People need clean water. In the western United States, almost all municipal water—the stuff we city-slickers use—comes from forests. About 70% of these same forests are also actively managed for timber harvest. Thus far, municipal water quality has been sustained while other forest uses, logging and recreation for example, have also been sustained. With a growing population in the West, can we keep it up? See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the industry leader and only science based, man made and artificial fish habitat, proven to provide all fish with cover they prefer to prosper.

Fish need clean, cool water. Fish and other aquatic animals, are not limited to the forested reaches of waterways. Salmon, for instance, use waterways to travel from the highest reaches, the often-forested mountains where adults spawn, all the way to the oceans where juveniles grow to adulthood. Because animals like salmon use all stretches of waterways, it will take more than forest-covered mountains to keep our streams healthy for them. Every stretch of river—whether in the mountains, in agricultural valley-lands, in the city, or along the coast— is important in maintaining water quality, forested or not!

Trees play an important role in our waterways. Fish need cool, oxygen-rich water in order to survive and stay healthy. Trees help shade waterways, keeping the water temperature down and the dissolved oxygen high. Also, sediments washed into waterways from adjacent land can coat the bottom of streams where fish lay their eggs, suffocating them before they can hatch—tree roots can stabilize river banks, reducing erosion of sediments into the stream. Tree roots can also regulate the flow of water in the ground—this water can move more slowly through the soil, giving microorganisms like fungi and bacteria a chance to degrade pollutants before they reach the waterway! Similarly, tree leaves—both green leaves in the tree canopy and fallen leaves on the forest floor—absorb the impact of raindrops, protecting easily eroded soil surfaces.

Because trees can play such an important role in maintaining water quality, many times we can often minimize water quality problems by “buffering” a waterway from harmful impacts. In some cases we do this by leaving borders of trees and understory vegetation; we call these “buffer strips”.

Buffer strips are successfully used to reduce negative impacts on riparian areas in a variety of circumstances. In fact, one can see them along streams in agricultural, urban, and forested areas.  They are used as filters for animal waste-rich waters that percolate from pasture. They are used as live barriers to keep livestock away from sensitive areas like easily eroded streambanks They are used to provide myriad benefits to forested areas adjacent to fish-bearing streams—trees are still harvested from upslope stands, but the valuable services of streamside trees and other plants are maintained.

As you can see, trees and other plants are important factors in water quality.  Woody vegetation like trees offer something else that few other plants can however; large woody debris. Woody debris in streams creates slow spots in fast-moving water where fish can rest. It creates pools where fish can grow and escape predation. Woody debris becomes both home and food for insects that make up a fish’s diet. It also provides fish the physical cover needed to avoid predators. And, as mentioned before, it can serve as a filter for pollutants and sediments by acting as a biological “scrub-brush” for the water!

Salmon Habitat

Vision: The worldwide angling public recognizes Florida as the “Bass Fishing Capital of the World,” based on great resources and responsible management. Florida’s bass fisheries provide outstanding ecological, social and economic benefits to the state of Florida.

Introduction: This Black Bass Management Plan for Florida incorporates wide spread public input from surveys, public events and meetings, a citizen’s Technical Assistance Group (TAG),and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) staff from multiple divisions and offices. We collectively created the plan to ensure Florida is the undisputed “Bass Fishing Capital of the World.” The FWC will use the plan as a road map and for impetus in dedicating and acquiring resources to ensure we fulfill the goal and realize the vision. Although the management plan time frame is 2010-2030, this “living” document will allow adaptive management, public input and new scientific breakthroughs to continually help us improve our results. Our purposes are:  Create a scientifically justified document to guide FWC efforts. Ensure the public has open input into the objectives and priorities to create ownership and provide support for conservation efforts. Be proactive and open to new ideas. See the dozens of unique artificial fish habitat models, fish attractors and fish cover used at fishiding.com, the industry leader and only science based, man made and artificial fish habitat, proven to provide all fish with cover they prefer to prosper.

Background: Florida is recognized as the “Fishing Capital of the World” based on the number of freshwater and saltwater anglers, amount of time spent fishing, economic impact, diversity of recreational species, international fishing records set here and tourists who use our resources. Bass anglers spend more than 14 million days fishing in Florida each year, which generates $1.25 billion for the state’s economy. With 3 million acres of freshwater lakes, ponds, and reservoirs, and 12,000 miles of rivers, streams, and canals, Florida is a premier destination for bass anglers. The Florida largemouth bass(Micropterus salmoides floridanus)is genetically unique and has been stocked worldwide because of its potential for rapid growth to trophy size (10 pounds or heavier). Every year, a few Florida anglers catch 13- to 15-pound trophy largemouthbass. Moreover, Florida has shoal (M. cataractae), spotted (M. punctulatus)and Suwannee bass (M. notius), each one of which exists only in discrete areas and requires specific habitat andprey to maintain its population.

