internet Data Sources for Community Groups and Planners procedures to assess, monitor and protect presents an intertidal surveying methodol- local streams. The Streamkeepers method- ogy. The method is presented in a logical ology is scientifically sound, and uses every step-by-step manner starting from selecting day English, so non-professionals can un- a study area through each type of meas- derstand it. The Streamkeepers Central Da- urement to entering the field data into the tabase allows information gathered using database, to final map and report genera- the Streamkeepers methodology to be up- tion. To detect gradual changes to habitats loaded and queried, and customized reports and local biodiversity Shorekeepers gener- can generated, all via the Internet. The da- ates long term datasets by collecting de- tabase works hand in hand with the tailed data annually at the same site(s) for 3 Streamkeepers Handbook and Modules. or more years. Shorekeepers is a rigorous The streamkeepers methods do not repre- monitoring methodology using standard sent a direct mapping protocol per se, and survey methods at all sites. have been designed primarily for use in inventory and monitoring. Coupling the ex- Contact: isting information with a GIS system would Brian Smiley be a useful dimension in future develop- Shorekeepers Co-ordinator ments of the Streamkeeper database. PO Box 6000, 9860 West Saanich Road Sidney, B.C. Contact: V8L 4B2 Zo Ann Morten Tel: (250) 363-6551 Streamkeepers Co-ordinator Email: [email protected] 720 Orwell Street, North Vancouver, B.C. V7J 2G3 Tel: 1-800-723-7753 15) Reefkeepers Tel/Fax: 604-986-5059. Email: [email protected] URL: http://www-sci.pac.dfo- mpo.gc.ca/protocol/reefkeepers/

14) Shorekeepers Supporting Partners: Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Royal British Columbia Museum, URL: http://www-sci.pac.dfo- PADI Project AWARE mpo.gc.ca/protocol/shorekeepers/ Abstract: Reefkeepers is a protocol for non- Supporting Partners: Fisheries and Oceans professionals, certified and experienced in Canada scuba diving, to survey and monitor subtidal habitats. The data collected is intended Abstract: Shorekeepers is a monitoring for use by resource managers, environ- methodology designed specifically for mental biologists, and marine researchers, community groups and for people who may who are monitoring and assessing long- not have a strong science background to be term changes in marine communities. Reef- able to contribute to scientific data collec- keepers is a rigorous subtidal survey meth- tion. Having local community groups and odology, with data collected in the same individuals take an active role in looking way at all sites over time. To detect gradual after their coastline fosters “local owner- changes in subtidal habitats and local ship” and interest. The Shorekeepers’ Guide biodiversity. Reefkeepers is designed to developed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada collect detailed data at regular frequent in-

113 Planning Sustainable Communities tervals at the same site for 5 or more years. and for raising awareness of wetlands. The The goal is to enable interested non- intended steps are: professional individuals and community 1. Initial Wetland Assessment groups to obtain standardized, credible data 2. Survey of Wetland Plants over time from a specific physical site—and 3. Survey of Wetland Birds use these data to document and evaluate 4. Developing and implementing a Public the nature of change, if any, that is occur- Education Program ring. Once project data are entered into the 5. Marsh Cleanup Reefkeepers database, various summary reports can be created. Coastal stewardship Contact: involves the voluntary conservation of Theresa Southam natural marine resources and habitat. Hav- Provincial Co-ordinator ing local community groups and individu- Wetland Keepers als take an active role in looking after their Email: [email protected] coastline fosters “local ownership” and interest. 17) Environmental Trends in Brit- Contact: ish Columbia Gaye Sihin Reefkeepers Co-ordinator URL: Pacific Shorekeepers & Reefkeepers Asso- http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/soerpt/index. ciation html Email: [email protected] Supporting Partners: Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection 16) WetlandKeepers Abstract: Steady population growth in URL: British Columbia, combined with high rates http://www.bcwf.bc.ca/programs/wetlan of consumption and waste generation, place ds/wetlands.html stress on the environment. By incorporating environmental concerns into all decisions, Supporting Partners: B.C. Wildlife Federa- we can reduce this stress and promote tion sustainability. The State of Environment Reporting Office provides timely, accurate, Abstract: WetlandKeepers is a program and easily understood information on envi- aimed at teaching individuals and commu- ronmental conditions and trends in B.C. nity groups across British Columbia to in- that encourages better decision-making. ventory and monitor local habitats. Many of the participants in the Wetlandkeepers pro- The objectives of the State of Environment gram are working towards wetland conser- Reporting Office are to provide a compre- vation in their communities and the pro- hensive analysis of environmental condi- gram is planning to build a network of tions and trends and to measure progress mentors throughout the province. The towards sustainability, and to contribute to WetlandKeepers program outlines step by informed and open decision-making. These step procedures for conducting wetland in- objectives are served through the develop- ventories, cleaning-up saltwater marshes ment and regular release of environmental

