March/ April 2020

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 Activity Report [During Covid-19 Restrictions re Gatherings]

March April, 2020

Mission: to protect and enhance the integrity and biodiversity of the Tod Creek Watershed

1. Announcements:

  • a] Symposium on Water Stewardship in a Changing Climate: Climate Change, Collaboration and Landscape Restoration  April 22, 23 and 24 , Courtenay
    https://www.civicinfo.bc.ca/event/2020/Comox-Valley-Water-Stewardship-Symposium
  • Postponed to October 2020
    b] CPAWS Celebration of Migratory Bird Day was presented as a virtual celebration on Saturday May 9
  • c] Love Thy Nature  If you haven’t seen the film Narrated by Liam Neeson and the winner of 27 awards yet, you can watch it for free through the links listed below. Love Thy Nature points to how deeply we’ve lost touch with nature, and takes viewers on a cinematic journey through the beauty and intimacy of our relationship with the natural world. The film shows that a renewed connection with nature is key both to our personal health and the health of our planet.    You can view the trailer here and the screening links to the movie are below:

5. Previous and Ongoing Activities 

  • a] Aquatic Plant Survey – The province has requested that all Lake Stewardship activities been postponed unless that can be conducted according to COVID 19 guidelines. Thank you to everyone who responded so quickly to the new BC Lake Stewardship insurance information requirements. We will add the information for volunteers as needed.
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  • b] Bat box building workshop – A very successful bat house building workshop has given us 6 bat boxes installed in the area. Kathleen has donated her Rocket Box to be located on the Tod Flats. All of the boxes are registered with HAT to provide ongoing tracking of activity. A huge thank you to Anne and Ian for all of the preparation and an ideal location for the workshop.  The summer edition of Our Backyard has a short article on the event with photos by Anne and Lori.
  • f] Tod Creek Watershed Connections publication – a limited number of copies are available for sale. Lori will be ordering more when the next sale comes up.
  • g] CRD Featured Watersheds website – No new developments have occurred. A Metchosin resident has approached the CRD about the holly in the regional parks and has contacted FTCW for support in moving the issue forward.
  • h] Mary Haig Brown Recognition Award – nominations may be made by contacting any member of the Nominating Committee. 

6. Projects:

  • a] Bus tour of the watershed dependent on finding funding and appropriate dates based on COVID 19 restrictions. Grant applications may be possible through the Prospect Lake Heritage Society. In the Fall, we will apply to PSF for $500; 
  • b] Tod Creek Flats – Mary,  Lori & Gwen will start a photographic Tod Flats plant ID series;
  • c]  Parks 1) Whitehead Park – We were able to complete the planting of over 60 native plants on March 23 prior to the cancellation of all formal Pulling Together activities.
     The EOC has not yet approved any resumption of volunteer activities, and all volunteer activities in Saanich Parks continue to be canceled. Saanich is planning for a reactivation of volunteer activities soon, while keeping everyone healthy and safe
  • 2) South Prospect Lake broom pull or bash: Saturday June 20th, postponed. Saanich Parks will place a “No Dumping” sign at the entrance to the wetland trail on Estelline to prevent further damage to the sensitive ecosystem from garden waste disposal
    3) Meadowbrook Right of Way – ivy pull – Saturday May 30th; postponed
  • d] Peninsula Streams update – Has received 6 grants from Pacific Salmon Foundation for jobs this summer. All PSS volunteer activities have been postponed .
  • e] Website – The website is always being added on to, and I welcome any input [photos, comments, or suggestions]. The “Heritage Page” is currently being updated, small changes to how the pages are laid out as we have recently received some great family history from a Prospect Lake elder. The gentleman’s daughter bought him our ‘Reflections’ book and he loved it, sparking a flood of memories which his daughter is organizing for us.  We don’t have permission to share everything yet but as soon as we do, it will be added to the new sub-page ‘Heritage Chronicles’ in addition to including it with our Prospector Newsletters Catalog project complied for the Saanich Archives. In the meantime, please have a look at this new page, for enjoyment, and for some needed direction: I would like to put a Table of Contents [of sorts] at the top of the page. How? ie number the entries and note the names in each entry? It can’t be too onerous, as when new documents are added, the website doesn’t have the capability of automatically re-alphebetizing. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Also: on our “Information Page” we have been given permission to share [by way of a link] a Wetland Identification Guide from The Island County Department of Planning & Community Development in Washington State. It’s a succinct guide with good information and photos for identifying wetlands, the soils, and the indicator plants. And finally, on our “Kid’s Page”: the Pacific Salmon Foundation has created the “Species of the Salish Sea” diversity discovery booklet which can be accessed from the link provided. It is a good addition for our current home-schooling Covid time.
  • f] Heritage Society –  We have a new contact for two families living in the area during the 1940 and 1950 decades. 
  • The Prospector collection is on hold until the libraries reopen. Suggestions for the  AGM are welcome
  • g] Maltby Lake – spring flowers will be at their peak 
  • h] April Water Quality measurements were canceled due to COVID 19 concerns. We hope to resume measurements at the end of May or early June with precautions in place. Garth is working on a short report on the hydrology of Prospect Lake
  • I] Saanich Streams would like to know of any erosion or stream work that is needed. The pending sale of 273 Prospect Lake Road may provide an opportunity to consider the reassignment of the two water licenses that are registered with the property

7. Previous Business:
a]  Society Status: The group decided not to become a Society. Application to become a Society will be reviewed if necessary 

c] Campaign to Stop CRD Spread of Toxic Biosolids at Hartland: Winona, Audrey Gwen & Mary have met to discuss a strategy to protest this decision. A letter has been written to George Heyman Minister of the Environment and a letter was also written to the CRD in response to the Notice of Intent to Issue and Operational Certificate for the Biosolids Facility. The letter was copied to the Director and the Chair of the CRD Board. Gwen and Winona arranged to meet with Ryan Windsor however that meeting did not happen. Thank you to those individuals who have written follow up letters and please contact me if you have suggestions for further action.

e] Saanich Environmental Awards nomination deadline was extended to Monday May 19

Our next meeting is tentatively planned for  Wednesday July 8.

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