Fraser and Columbia Watersheds Priority Place (BC)

Thompson river salmonid habitat restoration project

Recipient: British Columbia Conservation Foundation

Project goal: This four-year project supports the recovery of aquatic species at risk by undertaking restoration activities at select sites throughout the eight sub-basins of the North and South Thompson Rivers in South Central British Columbia, more specifically in Louis Creek, the Bonaparte River, Hat Creek, Quilchena Creek, the Salmon River, Paul Creek, Guichon Creek and the Nicola River. These sites have been identified as high priorities for restoration activities with high potential for success. Restoration activities include creation of riparian habitat and installation structures to improve habitat connectivity and water quality. These activities are intended to help improve habitat complexity and productivity, benefiting multiple aquatic species at risk.

A monitoring program will allow for accurate reporting and enables an evaluation of current restoration efforts and informed future efforts. This project aims to contribute to the strengthening of partnerships with First Nations and seeks to generate a legacy of increased Indigenous involvement through capacity building for field work and monitoring activities.

Fund Allocation: $1,859,384

Time Frame: 4 years

Species that benefit from this project:

• Chinook Salmon – South Thompson, Stream, Summer population
• Chinook Salmon – North Thompson, Stream, Summer population
• Coho Salmon – Interior Fraser population
• Sockeye Salmon – Kamloops-ES population
• Sockeye Salmon – North Barriere-ES population
• Steelhead Trout – Thompson River population

Media announcement:

Government of Canada and Province of British Columbia partner to take bold action to conserve Steelhead Trout

Secwepemc leadership for Thompson-Shuswap salmon recovery

Recipient: Shuswap Nation Tribal Council

Project goal: This four-year project is applying a multi-species, ecosystem-based approaches to water monitoring and habitat restoration activities that benefit at risk salmonid species in the Thompson-Shuswap watershed.

The work conducted as part of this project will benefit aquatic species at risk by addressing threats such as low water flow; warming stream temperatures; habitat destruction; degraded riparian areas; loss of priority wetlands; and blockages in rivers. Project activities include: (1) providing protection of stream flows for fish during critical times of the year, particularly in key streams that are prone to drought conditions; (2) identifying critical freshwater habitats that are essential to at risk salmonid species; and (3) improving freshwater habitat quality and quantity for at risk salmonids through strategically located and designed restoration projects.

The research gathered during this project is expected to support in-season water management decisions and will identify and prioritize areas of high instability for future restoration activities. This work will lead to strengthened relationships and collaboration with project partners, landowners, and other stakeholders in the Thompson-Shuswap watershed while also increasing opportunities for essential skills training and development to support Indigenous capacity building, stewardship and leadership.

Fund Allocation: $1,800,000

Time Frame: 4 years

Species that benefit from this project:

• Southern BC Chinook Salmon - Fraser populations (Designatable Units 14 and 17)
• Coho Salmon – Interior Fraser population
• Fraser Sockeye Salmon populations (Designatable Units 11 and 14)
• Steelhead Trout – Thompson River population

Media announcement:

Government of Canada and Province of British Columbia partner to take bold action to conserve Steelhead Trout

Coldwater River water storage enhancement plan

Recipient: Scw’exmx Tribal Council

Project goal: The Coldwater River in the Nicola River watershed provides important habitats that support aquatic species at risk. The main freshwater threat to species at risk in this system is the alteration of flow regimes resulting in low flows and high water temperatures. The changes in these regimes are forecasted to worsen from impacts of ongoing forestry (including pine-beetle induced forestry), wildfires and climate change. This three-year project aims to provide aquatic species at risk with access to improved water conditions to mitigate these impacts.

This is a phased project, the first phase of which is to explore the feasibility of raising the height of an existing dam to increase the quantity of water stored in the lake/wetland area behind the dam. If feasible, the water would be available to be released in times of low flows to provide the flows necessary for the aquatic species at risk. If not feasible, other options for improving water flows will be explored.

The project builds upon the partnerships with local First Nations through the shared goal of improving habitat for species at risk.

