Tahsis Living: March 2016

Recently I have added a link from a group in Tahsis called the Nootka Sound Watershed Society. Here is a presentation Bruce Sanderson recently gave to Tahsis Village Council. This is something all Tahsis residents might be interested in.

Village of Tahsis Council March 1 Meeting -- Presentation Notes
Bruce Sanderson, Stewardship Co-coordinator,
Nootka Sound Watershed Society

This presentation is in two parts:
1) Brief background Regarding the Nootka Sound Watershed Society
2) Main Purposes of the Presentation - Provide information about potential salmon habitat-related projects that may soon occur in the Tahsis River watershed

1) Background Regarding the Nootka Sound Watershed Society

The Nootka Sound Watershed Society (NSWS) is a regional organization. With respect to Tahsis, for example, it assists the Tahsis Salmon Enhancement Society (hatchery) by administering some of its funding.

Overall, the NSWS aims to protect, restore and enhance pacific salmonids and their habitat in Nootka Sound, Esperanza Inlet, and the watersheds that contribute to them.

The NSWS intends to achieve this through sustainable, science-based practices, leading to a future of sustained abundant salmon returns and prosperous fisheries for the long-term benefit of all communities in our area.

Goals

Collaboration: To provide an inclusive and respectful community-based forum to effectively address ecological and economic issues regarding salmon in the Nootka Sound and Esperanza Inlet areas

Education: Through the communication of information and educational outreach, we strive to enhance the public’s understanding of salmon life history and local ecology

Support: We use funds raised to grow the stewardship capacity of our communities and enable local citizens to make positive change for the well-being of our communities and the surrounding biophysical environment.

The NSWS has a Volunteer Board of Directors, and over 100 members, from all walks of life. The Board meets monthly to discuss conservation, enhancement, restoration, assessment, stewardship and economic development pertaining to Pacific Salmon in the Nootka Sound and Esperanza Inlet areas.

NSWS Directors, 2016
Larry Andrews
Lyle Billie
Craig Blackie
Frank and Lucille Collins
Dave Davies, DFO
Pat and Dick Dennison
Roger Dunlop
Chris Ericson, DFO
Pat James
Paul Kutz
Rod MacLeod
Marcel and Cheryle Miner
Elmar Nabbe, Zeballos
Kent O’Neill
Ken Smith
Kaden Snook
Louis Van Solkema
Lyndy Vroom, DFO
Randy Watson

Stewardship Co-coordinators contracted to Mar. 31, 2016:
Sam Kagan Kagan.samantha@gmail.com
Bruce Sanderson sanderson.b1@gmail.com (b one, not bL)

2. Purposes of this presentation

     1) To tell you about potential salmon habitat-related projects that may soon occur in the Tahsis River watershed
      2) to ask local people to consider providing accommodation for a few non-local or "outside" participants in these projects, and
      3) to highlight opportunities for local people to participate in some fun and educational volunteer activities in or near Tahsis

Potential salmon habitat-related projects that may soon occur in the Tahsis River watershed

Recently, MC Wright and Associates conducted expert risk assessments on six salmon-bearing rivers in the Nootka Sound region. The study assessed the risk posed by human and natural factors limiting the productive capacity of these streams to produce Chinook, Coho, Chum and Sockeye salmon.

Regarding the Tahsis River watershed, the study recommended several priority follow-up activities. Many of these were to address data gaps regarding:
      a) channel stability
      b) the chemistry, dissolved oxygen levels, and subtidal habitat conditions in the Tahsis estuary
      c) precipitation events and their impacts on the water temperature and flow regime of the Tahsis   River, especially as far upstream as salmon go

a) channel stability

According to MC Wright and Associates, the Tahsis River watershed is highly sensitive and highly disturbed, and involves aggressive hydrology and frequent natural landslides.

The evolution of the Tahsis River channel in reaction to historic logging and road-building on the valley floor requires examination by a qualified professional. The NSWS is now assembling Terms of Reference for a study that would identify the local factors affecting channel stability, and why the river is behaving as it is.

Apparently, part of this picture is that the root structures of the deciduous trees (mostly alders) that have replaced the logged-out hemlock, cedar and other evergreens native to this valley, do not hold or retain soil as well as the old growth evergreens.

Secondly, consider that deciduous trees have no leaves during the winter when most of our precipitation occurs. Very intense rain events in this watershed can create overland flow conditions amongst the alders. In the top layers of soil, the rain is not absorbed fast enough, or quickly saturates that topmost layer.

So, the study might well be broadened and lengthened to include research during one of our winters. This might allow a researcher to determine whether, during intense rainfall/overland flow events,
      a) significant amounts of fine sediments are washed into the river channel from adjacent alder-covered land, and
      b) how much that overland flow enlarges and accelerates runoff, thereby contributing to the erosive potential of the stream.

MC Wright have indicated that without restoration work, there would be little improvement in salmonid habitat in this watershed within the next 50 years.

b) the chemistry, dissolved oxygen levels, and subtidal habitat conditions in the Tahsis estuary

Estuaries are critical salmon habitats that support salmon at several life stages. Adult salmon rely on healthy estuarine habitat during staging and physiological transition, while juvenile salmon rely on this habitat for rearing, foraging, physiological transition and refuge. The NSWS has applied for funding to conduct a number of activities in the Tahsis-Leiner estuary.

