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 – 3 MAY, 2017
Mission: To protect and enhance the integrity and biodiversity of the Tod Creek Watershed.
Present: Bernie Bowker, Gwen Curry, Joanne Delage. Walter Wright, Pat Carfra, Winona Pugh, Mary Haig-Brown
Regrets: Carmel Thomson, Lori and Michael Derry, Audrey Barnes
Adoption of Agenda
Adoption of Meeting Notes of 1 March, 2017
Treasurer’s report
Closing balance 1 March $ 805.68
BC Lake Stewardship renewal 50.00
Closing balance $ 755.68
Announcements:
Pen Streams AGM, Saturday, 6 May at Brentwood Lodge from 3:00-5:00. Guest speaker is Dr. Richard (Dick) Beamish, Emeritus scientist, Pacific Biological Station, Nanaimo.
Memberships are now due for this year
Tod Creek Watershed Bus Tour planning meeting has been rescheduled. New date not yet chosen. The bus is currently booked for the weekend of July 8-9. Discussion decided that 3 hours was long enough so there is probably not time to visit Trevlac or Maltby.
Underwood Park visit. A new park off Interurban Trail. Mary and Winona and Jenny Eastman walked and saw a beautiful 6 acre site which is beautifully restoring itself to a natural area.
South Prospect Lake Park broom bash on 22 April with Green Team was a great success. The difference in the park after 3 years of broom removal is marked. The wild flowers are at their best just now.
Stream keepers Course was successful and fun. 10 new Streamkeepers completed the course.
Projects:
Water Quality monitoring continues on first weekend of the month. Winona and Mary will go out this weekend. We are taking DO and pH readings on Killarney Creek above Bowker pond, and Tod Creek at Goward Road, Lohr Road, Red Barn, Farmington Road, Durrance Lake and Durrance Road Bridge.
That is 7 sites.
Killarney Lake bathymetry will help in working toward this as a source of water for Tod Creek. Winona brought a map done by Ministry of Lands and Forests in 1951 showing the lake to be 60+ feet deep. A phone call from a neighbour reported a bad smell coming from the film covered, silted lake. A visit this morning by Bernie revealed the smell fading and the lake water clear to about 4 feet with no surface film. Perhaps the warming weather has caused the lake to turn over.
Whitehead Park – continuing with weeding, laying cardboard and mulching. Kristen Miskelly is coming on Monday to advise about plantings on top of the mulch. She will be there at 9:30 to advise about plants such as Douglas Aster to plant on top of the mulch. We will apply for a Small Sparks Grant to buy suitable plants.
Tod Creek Flats and Butchart’s dam.
We are waiting for news of grant from RFCPP. We will continue last summer’s work and work upstream on riffles and spawning beds.
The camera has been installed at the Fish Ladder at Butchar’s dam. Smolt from flats have been observed as well as a Coho fresh from the sea. Wrong time of year, what was it up to? See attached draft for a sign to be installed at the fence.
Web site – Lori continues to update this site regularly. Visit it at: todcreekwatershed.ca
Lake Stewardship – Winona plans another Aquatic Plant survey in the summer.
Maltby Lake – Woody was not present.
Next meeting: 5 July, 2017
Location: To be announced. (possibly Maltby Lake).