The fishing public perceives Florida to be among the top bass fishing states, but the fishery and trophy fish availability are depletedfrom historic levels in many localities, as documented in big-fishtournament records over the past several decades. Numerous pressures challenge fish management, including human population growth and development, declining water qualityand current water management and fish management policies. Climate change, including precipitation and sea level changes, may create additional impacts. Preliminary surveys of stake holders indicate overall satisfaction with the fishery but some concerns about negative impacts on bass populations and fishing opportunities, and the need foran enhanced management strategy.

The Black Bass Management Plan: This plan is action-based and will help FWC staff develop solutions for management issues such as habitat enhancement, aquatic plant management, fisheries regulations and appropriate stocking plans, while improving communications about angling ethics and opportunities, ensuring access, and reaching out to youth to keep them engaged in recreational fishing and conservation. The plan must be integrated with other local, state and federal programs. Effective implementation of the plan should also benefit fishing-dependent private businesses and create jobs, including those that indirectly profit(gas stations, local grocers, motels, and restaurants), and riparian land owners whose waterfront property values are affected by aesthetics and fishing quality. Highlighted below are some of the most innovative and key action items contained in the plan. New opportunities Identify new or special opportunities to create or substantially enhance black bass fisheries, and ensure FWC is proactive about opening new fisheries for the public. Successfully implementing new opportunities will require an aggressive, proactive, science-based approach that also involves local citizenry. Pursue public access to reservoirs during their planning phase, andVision: The worldwide angling public recognizes Florida as the “Bass Fishing Capital of the World,” based on great resources and responsible management.

Florida’s bass fisheries provide outstanding ecological, social and economic benefits to the state of Florida.FISHINGALLOWED New opportunities (continued)develop management plans andc ooperative agreements to produce appropriate trophy black bass fisheries. Make it easy for the public to find places to fish and freshwater public access (ramps, piers, shoreline access)using electronic and print media.? Formalize partnerships with watermanagement districts; federal, local andstate government agencies; and privatelandowners to enhance public access. Help local communities attract major bass tournaments by enhancing ramps and associated facilities that will benefit local economies and anglers. Implement complete de-water renovations on aging reservoirs and lakes with water control structures to stimulate trophy largemouth bass fisheries.

Habitat management: Habitat management is the most important component of maintaining good fisheries. Prevent habitat degradation in areas of existing healthy habitat in collaboration with other agencies as needed.  Manage native plants to create and maintain a symbiotic relationship between plants, fish, and people that will improve and sustain black bass fisheries. Implement FWC’s new hydrilla management position on specificwater bodies to improve largemouthbass fishing. Partner with WMDs and the Corps of Engineers to develop new water regulation schedules and to monitor and recommend minimum flows and levels to help maintain healthy black bass populations. Improve bass habitat conditions by manipulating water levels for fisheries enhancement purposes. Fish management Black bass management generally involves actions that affect rates of recruitment, growth, natural mortality, and fishing mortality for bass. Establish customized harvest regulations to manage black bass populations at selected water bodies. Determine the potential effects of bedfishing on black bass populations. Ensure genetic diversity, fitness, and conservation of Florida largemouth bass. Ensure the genetic integrity, fitness,and conservation of endemic black basswithin Florida Panhandle river systems. Stock fingerling (Phase-I, about 1inch long) largemouth bass into new reservoirs and into lakes following major fish kills or droughts. Stock advanced-sized (Phase-II, 4-6inches) largemouth bass fingerlings into water bodies where recruitment is limited.People management Human dimensions are critical to effective implementation of a black bass management plan, including communication, education, ethics, outreach, marketing, partnerships, tournament management, user conflicts, trophy bass documentation, data monitoring, imperiled species, and law enforcement. Implement a trophy fish documentation and release program. Involve stakeholders early in the process of major, resource-specificmanagement actions such as new regulations and major habitat renovations. Design and implement a completemarketing plan for the BBMP andFlorida’s bass fishing.? Build partnerships with bass anglers,other stakeholders, government agencies, institutions, and private industry to complete fishing and lake improvement projects. Cooperate with the bass tournament industry and citizens to effectively manage bass tournaments to minimize negative perceptions. Thank you to Glen Lau for use of the images.Supported by Federal Aid in Sport Fish RestorationFor more information, visitwww.MyFWC.com/FishingA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJune 9, 2011

