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15 salmon & countingPublished: September 30, 2008 6:00 PM
In late July, members of the Kwikwetlem First Nation celebrated as the first sockeye was released into Coquitlam Lake in over 100 years.
"It is only the beginning," said Kwikwetlem fisheries manager Glen Joe at the time. "Hopefully we will have more come back."
Fast forward several months and it appears Joe's wishes have turned into reality.
In total, 15 fish swam up the Coquitlam River diverter into the trap; they were then placed in a tank, driven up the road and released into the lake.
That is not bad for a stream that has been cut off by a dam since 1905, said Kwikwetlem councillor George Chaffee.
The numbers could make a case for a permanent fish ladder, which would bypass the dam and hopefully revive the salmon run along the Coquitlam River.
"It just goes to show that you can restore salmon runs if you try," Chaffee said. "We just want to keep this going and make it better."
Kwikwetlem First Nation has been working with BC Hydro, federal fisheries officials and Metro Vancouver to help revive the Coquitlam salmon run for several years.
Chaffee said they are currently working on a better way of releasing smolts over the dam.
gmckenna@tricitynews.com
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The Tri-City News
Big dam project safe endeavour all around
By Diane Strandberg - The Tri-City News
Published: October 04, 2008 12:00 PM
Updated: October 06, 2008 9:06 AM
Some $65 million was spent to build an earth- and rock-filled dam downstream from the 96-year-old one at the Coquitlam reservoir. The new dam will withstand a one-in-10,000-year earthquake.
COLLEEN FLANAGAN/the tri-city ne
Environmentalists, First Nation involved in process
BC Hydro's first dam project in 24 years took $65 million and two years to build.
And building the dam to withstand a one-in-10,000-year quake took even more than that, including many months of consultation with environmental groups, the Kwikwetlem First Nation and Metro Vancouver, which uses Coquitlam Lake to supply water to the region.
The project met the Crown corporation's triple-bottom line performance standards by protecting the financial, social and environmental interests of people and wildlife, well-wishers were assured at the opening Friday.
The stronger dam was built downstream of the original dam, which was built in 1911/'12, because the older dam wasn't considered strong enough to withstand an earthquake, possibly endangering wildlife and Coquitlam residents who live downstream.
Dwarfing the original 95-year-old structure, the newly completed earth- and rock-filled dam rises above a wetland area with a spawning channel and rearing pond that were built as part of the restoration project.
"All the disturbed areas were or will be returned to the natural state," said project manager Alex Selnes.
Members of the audience were invited to view the spawning channel, including some large salmon that made their way upstream from the Coquitlam River.
Elaine Golds, a member of a consultation group who worked on the project, said BC Hydro should be congratulated for "outstanding leadership" for making sure environmental values were protected during construction.
The dam rebuild took place at the same time as an experimental re-stocking of Coquitlam Lake to restore sockeye to the river which many thought had gone extinct. Members of the Kwikwetlem First Nation who are leading the $1-million sockeye restoration program were also on hand for the event.
The return of the sockeye means "a dam is not necessarily a barrier for the passage of fish," said Golds, who is The Tri-City News' Green Scene columnist.
In addition to providing water for the region and ensuring water flows for fish, the Coquitlam Lake reservoir provides water for power through a 3.6 km tunnel to Buntzen Generating Station. Approximately 50 megawatts of power is generated at the Buntzen station, enough power to serve 16,000 customers.
Among the challenges facing contractors was bad weather, which made it difficult to find a window for loading the glacial till used as fill, and the tight labour market, which hindered efforts to find qualified labourers, Selnes said.
dstrandberg@tricitynews.com |
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B.C.'s newest major dam a cooperative effort
involving many stakeholders
Consultations on the Coquitlam River project
began in 2000
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Scott Simpson |
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Vancouver Sun |
Saturday, October 04, 2008
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CREDIT: Ian Lindsay, Vancouver Sun |
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BC Hydro project manager Alex Selnes (left) and Energy Minister Richard Neufeld visit the new Coquitlam River dam. Below the dam (in the foreground) are salmon rearing channels created as part of the project. |
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A quarter-century after the last major dam was built in British Columbia, BC Hydro finally has a new one.
It took eight years, $65 million, 300,000 cubic metres of earth -- and a whole lot of talk. But the effort appears to be worth it.
Environmentalists, first nations, local governments and even some political rivals were on-side with Hydro and Energy Minister Richard Neufeld on Friday at the commemoration of a new dam on the Coquitlam River.
The original Coquitlam Dam was commissioned in 1913 as a key component in the first-ever hydroelectric generating project to serve Vancouver.
