Watershed Stewardship Network

Stewardship Projects & Stories

• 2025 Cottle Creek Urban Salmonid Habitat Assessment

  about 2 months ago
  

  
  

  Access the full report here

  
  

  1. Introduction

  The Friends of Cottle Creek (FOCC) is a local streamkeeper group comprised of volunteers who came together (as a committee of the Nanaimo and Area Land Trust (NALT)) in 2024 to promote a better understanding of the health of the creek and its supporting ecosystems.

  The FOCC received support from the Regional District of Nanaimo’s (RDN) Stewardship Seed Funding to undertake an assessment of the creek’s physical condition, using the Urban Salmonid Habitat Program (USHP) assessment methodology (Michalski, Reid & Stewart, 2001).

  2. Study Area & Background

  Cottle Creek is located in the... Continue reading

  
  

  Access the full report here

  
  

  1. Introduction

  The Friends of Cottle Creek (FOCC) is a local streamkeeper group comprised of volunteers who came together (as a committee of the Nanaimo and Area Land Trust (NALT)) in 2024 to promote a better understanding of the health of the creek and its supporting ecosystems.

  The FOCC received support from the Regional District of Nanaimo’s (RDN) Stewardship Seed Funding to undertake an assessment of the creek’s physical condition, using the Urban Salmonid Habitat Program (USHP) assessment methodology (Michalski, Reid & Stewart, 2001).

  2. Study Area & Background

  Cottle Creek is located in the City of Nanaimo, with its mouth lying between Departure Creek to the west and Walley Creek to the north. The existence of natural bedrock falls near the stream’s mouth in Departure Bay means Cottle Creek’s Coastal Cutthroat trout (CCT) have never faced competition from salmon species like Coho salmon, which have historically occupied neighbouring streams, including Walley and Departure creeks. Consequently, professional biologists view Cottle Creek CCT as a key element of local biodiversity that merit protection and enhanced stewardship as Nanaimo continues to grow in future years.

  The limited development within the watershed boundary and unique biophysical features of the stream make the Linley Valley and Cottle Creek a one-of-a-kind watershed in the city. These circumstances present an opportunity to use the resident CCT as indicators of watershed sustainability, with their persistence and relative abundance in the watershed being a valuable “indicator” of the health of the aquatic ecosystem.

  3. Results

  The study noted numerous inhibiting factors to CCT habitation, highlighting the potential benefits of restoration work. These inhibiting factors include lows stream flows; a lack of large woody debris to protect CCT from predators and strong flow; human made and natural barriers to movement; and invasive fish and plants.

  4. Conclusions

  This study will serve as a foundational reference for future monitoring of the watershed’s health and success of restoration projects. This assessment of fish habitat at 192 individual habitat units along the stream offers a unique and comprehensive way to quantify the condition of Cottle Creek’s aquatic habitat, the functional components necessary to understand how this ecosystem works, and how we can maintain its proper functioning in the long-term.

  
  

• The Community Watershed Monitoring Network - a collaboration between government, forestry, and citizen scientists to safeguard freshwater

  almost 4 years ago
  

  The RDN's Community Watershed Monitoring Network is a partnership between the RDN's Drinking Water and Watershed Protection (DWWP) program, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy (ENV), Island Timberlands LP (managed by Mosaic Forest Management), and many amazing community watershed stewardship groups in our region. The RDN provides the equipment and works with ENV to complete annual training and data analysis. ENV contributes expertise in water quality testing, deciphering gathered data and guidance in program direction. Island Timberlands sponsors the lab analysis costs for Quality Assurance and Quality Control, loans volunteers' safety gear and provides access to the upper... Continue reading

  The RDN's Community Watershed Monitoring Network is a partnership between the RDN's Drinking Water and Watershed Protection (DWWP) program, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy (ENV), Island Timberlands LP (managed by Mosaic Forest Management), and many amazing community watershed stewardship groups in our region. The RDN provides the equipment and works with ENV to complete annual training and data analysis. ENV contributes expertise in water quality testing, deciphering gathered data and guidance in program direction. Island Timberlands sponsors the lab analysis costs for Quality Assurance and Quality Control, loans volunteers' safety gear and provides access to the upper watersheds.

  
  

  Dedicated community groups donate their time, attending annual training sessions, calibrating equipment and getting out on their local streams to collect and monitor water quality data. The data collected since 2011, has supported an understanding of local freshwater trends and has helped to identify areas in need of greater care and restoration.

  
  

  DWWP is incredibly grateful and inspired to work closely with 14 environmental stewardship groups, made up of citizen scientists and volunteers, whose dedicated work and care is vital for the monitoring, understanding, restoration, and stewardship of freshwater ecosystems region wide.

  
  

  From the DWWP team - thank you all who have participated in this program!