CONTACT:Division of Forestry/Central OfficeRick Rogers, Forest Resources Program Manager, 907-269-8473

– The Alaska Board of Forestry  released its 2010 report on implementation of the Alaska Forest Resources and Practices Act (FRPA) this week. The board announced that the act continues to protect fish habitat and water quality while providing for commercial timber and fishing operations.  “The Board is confident of the act’s effectiveness because of extensive data available from six years of road condition surveys by  the  Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and  the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), eight years of compliance monitoring by DNR, and 19 years of effectiveness monitoring by resource agencies and the timber industry,” said  Chris Maisch,  the state forester and  the  board’s presiding officer.

The act governs how commercial timber harvesting, reforestation, and timber access occur on state, private, and municipal land.  Forest management standards on federal land must also meet or exceed the standards for state land established by FRFA. The act was adopted in 1978 and it has been revised multiple times since to add riparian standards and other protective measures.  State agency  compliance  monitoring, led by the Division of Forestry, determines whether  the act’s  best management practices are applied consistently and correctly on the ground.  Statewide, the monitoring results this year were the strongest ever, with regional scores averaging 4.8 out of a perfect score of 5.0 in Coastal Alaska (Region I), 4.9 in Southcentral (Region II), and 4.7 in Interior Alaska (Region III).

Over the last six years, DNR and ADF&G supplemented the compliance monitoring program with field surveys of closed and inactive forest roads.  Teams of habitat biologists and foresters surveyed every fish stream crossing on 1,891 miles of forest roads on non-federal land in Southeast Alaska.  Notably, the surveys found only 20 culverts with significant issues for fish passage on those roads – approximately one culvert of concern per 94 miles ofroad.  Follow-up surveys of upstream fish habitat were conducted on problem sites, sites have been prioritized for repair, and cooperative efforts are underway to correct the short list of problems identified.

The surveys also checked reforestation and found near-perfect results.Effectiveness monitoring evaluates whether  the act successfully protects fish habitat and water resources.  Alaska hosts one of the longest continuous effectiveness monitoring projects in the country.  Since 1992, state and federal government agencies and private industry have cooperated on an exhaustive study of the status and trends of fish habitat conditions in streams subject to forest harvesting under the act’s best management practices.

Partners in this effort include the Alaska Departments of Environmental Conservation (DEC), ADFG, DNR, the U.S. Forest Service and Sealaska Corp.  The partners  jointly fund this work and provide technical expertise to ensure that state-of-the-art science is employed.  This study includes pre- and post-harvest data on 21 anadromous streams in 19 different watersheds in southeast Alaska.  The study has not found any significant adverse impacts  from harvesting on fish habitat in these watersheds.  This work has resulted in numerous reports, scientific meetings, and award-winning, peer reviewed literature publications.  Maisch also noted the role of field inspections in ensuring the act’s success.  “In the last five years alone, the Division of Forestry has conducted over 1,100 inspections on forest operations statewide.

Inspectors ensure that operators are in compliance with best management practices and provide training and enforcement if problems arise.  Many inspections are conducted jointly with ADF&G or ADEC. Their participation and expertise are essential to the implementation of the act.” The report is available on the Division of Forestry web site at http://forestry.alaska.gov/whatsnew.htm

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By Mindy Ward, Missouri Farmer Today

Wednesday, April 27, 2011 1:29 PM CDT

CUBA, Mo. — Bob Baker did not know an endangered species was living in his cattle’s watering hole.

The pink mucket mussel resides in the mud and sand of Baker’s Lick Creek in Crawford County.

The mussel is not easily identified in the creek bed because it buries itself in the sand and gravel with only the edge of its shell exposed.

Over the years, flooding damaged most of the mussel’s habitat, reducing its gravel and sand supply. In some areas, pollution took a toll on the population.

The reduction in numbers caused it to make the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s endangered species list.

Baker and his wife, Nicky, operate a registered Hereford cow/calf operation on the land surrounding the creek.

Bob Baker and his wife, Nicky, visit their cows under a portable shade structure. The unit was made possible with funding from the Fishers and Farmers partnership. Photo courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation

They knew the mussel was present, but did not realize it was endangered until a visit from a Missouri Department of Conservation fisheries management biologist.

