SRD Defers Feasibility study for Caddisfly Wetlands Restoration Project

Wetlands are key resources to address climate change and help maintain surface water flow during dry periods. But they are also largely disappearing.  According to a recent study in Nature, since 1700 approximately 3.4 million square miles of wetlands have been lost in the United States, Europe and China. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources estimates that 70 % of the wetlands in southern Canada disappeared prior to 1990. In densely populated areas, that figure is close to 98%. Unfortunately wetlands are often found in the same areas where humans like to live and this problem has been amplified by the critical need for affordable housing. 

Both of the most populated Discovery Islands are attempting to assess their water budgets while they look at further development. Quadra Island is mapping its wetlands, as well as carrying out rainfall, streamflow and aquifer studies. On Cortes Island, the Community Housing Society is seeking funding to carry out a study of Cortes Island’s water resources. 

Meanwhile the opportunity to apply for a $30,000 grant for the proposed Caddisfly Creek restoration project may have been lost, or at least deferred, because of Campbell River’s concerns about the possible impact on their plans for development.  

Campbell River Directors are concerned that the reappearance of Coho fry, like these, in the restored Caddisfly wetlands could result in another hindrance to the city’s ability to build critically needed housing – Photo by Ruth Hartnup via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

$5,000 of the funding was for removing logs and vegetation from culvert exits to the Salish Sea, but the bulk of the application was to fund a feasibility study. 

At the SRD  Board meeting of August 21, Regional Director John Rice of Area D asked, “Caddisfly affects Area D, just like it affects the city of Campbell River, but this is only a feasibility study.  Why are we  potentially holding up their opportunity to get money to do a study that is going to include both Area D and the city of Campbell River?” 

Campbell River Director Ben Lanyon responded, “This feasibility study is one step towards making it even harder for Campbell River to meet its housing targets. We’re choosing the environment versus housing in alot of cases, unfortunately. This isn’t currently a salmon bearing stream, but changing its status will directly affect the city of Campbell River.” 

To which Director Doug Chapman, also from Campbell River, added that Mayor Dahl said they have almost 840 housing units ready to go.

“We’re waiting for the Minister of Environment’s approval. If there’s an open ditch that has a pollywog in it, that delays everything.”

There was a presentation in favour of the project earlier in the meeting.

Katie Lavoie, Executive Director of the Greenways Land Trust made the introduction, “We’re coming to you today to present on a project that we’re applying for funding through the SRD.” 

Shaun Koopman, Protective Services Co-ordinator for the SRD, made an application to the province’s Disaster Relief and Innovation Fund on behalf of the Caddisfly Creek Restoration Project.  

Katie Lavoie: “I  see a lot of familiar faces, you probably know what Greenways does. We are a Campbell River based environmental nonprofit. We’ve been around for 28 years. We do a lot of restoration, a lot of community work, a lot of partnering with First Nations and all levels of government and volunteer groups.  Some of it is educational outreach work, some food security work, stream keepers and more.” 

Caddisfly Streamkeeper Greg Roberts provided some of the details.

“I’m a resident of Area D. We moved beside Caddisfly Creek around 2021. I felt very fortunate to have this beautiful little ditch beside my house. I started to do some research and thought, well, I’d start by cleaning up some invasive plants and maybe doing some plantings because all that’s there at this point are some deciduous trees. One thing leads to another, and I realized that Caddisfly, like many creeks on the east coast of Vancouver Island, was historically a very productive salmon habitat, particularly for Coho. That’s been dramatically changed over the years through logging, road development, and urban development. Prior to colonization, First Nations would have been active in the area and there are archeological and anthropological signs of that.” 

“It’s a very small watershed shared by Area D and the city of Campbell River. The Urban Containment boundary expansion south of Jubilee contains some of the Caddisfly watershed. Parts of ‘Little America’ (the area along the shore of the Upper Campbell reservoir)  probably used to drain into Caddisfly. I’m not sure where the storm sewers go now, but the bulk of it is in Area D. There were still a lot of Coho in Caddisfly Creek when Mosaic (or Timber West at the time) commissioned Dave Clough to do a study in 2008.”

“I’ve done some G trapping the last few years, and all we’ve been getting is Stickleback because there’s issues with the culvert that crosses Highway 19A (Island Highway). Salmon are probably not able to get back into the creek.  So it is a very modified one, but I think it has the potential to be a model for how development can occur in a manner that’s compatible with wetland restoration and the habitat for fish.” 