Fund Allocation: $802,000

Time Frame: 3 years

Species that benefit from this project:

• Chinook Salmon – Fraser River
• Coho Salmon – Interior Fraser population
• Steelhead Trout – Thompson River population

Media announcement:

Government of Canada and Province of British Columbia partner to take bold action to conserve Steelhead Trout

Fish passage remediation in the Columbia and Fraser Basins for aquatic species at risk

Recipient: Canadian Wildlife Federation

Project goal:This four-year project consists of restoring access to fish habitat in freshwater ecosystems throughout the Fraser and Columbia Watersheds. The Canadian Wildlife Federation is convening partners to prioritize barriers for remediation. Numerous databases have been developed that will be integrated to expand the scope of existing planning tools. These tools, combined with additional data layers, including barriers such as railway stream crossing, stream crossings on private roads, dikes, irrigation dams and low-head flood control structures, will be used to expand the scope and scale of existing barrier prioritization tools for future application. They will also be used to remediate barriers to increase access to upstream spawning and rearing habitat for targeted aquatic species at risk.

This collaborative initiative will continue to leverage expertise and resources to support fish passage remediation benefitting species at risk beyond the life of this project. It will create a legacy for continued habitat gains for targeted aquatic species at risk populations in the Fraser and Columbia watersheds.

Fund Allocation: $1,165,900

Time Frame: 4 years

Species that benefit from this project:

• Sockeye Salmon- Fraser River populations
• Chinook Salmon – Fraser River populations
• Coho Salmon – Interior Fraser population
• Steelhead Trout – Thompson and Chilcotin River populations
• Bull Trout – Southcoast British Columbia populations
• Salish Sucker
• Westslope Cutthroat Trout – Pacific population

Recovery of priority aquatic species at risk through the suppression of invasive species

Recipient: Province of British Columbia – Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy

Project goal: The objective of this four-year project is to enable research, engagement, recovery actions, and monitoring to mitigate the impacts of invasive species on aquatic species at risk in the Fraser River and Columbia River Watersheds priority area.

The first component of this project is the suppression and containment of the invasive Smallmouth Bass (SMB) in Cultus Lake, near Chilliwack, British Columbia. Engagement with First Nations and local anglers will provide local knowledge and expertise (i.e. education) towards preventing illegal introductions and will establish volunteers for SMB suppression through angling. Additional community and stakeholder engagement will educate residents, anglers and visitors about the threats posed by SMB and the need to keep them out of the lake.

Research is being undertaken to determine the magnitude and extent of the SMB population and its impact on the species at risk inhabiting the area which will lead to the development and implementation of control and eradication measures to reduce and/or eliminate SMB from Cultus Lake.

The second component of this project consists of early detection lake monitoring as part of the B.C. Invasive Mussel Defense Program (IMDP) to prevent the introduction of invasive of Zebra and Quagga Mussels. Lake monitoring is occurring throughout the priority area. The detection and control of invasive species improves the chance of recovery for threatened aquatic species at risk. It is anticipated that, through local and regional support, long-term suppression and containment programs will be established to further mitigate the risk of invasive species to species at risk in future years.

Fund Allocation: $600,000

Time Frame: 4 years

Species that benefit from this project:

• Sockeye Salmon – Cultus population
• Fraser River Chinook Salmon
• Coastrange Sculpin – Cultus population
• Rocky Mountain Ridged Mussel
• Shortface Lanx

Nechako River Chinook, Coho and Sturgeon fish habitat restoration in the Columbia & Fraser Watersheds

Recipient: Upper Fraser Fisheries Conservation Alliance

Project goal: This four-year project consists of activities to rehabilitate riparian ecosystems in the Nechako watershed. This project is focusing on rehabilitating riparian fish habitats in the known spawning reaches of the Chilako River and along a series of spawning reaches in Greer Creek (both tributaries to the Nechako River) that have been subject to a variety of habitat-related threats. The project also includes the construction of an off-channel overwintering pond, a habitat type that is severely compromised in this area.

