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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Present: Winona Pugh, Audrey Barnes, Art Dimock, Bernie Bowker, Woody Thomson, Frances Hunter, Mary Haig-Brown
Regrets: Graham Walker, Sherron MacPherson, Lori James Derry
- Adoption of Agenda m/s Audrey/Bernie
- Adoption of meeting notes from 5th January, 2011 m/s Winona/Pat Struggle with Web site may be solved soon.
3. Announcements:
a) Marian McCoy is leaving Saanich Parks. We are very sorry to see her go and hope that her position will be filled shortly. In the meantime Cory Manton is looking after her work.
b) Have the Scottons changed their e-mail? Yes, they have. Audrey sent the new one this morning. See above.
c) FTCW have bought two square metres in the middle of Mary Lake. Thanks to Sherron for arranging this.
d) Our Backyard deadline for submissions is March 16th.
e) Saanich Parks Pulling Together work shop – April 16th.
f) Salmon Enhancement Programme – Weekend Conference in Campbell River May 20-22nd. This is a very useful conference for Streamkeepers and others interested in stream work. http://www.pskf.ca/workshop/index.html will be the web link with further details.
g) Saanich – Development Permit Atlas is a new atlas showing areas of environmental concern such as wetlands, endangered ecosystems, marine shorelines, etc. These areas are now provided protection similar to that afforded by the Stream Side Protection legislation.
Parks and Trails Survey is leading to the new Parks and Trails Master Plan being worked on by Saanich parks
h) Pacific Salmon Foundation and Salmon Kings fundraiser game – March 16th. To volunteer to help or to get tickets contact Michelle Lam at PSF at (604) 664-7664 ext 108 or mlam@psf.ca . We have an application to PSF for funding for Meadowbrook Reservoir.
i) Saanich Climate Action: Tap by Tap programme www.tapbytap.ca for information on how you can get a free low flow showerhead. These showerheads are for fixed pipe showers not hand held ones, but they are available to those on wells as well as those on city water.
j) Restoration Institue 2011 – Novel Ecosystems. UVic May 27 – 28th. This has just been announced. Tod Creek Flats is a Novel Ecosystem, which is the term for created ecosystems to take the place of damaged or destroyed ecosystems. More information to follow. Later: Actually Novel Ecosystems are ecosystems that have changed due to changing climate so Tod Creek Flats is not really a Novel Ecosystem.
4. Updates:
a) Survey re: boat use: Graham is away
b) Butchart’s Fishway – Thanks to Pat’s intervention Mary has emailed with Laura Akam who prefers to work with only one person. She has been talking with Erica Blake of DFO. Erica met with Butcharts on Feb 10 who may go ahead with this project this summer. Erica has recommended Ian Bruce as project lead. Next week Erica is meeting with BC Parks about permitting for work in the Park.
5. Projects:
a) Tod Creek Flats – Mary and Deborah presented to Peninsula Agricultural Commission in January. They recommended we talk to Saanich Council so Mary and Winona are talking with each Councilor to make sure they understand the project.
Mary met with Lana Popham, MLA, who suggested a community information meeting about Tod Flats Project. She would arrange venue, food and publicity. We agree this is a good idea and will proceed with the planning. The venue could be either Prospect Lake Hall or the Unitarian Church, which overlooks the site.
b) Meadowbrook Reservoir: We have applied through Peninsula Streams for a PSF grant to do this project. Erica is supporting this with part of her rationale being the work on the Flats and on Butcharts fishway. Art wonders how we will be sure the water dedicated for conservation actually gets down Tod Creek where it is needed. We will have to keep watching for a mechanism to ensure this.
c) Eastlake – Sandy Munns, a Royal Road University student has offered to draw up a planting plan to this area. Winona has rescued some plants that could go there. We need to have another session of removing ivy. This could take place near the end of April but should not conflict with celebrations at Whitehead Park. We will contact people by e-mail when we have a date. Lori has a list of those who took part in November. Mary will call her. Later: Lori will phone people on the list and we will collect e-mail addresses from now on.
d) Whitehead Park – We have submitted a grant proposal to Walmart-Evergreen in partnership with Saanich to plan and plant the riparian area of Whitehead and Eastlake. We want to involve Prospect Lake Students as part of this. We should hear about grant after March 31st.
Planning for an opening celebration is in progress in conjunction with Becky Goodall of Saanich Parks. The Mayor would like to attend so date is not yet set. The next planning session with Becky Goodall is Friday March 11th, 10:00 at Tia’s. Mary and Winona will attend.
e) Prospect Lake School – Mrs Lael’s class is interested in doing a little fundraising to help buy some heather plants for the rain garden. The acquisition and planting will be done with the help of Pacific Horticultural College Students. We need to arrange this. Winona will find out from Lori who we should contact at the Hort College to arrange this. Later: Our contact is Anne Drummond. The students are ready to do their fund raising, the plants are set aside and Mary will pick them up at the end of April.
f) Heritage – Walk, research, etc. Lori and Winona. A very successful Heritage walk and gathering at Tia’s was held in spite of the rain and snow on Sunday, 27th February. Mary and Winona have been interviewed by Gwen Currie who is doing a book on Tod Inlet. Gwen’s research is getting far more detailed than she planned, but she is fascinated by what she is finding out and is a great source of information.
Heritage AGM is in March. Time and place TBA.
g) We all lament the huge loss of trees in the area due to new house construction and excessive clearing around them. There seems to be no recourse.
Walk: We will do the Heritage walk following the script written by the Heritage Society.
Meet at Prospect Lake School Sunday 27th March at 1:00.
7. Next meeting: Wednesday, 4th May, 2011
Audrey Barnes house, 140 Kiowa Place at 7:30 p.m.
