to both
levels is possible by exploiting the cross slope.
Fall Edition September, 1998
Nature Interpretation Centre Planned
by Ron Simpson
For some time now, PMES members have been discussing relocating the education and laboratory programs, presently fast outgrowing their tiny space in the Hatchery.
We believe that all current needs could be accommodated within a separate building not far from the Hatchery and planned so that future expansion would be readily possible.
We have looked at locations and the current favourite lies between the firelane behind
the Hatchery and the lower foot trail in the woods. This location is thirty meters from
Noons Creek, which satisfies DFO requirements. It is accessible by car from the lane and
by foot from the trail. Wheelchair access to both
levels is possible by exploiting the cross slope.
A feasibility plan has been prepared and in addition, we have had preliminary talks with City staff who are currently reviewing all technical aspects.
Proposed Plans
Lower Ground Level
Upper Level (entering off lane)
Ecologically Friendly
We strongly felt that the design of our building should be energy efficient and, we hope, truly ecologically friendly. For example -
With its sloping roof and cedar siding, the Education Centre would be a friendly neighbour to the Hatchery - indeed, together with the outdoor classrooms, it would add to the group of what is almost becoming an ecological village.
A retired architect, Ron Simpson designed the Noons Creek Hatchery and its adjoining outdoor classrooms.
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Fingerling Festival 1998
by Jim Spurr
Our annual Fingerling Festival was held in May, a bit earlier than usual this year because of the warm water temperatures. The idea of having a fish release and calling it the Fingerling Festival started in 1992. That year we released two or three thousand chum salmon. There were somewhere between 50 and 100 people who came for the release and at that time, the volunteers outnumbered those who came to help release. That was before we had our building. The event took place on the other side of the creek, where the baseball backstop currently stands. Some of us were speaking to people from DFO and BC Hydro during our 1998 chum release about the size of the crowd we had. Both had been at the Coquitlam Environmental Fair two weeks previous and both said that we had at least as many people as they did. We know that they had about 1500 people because they had charged admission to help cover some of their city staff costs. Now I don’t know if in fact we had that many in attendance or not, but it sure seemed like it from the number of hot dogs I cooked. I think that as an organization, we can gloat just a bit over the success of this year’s event. We had an excellent turnout, and to you the public, THANK YOU. We had an event that raised between $1500.00 and $2000.00 through a small raffle, hot dog sales and tulip bulb sales. Again, thanks to those who spent money on Sunday and thanks to the city of Port Moody for the bulbs.
Thank you to the other organizations that participated:
The biggest thanks must go however the KIDS for bringing their parents and for having such a good time.
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A Day in the Life of a Volunteer
by Scott Manning
After arriving at the Hatchery on a typical Saturday morning around 9:30, I say Hi to everyone that showed up and find out what the Hatchery Manager, Nancy Aichberger, has scheduled for the day.
This morning there is going to be a group of Brownies coming to the hatchery. We prepare for their tour by gathering bug collecting supplies and demonstration displays. The Brownies arrive and we give them a guided tour of the egg incubation room, the ‘cap’ trough (where we raise the youngest fry), then outside to the pond where the larger fry are raised until ready for release. Next we show them the spawning channels and duck pond - so named because of 2 resident ducks who swim here regularly and raise their young. At the duck pond they collect bugs, the kids love this part. Next we identify what they have found and explain the importance of these natural food sources to the fish - May Fly Nymphs, Caddis Fly Nymphs, and a couple of Dragon Fly Nymphs. We can also determine the health of the creek by the types and quantity of bugs collected.
Just before the Brownies leave I feed the fish, broadcasting the food across the surface of the pond which instantly becomes alive with fish that feed like Piranhas.
After they leave we go out to do some water quality testing. We get to the test site and measure the pH level (acidic level), ppm (parts per million of oxygen), air and water temperatures and water turbidity (how much silt is in the water). We test various sites on Noons Creek and other creeks in the area. We record the data back at the hatchery. These readings are a valuable tool to assist in understanding normal seasonal changes in the readings and identify if and/or when there is something out of the norm requiring further investigation to establish if someone is dumping something into the creeks. Again an important tool to aid in stopping illegal activities.