“For some, the endangered species can be a bone of contention,” Kenda Flores says.

“Some fear that the government is going to take property away. They fear they are going to lose their rights.

“So, we try to alleviate these fears.”

Instead of claiming the stream and the surrounding land, Flores worked with landowners to find ways to improve habitat for the mussel, while improving the farm.

She helped coordinate a group of landowners in the Meramec Basin-Lower Bourbeuse watershed, which includes Little Bourbeuse, Brush Creek, Lick Creek and PBoone Creek.

“We needed to come up with projects and a cost-share rate so that these landowners would see the endangered mussel flowing through the river as an advantage,” she adds.

The goal at Baker’s Echo Bluff Farms was to restrict cattle access to the stream.

Baker just switched to a management-intensive-grazing system, and water to pastures was important.

He drilled a well and put in ground water tanks. A new pond serves as an alternative water source.

A creek crossing allows passage between paddocks without cattle walking through the creek. New trees line the bank.

Finally, Baker fenced off the creek from his stock.

Still, there was the need to replace the shade the trees along the creek provided during hot Missouri summers. So, he erected portable 10x20x12-foot shade structures that can move from pasture to pasture.

Baker’s total out-of-pocket expense? Not a dime.

“They paid 90 percent of the cost of drilling the water well, putting in pipeline to waterers and the other projects. I only had 10 percent to pick up,” he explains.

“But, they had an in-kind labor, where I could work off the other 10 percent. That is why I think this program is so great.”

The program is part of the Fishers and Farmers Partnership. Baker was one of a few landowners who benefited from the program early on.

Since then, the number of landowners requesting projects has exceeded the funding, Flores says.

“Certainly, any habitat restoration has to make economic sense for farmers,” says Rob Pulliam, fisheries management biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation.

“This is just one place where we can provide that technical and financial assistance.”

With Flores now serving Southwest Missouri, Pulliam oversees the partnership.

Fishers and Farmers serve not only to provide technical assistance to landowners, but also financial assistance. The program looks for public funding opportunities through government grants, as well as, private funding from companies or organizations.

To date, the Meramec Watershed Basin project is the largest partner-driven project recognized as a “Water to Watch” by the National Fish Habitat Action Plan.

The National Fish Habitat is a cooperative nationwide program to protect, restore and enhance the habitats of the nation’s marine and freshwater fish populations.

It is under the advisement of a voluntary board of public and private sector entities that oversee the implementation of the National Fish Habitat Action Plan.

“Actually, because of the success of Missouri’s partnership with landowners, it was looked at as a model for the national program of Fishers and Farmers,” Pulliam adds.

“Our state had been finding public and private partnerships for a long time.”

Pulliam says improving fish habitat while addressing farmers needs works.

“It is not either cattle or the endangered mussel,” he says. “We can have both.”

The program allows farmers and conservationists to discuss talk about how to accomplish their goals.

“It is critical to have that local leadership,” Pulliam adds. “Our landowner committees make this work.”

Growth of the project comes via neighbor talking to neighbor.

“This program really works,” Baker says. “It helped keep the cattle out of the creek and is helping the fish and mussels, too.”

Flores and Pulliam applaud the landowners of the Meramec Basin for their willingness to be involved in improving water quality.

“This is a group that really understands that improving water quality is important for the longevity of fish and streams,” Flores says.

Pulliam adds, “The watershed is more than just about the fish and habitat, though. It is about land cover, trees and grassland and the people who live and use this place.”

While much of his time is spent tending to cattle, there is something about preserving even a small mussel that resonates with Baker.

“The older we get, the more we look at helping the next generation and more concerned about what they will have when we are gone,” he says.

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Editorial: Restoring the river: Cedar Creek residents can play a crucial role

Published: Wednesday, June 01, 2011, 6:57 AM

By Paula Holmes-Greeley | The Muskegon Chronicle

CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO The flooded Muskegon River put the majority of Terry Bayne’s 52-acre Cedar Creek Township farm under water in April. â??The problem is, there’s no place for it to go,â? Bayne said about the water.

Cedar Creek Township residents, especially those living along Maple Island and River roads, should do everything they can to assist with the survey of the Muskegon River in their neighborhood.

It’s their chance to help fix a long-standing problem and possibly improve the use of Muskegon County’s natural resources and the land they own. The survey may also result in suggestions that prevent the thousands of dollars in damage or losses created when extensive flooding occurs.