“One of the questions I ask myself is whether a little creek like this is worth putting energy and effort into? What are the costs and benefits of doing work in this area? Are there any returns to society from doing that kind of work?”  

“When we look at risks and assessments, obviously climate change has a huge impact on these little watersheds. We have issues of storm water,  heavier than normal rainfall with quick runoff in the winter. We have extended drought periods. We’ve got rising sea levels that are impacting the estuary and where this creek goes into the ocean. We’ve got a lot of issues of that nature.”

“We’ve got land development occurring throughout the area, and this is both a threat and an opportunity. How do we manage development and design with nature to protect and restore wetlands?” 

“When I talked to most of the people around our neighborhood, they said ‘Oh the ditch there, or the ‘Caddisfly ditch’ and it has been ditched. It was ditched initially with logging, railways, with the A. R. T, with road building and with urban development. When Mr. Crawford was still alive, he claimed that one of the best duck hunting areas in the world was in the Caddisfly. It’d be hard to find that wetland today, but we’re working with highways to get the culvert fixed so the fish can get back into the creek.”

“I’ve been working with Shelter Point Developments who owns a large lot beside Ocean Grove School.  The  company (Fian Crane?) is very interested in trying to use the development as an opportunity to do some stream restoration and wetland recreation.  We’ve got to find ways that we can do that and work with the regional district planners  as we work through that whole development process. We’ve been engaging the school and engaging the kids in invasive plant removal, planting of native species, and clean-up. We’re basically fostering junior stream keepers.”

“Hopefully five or 10 years from now, we’ll be able to celebrate the salmon returning to this little creek. Obviously something like this isn’t going to happen overnight.”

“I’m a retired person and getting long in the tooth, but putting this into bite sized pieces of projects that can be done. When you look at all the creeks in Area D from Oyster River back to Caddisfly, which is the most northerly one, they all offer opportunities for restoration.”

Katie Lavoie: “One of the things that we’d really like to establish is best practices for restoring what were once salmon creeks, and then turned into ditches, back into a viable salmon habitat. It’s been really awesome getting a lot of community engagement. I know a lot of the time people look at these areas, they see a ditch or a creek that has a few inches of water. Everybody doesn’t realize there are little salmon in there and it’s really important to the culture and the ecosystem in the area. The purpose of the grant application is just to develop a plan. So all of the professional bodies that we would need would basically make us an action plan and a feasibility study.” 

“We’ve had really awesome success in the past with getting these plans developed and then using those to get more funding. For example, with the Mill Pond Project in the Campbell River estuary, we used Environmental Damages Fund funding through Environment Canada. That was about a $300,000 application, and that was used to bring in a $2 million grant from the BC SRIF (Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund). These professionally developed plans are really fruitful. We have a lot of really awesome partnerships in the community right now.”

“Does anyone have any questions?”

Mayor Martin Davis of Tahsis asked, “What do you foresee as a path forward in terms of restoration?”

Katie Lavoie: “One of the first steps we need to address is that salmon can’t go through the culvert. That needs to be redone, so step one. Then we’d like to create some pools and riffles and things like that within the development.  Oxygenation is a really big issue in the area because it’s all channelized. Things aren’t getting stirred up and we need more water to sit in there for a while.” 

Director Rice: “I do want to just let the public know that some of the things that you were suggesting are already in play, in terms of working with the developers. I’ve had very good conversations with Shelter Point properties. I think we’re all on the same page. We do have an updated OCP (Official Community Plan) that has language around these areas. So the community is very keen on protecting them and enhancing them if we can.” 

“My question is, what are the timelines for applying for this grant and when would you expect to be receiving it?”

Katie Lavoie: “Shaun told me yesterday that he applied for it a couple days ago. This was an expression of interest letter and we would probably get the funding, if we got it, in 2025. If you’re doing work in an area with fish, you have to do it in the appropriate fish window. The study would take place next summer, and then any corresponding work would be based on funding, but would have to happen probably in August.”  

Director Rice: The big stumbling block that I see is MOTI (Ministry of Transportation) with culverts, because, again, they’re going to wait for those windows. So that would be next year that you might receive a grant the following year –  if we can get a budget allocated by MOTI to replace the culvert. That gives me an idea of the timeline, it’s quite far off.” 

Katie Lavoie: “All of these projects take a really long time. That’s what we’re experiencing with the Mill Pond Project as well.”

 Mayor Julie Colborne of Zeballos, asked, “I’m just wondering if anyone who is key on this project has had any conversations with MOTI about culverts and repaving projects on Highway 19A and what that looks like if they have committed to doing so, if that’s a section that they’re highlighting or not.”

