Local Fish and Wildlife Projects Receive $175,000

For Immediate Release May 5, 2014

SQUAMISH – Fish and wildlife projects in the Cheakamus River Watershed and Clowhom Lake area being given close to $175,000 through the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program (FWCP).

The Squamish River Watershed Society will use the funds to create spawning and rearing habitat for Coho, Chinook, Pink and Chum Salmon, as well as Cutthroat and Steelhead Trout in the Cheakamus River. The Clowhom Lake project will help conserve Western Screech Owls, Northern Goshawks, bats and wetlands.

Projects funded in Squamish area watersheds start this spring and conclude by early 2015. They are among 31 fish and wildlife projects approved for more than $1.7 million in funding this year in the FWCP’s Coastal Region, which includes the Squamish area. Learn more at www.fwcp.ca.

QUOTES: Jordan Sturdy, MLA for West Vancouver-Sea to Sky “The natural resource wealth of British Columbia is what built this province and what will sustain us in the future. The Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program recognizes the need to support and enhance habitats so that our natural heritage will continue to benefit our province for generations to come.”

Brian Assu, Chair, FWCP – Coastal Region Board "Salmon stocks are of great importance to First Nations and others, and these projects will support stocks in local watersheds. We are fortunate to have strong working partnerships with conservation groups and others working to make a real difference in these watersheds.”

Patrice Rother, Manager, Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program “We are pleased with the interest in the FWCP and the quality of project proposals that support the FWCP vision of thriving populations in watersheds that are functioning and sustainable.”

A few facts about the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program • The Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program funds conservation and enhancement projects in the Coastal, Columbia River and Peace River regions. The Coastal Region includes Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and the Southern Interior.

• In 2014, the FWCP will provide more than $7 million towards more than 80 fish and wildlife projects province-wide in its Coastal, Columbia and Peace regions.

• FWCP funds are provided by BC Hydro and managed in a partnership with the Province of British Columbia, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, First Nations and the public to conserve and enhance fish and wildlife impacted by the creation of BC Hydro dams.

• Funding applications are received each fall and reviewed annually in the Coastal Region by technical committees and FWCP Coastal Board members. Projects are chosen based on technical merit, linkages to watershed-specific priorities, cost-effectiveness, level of partnership, and overall benefit to the FWCP’s mandate and vision.

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• For a full list and descriptions of all 2014 projects funded by the FWCP across the province, and information on how you can apply for funding next year, visit fwcp.ca.

For more information contact BC Hydro Media Relations 604-928-6468

FWCP Projects Funded in Squamish Area Watersheds – 2014-2015

Surveys of Species-at-Risk and their Associated Habitats in the Clowhom Lake Watershed Halcyon Professional Services $75,000 This is the second year of a proposed four-year project (future FWCP funding to be confirmed) to assess and map wetlands, and undertake comprehensive surveys of species-at-risk and their habitats within the Clowhom Lake watershed. Comprehensive, multi-species habitat restoration and enhancement plans will be developed and implemented that will mitigate direct threats to populations, increase and improve habitat for species, and contribute to the development of best management practices for species-at-risk throughout the region.

Specifically, for 2014, surveys will be carried out on owls (including Western Screech Owls), amphibians, Northern Goshawks, and bats. In addition, identification, assessment, and mapping of wetlands will take place.

Cheakamus River Floodplain Restoration – Evans Creek Squamish River Watershed Society $100,827 This project will create spawning and rearing habitats to be utilized by Coho, Chinook, Pink and Chum Salmon, as well as Cutthroat and Steelhead Trout. The proposed restoration site is located on the historic active floodplain of the Cheakamus River that is now largely isolated from direct river flow by the bridge and dyke on the south bank of the Cheakamus River.

A couple of key limiting factors have been identified as contributing to the decline in fish stocks over the years: the loss of riverine side channel habitat providing important spawning areas, and the loss of nutrients due to the effects of Daisy Lake Reservoir and diversion of nutrients out of the basin through the power tunnel to the Squamish River. This project will both increase and improve spawning and rearing habitat, but also increase the biomass of salmon produced by the lower Cheakamus River, and thereby increase the amount of marine-derived nutrients that enter the ecosystem each year.