Modern engineering standards for earthquake resistance made the original dam suspect, however, and it has been operating below its capacity for holding water as a precaution for the sake of residents of Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Kwikwetlem First Nation living downstream on the floodplain of the Coquitlam River.
The new dam, 30 metres high and 300 metres long, was built immediately behind the old one.
Consultations on the project began in 2000, and took almost five years to resolve, involving Hydro, the Kwikwetlem, local streamkeepers and environmental groups, regional water district officials, federal and provincial agencies including Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and the contractor.
More than $1 million was spent on a Kwikwetlem program allowing a kokanee salmon population trapped behind the original reservoir since 1913 to once again migrate down to the ocean as salmon, and get trucked back into the reservoir to spawn.
It's a far cry from the expansionist era of hydroelectric development of the last century that has given B.C. a legacy of low cost generating facilities -- but left lingering bitterness among first nations and other communities who saw fish and wildlife areas flooded with little or no compensation.
"People say, it sure didn't take W.A.C. Bennett as long as you guys are taking to build projects," Neufeld said shortly before a ribbon cutting ceremony. "I always temper that by saying the world is different than it was in the 1950s and '60s."
BC Hydro president and CEO Bob Elton added that "people nowadays expect to be consulted."
"You get into great detail about things like exactly how you get a fish above a dam. It's not enough to say 'Trust us.' You have to discuss with people exactly what you are going to do. The project is a better project as a result. It's a different way of thinking about what a project is."
Burke Mountain Naturalists vice-president Elaine Golds said BC Hydro has "shown outstanding leadership in engaging the community members in these planning processes. As a result we've seen more informed decisions and we've seen strong community support for the actions that have been taken."
Hydro isn't the only agency making concessions. Metro Vancouver's regional water district was under strong pressure from the Kwikwetlem to allow sockeye to spawn in the lake.
The region had concerns about the theoretical impact that the fish would have on the reservoir's ability to supply 20 per cent of the region's drinking water, but concluded earlier this year it could accommodate the aboriginals, and the fish.
Kwikwetlem First Nation councillor George Chaffee said he was "stunned" and delighted to see the stream enhancement work downstream of the dam, and that it was a revelation for his people when 15 sockeye arrived at the base of the dam this summer.
"This new attitude that Metro has with us has just been dynamite. It has changed everything. Instead of being against us they are working with us to help do this. You can see the positive result we are having."
Craig Orr, executive director of Coquitlam-based Watershed Watch Salmon Society, noted that there are still concerns over the mortalities suffered by sockeye smolts who spill over the dam.
It would probably cost several million dollars to provide an alternative route for fish migrating from the reservoir to the river, but, echoing the Kwikwetlem, Orr said it's a necessary project for the recovery of the stream.
ssimpson@vancouversun.com
© The Vancouver Sun 2008 | |
Sockeye return to river
next stop Coquitlam Lake
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Sockeye have returned to the Coquitlam River for the first time in nearly a century, and could be spawning in Coquitlam Lake as early as this summer.
Sockeye from the ocean haven't been able to spawn in the lake since 1914, when a dam was built to generate power and provide water.
In recent years, the Kwikwetlem First Nations along with environmental groups have been pushing to have the sockeye run on the river restored.
However, Metro Vancouver was concerned that allowing returning salmon into the lake could affect the taste and odour of the water that much of the region relies on.
In 2003, to help everyone reach an agreement, BC Hydro created the Kwikwetlem salmon restoration program committee, made up of various stakeholders, including Metro Vancouver, the first nation and other government agencies.
On Monday, that committee announced that any salmon that return to the river from now on will be allowed back in the lake, provided that water quality in the reservoir is monitored to ensure there are no negative impacts.
"It's a major accomplishment," said Craig Orr, executive director of the Watershed Watch Salmon Society and an environmental adviser with the Kwikwetlem First Nation. "We just pray and hope ... we get some fish back."
Coquitlam Lake -- whose name literally means "red fish up the river" -- is already home to a population of kokanee, believed to be the descendants of the sockeye that were trapped behind the dam in 1914.
Over the past three years, thousands of kokanee smolts have been released from the lake into the river.
And last fall, two adult female sockeye made their way back -- the first sockeye to return to the Coquitlam River in 93 years.
At the time, environmental groups did not have permission to return them to the lake. However, Orr said he's hopeful more sockeye will return in late summer or early fall.
Any salmon that do show up will be trapped by volunteers and then trucked up to the lake in tanks, said Orr. In the future, if the run grows larger, a fish ladder could be constructed, he said.
