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 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. Shuswap River Watershed Sustainability Plan i TABLE OF CONTENTS DEVELOPMENT OF THE SHUSWAP RIVER WATERSHED SUSTAINABILITY PLAN 1 Project Background 1 Purpose of the Shuswap River Watershed Sustainability Plan 1 Scope of the Plan 1 Shuswap River Watershed Profile 2 Human Activities 3 Stewardship Groups and Organisations 4 Planning Framework 5 Guiding Principles 6 Plan Development Process 6 Phase I 6 Technical Assessment of the Shuswap River Watershed 7 Phase II 7 Working Groups 7 Technical Advisory Committee 8 Phase III 8 VISION AND GOALS FOR THE SHUSWAP RIVER WATERSHED 9 Vision Statement for the Shuswap River Watershed 9 Goals for the Shuswap River Watershed 9 OKANAGAN INDIAN BAND VALUES AND CONCERNS WITHIN THE SHUSWAP RIVER 10 WATERSHED History 10 Methodology in Obtaining Community Values and Concerns 11 Results/ Feedback 11 The Legend of Shuswap Falls 14 THE SHUSWAP WATERSHED SUSTAINABILITY PLAN - SPLATSIN COMMENTS ON 16 THE STATE OF WATERSHED Background 16 The Splatsin People and Shuswap River Watershed 16 Comments on the Current Situation of the Watershed 17 Conclusion/Recommendations 18 SHUSWAP RIVER WATERSHED SUSTAINABILITY PLAN GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND 19 STRATEGIES Shuswap River Watershed Sustainability Plan ii Land Use and the Natural Environment 20 Goal 1 – Water Quality and Quantity 20 Water Quality 20 Water Quantity 23 Goal 2 – Ecosystems & Biodiversity 25 Riparian Areas 26 Sensitive Ecosystems 28 Salmon and Aquatic Life Habitat 29 Climate Change 30 Goal 3 - Recreation 31 Impacts of Recreation on the Natural Environment 32 Maintenance of Access to Recreation Opportunities 37 Recreational Infrastructure 38 Existing and Potential Conflicts 39 Existing Reporting and Enforcement Activities 39 Goal 4 – Interagency Relations, Roles and Responsibilities 43 Goal 5 – Education and Awareness 46 REFERENCES 47 APPENDIX A – LRMP POLICIES 49 APPENDIX B – OKIB AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY 50 Shuswap River Watershed Sustainability Plan iii DEVELOPMENT OF THE SHUSWAP RIVER WATERSHED SUSTAINABILITY PLAN Project Background knowledge, expertise and resources which are often underutilized in management decisions. Effective There has been a high level of community involvement in management of the Watershed recognizes the the Shuswap River Watershed Sustainability Planning importance of stewardship groups and connects with process from the outset. The decision to develop the them to integrate their value and local knowledge. Shuswap River Watershed Sustainability Plan (SRWSP) came about due to multiple expressions of concern from Purpose of the Shuswap River Watershed community members that the current convergence of Sustainability Plan uses, values and pressures within the Watershed could As stated in the Term of Reference for the SRWSP the potentially compromise the integrity of the entire river purpose is two-fold; system. Residents in local communities throughout the Watershed were conscious of this situation and expressed 1) Create a common long-term vision for the their concerns to the Regional District of North Okanagan management of the Shuswap River Watershed (which Board of Directors, the City of Enderby Council and includes its tributaries) that all stakeholders and Regional Planning Staff with regard to a range of issues community members agree to and strive to achieve. along the Shuswap River. Although not a “crises” 2) Create a comprehensive plan that will guide agencies situation there was strong sentiment that the Watershed and the community in decision making with regard to needed protection and certain problematic issues needed land and water planning within the Shuswap River Watershed. addressing to prevent further decline and create an improved management situation. During the Initial Stages of plan development a third component to the purpose evolved; The environmental impacts of land uses within the 3) Develop a sense of responsibility within the Watershed, pressures from recreational activities and the community, for the Watershed. complicated regulatory environment that exists with respect to management of the Watershed, were the main Ultimately the SRWSP will be a key resource for issues raised leading up to and during the planning advocating local concerns and areas of interest. It is a process. Land uses can have significant impacts on non-regulatory, guidance document to help decision various components of the Watershed including riparian making authorities, resource managers, water users, areas, water quality and quantity and wildlife. The recreation users and residents make informed and popularity of the Watershed as a year-round recreational integrated decisions regarding the Watershed. resource places pressures on the natural environment and Scope of the Plan can lead to conflicts between users, both of which are likely to increase with more users. Land and water uses The development of the SRWSP was not directed by, or within the Watershed are managed by public agencies embedded in any legislation or set process. Instead it from all levels of government creating potential was directed by the concerns and aspirations of the difficulties with coordination of activities and community. The nature of watershed planning requires a implementation of regulations. Additionally, this multi- flexible framework for managing water resources. As jurisdictional framework creates confusion within the stated by the Fraser Basin Council (2011, 35) “Typically, public as to who holds what information and how that watershed planning processes are generally iterative, information and resources can be accessed or called adaptive, holistic, geographically defined, collaborative upon. and participatory” in nature. They also note that “the watershed planning process works…by drawing on a Community stewardship and interest groups have been series of collaborative, iterative steps to characterize present within the Watershed for a number of years existing conditions, identify and prioritize problems, demonstrating the significant level of grass-roots interest define management objectives, develop protection or in Watershed health. Such groups hold valuable remediation strategies, and implement and adapt Shuswap River Watershed Sustainability Plan 1 selected actions when necessary” (Fraser Basin Council, stream, river system or other body of water. They are 2011, 34). dynamic, integrated systems, with actions in one part of a watershed often impacting other parts of the watershed; The scope of the SRWSP included the development of a for example changes to land cover in upland regions can process which was to establish the current state of the affect downstream hydrology; waste inputs from one Watershed, identify what issues and concerns exist; community or activity can impact water quality further determine their scale, identify mechanisms to address downstream; groundwater withdrawals can affect the them and monitor the effectiveness of the solutions and flow of a nearby stream. Therefore, the various process. interacting components