Volume 16 Issue 2
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BC Lake Stewardship Society (BCLSS) 206 - 1889 Springfield Rd. Kelowna, BC V1Y 5V5 Phone: 250.717.1212 Fax: 250.717.1226 Toll Free: 1.877 BC LAKES E-mail: [email protected] Visit us on the web: www.bclss.org Volume 16, Issue 3 October 2013 Lake Restoration Explored at Conference he BCLSS’s 16th Annual Conference was held Tin the charming town of Logan Lake this year. The conference took place on September 21st & 22nd and was co-hosted by the Logan Lake Enhancement Working Group (LLEWG). This year’s conference was generously funded by the District of Logan Lake and the Fraser Basin Council’s Living Rivers Trust Fund. The Sunday tour and lunch were graciously provided in-kind by Teck Resources Ltd. The event was well attended by both BCLSS and non-BCLSS members alike, including 11 BCIT Eco- logical Restoration program students. This year’s event took on a slightly modified format, with Satur- day’s presentations broken up by a short afternoon field trip. Following the daytime talks was dinner and a keynote presentation. Presentations began Conference attendees view a constructed wetland on the Meadow Creek Golf Course property during the In this issue... Saturday afternoon tour (photo credit: Kristi Carter) OCTOBER’S FEATURES PAGE with a brief welcome from Logan Lake Council- lor Audrey LeBlanc. The BCLSS’s Vice Presi- BCLSS 2013 Conference 1 - 2 dent Rick Nordin presented on current BCLSS BC Waterways at Risk from Invasive Species 3 - 4 activities, followed by a talk on the back- Annual Secchi Dip-In Report 5 - 7 ground of the community of Logan Lake by Marge Sidney. Heather Larratt spoke on pre- Be Careful What You Wish For… 8 - 9 venting the spread of aquatic invasive species Keep Aquatic Invasives Out of Our Lakes 11 in BC, and Therese DesCamp presented on the challenges facing stewardship groups such as her own group, the Slocan Lake Stew- ardship Society. Andrew Klassen wrapped up BCLSS BUSINESS UPDATE the morning session by presenting on the Lo- gan Lake winter oxygenation injection system. BCLSS Membership / Sponsorship Form 10 After lunch, Tom Biebighauser presented on Announcements 12 building wetlands to clean storm water run-off, Photo: Heffley Lake (credit: Bill Jennejohn) continued on page 2... 1 Volume 16, Issue 3 BC Lake Stewardship Society October 2013 continued from page 1... and then led the afternoon field trip to several nearby constructed wetlands on the Meadow Creek Golf Course Property (one built a few years ago and two freshly built that same week). Darryl Arsenault wrapped up the daytime talks with a presentation on a restoration project on the Cottonwood Family Campground on Shuswap Lake. Ken Ashley delivered a thought-provoking keynote presentation on the challenges facing small lakes in the southern interior, as well as the various restoration techniques that have been pioneered worldwide. PDFs of the PowerPoint presentations from the conference are available on the BCLSS website at http:// www.bclss.org/library/library/cat_view/116-2013- conference-presentations.html. The Sunday field trip included a tour with several stops at the Highland Valley Copper mine. Attendees visited several wetland restoration areas including Trojan Pond, a renowned trout fishing lake. The mine also provided lunch to all the attendees after the tour. Af- ter lunch several attendees opted to continue with the tour to another restoration site on mine property. The need for increased awareness on sustainability of our environment is growing as our province continues to experience rapid population growth. Financial sup- port for this year’s conference ensured the event was a success by providing the opportunity for concerned citizens, environmental practitioners and government agencies to gather information and understand the issues surrounding lake and watershed sustainability. Left: Talya Carter, volunteer extraordinaire, helps out during the Sunday field trip (photo credit: Kristi Carter) The BCLSS would like to extend our sincerest Top: BCLSS Director Brian Nickurak facilitates the Saturday portion thanks to our generous conference funders and in- of the event; Middle: Conference attendees visit Trojan Pond during kind donors, and all the volunteers that made this the Sunday field trip; Bottom: Andrew Klassen presents on lake year’s conference a success! aeration during the conference (photo credits: Kristi Carter) 2 Volume 16, Issue 3 BC Lake Stewardship Society October 2013 BC Waterways at Risk from Invasive Species By Julianne Leekie, Invasive Species Council of BC (ISCBC) he lakes, rivers and streams that are trademarks of British Columbia’s pris- A Ttine wilderness are at risk from invasive species. Once established, invasive spe- 7 y 9 cies can be impossible to eradicate, leaving affected areas with permanent eco- w logical, economic, and social impacts. H In the absence of predators and disease that keep populations in check in their native origins, invasive species aggressively out-compete native species, thereby depleting biodiversity of the