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 4 JUNE, 2014
Mission: To protect and enhance the integrity and biodiversity of the Tod Creek Watershed.
Present: Lin Callow, Frances Hunter, Carmel Thomson, June Pretzer, Pat Carfra, Woody Thomson, Audrey Barnes, Lori James Derry, Winona Pugh, Joanne Delage, Bernie Bowker, Mary Haig-Brown
Adoption of the agenda
Adoption of minutes of 26 March 2014
Treasurer’s report. Closing balance last meeting $ 1712.70 Interest _____.08 . Balance $ 1712.08
Note: The Summer Issue of Our Backyard features Tod Creek. Check it out on Saanich’s web site.
Announcements: HAT Good Neighbours Project is on-going. Please spread the word. Bats – Volunteers needed to count bats for an hour around sunset (9:00) at our house and other sites. Training provided. Does anyone have bats at their place? Woody and Carmel do and so does June Pretzer. June and Audrey would like to count bats. Christian Englestoft is part of a bat study for BC. Does anyone want a bat box? Audrey would. Mary will pass this information to Christian.
Saanich Environmental Award winners for Long-Term Achievement are Woody and Carmel Thomson. The presentation is at the Saanich Council Meeting on Monday, 9 June at 7:30 p.m.
Peninsula Streams is having a walk and talk at Maltby on Sunday from Noon to 1:30. If you would like to attend RSVP to Francesca at Peninsula Streams
South Prospect Lake Park broom event on May 25th saw the end of a great deal of broom, but there is plenty more for next year.
Unitarian Church has shared their April offering with us. They have sent a cheque for $765.92 to PSS. We will bill PSS as we spend the money. Also $10 and a lottery ticket came directly to us from Sarah Verstegen. Many thanks to the Social Responsibility Coalition of the Church. Joanne will check the lottery ticket.
Evergreen Uncover our Creeks Programme – June Pretzer reported that Tod Creek Watershed has been chosen for the Evergreen Uncover your Creeks Programme. Evergreen started in Toronto and is now throughout Canada. They have a Vancouver office. This is their first project of the island. The project has a budget for 1 year with an option to renew for 2 more years. The purpose of the programme is to promote Stewardship Awareness and to provide hands on stewardship opportunities. On July 17th they will hold a meeting to bring stakeholders together to talk about desired projects, mapping and raising awareness of the whole watershed. Dana McDonald of the Vancouver Office will be present. They will build a volunteer base through holding monthly stewardship events. The first of these will be on July 19th. Watch for more details to follow.
Projects: Web site – Lori reports she has added more pictures. She is about to learn how to add Meeting Notes to the web site. We hope to see these Notes up soon.
Whitehead Park progress report: we have been weeding around our plantings of the last two years. Most plants are doing well and beginning to spread. The roses are blooming now. We also struggled to remove the Yellow Flag Iris that is popping up from bits of root left behind during our big removal project 2 years ago. These have to be cut out through the plastic webbing that came with the cocomat that we spread to prevent erosion when the YFI was first removed. Very hard work requiring a bill hook as well as shovels and picks.
Butchart’s dam – Sarah Petrescu of the Times-Colonist is researching for an article about the (nonexistent) fishway over Burtchart’s dam. She interviewed Mary and is gathering further information. Last year’s monitoring showed there is habitat above the dam. On Thursday Mary and Lin will walk and talk with Kevin Jancowski, the biologist who oversaw the building of the fishway over the falls, and Ian Bruce of PSS. (Note: this has now taken place. It was good to walk with Kevin and have him point out the project, assess its current status and describe the work that went into it.) There may be a coho release up stream in the fall.
Meadowbrook Reservoir – Saanich has indicated that it might be willing to hold a conservation covenant on part of this water licence. Now the current licence holders are having second thoughts about donating half their licence for this purpose.
Heritage – AGM at Maltby on Sunday 22 June at 12:30. There will be two different walks before the meeting. Check their web site (part of FTCW site) for details.
Gwen Curry is in the process of publishing her lovely book of photographs and writings on Tod Inlet village and area.
The Heritage Bistro has a rotating show of early photos of the area on their big screen. Some photos are in the book Prospect Lake Reflections. Others are from the Heritage Society’s collection.
Saanich is about to publish the Prospect Lake Heritage walk brochure. It is hoped it will be in time to be distributed at the AGM.
Next Meeting: Wednesday, 3 September at Maltby Lake.
