The Healthy Watersheds Initiative, administered by the Real Estate Foundation of BC, issued the following media release to mark World Wetlands Day on February 2, 2022.

VANCOUVER, BC / UNCEDED xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (MUSQUEAM), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (SQUAMISH), and səlilwətaɬ (TSLEIL-WAUTUTH) TERRITORIES — Sixty-one projects supported through the provincial Healthy Watersheds Initiative (HWI) are helping to build more resilient watersheds and wetlands across BC following the extreme weather events of 2021.

The projects, funded through a $27-million investment from StrongerBC, the Province’s $10-billion COVID-19 economic recovery plan, employed COVID-impacted workers from non-profits, Indigenous governments and organizations, and local governments to restore, maintain, and monitor wetlands and waterways at more than 200 sites.

The Province partnered with the Real Estate Foundation of BC (REFBC) to administer the funding and worked with Watersheds BC to support project implementation. In addition, HWI is guided by an Indigenous Leaders Advisory Circle, which supports meaningful relationships and works to ensure the rights of Indigenous and First Nations peoples are an integral part of the program and work. 

Strengthening Natural Defence Systems

Results from the first year of HWI projects demonstrate that investing in watersheds and people strengthens community security. Healthy, functioning watersheds and wetlands hold and disperse water during floods and droughts. Restoring these natural defence systems helps communities adapt to climate change while supporting biodiversity and species recovery. After a year of unprecedented climate events, HWI projects offer a much-needed path forward for building resilience. 

For example, HWI provided support for maintenance of the Fraser Valley Watersheds Coalition’s Peach Creek and Hooge Wetland Restoration Project to connect streams and wetlands between dikes on the Vedder River floodplain. As a result of this work, during November’s catastrophic flooding of the Fraser Valley, salmon were able to escape the high flow of the Vedder River and safely spawn in the off-channel habitats of Peach Creek. In addition, the Hooge Wetlands absorbed excess stormwater, mitigating the flooding that impacted much of the Fraser Valley.   

Climate Adaptation

Learnings from the Healthy Watersheds Initiative will inform BC’s first Watershed Security Strategy and Fund, which is being developed to ensure the availability of good quality water for communities and healthy ecosystems. The Province is now inviting people to provide input about ideas and options for the development of the strategy through an online discussion paper that’s open for feedback until March 18 at engage.gov.bc.ca/watershedsecurity.

“Climate change is threatening the health of the watersheds we all depend on for clean drinking water, growing our food, habitat for aquatic species, and healthy local economies,” said George Heyman, BC’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. “Recent climate events, such as the heat dome, forest fires, and floods, have created a challenging year, but through the Healthy Watersheds Initiative, we are producing positive results by supporting communities as they adapt to create safer, more resilient watersheds and wetlands.” 

Another example of the kind of work supported by HWI is the Farmland Advantage program, which connects farmers with local stewardship groups with expertise in tree planting and salmon restoration. Farmers are contracted to restore and conserve wetlands and riparian areas to manage the extra water from a flood event better. Natural defences such as forests and wetlands, with trees and deep-rooted plants, offer more effective and less costly long-term, sustainable solutions to excess water compared to dikes, ditches, and pipes.   

“The success Healthy Watersheds Initiative projects had in strengthening natural defences, improving community safety, and creating meaningful jobs is even more remarkable in the context of 2021’s drought, fires, and floods,” said Mark Gifford, CEO of REFBC. “It’s a hopeful reminder of the value and impact of investing in good local planning and solutions to help communities respond to changing watershed conditions.”  

Increasing Healthy Fish Habitat and Survival Rates

The Upper Fraser Fisheries Conservation Alliance (UFFCA) works in the vast Upper Fraser River watershed of the Central Interior region, home to 23 culturally and linguistically distinct First Nations, all with cultural values associated with salmon. Executive Director Gordon Sterritt said that Upper Fraser First Nations are last in line to receive returning salmon; they see the issues fish face along the way and are doing what they can to improve conditions for fish returning to their home streams.   

Sterritt reported that crews working to reduce stream bank erosion are seeing promising results in improved water quality and the creation of better places for salmon to spawn. He said, “We have observed fish coming back to those areas we’re working on, which makes me hopeful.” 

The UFFCA has established a water quality and quantity program that was able to expand this year with the support of HWI and include on-the-job training. “From what we’re seeing, the people working on these projects are finding the work fulfilling,” Sterritt said. “Having the opportunity to put their skills and knowledge to work, they have become inspired and committed by the gratifying results and understanding of why they are doing this work.”  

Indigenous Leadership Feedback

Sterritt would like to see ongoing support for the successful collaboration the UFFCA has with fisheries experts, governments, First Nations, and academia. This emphasis on working together is shared by Mavis Underwood, Chair of the Indigenous Leaders Advisory Circle. She has been bolstered by working with the group of Indigenous leaders and is “encouraged at the expertise that comes to the table with vast knowledge about fisheries, economic development, and governance.”  

Underwood said respect for the rights of Indigenous peoples has been a long time coming, but it is “good to see Indigenous and First Nations youth taking advantage of the opportunity to connect with the knowledge, history, and lifestyle of their ancestors and elders through these projects.” She also said, “You have to be in a sacred relationship with the gifts you’ve been given, such as cedar, salmon, and clean, fresh water. We can do better and pay our proper respects to these gifts.”

HWI funding provided employment for hundreds of youths, women, and Indigenous people on local watershed recovery and monitoring projects in 2021. Not only did many HWI projects exceed job creation targets, but they also strengthened natural defences, protected salmon, and improved community safety and the ability to respond locally to changing watershed conditions.  

Learn More

For more information about projects being supported by the Healthy Watersheds Initiative, visit: healthywatersheds.ca

For more information about StrongerBC, visit: strongerbc.gov.bc.ca

Stories of Resillience

• Fernie, BC. Floating wetlands are low-cost, low-maintenance structures to help manage and clean municipal stormwater.
• HWI projects creating Fish Friendly Flows by removing barriers that stop fish from swimming though easily.
• Fraser Valley, BC. Foodlands Corridor Restoration Project is a collaboration between non-profit and Indigenous organizations to restore foodlands and create off-channel habitat to support coho salmon overwintering. 
• Delta, BC. Project design to breach the dikes and allow the habitat to be estuary again.
• Read more about the 61 HWI projects.

Contacts

Healthy Watersheds Initiative
Claudia Ferris, media inquiries: 604-328-8646 
Mark Gifford, CEO, Real Estate Foundation of BC: 604-657-3908

Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy
Media relations: 250-953-3834