Time permitting we weigh, measure and clip adipose fins off the fry in the pond. First we catch the fish in minnow traps and place them gently in buckets of creek water. We transfer a few fish at a time into another bucket that has carbon dioxide added to the water to anaesthetize the fish to make them easier to handle and reduce the chance of injury to the fish. We form a kind of assembly line, first the fish gets weighed on a scale, then measured for length and finally we clip the adipose fin before placing the fish in another bucket of creek water to ensure it recovers before returning to the pond. The adipose fin is vestigial which means that through evolution the fish no longer need this fin and clipping it does the fish no harm. When the fish is caught by a fisherman, a clipped adipose fin identifies it as being from a hatchery.
We repeat this process once a month so we know how much to feed them. Too much food causes too swift a growth rate and they will mature early and return to spawn too soon. Not enough food causes the opposite and they return to spawn too late.
After we have finished cleaning up and putting the equipment away I help lock the hatchery, say goodbye to everyone before heading home, looking forward to next Saturday.
This is very rewarding work and is one of those things in life that provides a better reward than a pay check.
Scott is a Grade 12 student at Pitt Meadows Secondary School. He has been a regular worker at the Noons Creek Hatchery since 1997 and plans to enter the Fisheries Program at BCIT.
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Noons Creek Bridge Parking The Port Moody Ecological Society will be requesting the City to place “No Parking” signs immediately north of the foot bridge leading to the Hatchery. This area is close to the creek, and oils, water and debris collect here and eventually make their way into the water flow of Noons Creek. IF YOU SEE ANY ACTIVITIES THAT CONCERN YOU WITH REGARD TO DAMAGE TO ANY FISH HABITAT, DON’T WAIT! CALL THE VIOLATION REPORTING LINE AT 666-3500. When calling, please ask the operator to request a response back to you as to the action taken.
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Hatchery Report
by Nancy Aichberger
CHUM
35,000 chum fry were released into Noons Creek between May 3rd and May 7th. Interested people both young and old released many of the fry at our Fingerling Festival. The rest were released by School district 43 children who came in for our Salmon Cycle and Stream Science classes.
Another 35,000 chum fry were released into School House Creek South, from the Reichold Chemical Plant. This was the first time that we used our brand new fish transport system (a transport tank fitted with an oxygen supply.) The transport and release went well with a minimum of casualties - to the fish, not the hatchery crew.
COHO
On May 30th the 17,600 Coho smolts which we were holding were released. As usual not all decided to leave immediately. I guess they liked the easy living in our pond, but eventually most of them left.
CUTTHROAT
I am sorry to say that we have had limited success in raising a new batch of cutthroat. At the time of the egg take there were about 1200 eggs. Most of these never hatched. At the moment we have about 75 survivors in the Capilano trough.
POND SEINING
On July 4 the rearing pond was drained and a seine net was brought in by Glen Dixon CA. The results of seining were:
50 sculpins
24 Coho fry
12 Coho smolts
15 cutthroat (The largest cutthroat was 33 cm long and weighed 344 gm.)
POND PUMPING
On June 11 a group of fun loving volunteers donned chest waders and entered the delightfully smelling mud on the bottom of the pond (Editor’s note: “Mud” - i.e., honest mud PLUS - a year’s worth of old rotted uneaten fish food, fish droppings and other unspeakables...) This group made an effort to push, shovel and rake as much mud as possible to the hatchery end of the pond. If you stay in any one spot more than a few seconds you become stuck. I know, I fell in twice try to unstick my feet and waders. The reason for this nonsense was to move the muck over so that the hose from a pumper truck could reach it all.
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| At the intake pipe... Upper Left: Eric Olsen Upper Right: Dave Bennie (photos: © 1998 Hulbert Photo. All rights reserved.) | |
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| Nancy Aichberger Above Left: Stirring the Broth... Above Right: At one with her environment... (photos: © 1998 Hulbert Photo. All rights reserved.) | |
On July 13th a pumper truck arrived around noon. Eric, Dave and I were again the lucky ones to jump back in the pond. A four-inch hose was dropped into the muck and the fun began. Eric and Dave took turns working with the hose. They were warned to keep their hands clear of the suctioning end, or be prepared to lose a hand. After much suctioning and shoveling of muck, the truck operator told us that he had another extension, which reached almost to the far corner of the pond. After playing in the mud for 2 hours the truck was finally full, and the pond almost cleaned out.
