Category Archives: Meeting Notes

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.

FRIENDS OF TOD CREEK WATERSHED

MEETING NOTES

20^TH JUNE,2012

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

Regrets: Sherron MacPherson, Pat Carfra, Lori James Derry

1. Adoption of Agenda
2.  Adoption of 7^th March Meeting Notes
3. a) Finances – Current bank balance as 31^st May:    $1736.30.

Saanich Matching Grant cheque to be deposited:  $ 500.00

Total:                                                                                   $2236.30

b) Expenses outstanding: First Aid Kit approx.         $72.00

QEP Sara Stallard for West side Whitehead $500.00

c) Grants applied for:

TD Friends of the Environment: $2125

Canon:  $5000

Sherron is retiring as treasurer.  Joanne Delage has agreed to take this on.

1. Announcements:

           a)Hartland Happening Sunday, June 24, 2012, 10:30 am – 3:30 pm

Come for a look behind the scenes at our award-winning landfill and check out educational displays, take a guided tour and kids can play with mini-machines in the giant sandbox. Hot dogs, hamburgers and juice will be provided.

To register and save your spot on a free tour of Hartland landfill email hartland@crd.bc.ca or call 250.474.9613.

Accepting donations for United Way.

For more information visit: www.crd.bc.ca/hartlandhappening

b) Our Backyard is a publication of the Environmental Services section of Saanich Planning.  It is available on the Saanich website and as a hard copy.  Mary has written an article about plans for this summer’s work at Whitehead Park for the upcoming edition.

c) Canada Goose survey finished.  We will hear results when they are tabulated.  No geese were seen by Winona and Sherron on Prospect Lake on count days for the past 13 months although we have seen some on other days.  Mary and Audrey have had plenty to count at Tod Creek Flats especially in the winter months.

d) Peninsula Streams 10^th Anniversary July 14^th .  See poster attached and also Volunteer jobs available.  Please check to see what you can offer.  We will have a table display.  That will be a good place to get volunteers for our summer work parties.  Mary will call and book us a table.

e) Echo Learning Hive is a website designed to help teachers find environmental opportunities for students and for interested people to find volunteer opportunities.  Go to http://ecolearninghive.org/  and click on “Connect with Eco Education Organizations” to find the listing for Friends of Tod Creek Watershed.

There is also a call for places that children doing Environmental summer camps can volunteer.  Winona will call Jenny to see if we can help.

1. Projects:

a)     Turtle logs:  Winona and Mary are meeting with Christian Englstoft from HAT Thursday morning to see about placing basking logs for Western Painted Turtles at suitable places in Prospect Lake.  These logs make monitoring of populations easier.  We will look at Winona’s place and also near Joanne Delage’s place to see if Christian thinks they are suitable sites.

b)    Butchart’s Fishway and Tod Creek as salmon habitat.  Lin Callow, a restoration biologist working with Peninsula Streams, reported on progress being made with DFO biologist Margaret Wright and DFO Community Advisor Erica Blake to assess Tod Creek history and habitat for Coho and Sea run Cutthroat.  This information will be used to justify a fishway over Butchart’s dam and also to begin work on the hydrology for restoration of the creek through the Tod Creek Flats property.  We would like to have monitoring stations in place before the low flow period this summer in order to assess water quality.  Some data loggers are available from DFO and possibly some funding to test for nutrient levels. Lin is searching for a volunteer hydrologist to help set this up.

Lin and Mary are meeting with Ron De Pol Thursday afternoon to talk about his valuable work done earlier to restore the creek.

c)     Whitehead Park

East side: We are weeding and checking plantings.  Probably do some replacement planting in the fall.  We are pleased with our progress.  The new path is mulched to prevent compaction and there are plant labels on many of the native plants.  Work on the “stream” will be done soon by Saanich Storm and Wastewater Department.  The next phase of restoration will be done later.

West side: The big project this summer is removal of Yellow Flag Iris (YFI) from the west (playground) side of the Park.  With the help of Saanich Parks Department we are planning to clear and then dig the Yellow Flag Iris which is taking over the riparian area.  We will start at the south (upstream) edge of the park and remove ivy and blackberry as well as the YFI.  We have engaged Sara Stallard, a Qualified Environmental Professional (QEP), to  obtain permissions from DFO and MoE and to guide us through this work.  We will have to hold several work parties during the summer as the iris roots must be dug by hand.  Dates to be announced shortly.

6.Heritage Society   Winona reprted the book is almost done.  There has been so much information gathered that the society is already talking of doing a second, larger book.  The society invites everyone to: Prospect Lake Heritage Society

Annual General Meeting

Sunday June 24, 2:00 -4:00 pm

Tour the private collection of over 20 restored buggies wagons and artifacts

HI –LO Farms, 6963 West Saanich Road

Photo courtesy of Doris Wakelyn

The meeting will begin with the tour and members will meet for the AGM in the heritage barn while families and friends may continue to view the collection. Please pass this invitation on to those who may be interested in seeing the farm and collection

Refreshments will be served

1. Other business:

Winona: It is time to do a secci disc reading to check the turbitity of Prospect Lake.  This is arranged through BC Lake Stewardship Society.  The annual reading will be taken between June 23^rd and July 15^th.  Winona and Mary will do Prospect Lake.  Woody will do Maltby Lake.

Woody is trying again to have multiple public accesses to Maltby Lake eliminated when the subdivision of the property goes through.  Some letters were received by Bruce Hacking of Saanich Planning earlier, but several were not in the file.  Because 35% of the property belongs to TLC there will always be a way to access the lake.  Multiple accesses will damage the integrity of this lake which is in a pristine state due to the fact that it has been private with limited access for many years.  Woody is working with Eric Bonham of the BC Lake Stewardship Society and will go to PLDCA for support before taking his case to Mayor and Council.

1. Next meeting: Wednesday, 12^th September at Audrey Barnes’ 140 Kiowa Place.

 

May 2012 Notes in place of a meeting

 

1)    Saanich announces  a Public Hearing on the new Stream Side Development Permit Area.  See attached notice.

2)    Saanich has posted the information about the dock at Whitehead Park.  See the sign in the park or check on Saanich web site.  Comments are due by May 15^th.

3)    PLDCA held an informative meeting about the Blue-green algae seen in the lake.  This is not usually harmful to humans or dogs, but occasionally it can be so it is best to avoid it.  It grows when the algae come to the surface and into the light.  Large weeds provide shade and also habitat for zooplankton which eat the blue-green algae.

4)    We have received $500.00 in a Saanich Matching grant for work on the restoration of the West side of Tod Creek in Whitehead Park.  We are applying for other grants as this is a large project.  With the help of Saanich Parks we will do what we can with the resources available.

5)    We are very pleased with our progress on the East side of Whitehead Park.  The plants we have added are doing well and are only slightly nibbled by deer.  We continue to work on Monday mornings and would be happy to show off our work to anyone who cares to come down.

6)    If you have any questions or would like more information please do not hesitate to ask.