Mike Wiley, a professor in the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment, and doctoral student Mike Fainter are surveying the Muskegon River, particularly in the floodplain near Maple Island and River roads, to explore the effects of reopening the Maple River. The Maple River was blocked more than a century ago during the lumbering era to increase the flow in the Muskegon River and more quickly move logs to the lumber mills downstream.Wiley predicts the Muskegon River will change its course in Cedar Creek Township in the next 50 years because of the closing of the Maple River and partial damming of the Muskegon River under U.S. 31. He said sediment in the Muskegon River has raised the river channel, creating a delta prone to flooding.

He’s already held a community meeting to ask residents what they want the Muskegon River to look like in the future. The researchers are seeking photos of the river and past floods, especially those that show how high the water was. Photos can be dropped off at Maple Island Grocery, 3465 N. Maple Island, Twin Lake.

While the flooding is on a much larger scale, perhaps there are lessons for Muskegon County residents from the Netherlands, where two-thirds of the people live and 70 percent of the Dutch economy is generated in a floodplain.

In the past, the Dutch response has been to build up the dikes and install other manmade devices to further control the river. But since unprecedented flooding in 1993 and again in 1995 there’s been a change in strategy.

Beginning in 2006, the Dutch implemented 35 “Room for the River” projects that will restore natural floodplains and marshes that serve as water storage areas. They are focused on restoring natural floodplains in the places where it is least harmful in order to protect more heavily populated and developed areas.

Dutch water managers also are teaching communities to retain water where it falls, using cisterns, green roofs and floodable parks. This reduces the flow into the river as it washes off of large paved parking lots and roads with nowhere else to go.

The idea is to prevent the recurring hundreds of millions of dollars in flood damage by learning to live with the main rivers running through the Netherlands rather than trying to control them. A side benefit has been the creation of new recreational areas and improved animal and fish habitat.

Again, Muskegon County doesn’t face near the threat that the Netherlands does. But working with our natural resources instead of against them is a valuable concept.

As Cedar Creek Township farmer John Thiel told Chronicle reporter Megan Hart, “I would rather have water flow naturally (through my property) than have it overflow and have nowhere to go.”

In the end it all comes down to that well-known adage, you can’t fool Mother Nature.

Let’s find out if restoring the Maple River will improve the lives of those living on the former riverbed and improve the health and the use of both the Maple and Muskegon rivers.

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By Contributed Opinion – Gulf Islands Driftwood

By GEORGE EHRING

Over the May long weekend, I had the opportunity to go on a marine nature tour with Ian Gidney of Gulf Islands Safaris. As much as I really wanted to push thoughts of the Trust out of my mind and enjoy watching the orcas, sea lions, seals, eagles and other wildlife, the concept of the need to protect the riparian areas that support the marine environment kept interrupting me.

Riding in Ian’s zodiac and looking at what’s around you, you can’t help but feel that we live in a beautiful, special place. We say this so often that I think we lose sight of it. Special place, yeah, yeah. Sure.

Five years ago now, the province told local governments that they couldn’t issue permits to private landowners for development in areas along streams (“riparian” areas) unless an environmental professional assesses the proposal and provides development guidelines. The province wants to protect fish habitat. I think protecting fish habitat is a good idea.

But it isn’t just for the fish.

Protecting riparian areas also has the benefit of providing some protection for our drinking water supplies. By helping prevent sediment from washing into streams, it will also reduce unwanted and excessive nutrients from washing into the lakes. It will help prevent the dangerous algae blooms that now plague St. Mary Lake, as an example.

We at the Trust are frequently told we should promote tourism and enhance the economy.  Anyone take a walk down to the dock lately and see all the boats owned by commercial fishermen? Anyone think about all the recreational boaters who come here, not only because “it’s a beautiful place” but because they also go fishing? Anyone think that tourists might be dissuaded from visiting our island if they read that they can’t drink the water?

Protecting complex and fragile riparian ecosystems enhances the economy as well as our environment — not to mention our own health.

One of the things that the province was saying to landowners when they brought in the Riparian Areas Regulation was: try to plan your development more than 30 metres from a stream. It’s a very sensible idea. Not that you can’t develop there if you have to, but the easiest, simplest way to avoid regulation and expense is to try not to disturb that 30-metre buffer. If you can’t, you call in a professional and get some advice.

