Salmon Steward

salmon Steward magazine 11 tourists alike. Public functions including workshops on land use, water quality and other important issues will be hosted at the centre, and displays focusing on different aspects of the natural history of the area will be accommodated. A viewing window to the hatchery will also be featured. Cindy Verbeek, A Rocha's northern B.C. representative and community mobilizer, comments: "This nature centre will be the first of its kind in the Valley, and we're excited to partner with the Pacific Salmon Foundation and local salmon stewardship groups to highlight the importance of Pacific salmon in the region." PARKSVILLE The Englishman River and its tributaries are important "spawning highways" for Pink, Coho, Chum and Chinook salmon along with Steelhead and Cutthroat trout. Nearby Shelly Creek is a popular over- wintering habitat and in 2011, volunteers from the Mid-Vancouver Island Habitat Enhancement Society (MVIHES) installed a smolt trap in nearby Shelly Creek in order to monitor the outward migration of juvenile Coho and other species from the Creek (approximately 4,000 each year). In recent years, however, the rearing pond has increasingly been impacted by sediment and erosion, leading to poor water quality and degradation of the habitat for fry and smolts. This most recent grant will help fund the excavation of the rearing pond and installation of sediment controls in the summer of 2020. Says Carl Rathburn, project lead: "Without the $50,000 in funding from PSF and support from local partners, it wouldn't be possible for us to undertake a project of this magnitude." Volunteers will coordinate with local contractors, government agencies and local landowners to complete the project. Grants from PSF's Community Salmon Program have totalled more than $260,000 in support of habitat restoration and associated projects in the Parksville region. (Right) The smolt trap at Shelly Creek monitors up to 4,000 juvenile salmon on their outward migration each year.

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