114 Appendix 1. Internet Data Sources for Community Groups and Planners indicators and the production of periodic, as more recent information becomes avail- comprehensive reports. able. The key indicators that are tracked include: Information on the individual environmental indicators for the province, along S Marine ecosystems with supporting data, can be accessed at the S Biodiversity (selected species) Internet site. Environmental indicators that S Sensitive ecosystems are monitored for British Columbia include: S Toxic contaminants S protected areas S Climate change S water use S Urban air quality S air quality S Stratospheric ozone depletion S species at risk S Urban water use and wastewater treat- S domestic waste ment S greenhouse gases S Freshwater quality S wildlife S forest species Contact: S fish Environment Canada S climate change Ecosystem Information S riparian ecosystems Email: [email protected] S surface water quality S groundwater S toxic contaminants 19) Community Involvement Proj- S green economy ects

URL: 18) Environmental Indicators—Pa- http://www-heb.pac.dfo- cific and Yukon Region mpo.gc.ca/english/community/advisor.htm

URL: Supporting Partners: Fisheries and Oceans http://www.ecoinfo.org/env_ind/default.htm Canada

Supporting Partners: Environment Canada Abstract: The Community Involvement Di- vision of the Habitat & Enhancement Abstract: Environmental Canada maintains Branch was established by Fisheries and information on a dynamic set of environ- Oceans Canada to foster the expressed de- mental indicators on priority issues for sire of the people of B.C. for stewardship which Environment Canada maintains over the resource. Specifically, people from monitoring programs. The indicators de- communities throughout the province scribe the state of the environment for par- wanted locally based enhancement efforts ticular issues in a scientifically concise and in which they could participate directly. easily understood manner. The indicators Many local groups are working to try to re- are described by answering the four state of verse the declines through enhancement, the environment questions: what’s hap- stream restoration, and protection of pening, why is it happening, why is it sig- salmon streams from further damage. The nificant and what is being done. All indica- Community Involvement site lists and de- tors will be updated on an on-going basis, scribes related project proponents, loca-

115 Planning Sustainable Communities tions, activities, dates, and targeted fish 21) Important Bird Areas of Canada species. (IBA)

Contact: URL: http://www.ibacanada.com/ Joanne Day Supporting Partners: Bird Studies Canada, Information Co-ordinator Canadian Nature Federation (CNF-FCN)), Fisheries and Oceans Canada Birdlife International, Weyerhaeuser, Pacific Region Wildlife Habitat Canada, Alberta Conser- Habitat & Enhancement Branch vation Association Tel: 604-666-6614 Abstract: The IBA process is designed to Fax 604-666-0417 identify a network of sites that conserve the Email: [email protected] natural diversity of Canadian bird species and are critical for the long-term viability of 20) Bird Studies Canada naturally occurring bird populations. For each identified site protection or steward- URL: http://www.bsc-eoc.org/regional.html ship requirements are determined, and Supporting Partners: Ontario Trillium partnerships are developed with local Foundation, Ontario Ministry of Natural stakeholders to implement appropriate on- Resources, Habitat Conservation Trust the-ground conservation plans. Sites are Fund, Vancouver Foundation, British Co- identified using a set of standardized and lumbia Field Ornithologists internationally agreed upon criteria that have gained worldwide recognition. IBAs Abstract: Bird Studies Canada is recognized can be identified under four main catego- nation-wide as a leading and respected not- ries: sites regularly holding significant for-profit conservation organization dedi- numbers of threatened species; sites regu- cated to advancing the understanding, ap- larly holding endemic species or species preciation and conservation of wild birds with restricted ranges; sites regularly hold- and their habitats, in Canada and else- ing an assemblage of species largely re- where, through studies that engage the stricted to a biome or a unique or threat- skills, enthusiasm and support of its mem- ened community type; and sites where bers, volunteers, staff and the interested birds congregate in significant numbers public. Wherever possible, regional projects when breeding, in winter, or during migra- have a large, and very important, volunteer tion. component. Current programs in British Columbia include the British Columbia The identification of important bird habitat Coastal Waterbird Survey and the British is a necessary first step in establishing Columbia Nocturnal Owl Survey. habitat-based priorities in bird conservation. The designation of a network of sites Contact: can help decision-makers focus their efforts Dick Cannings and protect the most critical bird habitat. B.C. Programs, Bird Studies Canada The program is inclusive and identifies im- S11, C96, RR#1 portant sites for all groups of birds. It inte- Naramata, B.C., V0H 1N0 grates aquatic and terrestrial habitat con- Telephone/fax: 1-250-496-4049 servation by protecting seabird, shorebird, Email: [email protected] landbird, and waterfowl habitat. Most importantly, the program is community- driven, and cooperative. It relies on grass-

