Happenings on Nile Creek

The last few months have just flown by and it's been a very busy time for NCES volunteers as this update will show...

The Returning "Pinks"

 August saw the clearing, widening and dredging of the side channels in preparation for the returning Pinks. This summer's lack of rain meant very low water levels and the spawning salmon needed all the "room" they could get.
Special thanks to the Lighthouse Community Trail Maintenance Group for their assistance in keeping the road open for everyone's enjoyment.

Photos provided by Jack Gillen.

By late August the returning fish were making their way up the creek and as time passed it became very clear that it would be a massive return during historically low water levels. The fish were smaller in size but their sheer numbers filled pools and side channels to capacity.




It was an amazing sight to behold for visiting tourists and fishermen and for locals who thought they had seen it all.

Egg Take at the Quinsam

The return of the pinks means it's "that" time of year again and our volunteers made the trek up to the Quinsam River Hatchery to take the eggs that will arrive at our hatchery this week.



 


 

Public Information Meeting

On October 16th a Public Information session was held at the Lighthouse Community Center and a small but enthusiastic group came out to listen and learn. Sponsored by NCES, Vancouver Island University and Trout Unlimited Canada, the evening's speakers  addressed current issues. The kelp restoration project, Nash Creek restoration and protection of our local watershed were among the topics presented.  New information and data findings were shared.

The Next Generation of NCES Volunteers

NCES volunteer extraordinaire Gord Lipke recently led an enthusiastic group of Bowser's public school students and teachers on a expedition up the trails and along the Nile Creek to view and to learn about the pink salmon, their beginnings, their life in the ocean and their amazing journey to return and spawn in the very creek where they were hatched.

Photos provided by Gord Lipke.

 

Many of the students have grown up in the area but had never been exposed to the miracle of the salmon in their own backyard. The field trip presented a wonderful opportunity to inspire a whole new generation of biologists and conservationists. A great time was had by all and the outing may well become an annual event based on the feedback and enthusiasm generated. Great work Gord!

HATCHERY UPDATE

Work at the hatchery is a year-round job. It's not just about tending to the needs of salmon eggs. Surprised? Let's have a look at the year-round efforts of a few good hatchery volunteers.

Leaving it to Beavers

One of the ponds above the hatchery has become home to some beavers and in doing what all good beavers do they built a dam which plugged the culvert causing the water to rise, spill its banks and flood the road. 
 


Our Hatchery team waded in and cleared the culvert but the beavers persisted and once again the pond filled to overflowing. It was clear that these buck-toothed rodents weren't giving up and that a more permanent solution would be needed.

And so a cage was constructed of rebar. A cage to trap the pesky beavers you ask? No, a cage preventing the beavers from getting close enough to block the culvert. Unable to dam up the pond they decided to move along and find another home.

But we can't finish the story without a look at our Hatchery Team having fun. Well done Jack, Bob and Gord!

....and maybe some day we'll tell the real story of why you all ended up behind bars.

Bucket Brigade Rescue


Gord, Bob and Ernie spent several weeks rescuing smolts. This has become an annual rescue as the smolts are trapped every spring when Nash Creek dwindles in size and access to the sea is cut off. The smolts must be carefully caught, placed in buckets and quickly driven to the Nile for release before their oxygen is expended. This year 1700 smolts were rescued and released. That's a huge amount of time and effort but it is so very appreciated. Great work guys!


Cleaning and Maintenance

Bob Ellis cleans the limestone filter

Work continues inside and outside of the hatchery throughout the summer. Equipment requires regular repairs and maintenance and some new equipment will be purchased and installed in order to be ready for this fall's pink salmon eggs.

Ernie Buckley providing power to the people.

Outside the hatchery the wet spring has meant an abundance of new growth overhanging the road to the hatchery. One fine day some of our members came out and cleared the road of the brush and debris going beyond the hatchery and all the way up to the intakes.


The channels also need to be cleared of debris and silt so as

Gord, Suzy and friend hard at work and having fun.

not to hinder the pinks as they make their way up the creek to spawn. Their arrival is imminent as demonstrated by the gathering crowds of fishermen and spectators at the mouth of the Nile.

Thanks to all of our dedicated and hard-working volunteers.

Anyone interested in helping NCES with further maintenance, please call Jack Gillen at (250) 752-9925. 

2012 First Quarter in Review

"Paintings, 
by the Numbers" 

Saturday, April 14^th, we hosted our Fourth Annual “Paintings, by the Numbers” fundraiser.  As in previous years, it was a huge success and we raised $25,000.  Over seventy people viewed the paintings, chatted with friends and neighbours, sipped wine and enjoyed a variety of  wonderful appetizers. We wish to thank Island Scallops and Mac’s Oysters for donating their seafood and Helen Hallett for providing the shrimp and smoked salmon.

This event would not have been possible without the many donations of Ken Kirkby’s paintings, as well as those by other artists.  Ken also spent many hours making sure all the tickets were sold. Diane Sampson would also like to thank Lynn Gillen and Ernie Buckley for preparing and cooking the scallops and oysters (they were delicious) and to all the other volunteers who helped in the set up, during the event and cleaning up after.  She couldn’t have done it without your help.