A study by Hydro has concluded that the risks to water quality of reintroducing salmon are low. However, Metro is planning to spend another $660,000 over the next three years to conduct more research.
© Coquitlam Now 2008
Cash helps fish effortsPublished: September 11, 2008 6:00 PM
Updated: September 12, 2008 9:40 AM
Two plans for Tri-City watershed conservation have received funding from the Pacific Salmon Foundation and the Fraser Basin Council.
The Pacific Streamkeepers Foundation received $128,190 for its work to identify and prioritize sites that are impediments to fish in the Brunette, Coquitlam, Pitt, Kanaka, and Alouette watersheds; includes steward training.
And the city of Coquitlam and Kwikwetlem First Nation received $90,000 to continue a vision and plan for watershed conservation by applying principles, collaborative governance and
EDITORIAL: Kwikwetlem band is showing the wayPublished: August 07, 2008 6:00 PM
Updated: August 07, 2008 11:20 PM
The Kwikwetlem First Nation deserves congratulations for some creative thinking and perseverance.
It's to the credit of the small Coquitlam band that the sockeye are finally returning to the river they once called home. A trap placed at the base of the dam about two years ago caught its first sockeye in the Coquitlam River last month. It was 3.59 kilograms and 68.5 centimetres long and was taken by truck and released into Coquitlam Lake. A second sockeye appeared in the trap a few days later and was also taken to the lake and released. Now, with a male and female in the reservoir, it's possible the sockeye will recover after a 103-year hiatus.
It took Metro Vancouver four years and many studies to come to the conclusion that the small scale reintroduction won't affect drinking water. During the wait, the local First Nations group simply dug in and refused to give up. The group's patience has certainly paid off. The fish, whose name is synonymous with the band (Kwikwetlem means "red fish up the river"), are now more than a myth.
Another initiative is showing how creative the Kwikwetlem band can be. This month, the group will start renting bikes and conducting cycle tours of Colony Farm Regional Park, which is virtually the band's back yard.
It's a great idea to highlight this local resource, especially if the tours become popular with teachers looking for field trips that are close to home. If young people can become close to nature, they might think twice before letting their dogs roam in a creek or throwing litter into the river. The Hyde Creek Education Centre is doing similar work with much success. When children tour the centre and view the salmon fry, they are eager to become stewards, too.
Hopefully the Kwikwetlem band will continue to develop its eco-tourism ideas with an interpretive centre, a smokehouse operation and elder storytelling events. By doing so, band members will entrench their history and traditions in the life of this community.
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George Chaffee, a councillor with the Kwikwetlem First Nation (right), and Tom Littlewood, a consultant hired to help the band with its new bike tourism company, take a ride through Colony Farm Regional Park. Beginning Saturday, Aug. 16, people can rent bikes by the hour ? or day ? for self-led or guided tours throughout the regional park and beyond.
DANIELA CIUFFa The Tri-City News
Two wheels, endless explorationsPublished: August 05, 2008 6:00 PM
Updated: August 05, 2008 10:24 PM
It's a warm summer's Friday afternoon and the sun is broiling the flat grassland at Colony Farm Regional Park.
The trails throughout the sprawling 262-hectare site are quiet aside from the choral songs of birds and the pitter-patter of a jogger's shoes, which occasionally breaks the soft, swishing sound of bike tires cutting through packed limestone.
Great Blue Herons soar overhead. Bees hover around flowers, emitting their slow hummmm, hummmm. Birds flutter and flap around the ground in a happy, hyper state.
What can't be seen are the bears sleeping in the shade of sun-warmed bushes, coyotes laying with their pups, and beavers keeping cool inside their dens.
Tom Littlewood is in "paradise" as he navigates his bike along just a fraction of the 50-km network of trails at the regional park ? and he's eager to share this place of delight with others.
The consultant, who discovered the park when looking for new ways to exercise following a stroke, is encouraging people to discover "ground zero of biking" while helping the Kwikwetlem First Nation launch its first business: Colony Farm Bike Tours and Rentals.
While the bike rental business is designed to help tourists and local residents explore, learn about and help protect the traditional territory, the business is also expected to generate extra income for the band and provide both full-time and part-time jobs, and volunteer opportunities, for its members.
With Norco as a sponsor, the bike tour company already has a fleet of 40 "comfort" mountain bikes, 20 cruisers, kid bikes and "half bikes" for toddlers to ride that are attached to a parent's bike. There are also trailers available for moms or dads who want to tow their babies during a ride.
Cyclists can spend several hours exploring the trails at Colony Farm, or hook up to the adjacent PoCo Traboulay Trail, the Riverview Hospital grounds, and Maquabeak Park. Nearby are many perfect picnic and rest spots, from lakes to gardens to look-out points.