Habitat rehabilitation activities are planned to be monitored annually through drone footage and underwater cameras. This imagery, combined with stream cross-sections and in-stream measurements, aims to help physically characterize channel morphology and the re-formation of habitat features as the rehabilitated riparian areas grow and regain function. Together, these tools will help us understand how rehabilitation of the riparian ecosystem is improving fish habitat. 

This project is building upon the partnerships between local First Nations, stewardship groups, local and federal governments, academia and landowners that have been created over the last several years to deliver riparian and floodplain ecosystem rehabilitation projects to ensure that these works continue into the future.

Fund Allocation: $476,000

Time Frame: 4 years

Species that benefit from this project:

• Chinook Salmon
• Coho Salmon – Interior Fraser population
• White Sturgeon – Nechako population

An integrated plan to restore and enhance waterways within the City of Chilliwack

Recipient: Fraser Valley Watershed Coalition

Project goal:This four-year project aims to address threats to aquatic species at risk and their associated habitats through conservation, watershed planning and restoration activities within the municipal boundaries of Chilliwack, British Columbia. Threats to the waterways within this area have caused reduced access by fish to off-channel habitat and reduced fish habitat and water quality.

Collaborative efforts involving a steering committee of partners and stakeholders are underway to develop a “road map” to identify opportunities to recover aquatic species at risk. Project activities include the identification of restoration opportunities, monitoring, maintenance of previous restoration efforts, restoration of riparian and aquatic habitats and stewardship communications activities.

The work of the steering committee as part of this project will strengthen existing partnerships and foster the creation of new relationships with stakeholders, local First Nations and community members who are partnering to implement recovery actions for species at risk.

Fund Allocation: $452,180

Time Frame: 4 years

Species that benefit from this project:

• Chinook Salmon
• Coho Salmon – Interior Fraser population
• Sockeye Salmon
• Salish Sucker
• Coastrange Sculpin – Cultus population

Protecting species at risk from threats of invasive species

Recipient: Invasive Species Council of British Columbia

Project goal: The overall goal of this four-year project is to protect aquatic species at risk and their key habitats in the Fraser and Columbia River systems of British Columbia through actions that prevent the introduction and the spread of invasive species.

This project, through partnerships, focuses on closing high-risk pathways that enable the spread of aquatic invasive species such as movements by fishers, boaters, float planes, recreationists, tourists and others. New standards of practice will be developed and implemented using behavioural-change science. This project aims to develop and support informed and responsible partners that can undertake actions and mentor others to reduce the impacts of invasive species. 

This project will provide much needed information for Indigenous communities, community partners and resource managers by addressing an existing knowledge gap regarding the understanding of the threats of predation and competition by invasive species in the Fraser and Columbia River systems.

Fund Allocation: $525,000

Time Frame: 4 years

Species that benefit from this project:

• Chinook Salmon
• Coho Salmon – Interior Fraser population
• Sockeye Salmon
• White Sturgeon
• Mountain Sucker
• Bull Trout
• Rocky Mountain Ridged Mussel
• Steelhead Trout

Horsefly watershed salmon habitat restoration

Recipient: Fraser Basin Council

Project goal: This four-year project involves habitat restoration activities that target salmonid habitat throughout the Horsefly River Watershed, particularly the areas that have been subject to channel destruction and bank destabilization. These efforts involve restoring juvenile rearing and over-wintering habitat as well as adult spawning habitat. The restoration activities conducted as part of this project include stream channel reconstruction, bank stabilization, riparian fencing and in-stream habitat enhancement in key tributaries and riparian areas affecting the Horsefly River.

Long term continuity of results is to be ensured by ongoing monitoring and maintenance programs and by relationships with partnering landowners. This monitoring will continue past the four year timeline of this project as part of ongoing Fraser Basin Council watershed restoration activities. Project results will be communicated using signage posted at the annual Salmon Festival in Horsefly. This advertising is key to educating the public on salmon habitat restoration.

Fund Allocation: $356,309

Time Frame: 4 years

Species that benefit from this project:

• Coho Salmon – Interior Fraser population
• Chinook Salmon – Middle Fraser River Spring population
• Sockeye Salmon – Quesnel Southern Horsefly population