affected area. Their presence in waterways is linked to fish and waterfowl disease, and infestations can degrade aesthetics enough to devalue waterfront property. Infestations also create costly repairs to municipal water intake structures that are damaged by invasive plant material. One species of high concern in BC are zebra and quagga mussels (Dreissena polymorpha and D. bugensis), small fingernail-size mussels that are identifiable as the only freshwater mus- sel that attaches to hard surfaces. While they can transfer easily by boats from Ontario or Ne- vada/California areas, currently there are no known occurrences in BC. These small mollusks rapidly attach to hard surfaces and can subse- quently clog water-intake structures, impact rec- reation, alter food webs and affect water quali- ty—altering entire ecosystems. Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) is an invasive plant to watch for and report. These plants form thick mats on the water’s surface that obstruct boating and swimming activities, clog intake pipes of boats, foul fishing lines and nets, and out-compete native vegeta- Zebra mussels on native clam - photo credit Dave Britton tion. Eurasian watermilfoil is known to spread to new areas from pieces tangled in boat mo- tors and trailers. Also topping the list of aquatic invasive plants of concern in BC are fierce competitors in wetlands and popular in water-based gar- dens—purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) and yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus). These water-loving invasive plants, while striking in appearance, form dense stands with thick root mats, can destroy wildlife habitat, dis- place native species, and clog canals and ditches. Due to its tenacious nature, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) lists purple loosestrife as one of the world's top 100 inva- sive species. These beautiful aquatic perenni- als often spread to new locations through the Eurasian watermilfoil - photo credit A. Fox continued on page 4... 3 Volume 16, Issue 3 BC Lake Stewardship Society October 2013 continued from page 3... Purple loosestrife - photo credit JB#99 purchase and trade of aquatic plants. As well as gardening and water-based recreation, aquatic invasive plants can spread swiftly with the movement of people, pets, wildlife, and the transfer of other goods through the Yellow flag iris - photo credit J. Craig aquarium and fish-bait in- dustries—prevention is key! In response to the threat of new and known invaders to BC waters, the Invasive Species Council of British Columbia (ISCBC) with regional partners launched a ‘Clean, Drain, Dry’ program in 2012. This program actively engages with boaters and community organizations to encourage boaters to clean, drain, and dry all boats and equipment prior to launching into new waters. These preventative ac- tions can significantly reduce the introduction of aquatic invasive species to new areas. This is a prevention program that is operational across the Pacific North- west States, to ensure that invasive mussels do not arrive. The public is encouraged to become an active “Spotter” and join the province- wide Spotters’ Network, which is an opportunity for individuals to help detect, report, and be on alert for invasive species in their community. BCLSS volunteers who conduct water quality monitoring may be interested in being ‘Spotters’ to help safeguard BC’s waterways from invasive species. Contact the ISCBC at 1-888-933-3722 to become involved with the Spotters Net- work or to report sightings of invasive species. Regional organizations offer infor- mation on local problem plants and species, and individuals can ‘Report-A- Weed,’ using the Province’s online tool in three easy steps to report a suspected new sighting of an invasive plant species in BC. All possible sightings of zebra and quagga mussels should be directed to Report All Poachers and Polluters (RAPP): 1-877-952-7277. Sources: Environment Canada; Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Clean, Drain, Dry signage on Cultus BC Lake Stewardship Society, Wikipedia. Lake 4 Volume 16, Issue 3 BC Lake Stewardship Society October 2013 20th Annual Secchi Dip-In his year marked another successful Secchi Dip‐In with BC’s parcipaon comprising of 55 dips in 41 lakes province‐ wide.T Data collected through the Secchi Dip‐In provides worldwide informaon on water quality trends as they relate to water transparency. The variaon of water transparency can provide informaon on how water quality is affected by water type, regional geography, and land use. For further informaon, visit the Secchi Dip‐In website at hp:// www.secchidipin.org/. The History of the Secchi Disc Pietro Angelo Secchi, an astrophysicist and scienfic advisor to the Pope, created the Secchi Disc in 1865, when he was asked to measure the clearness of the water in the Mediterranean Sea. Secchi created a white disc aached to a line, which he lowered into the water and recorded its depth. He connued “dipping” from season to season and year to year, and compared his readings over me.