Those who want to explore further out can bike up to Mundy Park, or even up Burke Mountain and back. Maps will be provided to customers and guided tours will also be available and structured on a theme, be it salmon, animal life, flora and fauna or First Nations history.
Specialty programs will also be offered, including spinning classes, bike camps, fundraisers and trips catered exclusively towards school children. The band has teamed up with School District 43 to offer field trips using curriculum posted online at www.colonyfarmbiketours.com. Based out of an education centre on reserve land beside the Coquitlam River and Colony Farm Community Gardens, field trips will explore the area based on a class's grade-specific curriculum needs.
Kwikwetlem First Nation councillor George Chaffee said exploring the area by bike will afford people a better understanding of the Coquitlam Watershed and help the band fulfill its mandate of teaching others about the environment and fish.
"We want to educate people about not just ourselves, but nature," Chaffee said during an interview, still smiling after hopping aboard a bike for the first time in years. "It's something that needs to be preserved, the beauty's got to stay as it is."
The future for the eco-tourism initiative is wide open, and the band is already discussing possibilities that include information kiosks throughout the park, campsites, an interpretive centre, a smokehouse operation that could include lessons on how to preserve fish and elder storytelling events.
"The 2010 Olympics are coming and Kwikwetlem needs to be ready for when the people come," Chaffee said. "This is our watershed, we take pride in it and we want to share it with others.... It's like going somewhere where you can look at animals without having to look at them in a cage."
On Aug. 16, Kwikwetlem First Nation will soft open the business and on Sept. 6, Colony Farm Bike Tours and Rentals will officially celebrate its grand opening. Bike rentals are $10 for one hour, $15 for two or $20 for three (an all day rental is $30). Cycling tours (minimum of five riders) are $25 for two hours and $30 for three hours.
The history of Colony Farm Regional Park is rich, as both a traditional territory for First Nations people and later, as a breadbasket for the province. Until 1980, it was the most productive farm in B.C. and had a forge, a cannery and a dairy that processed 15,000 pounds of milk every day.
Today, despite its protection as parkland by Metro Vancouver, Colony Farm visitors can find evidence of the park's roots in the old silos that grace the landscape and through the stories told by members of Kwikwetlem, which means red fish up the river, who have lived aside the Coquitlam River for thousands of years.
? See www.colonyfarmbiketours.com or call 604-520-0090 for more information.
Shutterbug?
Calling all photographers: amateurs, professionals, even kids with cell phones.
Colony Farms Bike Tours and Rentals is looking for photos of Colony Farm Regional Park, the PoCo Traboulay Trail, Riverview Hospital Grounds and Maquabeak and Mundy parks for use on its website and in brochures and educational curriculum.
Photos of cyclists, flora, fauna and landscapes can be sent in until Aug. 31 to be eligible for the contest, which will award three seasonal, three-month bike-rental passes for the best landscape, wildlife and flora photograph.
All submitted photos will become property of the Kwikwetlem First Nation and the winners will be announced during the grand opening of Colony Farm Bike Tours and Rentals, Sept. 6.
To enter, mail photos to the Kwikwetlem First Nation office: 65 Colony Farm Rd., Coquitlam, B.C., V3C 5X9 or e-mail to tomlittlewood@hotmail.com.
lgerrits@tricitynews.com |
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An important message/reminder that the General Meeting is slated for Saturday, Aug. 14, 2010. There will be lunch at 12 noon and the meeting will start at 1 pm. Hope to see you all there!
Regards,
Chief & Council, office staff
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COMMUNITY TO COMMUNITY FORUM
The second Community to Community Forum was held March 26, 2008 at the Best Western Poco Inn & Suites, Coquitlam, B.C. A nice soup and sandwich lunch was provided to start. Invited guests that included Coquitlam Mayor Maxine Wilson, Council and key staff, Port Coquitlam Mayor Scott Young, Council and key staff, Johnny Carline, Judith King, Funding Services Officer of Funding Services, Indian and Northern Affairs. All attendees enjoyed the "Laughter is Good Medicine" workshop facilitated by the First Nation Comedian Don Burnstick. Through humor and his real life stories he touched on the circle of life, First Nation people, healing and future relationships. Great fun was had by all.