Now I fully realize that my little letter isn’t going to have much of an impact on the people who are waving the flag of “property rights.” That’s okay. They’re certainly entitled to their opinions.  In fact, you can bet that there will be letters next week with the predictable denunciations, denials and assertions that they want to protect the environment. Fine. I know they’re coming, and you can judge their merit for yourself.

But I also know that the Trust is required to implement the Riparian Areas Regulation, and we will, just as dozens and dozens of other local governments have already done. We’re trying to craft a bylaw that will respond to the concerns of homeowners and reduce delays, red tape and expense as much as possible.

As I said, this is a special place, and we like to think we’re special. But we’re not so special that we can ignore a regulation brought in by provincial legislation. On top of that, it’s the right thing to do, for many reasons. Look around.

The writer is a Salt Spring trustee on the local Trust committee.

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Ian McKenzie, with the Bilston Watershed Protection Society, is backing the Habitat Acquisition Trust’s program to have people living near Bilston Creek in Langford and Metchosin become stewards of the watershed.

Edward Hill/News staff

In Witty’s Lagoon park, Bilston creek offers a picture of what nature should be –- a clear meandering stream, home to native cutthroat trout and thick with streamside vegetation.

A small dam built before living memory almost looks like an organic part of the river. Crisscrossed with fallen trees, it creates ideal shade and shelter for trout. It’s also a reminder of the long history of human influence on the creek.

“The dam is part of the history of Bilston. It functions just fine,” says Ian McKenzie, with the Bilston Watershed Habitat Protection Association, overlooking the pool, which may have been used as a drinking hole for cattle in the past. “It’s one of those things that adds character to the stream.”

The Bilston group has worked for decades on projects to restore the health of the creek from damage done in the 1980s and 90s. Now with residential development ever expanding within the 7,900 acres of the Bilston watershed, the creek and its tributaries are weathering the influence of rapid urbanization, particularly in Langford.

To stem the tide of pollutants, the Habitat Acquisition Trust, a non-profit land trust, is rolling out another phase of its “Good Neighbours” project within Bilston and North Latoria watersheds.

HAT is spreading the message that homeowners and hobby farmers can take relatively simple actions to keep the creek and watershed healthy, and is offering education and advice to interested residents.

“We want to prevent pesticides and nutrients from getting into the creek,” says Todd Carnahan, HAT’s Good Neighbours project leader. “We can identify problems and things people can do to keep the trout population healthy in the stream. We want people to be part of a place they value.”

In urban areas, being a steward can mean not using chemical pesticides on gardens and lawns, removing invasive plant species and allowing native streamside vegetation to flourish. On hobby farms, it can mean keeping livestock out of the creek and siting manure piles away from drainage areas.

“If there is beautiful streamside vegetation, we like people to leave it alone. Plants hold the soil, prevent run off and slow the release of water into natural streams,” Carnahan says. “Often the best thing is about doing nothing.”

Bilston creek and its many tributaries flow out of the green hills of Mount Wells Park and drain in Witty’s Lagoon some seven kilometres east. Shorter North Latoria creek flows out of Triangle Mountain to Albert Head.

Both systems collect pollutants as they wind around homes, farms, failing septic systems and roadways – the threat to watersheds is damage by a thousand paper cuts.

Carnahan says fish kills in North Latoria creek in recent years highlighted the need for public stewardship programs in Colwood, Langford and Metchosin. McKenzie says residential development in Langford is continually washing dirt into the creek.

“(Witty’s) lagoon is gradually filling with silt and will eventually become a field,” McKenzie says. “Langford has development guidelines in place, but still, there’s a lot of silt going into the stream.”

Silt and mud hurt spawning trout, who are native to the creek system and never leave, and have never had their numbers boosted by hatchery fish. Most of the Bilston enhancement projects over the years have been focused on creating better fish habitat –- healthy trout are a good indicator of the overall health of the watershed.

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“There are a reasonable number of trout,” McKenzie says, “but they are at risk due to urban development.”

HAT is seeking homeowners to become stewards of Bilston and North Latoria watersheds. Call 250 995-2428 or drop by the HAT office at 827 Broughton St. See www.hat.bc.ca for more information.

For more information on the Bilston Watershed Protection Society, see www.bilstoncreek.org.

editor@goldstreamgazette.com

At  Claytor  Lake,  thousands  of  fish  have been  

brought  in  to  try  to  tame  an  invasive monster  weed.

A grass carp shares a tank with sprigs of hydrilla on the boat launch dock at Claytor Lake. Six thousand of the fish were released into the lake Thursday.

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