These activities could commence as early as late March, and would involve:

      1) Monitoring community based juvenile salmonids
    2) employing an underwater camera as part of opportunistic mapping of sub-tidal habitat (eg. eelgrass) and subsurface debris (eg. old machinery, waterlogged stumps and logs, etc.)., and
      3) measuring dissolved oxygen and temperature at the same time.

With Fisheries & Oceans' technical support and training, and using seine nets, volunteers will participate in weekly beach seine sessions to see first-hand what kinds of salmonids and other aquatic animals rely on the existing habitat in the estuary. Five different sites will be sampled. Volunteers, stewardship coordinators and DFO staff will analyze the contents of the seine nets at each site, then identify and record any species caught in the net. The size of captured juvenile salmon will be estimated, to determine origin (hatchery fry vs. wild smolts).

The first session will occur one week before the TSES releases their juvenile Chinook salmon, and continue for six weeks throughout the majority of the juvenile salmon outmigration.

These activities present interested Tahsis residents with an opportunity for a hands-on learning experience about the importance of our Tahsis/Leiner Estuary, and estuaries in general.

c) precipitation events and their impacts on the water temperature and flow regime of the Tahsis River, especially as far upstream as salmon go

This can be addressed by installing what's called a Hydrometric station on the Tahsis River. Fisheries & Oceans Canada has previously installed Hydro-Meteorological stations on ten Vancouver Island rivers, to collect real-time data on these and other parameters. The data are automatically sent to a satellite link, and can be viewed online, via

https://wateroffice.ec.gc.ca/google_map/google_map_e.html?searchBy=p&province=BC&doSearch=Go

This information will help toward establishing relationships between weather events and the timing of migrations of adult Chinook, Coho and Chum salmon in the river. The hydrometric station will enable the NSWS and Tahsis volunteers to pursue salmon habitat restoration more effectively. Information on river discharge will allow engineers to perhaps design restoration structures to withstand freshet events. Data on summer discharges, particularly the periods when stretches of the river dry up, will allow hydrologists to design hydraulic structures that will create scoured channels, or to decide whether to remove excess gravel. Volunteers will also be able to accurately track rainfall, discharge, river depth and water temperature, and relate them visually to the river's appearance and behaviour.

For those interested in volunteering to record and monitor these data for the community and the NSWS, there are useful resources available. The Water Survey of Canada and the BC Ministry of Environment have downloadable training manuals regarding Hydrometric Technician Career Development and the province's Water Inventory Data Management System, respectively.

These proposed projects hinge mainly on whether the NSWS receives grant funding for them. The grant funding proposals require that the NSWS contribute 50% of the cost of each project, although the contribution can be "in kind". People can make in kind contributions in different ways, such as

· offering reduced rate--or occasionally free--accommodation for outside participants during at least part of their stay in the community,
· volunteering to help with a project, or
· offering resources such as the free or reduced rate usage of a boat and motor, complete with its operator (already arranged for estuary project)

We respectfully ask that local people consider offering reduced rates for at least one night for rooms in local accommodation facilities, including B&Bs and/or motels. If these facilities happen to already be booked for the dates when these outside participants are in town, we respectfully ask that other local residents consider offering these participants one night's free stay.

What's in it for you?

An opportunity to make new friends, and to learn. Some of these people are very informed about how to restore salmon habitat, about the critters that usually live in estuaries, and about biodiversity in general. If someone you host one night needs to stay more than one night, you may be able to make some income by charging for an additional night(s).

Opportunities:
· helping to inventory organisms caught in the seine nets at estuary sites
· long-term monitoring and recording of data from the Hydrometric station

Some future volunteer NSWS activities may include
- revegetating zones along the river in stages, to help prevent erosion
- creating in-channel features that allow salmon to hide from predators and to rest more frequently
- reconnecting channel segments so there is more consistent water flow, assisting salmon spawning and rearing
- bacterial grab-sampling from the river, its tributaries, and adjacent wetlands

Ideally, all of the above would occur in prime spring and summer weather!

Regarding Volunteers
Why do people volunteer?
· help build or share in a sense of community
· improve conditions regarding a resource;
· create and cultivate career and/or networking opportunities (local students might be interested in biology, hydrology or geography careers)
· create and cultivate friendship and camaraderie
· garner recognition from their peers,
· obtain hands on experience and develop additional skills
· bring about change and witness these changes
· help accomplish something that is important on a larger scale and over a long arc of time--help create a lasting legacy

Volunteers are essential to the NSWS. We are continuously grateful to those dedicated groups and individuals who donate their time to NSWS activities. We want our volunteers to experience safe, enjoyable activities while helping complete successful projects, in order to more rapidly advance salmon habitat restoration and salmon enhancement in the Nootka Sound/Esperanza Inlet region. Volunteerism is a powerful venue for educational opportunities, small group reflections, building camaraderie and community, and strengthening social capital.

If you are willing to offer reduced-rate or free accommodation to outside participants, or to volunteer as a project participant, leave me your name, tel #, and/or e-mail address,. If you want to telephone me it's 250-934-7910, or e-mail sanderson.b1@gmail.com. Thanks kindly for your consideration.

Check the following places for information updates regarding the proposed NSWS projects:
NSWS website: www.nootkasound.info
Noticeboards in the VoT office and at the Tahsis Rec Centre