Our thanks go to Mr. Joe Trassolini who arranged for the pumper truck and to Tom Hunt and Craig Hall of the City of Port Moody Engineering Department who allowed the contents of the pumper truck to be deposited in their environmentally safe land fill site.
The pond was then refilled with creek water and on July 15 we transferred 20,582 Coho fry into a nice clean pond. Since this time 2 green backed herons have been regularly sited UNDER the predator net. We keep trying to close up holes in the net, but those birds are smarter than we are.
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Lab Report
By Jim Mattson
Summer is a time of holidays and most people usually involved with water quality testing are taking them. We in the lab are getting ready for another busy season starting this fall. We still have our contingent of volunteers who are doing projects, but are always looking for more. This summer we have given lab facilities to another group of university students from Capilano College, Twill Schmidt and Meridith Flannery led by one of the researchers who was involved in a similar study last summer, Jan Ferrigan, who now works for G.V.R.D. They are doing an ecological assessment of the Colony Farm complex. The purpose of their study is to gather data to create a baseline of information on the water quality as a continuation of last summer’s work. They are also creating the methodology for programs to monitor bird populations and amphibian populations in the Colony Farm Regional Park. They have done over ten different types of water quality analyses on the various bodies of water around Colony Farm. We hope to receive a report from them on their summer’s activities, which we will publish both in the Creek Crier and on our website.
We have updated our supplies for water quality testing and will be looking forward to receiving help from volunteers to do water quality testing, starting this fall. Hopefully, we will be able to expand our testing to all of the salmon-bearing streams in the Port Moody area that drain into Burrard Inlet. Anyone interested in this next season’s water quality testing program is invited to call Jim Mattson at 469-0833 or contact him through e-mail at: jmattson@home.com.
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Website News
by Jim Mattson
As the result of reconfiguration of Rogers “Wave” service to their @Home network, the URL for the Port Moody Ecological Society’s website has been changed to: http://members.home.net/jmattson/ Anyone interested in contributing either articles or getting involved with the website’s maintenance is invited to contact me at either my phone number or my e-mail address (listed above). We are constantly in need of advice as to how we may improve our website or add information to it.
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WEBSITES TO WATCH
(contributed by Rick Simpson)
http://www.pac.dfo.ca/pac/comm/pages/cohoresponse/cohoresp.htm
The “DFO Coho Salmon Response Team” presents regular updates on scientific data, consultation summaries, Coho stock assessment reports, background information and contacts.
http://www.fanweb.org/johnston
Watch Critical Fish Habitat Disappear on the Central Coast! 80% of the major rainforest valleys on the west coast of Canada have already been lost to logging, and Interfor and other companies will log many of the remaining valleys within the next 5 years. But the satellite is watching, and sending images to this website.
http://www.arts.ubc.ca/~menzies/
Charles Menzies of the Department of Anthropology and Sociology at UBC has put up the general description of a course he will be running next spring at UBC dealing with anthropological approaches to fisheries crisis. He would appreciate any comments and suggestions. He would also be interested in suggestions for informed speakers on this topic. As time moves closer to the actual date of the course there will be a detailed reading list posted on this page.
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PMES Scholarship Winner
Congratulations to Dana Hamerston who is the 1998 recipient of the PMES annual scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to a District 43 graduate who has demonstrated excellence in the environmental sciences.
Dana graduated from Centennial Senior Secondary School in 1995. She was President of the Salmon Club, which operates the Mossom Creek Hatchery, President of Centennial Environment Club, and a graduate of Mrs. Ruth Foster’s and Mr. Rod MacVicar’s Locally Developed Initiative, the elective Fisheries Ecology 12 program.