Greg Roberts: “Yes, we have had some discussions. I’ve walked the creek with Ashley Cousins from MOTI out of Courtenay. We don’t have a plan of action yet. The other person that’s involved is Sean Wong, who is their biologist and works with Fish streams.   We’re hoping to be able to get a meeting with them in September and maybe walk the creek again.”

“There are three separate places where Caddisfly goes to the ocean and probably one of those should survive in the longer term. How to deal with that is really an issue for highways.” 

Cortes Island Director, Mark Vonesch, wanted to know, “Do we need a motion to move this forward and have us partner?”  

Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) David Leitch: “We have a report later in the agenda that asks the board to support an application to the grant program.”

The SRD was actually applying for two projects. In addition to the Caddisfly Creek project, they also want $70,000 for a climate adaptation risk assessment of the Kyuquot community water system.

When these applications were discussed, later in the meeting, Campbell River Director Ron Kerr suggested, “I’d like to separate them. One is the Caddisfly Creek segment of it, and the other one is the Kyuquot water system. I’d certainly like to see the Kyuquot water system go through. Just reviewing the report, there was no discussion with Campbell River City staff (for the Caddisfly project) and I think it has direct implications for the city and for our urban containment boundary discussion. So I would like to defer a decision on the first part.”

Director Susan Sinnott, also of Campbell River, added, “I’ll make an amendment that we revise the resolution that the proposed application for $30,000 in partnership with Greenway Land Trust to undertake preliminary planning and design activities outlined below related to wetland restoration and day lighting of Caddisfly Creek and Electoral Area D be deferred until there’s consultation with the affected local government of Campbell River.”

Director Kerr: “Second.”   

Director Rice: “I’m not opposed to the change that you’re asking but I did ask  what were the timelines for this grant? I don’t think we actually received a full answer on that. I’m just concerned that this doesn’t get delayed too much.”

CAO Leitch: “The deadline for applications is September 15th.” 

Director Kerr: “I don’t feel comfortable moving ahead on this.” 

Director Sinnott: “We’re talking about the amendment that I proposed, you’re in favor of that.” 

Director Kerr: “I’m in favor of the amendment, absolutely.”

Mayor Colborne: “We’re talking about a deferral. We’re not talking about an amendment? Let me get it straight.” 

CAO Leitch: “It’s an amendment, and in essence, the amendment defers  one of the applications.”  

As the deadline is September 15, there would not be a Caddisfly Creek application this year. 

Director Sinnott: “We have a lot of initiatives in place. We are running into considerable difficulties with respect to ditch drainage and things all over our city in terms of actually creating affordable housing until we get our city staff to comment. We do not want to go forward with potentially creating another hurdle for our funding and meeting our obligations with the federal government.”

Regional Director Robyn Mawhinney, of Area C, pointed out, “The report is proposing this application in partnership with Greenways Trust, and it specifies that it’s to undertake preliminary planning and design activities regarding day lighting Caddisfly Creek in Electoral Area D.  I understand that upstream concerns could happen from the wetland area that may or may not have been identified in the new urban containment boundary. This is really for an application to begin preliminary planning.”

Director Mawhinney: “My understanding from the application that’s included in this report, and from the speakers that we had today, was that their primary concern at the moment is actually ensuring that the creek can have access to the ocean.  This is in electoral Area D. So I personally don’t think that amending the application to defer it for possibly another year (until this funding stream is open again) is a good decision.”  

There were two votes. The first was about separating the two applications to the Disaster Resilience and Innovation Funding Program, and defer the Caddisfly Creek component until Campbell River is consulted.  

Chair Mark Baker called the vote, “On the Amendment, all in favor … Opposed.  We have five opposed, no six opposed. Put your hands up again, please.  Director Rice, Director Whalley, Director Colborne, Director Vonesch, Director Davis and Director Mawhinney opposed. So the motion, I believe, is carried.”   

Director Mawhinney: “There were six opposed and how many were in favour?”

CAO Leitch: “There’s 13 Directors here. If you’re not opposed, you’re in favor.”

It had been a close vote, but the Mayors of Sayward and Gold River and the Director from Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k’tles7et’h’ First Nations had supported the Campbell River Directors. 

The second vote was on supporting the amended application, which would only fund the Kyuquot project. Regional Directors Mawhinney and Vonesch voted in opposition, but the motion passed.

Links of Interest

Top image credit: Cover of the Report Caddisfly Creek Restoration Projects – accompanying SRD staff report

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