KWIKWETLEM FIRST NATION'S COMMUNITY TO COMMUNITY FORUM A SUCCESS
Kwikwetlem First Nation hosted a Community to Community Forum, Feb. 6, 2008. It was history in the making with invited guests that included Coquitlam Mayor Maxine Wilson, Council and key staff, Port Coquitlam Mayor Scott Young, Council and key staff, Johnny Carline, CAO of the GVRD, Diane Thorne, Coquitlam-Maillardville M.L.A., Dawn Black, New Westminister-Coquitlam M.P., Judith King, Funding Services Officer and Gerry Nantel, Manager of Funding Services, Indian and Northern Affairs. Facilitators were Chief Percy Cunningham, Councillor George Chaffee and Nancy Murphy, Finance/Program Manager. Maurice Albert, Northsky Consulting chaired the forum . Nancy Joe and Glen Joe were additional key speakers. Opening prayer and a flag drum songs were provided by Mike James, Skowkale First Nation. After introductions there was a traditional feast which included salmon and bannock, caterers were the Kla-How-Ya culinary class. Kristina Joe-Cunningham and Mike James entertained with drum songs and songs. Thank you to all that attended and thank you to the Kwikwetlem First Nation Staff for all their assisstance.
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First Nation, cities meet to make history
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Jennifer Saltman |
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Coquitlam NOW |
Friday, February 08, 2008
A school portable on the Kwikwetlem First Nation reserve was the site of a historic meeting between members of the native band and local, provincial and federal politicians this week.
"It's not just you learning about us," band Coun. George Chaffee told those in attendance, "it's us learning about you."
On the agenda were items that affect the first nation as well as the cities of Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam, including the Gateway Program, Translink projects, the Coquitlam Dam, Coquitlam River salmon, treaty and reserve lands development.
The proposed twinning of the Port Mann Bridge, Chaffee said, will affect the Kwikwetlem because the new construction will run through traditional fishing grounds. He said the band has been in contact with the Gateway Program to try and mitigate any impact on the fish habitat.
An issue with Translink came up unexpectedly when Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon announced Friday that a southeast alignment -- instead of northeast through Port Moody -- for the Evergreen Line is back on the table. (See story on Page 5.)
The band has been negotiating and working with B.C. Hydro for seven years on the Coquitlam Dam.
"In our opinion, things are going very, very well and we are excited about the future," he said.
Flooding was also brought up, with Port Coquitlam city manager Tony Chong asking if the band felt it had been consulted.
Chaffee said that because the issue of flooding in the band's graveyard has been brought to the forefront, "We are ready to get fully involved."
The return of sockeye salmon to the Coquitlam River after a 100-year absence was something researcher Glen Joe said he was thrilled to see.
"I think it's due in large part to the dream that Kwikwetlem First Nation had," said Coquitlam Coun. Fin Donnelly.
The band said it would apply to enter the treaty process within the next couple of months. The decision was made to preserve and further the band's independence, Chaffee said.
"We want to help ourselves," he said. "We want to help our own people."
The City of Port Coquitlam asked for an update on the band's plans to develop the 82 hectares it owns, which front Pitt River Road. The band has been filling the land for more than 10 years and plans to continue filling for another two, at least.
A new band office, commercial development and housing for band members is proposed.
PoCo's director of engineering and operations, Igor Zahynacz, said the city wants to continue to develop around the reserve, but also co-ordinate future development with the band.
Chaffee said he had no idea what to expect when planning the meeting, but felt afterward that it had been a success.
"We were actually quite happy with how it went," he said. "We found out we have a lot of friends. It's hard to be a friend of Kwikwetlem because we're so cautious."
© Coquitlam Now 2008
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Kwikwetlem First Nation
2-65 Colony Farm Road, Coquitlam, B.C.
604-540-0680 FAX 604-525-0772
Email: reception@kwikwetlem.com
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FIREWORKS SHOP
Welcome to the ONLY fireworks store on the central lower mainland to carry a full line of family fireworks and glow products for the 2010 Canada Day celebrations.
We stock a large variety of family fireworks ranging from the popular air bomb, sky rocket, and roman candles to a full selection of family packs, show stopping cakes and long lasting barrages. Glow products and camp fire effects also add to our selection of items for all ages.
Our policy is to provide a safe and fun selection of products. We offer pamphlets on where to find by-law information for you local area and safe use of fireworks. We provide safety information regarding the firing of family fireworks plus answer any questions about the products that we carry in a polite and professional manner.
Canada day store hours of operation will be from 10 a.m. till 8 p.m. and open from Saturday, June 26 till Thursday, July 1st. Check us out on Halloween and New Years for more family fireworks fun.
We are currently planning to sell fireworks year round for any occasion including birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, corporate events and any other celebrations.
Check out the web site at fireworksshop.ca
Any other questions or inquiries please email us at fireworksshop@shaw.ca
Please fire safely and have fun
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