While at Centennial, Dana volunteered at the Noons Creek Hatchery (1994/5) and became interested in the boggy lands on Port Moody’s north shore. Along with fellow student Catherine Dickey, she co-wrote a report on the bog which was instrumental in a reconsideration of the fate of these lands, slated in the Neighbourhood 3&4 plans to become a soccer field. Dana and Catherine presented their results in a slide presentation and discussion before a regular monthly meeting of the Port Moody Ecological Society. With the help of a grant from the Canada Trust Friends of the Environment for research and public education, they constructed a mall display for public outreach focusing on their wetlands research project, and spent several weekends at Coquitlam Centre discussing the wetlands and answering questions. Incidentally, Mrs. Foster, who is a notoriously ‘hard marker’, awarded them an “A” for this project.
Dana also served a term as the student representative of the City of Port Moody Environment Protection Committee, commuting from Victoria once a month to attend meetings. She recently made a presentation to the Committee focusing on “Climate Warming: Greenhouse Gas Emissions”, showing Canadian and local implications.
Dana won the 1995 Frank Shannon Junior Conservation Award from BC Wildlife Federation and Ministry of Environment for continual volunteer community work to enhance and protect the environment. She also served as director of Georgia Strait Alliance (1995-97).
Now at the University of Victoria, Dana is working on her B.Sc. in Geography (4th year).
Congratulations, Dana, and good luck in your future career.
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Ever wonder what lives in Burrard Inlet? Visit the Hatchery and find out! The real fun begins at feeding time when you can see the crabs and other creatures emerge from the rocks and come running after food! This salt water aquarium was developed by Karen Wood, one of our many volunteers.
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Summer Watershed Problems
By Jim Mattson
(Healthy streams flow from healthy watersheds. Just as our urban watershed suffers from the cumulative effect of thousands of small harmful acts, it will certainly benefit from the little things we can all do to keep it healthy.)
Perhaps the single most important concern for those of us who manage hatcheries that use water from the local streams, is the surrounding watershed. The land area that drains rain and snowmelt to rivulets and streams is called a watershed. Each small trickle of water that feeds a small brook that in turn runs into a larger brook is important. Not only the visible water, but the water that seeps through the soil and becomes part of the groundwater system or water table also contributes to the watershed.
Leaks in the septic sewer lines, the storm sewer lines and even the domestic water lines may be a source of pollution to the watershed. If the watershed contains privately installed septic systems, there may also be leaks from faulty septic tanks, sewer lines and from drainage fields that are overloaded or saturated.
During the wet seasons in the fall, winter and early spring the contribution of man-made pollution may only be a small percentage of the total watershed runoff. However, in the dry season each source of pollution contributes a larger share to the total volume of water. Also, the warmer weather experienced in the summer heats up this water, allowing it to dissolve more liquid and solid solutes, but less gaseous substances such as oxygen. Salmonids are also stressed considerably as the temperature of the water rises beyond 15 degrees Celsius, the upper limit of their optimum habitable temperature range. To add to their problems, as the levels of temperature and pollutant nutrients rise with warm weather, so does the growth rate of oxygen-robbing algae.
What we can do about the problems:
First of all, prevention of watershed damage is of primary importance. This of course is a relativistic solution and depends upon the willingness of owners of land to leave it in its pristine state. However, if urbanization occurs, then certain aspects of watershed conservation will be compromised. Trees are cut down, leaf mold and rotted vegetation under the trees are removed, wet lands are drained or filled in, excavations are made, often times disturbing the water table or subterranean streams, and masses of earth are moved from one place to another, rerouting the ancient stream beds.
A recovery program would involve replanting trees and bushes wherever possible. Establishing ponds and wet areas will help, as will any means of conserving water where the water would be allowed to percolate into the soil system again. Re-planting trees that will provide massive amounts of shade over riparian areas (areas adjoining a watercourse) would be very valuable in reducing the temperature of the water in a stream. However, even planting shrubs like salmon berries and thimble berries would be of great benefit.
Bare areas of earth around hillsides and near streams that drain these hillsides not only tend to dry the ground under them, but also offer a means of putting large amounts of mud and silt into the streams when heavy rains fall on them. These should be planted with some kind of fast growing ground cover as soon after they are exposed as possible.
