Meeting Notes
Friends of Tod Creek Watershed meet the first Wednesday of every second month.
You are welcome to join us.
Mission: To protect and enhance the integrity and biodiversity of the Tod Creek Watershed.
To view notes from previous meetings, use the “Meeting Notes” Archive links on the right panel.
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FRIENDS OF TOD CREEK WATERSHED MEETING NOTES
26 March, 2014
Mission: To protect and enhance the integrity and biodiversity of the Tod Creek Watershed.
Regrets: Rick and Donna Todd, Frances Hunter
Note: I forgot to mention this event last night: Hello Lead Stewards, An event at the Royal BC Museum that you may be interested in. Jenny Event Starts March 27, 2014 7:00 pm Event Ends March 27, 2014 9:00 pm Venues Royal BC Museum Cost $5, 10% discount for members A hands-on way to learn, SWAP Cafés are more than a lecture. Round table discussions come to life after panellists stimulate reflection and inspire new thoughts and ideas. Your input and ideas help to shape the evening, and create a unique experience. Three different SWAP events are taking place on February 21, March 27 and May 23. Will We Learn to Love Novel Ecosystems? We are seeing unprecedented new combinations of species thanks to environmental change, human action and invasive species. At one time these novel ecosystems were dismissed as degraded but now conservationists are wondering could these be valid new habitats? Join our panel and discuss the ecological, cultural and ethical considerations at play, and consider what to do about novel ecosystems. Panellists: Dr Richard Hebda – Curator of Botany and Earth History, Royal BC Museum Dr Eric Higgs – Professor, School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria Dr Brian Starzomski – Assistant Professor, School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria http://royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/events/swap-cafe-will-we-learn-to-love-novel-ecosystems/
1. Adoption of Agenda
2. Adoption of Meeting Notes of 8 January, 2014
3. Treasurer’s report: Opening balance: $1674.98 Donation: + 60.00 Expenses: – 22.35 (plant markers) Closing balance $ 1712.70
4. Announcements updates
a. Visit with Shona Smith and Dave Davies of DFO on 13 January, 2014, was a good review of our projects and wishes for the Watershed. Shona will follow up on Butchat’s Dam project with Margaret Wright, DFO Habitat. A meeting was set up with Margaret, Shona, Lin Callow, Ian Bruce and Mary HB on 26 February. Data collected over the year from July 2012 to Aug 2013 suggest that salmonids could survive in the system if the adults could get over Butchart’s dam. Lin is doing the analysis. Ian says there is a permit for putting coho in Tod Creek. Shona and Margaret will check to see if it is still valid. Lin has been talking to Tobi about doing the hydrology and soil sampling for the rerouting of the creek through Tod Creek Flats. Tobi has friends (fellow hydrologists) working in the States who might come up as volunteers in exchange for expenses. We need approximately $25,000 to complete that stage of the project.
b. HAT will be doing their Good Neighbours Programme in our watershed this year. Call them for a “free and confidential land care visit”. Visit hat.bc.ca for details. Mary will contact HAT to see if they have posters suitable for putting on mail boxes. Sherron will put a note in the PLDCA bulletin. HAT is sponsoring a free Native Plant Garden Tour on Sunday, 4th May. 1-4 pm. See their web site for details.
c. Andrew Burger is the new Natural Areas Technician at Saanich Parks. He has an extensive background in fisheries and natural areas. We welcome him and look forward to working with him on Whitehead.
d. Jenny is ordering more Pulling Together T-shirts. S, M, L, XL with short or long sleeves. Let Mary know if you would like one. Also Jenny has our weed wrench. We wonder if she would trade our large one for a medium sized one. Mary has emailed Jenny with the order for T-shirts and requesting the weed wrench exchange.
e. 2014 Saanich Environmental Awards. Nominations due by April 25, 2014. www.saanich.ca/enviroawards for more info. We would like to nominate Woody and Carmel for their long time and exemplary stewarding of Maltby Lake. Winona will take the lead on this.
f. Swan Lake Native Plant Sale May 17 and 18. See their web site for details.
g. Banner – Lori met with Frances Hunter for ideas. Lori and Winona will go out and take pictures for the banner.
h. Streamkeepers Course. Several members are interested in taking this course over a weekend. We can partner with PSS and ask Susan Low to instruct. Mary will work on this. Winona reported there is a Wetlandkeepers Course coming up in Duncan on June 20-22. The course is sponsored by BCWF and is free. It is possible we could sponsor one in our watershed later.
i. Pat reported daphne on trail from Goward to the school. This is not Park property so we would have to arrange for disposal through engineering if we decide to clear it. We decided to leave this for now. However interest was shown in hosting a work party to remove invasives from South Prospect Park. Daphne is beginning to show there as well. Mary will talk to Cory Manton of Saanich Parks about co-ordinating this in the near future when the broom is blooming. We felt that knocking on doors of people living next to the park as we did at Eastlake is the most effective way to let people know about such an event. We would also poster the mailboxes.
j. Penninsula Streams Society – time for renewal of membership ($5.00). Also if you have a Thrifty’s card, please load it up before the deadline of April 26th. Money on the cards can be used at any time. (5% of money put on the card before that date goes to PSS.)
k. Wikipedia article on Maltby Lake is linked to our web site. Carmel is not sure who posted this. It has some inaccuracies which need to be corrected. Carmel and Woody are meeting the TLC board on Saturday to discuss TLC’s involvement. Carmel pointed out that according the TLC data base the terms of the will leaving the land to TLC state it may not be sold or transferred.
5. Projects:
a. Web site – https://www.todcreekwatershed.ca – Lori continues to add pictures to the site. She is looking forward to Dave Renfroe’s return in order to learn more from him.
b. Killarney Creek Fan update – Winona reports the water is going down. The area we cleared is looking very promising especially when compared with the area left for other treatment. The sedges we planted have survived and will soon fill the bank of the stream.
c. Angelline Tillman’s class in Watershed Restoration at UVic came on Feb 28th. We met them at Whitehead Park, came to look at a septic system on Meadowbrook Road and then a state of the art system at Winona’s. The class then returned to Whitehead for a thorough look at the restoration that has taken place there. Winona reports there were lots of questions which is a sign they enjoyed their visit.
d. Whitehead Park update – Pulling Together crew. Workshop on Saturday, 11th January was useful as always. We agree that it is time to take down the orange fence since the mesh from the cocomat will not be taken up. We need to remove a few new Yellow Flag Iris shoot. The suggestion that it is time to take a break from the work in the park was firmly denied. We will work along the lower part of the site and work our way up as time permits.
6. Heritage –
a. Self guided walk brochure is being worked on.
b.Winona has a picture from her mother of a WW I veteran’s 20th reunion which Saanich archives may be interested in. The Heritage Society will be working on some WW I anniversary events. Woody’s brother is producing a project called The World Remembers which will highlight the names of each soldier killed in that war. See theworldremembers.ca
c. A calendar featuring local stories and photos is under discussion. It would be similar to one produced in Whonnock, Maple Ridge.
Next Meeting: 4 June, 2014.
Location: Audrey Barnes, 140 Kiowa Place.
