Shuswap River Watershed Sustainability Plan
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Shuswap River Watershed Sustainability Plan April, 2014 Prepared by the Regional District of the North Okanagan 2 Executive Summary The Shuswap River Watershed is highly regarded by community members that live within or access the Watershed for resources and recreation. Members of the community strongly believe that the Watershed should be protected and managed in a respectful, sustainable manner. The Shuswap River Watershed Sustainability Plan highlights the values, concerns and areas of interest of community members. The plan contains a set of five goals, nineteen objectives and one hundred and fourteen strategies that fall into the categories of Land Use and the Natural Environment; Recreation; Interagency Relations, Roles and Responsibilities; and Education & Awareness. These objectives and strategies have been developed to support the sustainable management of the Shuswap River Watershed and achieve the desired future vision for the area: Vision Statement: Working inclusively to sustain a healthy, resilient watershed where ecosystems are protected and restored and environmental and cultural values are respected ensuring that fish, wildlife, habitat and people thrive, today and into the future. The importance of the Shuswap River to the region is significant. Ecologically, economically, socially and culturally it is a valued resource. It supports timber and agricultural resources, hydropower generation, traditional food and medicinal resources and a wide range of recreational opportunities. It is home to a diverse range of ecosystems and several provincially and federally listed threatened and endangered species. The Shuswap River Watershed has high biodiversity especially in areas where riparian ecosystems are still extensive and occur in close proximity to diverse upland habitats. With respect to fisheries the Shuswap River and Watershed in its entirety (including the Shuswap Lakes and other tributaries) is one of the most important salmon-producing systems in British Columbia. It provides habitat and spawning grounds for a wide variety of resident and anadromous (sea run) fish species. The Shuswap River Watershed Sustainability Plan is a key resource for advocating local concerns and areas of interest in the Shuswap River Watershed. It provides a non-regulatory guidance document to make informed and integrated decisions regarding the Watershed. Implementation of the plan will require collaboration between the general public, local, provincial and federal agencies, First Nations and local stewardship groups. Contents Introduction / Project Background ....................................................................................................... 4 Purpose of the SRWSP .......................................................................................................................... 4 Scope of the Plan .................................................................................................................................. 5 Shuswap River Watershed Profile ........................................................................................................ 5 Human Activities ................................................................................................................................... 7 Stewardship Groups and Organizations ................................................................................................ 8 Planning Framework ............................................................................................................................. 8 Guiding Principles ................................................................................................................................. 9 Shuswap River Watershed Plan Development Process ...................................................................... 10 Phase I ................................................................................................................................................. 10 Technical Assessment of the Shuswap River Watershed Golder Associates ...................................... 10 Phase II ................................................................................................................................................ 11 Working Groups .................................................................................................................................. 11 Technical Advisory Committee ........................................................................................................... 12 Phase III ............................................................................................................................................... 12 Vision Statement for the Shuswap River Watershed.................................................................................. 12 The Shuswap River Watershed Sustainability Plan Goals ........................................................................... 12 Goal 1: Water Quality & Quantity ..................................................................................................... 12 Goal 2: Ecosystems and Biodiversity .................................................................................................. 12 Goal 3: Recreation .............................................................................................................................. 12 Goal 4: Interagency Relations, Roles and Responsibilities .................................................................. 12 Goal 5: Education and Awareness ...................................................................................................... 13 Okanagan Indian Band Values and Concerns within the Shuswap River Watershed ................................. 14 Results/ Feedback ............................................................................................................................... 18 Water Quality ...................................................................................................................................... 18 Habitat ................................................................................................................................................ 18 Spawning/Salmon ............................................................................................................................... 18 Ecosystem............................................................................................................................................ 18 Riparian ............................................................................................................................................... 19 1 Watershed ........................................................................................................................................... 19 Process ................................................................................................................................................ 19 Education ............................................................................................................................................ 20 Vision Statement ................................................................................................................................. 20 Priorities .............................................................................................................................................. 20 Splatsin Comments on the State of the Watershed ................................................................................... 22 Background ......................................................................................................................................... 23 The Splatsin People and the Shuswap River Watershed .................................................................... 23 Comments on the Current Situation of the Watershed ..................................................................... 24 The overall Health of the Ecosystem .................................................................................................. 24 Access and Traffic on the River ........................................................................................................... 24 Timer Harvesting within the Watershed ............................................................................................. 24 Agriculture .......................................................................................................................................... 25 Archaeological (Heritage) Resources .................................................................................................. 25 Conclusion / Recommendations ......................................................................................................... 25 Shuswap River Watershed Sustainability Plan Objectives & Strategies ..................................................... 27 Land Use and the Natural Environment ............................................................................................. 27 Water Quality ...................................................................................................................................... 27 Water Quantity ................................................................................................................................... 28 Land Uses ............................................................................................................................................ 28 Ecosystems & Biodiversity