Adding excessive nutrients to streams can be prevented by using compost as a source of nitrogen in gardens rather than soluble fertilizers. If compost is not available, then slow release fertilizers are an alternative. Over-watering lawns and gardens so that fertilizers are washed into streams or the water table are a common source of stream pollution. These are the very nutrients that will escalate the growth of algae in warm, sunny weather. The use of pesticides, herbicides and other organic based toxic substances should be avoided especially if there is any danger of them being washed into the water table or surrounding streams. Mechanical removal of weeds avoids the use of herbicides, while using environmentally friendly pesticides is possible (see the following website: http://www.biconet.com/index.html.)
Last of all, taking care not to put obvious pollutants into the watershed is something we all can do. The drains and catch basins on the streets seem to be convenient repositories for wash water when we are washing our cars and trucks. Often detergents and the material washed from the bottom of the car itself are harmful to the environment, especially oils and road salt. In storm sewer systems, where they drain directly into streams, pouring organic solvents, motor oil, old gasoline, radiator coolant, wash water from paint cleanup or any other type of industrial chemical can destroy the life in a stream for several months.
With a little care and thoughtfulness we can all contribute to making our watershed a safe place for fish and other aquatic life.
A good source of information about the maintenance and improvement of watersheds may be found at the following website: http://www.nwf.org/nwf/northeast/watersheds/index.html
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More “Lite” Reading
by Rick Simpson
Living Blueprint for BC Salmon Habitat: An Action Plan by an Independent Panel - B. Buchanan, G. Chislett, D. Griggs, M. Healey, C. Hunt, Lill, D. Narver and L. Tousignant; Pacific Salmon Foundation; May, 1998
67 pages; 6 Figures; 1 Photo
Free. Available from the Pacific Salmon Foundation, Tel: (604) 664-7664, E-Mail: rchapple@psf.ca
Based on extensive conversations with effective community and other groups, the authors (which include in their number ex-DFO officials) propose 23 common-sensical recommendations to overcome obstacles to action for BC salmon habitat.
The “Living Blueprint” includes a list of B.C. stocks at risk, of special concern or already extinct, plus an examination of four representative river systems: the Bulkley (Skeena Watershed); Horsefly River (Fraser Watershed); Somass River (isolated coastal systems) and the Puntledge River (urbanizing coastal systems).
Watershed stock status of steelhead and sea-run cutthroat trout would have been useful also.
No bibliography. Estimated reading time: 1 hour.
Upcoming Events by Ann Hulbert September 18, 1998 7:00 p.m. at Port Moody Art Centre, St. Johns Street Burke Mountain Naturalists and the Port Moody Ecological society will be holding an open house in conjunction with SKY • LAND • WATER • TREES, an environmental art fundraiser. Come and meet old friends and new ones as you browse through the exhibits. NEXT PMES GENERAL MEETING October 7th, 1998 at 7:45 p.m. at the Port Moody Social Recreation Centre, 300 Ioco Road (room to be announced). Plans for the proposed Nature Education Centre will be presented, an the floor opened for discussion. Please attend to contribute to the input and planning of this most important stage of our growth. October 16th, 1998 at 7:30 p.m. at the Port Moody Social Recreation Centre, 300 Ioco Road Zimbabwe Experience - come and taste African food and watch traditional African dancing. Place your bids in the silent auction for some early seasonal shopping. This is a fund raiser to erect a Community Centre in Kariba. Tickets and information: Ann Hulbert - 469-0504.
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Peter Hulbert "Slides" into PoMo Civic Theatre Port Moody resident Peter Hulbert was a staff photographer for "The Province" in Vancouver for 19 years. He and Ann emigrated to Canada from England in 1997. Peter is a long time member of the Port Moody Ecological Society. Peter has been behind a camera for close to 50 years. Health problems forced him to give up his newspaper career in 1991. During his active career, Peter was the recipient of many awarads, including being voted Canadian Press Feature Photographer of the Year. He received the Canada 125 medal for his environmental work and interests and received his most drecent photographic award for a picture of a sea otterr recovering from the Valdez oil spill. He enjoyed a number of years as a guest lecturer to journalism students at Langara Community College, where he discussed and taught journalism.
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