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 TO CREEK WATERSHED
Meeting Notes – 2 MAY, 2018
Mission: to protect and enhance the integrity and biodiversity of the Tod Creek Watershed.
In attendance: Ian Duncan, Anne Allen, Joanne Delage, Sherron MacPherson, Audrey Barnes, Mary Haig-Brown, Bernie Bowker, Michael Derry, Winona Pugh, Emily Harris, Carmel Thomson, Lori James Derry.
Regrets: Pat Carfra, Janet Williams
Adoption of the Agenda: passed.
Adoption of Meeting Notes of 14 March, 2018: passed.
Treasurer’s Report
Closing balance 14 March, 2018: $694.68
Deposit donation $50.00
Cheque Web site annual $50.00
Cheque Publ course $250.00
Balance as of 2nd May $444.68
Announcements:
a) Pen Streams AGM Sat May 12th 2018, 3 to 5 pm
Brentwood Bay Inn. Please RSVP.
Francesca Loro, Stewardship Coordinator
250.363.6480, PeninsulaStreams@gmail.com
b) Creatures of Habitat volunteers needed: If you can help: call Francesca Loro, Stewardship Coordinator 250.363.6480
c) Saanich Inlet Roundtable – Winona: Notice of next meeting, hosted by the District of Central Saanich, Thursday May 17th 2 pm to 4:30 pm. Cedar Room, Saanich Fairgrounds, 1528 Stelly’s Crossroad.
http://saanichinletprotection.org/index.html
d) Dominion Brook Park tour was wonderful. Another tour is on Tuesday, May 8th at 10:30 am. Let Mary know if you would like to come. http://dominionbrookpark.ca
e) Wray Creek – Saanich will be doing a restoration of the creek as it runs through properties between Sparton and West Saanich. The landowner, Gabby Czech, would like to see the wetland habitat restored for the frogs. Work to be done in late Aug or Sept.
f) Coho Fry Release – two schools, Bayside Middle School & Brentwood Elementary School, will be releasing the Coho fry they have raised in their classrooms into Tod Creek at Whitehead Park. Date to be arranged.
g) Prospect Lake School bus tour will take place on Friday, 25th May. There will be four bus loads of approximately 60 students each coming to Trevlac Ponds, Whitehead Park, Tod Flats, and Butchart’s Fishway and then back to Power to Be. Jenny Eastman will be at Trevlac to talk about pond life, Andrea Neumann will lead bird watching at Tod Flats. Brian Koval will talk about the fishway and migration at Gowlland Tod. And we will host at Whitehead. We need volunteers. Proposed outline handed out with agenda.
h) Emily Harris has opened: The Coop Market Garden. Emily & Tyler can be reached at: thecoopmarketgarden@gmail.com and their web site is https://thecoopmarketgarden.wordpress.com for updates on the garden/links/ vegetable gardening tips.
Projects:
Water quality – time for another round, date: Sat 09:30 May 5th
Tod Creek Flats – Multi Use Management Plan. Meeting held today with DFO [Plan will be updated]: 4 landowners met; there have been about 10 years of ongoing meetings; the land is now potentially organic as it has sat fallow for 8 years, so this will be added to the consideration/s; drainage was the biggest problem, now resolved; met w/ Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture; the group is looking at gaps in the info & how to resolve them with everyone being good with the resolution outcome/s.
South Prospect Lake Park – we pulled lots of broom sprouts. The difference is amazing in the 3 years we have been doing this.
Whitehead Park and Lohr Road – Maintenance continues. Saanich Native Plants http://saanichnativeplants.com have donated Mimulus plants for WHP [Yellow Monkey Flower, Mimulus guttatus]. Other plantings are really flourishing and so is the Reed Canary Grass. We will set it up so the bus tour students can help us spread cardboard and mulch.
Lake Stewardship – Winona: 2018 Wetlands Institute Workshop will be held Sept 17th to 23rd on Salt Spring Island, generally from 09:00 to 6:00 pm; Location: Salt Spring Island Conservancy, 265 Blackburn Road. For more information and to reserve seats: go to
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/wetlands-institute-salt-spring-island-2018-registration-42025820360
Web site – Lori: new page “Local Publications” and soon to be new page “Local Gardens”
Heritage Society: Winona will be judging at the Heritage Fair
FTCW book is being created by Winona & Lori;
Retrieving other publications: “Wetland Connections” and “Returning the Loon” for future considerations re reprinting;
We have added to the Saanich 150 Time Capsule.
Maltby Lake – Carmel: Harlequin Duck [Histrionicus histrionicus] and Common Loon [Gavia immer] have been on the lake this spring. See All About Birds for details: https://www.allaboutbirds.org and for Maltby Lake website, see: https://maltbylake.com
Hand over Chair to Winona Pugh, with Thanks to Mary for her work to date.
Next meeting – Wednesday, 4th July, 2018
Location: Audrey’s