116 Appendix 1. Internet Data Sources for Community Groups and Planners roots involvement to develop and imple- Contact: ment effective conservation plans. The pro- Ecological Monitoring and Assessment gram will also help generate widespread Network Coordinating Office public awareness about birds and will help Environment Canada build partnerships at all levels: interna- Canada Centre for Inland Waters tional, national, provincial, and local. 867 Lakeshore Road Contacts: Burlington, Ontario, Canada L7R 4A6 IBA Technical Coordinator Tel: 905-336-4414 Tel: 519-586-3531 Fax: 905-336-4499 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] 22) Wormwatch 23) The B.C. Stewardship Centre URL: URL: http://www.stewardshipcentre.org http://www.naturewatch.ca/english/wor mwatch/ Supporting Partners: Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Environment Canada, Ministry of Supporting Partners: Environment Canada, Water, Land and Air Protection, Habitat Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Envi- Conservation Trust Fund, Ministry of Sus- ronmental Monitoring and Assessment tainable Resource Management, Ministry of Network (EMAN), Science Alberta Founda- Transportation, Ministry of Municipal Af- tion, Lethbridge Research Centre, SCLINKS, fairs, BC Hydro, Provincial Capital Com- Canadian Nature Federation (CNF-FCN) mission Abstract: Worm Watch is part of a national Abstract: There is an increasing awareness volunteer monitoring program designed to of the importance of stewardship. Better help identify ecological changes that may be decisions require information and technical affecting our environment. Using monitor- advice, and there is a need for improved ing methods created by scientists working access to information and advice on stew- with Environment Canada’s Ecological ardship in British Columbia. Many people Monitoring and Assessment Network simply lack the information and the tools (EMAN), it allows Canadians of all ages to they need to carry on their activities sensi- participate in discovering how—and more tively. In B.C. over the last few years, a importantly, why—our natural environ- number of Supporting Partners and organi- ment is changing. Worm Watch is designed zations have cooperated in creating the to get everyone (gardeners, naturalists, Stewardship Series—a world-class series of farmers and schoolchildren etc.) contribut- publications that offer such stewardship ing information about soil biodiversity. The information to landowners, developers, data received from volunteers will be used volunteers, professionals, local govern- to create a Canadian database of earthworm ments and Supporting Partners. A large species and habitat distribution and may body of information has been gathered— lead to the use of earthworms as indicators not only in the Stewardship Series but also of soil changes. The information is entered in other initiatives. But there is a need to into a national database for creation of in- bring all information together in one central teractive maps showing the species present place—and then to make sure that informa- at observation sites and the location of other tion is accessible and gets out to the right Worm Watch volunteers across Canada. people. The Stewardship Centre endeav-

117 Planning Sustainable Communities ours to get critical stewardship information Stewardship Centre Administrator and conservation tools into the hands of all Email: people who touch the land. [email protected] Contact:

118 Appendix 2. Guide to Acronyms Used

CMN ...... Community Mapping Network CVCDP..... Cedar Valley Comprehensive Development Plan DFO...... Fisheries and Oceans Canada FISS...... Fisheries Information Summary System FRBC...... Forest Renewal BC FsRBC...... Fisheries Renewal BC FSZ ...... Fisheries Sensitive Zone FVRD...... Fraser Valley Regional District GIS ...... geographic information system GPS ...... global positioning system GVRD...... Greater Vancouver Regional District HRDC...... Human Resources Development Canada LEPS...... Langley Environmental Partners Society MAFF...... Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries MDP...... Master Drainage Plan MELP ...... Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks MWLAP ... Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection NTS...... National Topographic System OCP...... Official Community Plan RAMS...... Regional Aquatic Management Society RIC ...... Resources Inventory Committee SHIM ...... Sensitive Habitat Inventory and Mapping ToB...... Top of Bank TRIM ...... Terrain Resource Information Management UBC...... University of British Columbia UCFV ...... University College of the Fraser Valley USHP ...... Urban Salmon Habitat Program WMP...... Watershed Management Plan WRMS ...... Water Resources Management Strategy

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