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
12TH SEPTEMBER, 2012
Mission: To protect and enhance the integrity and biodiversity of the Tod Creek
Watershed.
Present: Bernie Bowker, Rick Todd, Donna Todd, Audrey Barnes, Lori James Derry,
Joanne Delage, Winona Pugh, Mary Haig-Brown
Regrets: Frances Hunter, Sherron MacPherson, Pat Carfra, June Pretzer
1. Adoption of Agenda
2. Adoption of 20th June meeting notes
3. Finances: As of May 31 we have $1736.37 in the Credit Union. We will be
buying replacement plants for the East side area and we will receive an
invoice from Sara Stallard for her work on the West side. Mary and Joanne
will arrange to change signing authority and address at the Credit Union.
4. Announcements:
a. Conservation Connection – Friday, 28th September at Royal Roads.
Lori and Audrey will go. Fees will be paid by FTCW. They will ask
for table space for a display.
b. Canada Goose Report – Draft dated August 28, 2012 is being
circulated to contributing groups for comment.
c. Dock at Whitehead Park is being put in place. Please note that this is
NOT part of FTCW projects in the park. Winona read an answer from
Parks to a letter she wrote expressing concern about the dock. The
project is expected to be in place by Friday.
d. Cattails at Rithets Bog:INVASIVE CATTAIL CLEARING AT RITHET’S BOG,
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 10 AM TO 3 PM
On Saturday, Sept 15, a second Pulling Together cattail clearing work party
will be held in the Chatterton wetland at Rithet’s Bog.
This work party will be a follow up to the first event on Saturday, Sept 8,
during which several hundred square metres of invasive
eastern cattail were cut. The goal is to increase areas of open water habitat
and improve opportunities for wildlife viewing. The focus of Saturday’s work
party will be to gather the cut cattail and haul it to the trailside. Saanich staff
will then truck it to the field at the Dalewood entrance for composting.
The event will run from 10AM to 3PM, and drop ins are welcome. The
worksite can be accessed from Dalewood Lane, or from the weir entrance to
the park at the southern end of the Chatterton wetlands.
Please wear gumboots, and clothes that you don’t mind getting muddy.
Gloves and tools will be provided by the Saanich Pulling Together program, as
well as lunch, drinks and snacks!
For questions please call Jenny Eastman 250-744-1710, Russ Pym 250-658-5167,
or Sharon Hartwell 250-479-0491
e. Pulling Together training session will take place on October 20th from
10:00-3:00 at Cedar Hill Golf Course. We have been asked to do a
presentation on the YFI work. We agreed to do this without the use
of technology.
f. Hartland Education Centre CRD. Possibility to work with CRD on
publicity brochures etc. Mary to follow up on this.
g. BC Lake Stewardship Report on Prospect Lake. Secci disc readings on
Prospect and Maltby. We need to carry on the work done by Art
Dimock. BCLSS has published a report on Prospect Lake. Information
is mostly general lake information with some older data on Prospect
Lake. They need consistent secci disc data and also reports on native
riparian plants. We would like to do this but are short of member
time. Rick Todd reports that the Lake level is unusually high for this
time of year. BCLSS funding has been drastically cut by B.C. Ministry
of Environment. Winona will write a letter of protest on our behalf.
5. Projects:
a. Butchart’s Fishway and Tod Creek as salmon habitat. Mary and Lin
met with Ron de Pol to gather background on work done in the creek
in the 1970s.
Lin Callow has been taking readings through the low water time at
the four sites we installed monitoring stations. Temperature and
Dissolved Oxygen are marginal but not lethal to fish. However, coho
and sea run cutthroat could summer in Prospect Lake.
b. Meadowbrook Reservoir: A possible source of water during low flow
period is Meadowbrook Reservoir. The new owners of the farm and
water licence are interested in repairing the dam. Ian Bruce will do a
walk about with them to explain our plans.
c. Whitehead Park:
i. East side: Saanich Storm and Wastewater Dept. made the
stream by hand to direct rain water through the site. Thank
you to John Dellicarri. Most plantings have survived in spite
of deer and lack of water. We have pulled some blackberry
shoots and will need to do much more. We will also do
some replacement planting once the rains start. Work
parties will continue every Monday morning at 9:30.
ii. West Side: Large summer project was the removal of the
Yellow Flag Iris. Huge thanks go to Saanich Parks,
particularly Don Illingworth and Rick for all their hard
work. The iris were hand dug and then spread on tarps to
dry. They were then taken away by Saanich to be hot
composted. The bare patches have been seeded with fall
rye and covered with cocomat to prevent silt going into
the creek when the rains start. We will continue to
monitor for Yellow Flag Iris shoots and then plant with
suitable riparian plants.
d. Turtle Logs: Christian Englstoft suggests we have a paddle around the
lake to check likely spots for turtles to bask. Mary will contact
Christian to find a suitable date to do this.
6. Heritage Society Book Launch will take place at Tia’s on September 23rd
from 2pm-6pm with talks around 3:30. The hard cover book is beautiful
and will be on sale on Sunday. The first 100 copies, most of which have
been sold, go for $42.50. Price for copies beyond that depend on the
numbers ordered at any one time and will probably be a little higher.
7. Other business: none
8. Next Meeting: 7th November at Rick and Donna Todd’s house.