Net Pen Project

It's that time again - time to move 500,000 baby pinks from their current home in the hatchery to a net pen at Deep Bay's Marina where they will continue to grow, increasing their chances of survival when they are finally released to begin their migration to the ocean.

At first it may seem that moving 300,000 fish might be a "tricky" operation.... but our Hatchery Team have it mastered.The net is carefully placed in the boat slip and secured to await the arrival of the pinks.

Back at the hatchery the pink fry are netted and removed from the tank. They are weighed and then placed in special ventilated trays for transport. Maintaining water temperature and oxygen levels is extremely important to ensure the health of the fry during this critical time.

Upon arrival at Deep Bay, the fry are transferred from the trays into a wheeled tote and moved from the parking lot along the docks and finally to the net pen where they will be fed and nurtured until their release. This process started weeks ago and will continue until all of the fry have been transferred. It's painstaking work and thanks go out to the Hatchery Team, Jack Gillen, Bob Ellis, Ernie Buckley, Gord Lipke and other volunteers.

Future Activities

We are always looking for opportunities to provide activities for our volunteers.  We have several that we are investigating and hope to do this year. Please email Diane Sampson (nile.creek@shaw.ca) and let her know if you are interested and can be available to volunteer. 

Eelgrass

As in previous years, we will be mapping five eelgrass beds to monitor this valuable ecosystem.  We will take GPS coordinates around each bed and then determine the density of a sample area from each bed.  Doing this each year will determine if any changes have occurred. We have set two windows for mappingeelgrass this summer, chosen around the best low tides.  
Two biologists with eelgrass mapping experience have offered to assist us this year. The dates chosen are listed below.  When we get closer to these dates and have determined the weather, we will pick one day from each of these two time periods.  June 18 – 22  and July 2 – 6.

Shoreline Mapping  

    This has been done in Qualicum Beach, Parksville and other locations. By recording what is on the shoreline and adjacent property and cliffs, it can help direct future development decisions to protect the shoreline and ensure adjacent property is kept safe during extreme weather events. We would like to map our area from Deep Bay to Annie Creek at the 
south end of Area H. This will have to be done over a long time
period and with the help of many volunteers. 

Cutting Broom in Bloom

In co-operation with Broombusters, NCES is

planning 2 days of Cutting Broom in Bloom.The month of May is the best time to get out and cut the plants to the ground killing them before the seeds are set, and therefore helping slow the spread of this very invasive plant which threatens native species. We are currently working out the details of where and when to cut and will also require volunteers with trucks to remove the plants.

Please email Diane Sampson (nile.creek@shaw.ca) and let her know if you are interested in volunteering. 

Streamkeepers Certification Course

Qualicum Beach May 26 & 27, 2012

The objective of this course is to provide a science based explanation of stream health. The ecology of streams is 

explained in modules that provide the basic information required to determine the health of a stream. 
The course includes films and slide shows.  
Those interested in taking this course can contact Pat Jacobson at Qualicum Beach
Streamkeepers, 250-752-9648 
or at islandtime@shaw.ca

Getting to Know...

This feature will acquaint us with a member of NCES, long standing or new to the group. As members of NCES, we all have a common interest in the health of our beaches and waterways and the birds, fish and animals that call them home. "Getting to Know"  will introduce us to some of the individuals that make things happen at NCES.

Getting to know: Cécile van Woensel

Photo by Sean Fenzl

Cécile was born in the Netherlands and has always enjoyed nature and art. She worked as an artist and a teacher in arts and biology in her home country. In 2008, she and her partner moved to Nanaimo, seeking opportunity and adventure in the great outdoors. Life on Vancouver Island is great. Weekends are for hiking, biking, canoeing, skiing, and all of these activities so close by!

In Nanaimo, she soon became involved in the arts community and  worked on several public art projects including a mural at the Nanaimo Airport. Through the arts, she met Ken Kirkby at the first Island Arts Expo in 2009. He inspired her to become more involved in the Nile Creek Enhancement Society and she contributed to the Paintings by the Numbers fundraiser by donating one of her art pieces.

Cécile has volunteered on several NCES projects and is still  amazed by the sea creatures she saw. In the Netherlands she never saw such diverse marine life, but she realizes that this environment is very delicate and threatened. Working with Diane Sampson and NCES has given her the opportunity to help and to learn from other members. She assisted in taking water samples in the fall of 2011 and in the egg take in Campbell River. For her, both were opportunities to get to know more members of  NCES. The egg take was another event, which made a huge impression on her. The life cycle of the salmon is nothing short of awe inspiring.

Currently Cécile works for the Biological Station in Nanaimo for the department of Aquatic Animal Health where she is involved in the research on salmon viruses. She plans to continue to volunteer with NCES and we look forward to working with her in the coming season.

Upcoming Events

Members should mark their calendars with the following two upcoming events:

• Paintings, By the Numbers  -  Saturday, April 14, 2012  (3:00 to 6:00)

• River Never Sleeps Festival - Sunday, May 6, 2012  (10:00 to 3:00)    

 Details to follow in the March newsletter

Dates still to be confirmed for the following field work:

• Mapping of Eelgrass beds

• Removal of invasive Japanese Drift Weed

• Cutting Broom in bloom

Please contact Diane at  nile.creek@shaw.ca   if you are interested in participating in any of these events.