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: November 7, 2018, 7:00pm
Mission: to protect and enhance the integrity and biodiversity of the Tod Creek Watershed
Thank you to Pat for hosting our meeting
In Attendance: Carmel Thomson, Audrey Barnes, Anne Allen, Ian Duncan, Bernie Bowker, Pat Carfra, Mary Haig-Brown, Winona Pugh, Joanne Delage, Lori James Derry
Regrets: Sherron MacPherson, Garth van der Kamp
1. Adoption of Agenda: passed
2. Adoption of Meeting Notes: passed
3. Treasurers Report: closing balance as of Sept 5, 2018 $494.68
4. Announcements:
a) Peninsula Streams -Tickets are now on sale for our Fall Social~! $25 each, via Eventbrite.
Date: Saturday November 17th, Time: 6:30 – 9:00 PM Location: McTavish Academy of Arts(1720 McTavish Road, North Saanich). Please join us for appies, a short film about the history of Tod Inlet, a review of our recent stream projects and plans for 2019, and of course good times with good friends!
b) Sidney Summit On Habitat and Environment – $25 Fee for Speakers
Date: Saturday November 10 Time: 8:00 -4:00, Location: Mary Winspear Center Speakers include Elizabeth May, Bob McDonald, Robert Bateman and Adam Olsen. Displays include Friends of Tod Creek Watershed, Friends of Maltby Lake ,Peninsula Streams and Saanich Inlet Protection Society. www.thesidneysummit.ca and TLC.
5. Previous Business:
a. Mary Haig Brown Recognition Award small committee composed of Bernie Bowker, Sherron MacPherson & Audrey Barnes will meet at Audrey’s to develop proposal.
b. Secchi Dip In results and article by Carmel published in Our Backyard and BC Lake Stewardship Society newsletter. Download: https://www.saanich.ca/EN/main/community/natural-environment/our-backyard-magazine.html
c. McCall Gardens Tour – informative tour with Trevor McCall of building and restoration project on the grounds of Sequoia Gardens. Six people attended.
d. Power to Be Open House – information and input into plans for Power to Be programs and facilities. They have a 25 year lease; currently plan to rezone for overnight camping [note: rezoning will expire with the lease].
e. Green Shores Training Program: Winona attended a one day workshop to introduce basic shoreline ecosystem principles and management https://continuingstudies.uvic.ca/science-and-ecological-restoration
f. BC Lake Stewardship Society AGM [call-in AGM]: positive financial and programming reports info@BCLSS.org Government funding is in place again; BCLSS looking for venues for programs.
g. Saanich Inlet Roundtable – Topics included Flow Dynamics of Saanich Inlet (Dr. Roberta Hamme, UVic ), Swimming Advisories Brentwood Bay (CRD, VIHA, Central Saanich), Live Aboards [Central Saanich leading this], Fisheries Poaching (Melissa Nottingham) MPs and MLAs Updates (Elizabeth May, Chris for Lana Popham, Adam Olsen).
6. Projects:
a. Tod Creek Flats: waiting re progress [ie organic farmers]. Peninsula Streams is collecting data.
b. Whitehead Park –mulch and planting work party will be announced for Sat Nov 24th @ 09:30. Also a request for cardboard; meanwhile Pat will call around to find a good source:
- Rick Hatch will send staff to clean up the Yellow flag iris in Whitehead Park this week;
- Mary will talk to Jenny about a “Talk & Walk Tour” for the New Year;
c. Tod Creek Enhancement Plan: The draft Salmonid Enhancement Plan for Tod Creek is designed to further the Canadian Government’s goal of restoring and maintaining salmon populations;
d. Peninsula Streams Society is continuing to improve habitat in Tod and Killarney Creeks;
e. Promotions:
( i) Friends of Tod Creek Watershed Website – recent updates include water flow information and aquatic plant sampling. Audrey will submit her 3 years of water sampling data to be added to the Hydrology Page. Ian has a photo re same to be added also;
( ii ) CRD Watersheds’ Web Page – Specifically our ambition/goal to ensure the Tod Creek Watershed (the 2nd largest watershed on the peninsula) has a presence on the CRD’s “Featured Watershed” web page; https://www.crd.bc.ca/education/our-environment/watersheds/featured-watersheds
( iii) Saanich Community Association Web Page – Our enquiries and goal into the FTCW having a presence, and the recent adjustments to the page have resulted in changes; (iv) Friends of Tod Creek Watershed display and graphics panel costs $209, display items $20: All paid for by a generous anonymous donation; (v) Printing stickers, bumper stickers, posters, cards with Friends of Tod Creek Watershed logo, input an discussion requested. Ian Duncan will talk to his nephew re Business Cards with our logo;
f. Heritage Society: date for AGM to be determined. Winona will talk to Lana Popham’s office re space there for our meeting;
g. Maltby Lake Update: Fall 2018
- (i) We published a re-introduction “Fall Update” on the status of Maltby Lake;
- See: https://maltbylake.com/update-fall-2018-where-are-we-now/
- (ii) The July Secchi Dip-in – The FTCW, FMLWS and Peninsula Streams were featured in the BCLSS recent newsletter. An edited version of the article also appeared in the Fall 2018 issue of Our Backyard [see 5.b above]. The 2 graphs are of significance and congratulate both Friends’ groups for steadfastly collecting data. What a committed group of volunteers! Lovely to see the group photo included in the publication;
- (iii) Election 2018 – We provided all 2018 Mayor and Council Candidates with background information about Maltby Lake, as it relates to Rural Saanich’s Local Areal Plan, and then asked only one question. Overall, we received a positive response from the Saanich candidates. Maltby Lake appears to certainly be registered in the minds of most. Still, there is much work ahead. See responses received here: https://maltbylake.com/district-of-saanich-2018-election/
- (iv) Our Backyard – Maltby Lake. We are delighted to have 3-pages of Our Backyard dedicated to Maltby Lake. Publicly sharing information is good because it raises awareness of the special character of Maltby Lake;
- (v) Freshwater Jellyfish – Social Media: We posted a brief introduction about Maltby Lake’s jellyfish to the FMLWS facebook page. In less than 48 hours, the post had reached 1600 people and engaged 500. I am keenly aware that raising our profile also raises questions and increases our workload;
- (vi) Freshwater Sponge. With assurance, we are now able to share information about Maltby Lake’s Freshwater Sponge. We extend a sincere thank you to Dr. Rick Nordin who ID-ed at least two species and spoke to their rarity and the uniqueness of Maltby Lake described below:
“It is significant that Maltby Lake contains populations of both jellyfish and sponges. Although these two groups of organisms are common in the marine environment, it is very unusual to find them in freshwater.
Where they do occur in lakes, both jellyfish and sponges are generally considered to be ecological indicators of unproductive and undisturbed lakes – where little human activity has occurred in the watershed and the conditions are relatively stable and show no significant deterioration.”
Dr. Rick Nordin, University of Victoria
h. Water Quality, Flow Measurement and Aquatic Plant Sampling. Mary, Winona & likely Garth will do this Friday at 1:00 pm.
7. Next Meeting: January 2nd, 7:30 pm at Audrey’s. Please note time is 7:30.
