Projects

The purpose of this project is to ensure that Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities and decision-makers in the Upper Canadian Columbia Basin will have the necessary knowledge, skills and tools to adapt and mitigate climate change impacts by better understanding water resources in their respective communities. The understanding of diminished water supply, drought and flood events assist decisions impacting community and ecosystem resilience as well as for the food security, ecosystem health and economic vitality of these communities. This project will help transition towards a green economy by training indigenous and non indigenous youth, and people displaced or transitioning from other impacted sectors. See the Project Map for locations and details of the work supported by this project. This project will support 25 jobs and training. (Photo: Living Lakes Canada)

Kwakiutl First Nation is completing a fish habitat assessment for the Giyuxw River to establish a baseline of habitat conditions for salmonids and determine priorities for restoration and protection work. This project, which supports 14 jobs, furthers the Nation's reclamation of Tsuqwa, an ancestral stone fish trap/pound that was an integral part of a historic fishing station and village. (Photo: Andy Fitzsimon / Unsplash)

Squamish River Watershed Society, in partnership with Squamish Nation and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, is continuing work on restoring fish passage and access to over 300 hectares of habitat in the Squamish estuary. This project focuses on modifying the lower section of the training berm and installing flow control structures. This project supports 26 jobs. (Photo: Adarshana Thapa / REFBC)

Stqeeye' Learning Society is blending traditional stewardship knowledge and historical data to reclaim and maintain ecosystems around Xwaaqw'um Village (Burgoyne Bay Provincial Park). By engaging and educating community members, particularly Indigenous youth, this project will apply traditional knowledge through cultural practices that honour the interconnectedness of ecosystems. This project will support eight jobs. (Photo: Stqeeye’ Learning Society)

Lower Kootenay Band is restoring naturally appearing and functioning wetlands and floodplains by filling ditches, removing reed canary grass, and recontouring altered wetland basins along the Kootenay River. This project, which supports 11 jobs, uses innovative techniques that will reduce the need to maintain and artificially fill the wetlands. (Photo: Cheyenne Bergenhenegouwen / BCWF)

The Sunshine Coast Regional District will work with shíshálh Nation (Sechelt Nation), Skwxú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), community members, and other local governments to develop a Regional Watershed Management Plan. The plan will outline actions needed to protect watersheds within the region. (Photo: Jim McCaughan / REFBC)

BC Freshwater Legacy Initiative, a project of Makeway, is providing tailored training, peer learning, and coaching support to Indigenous and non-Indigenous water leaders in communities that are leading on innovative approaches to watershed management, governance, and security. This project, which supports 10 jobs, will enable shared learning between organizations and regions and to advance the use of different knowledge systems in informing good watershed decision-making. (Photo: REFBC)

Fraser Basin Council is restoring grasslands in the Cariboo-Chilcotin region to mitigate the impacts of forest encroachment on wildlife habitat, biodiversity, and livestock grazing. This project will support at least nine jobs. (Photo: Stephanie Butler / REFBC)

The City of Trail is restoring 901 hectares of wetlands, floodplains, and tributaries in Cambridge Creek Reservoir and Violin Lake by decommissioning four dams and rebuilding the surrounding wetlands and streams. By undertaking this large-scale work, the City will improve the health of the watershed and make the site safer for the public. This project supports 31 jobs. (Photo: City of Trail)

Fraser Riverkeeper Society is partnering with Sea Smart and the Boundary Bay Park Association to expand its recreational water quality monitoring program to Kitsilano Beach and Centennial Beach. Team members will train volunteers on water and environmental sample collection, assess water quality and suitability for recreational use, and share water quality data on Swim Guide. This project, which safeguards community waters and informs future restoration projects, supports five jobs. (Photo: Fraser Riverkeeper)

The City of Port Alberni is decommissioning its wastewater treatment lagoon and restoring the area as a natural tidal marsh. This project will restore habitat in the Somass estuary, improve wastewater treatment and stormwater management, and support 15 jobs. (Photo: Stephanie Butler / REFBC)

SkeenaWild Conservation Trust is conducting riparian restoration surveys on four fish-bearing streams north of Terrace: Willow Creek, Spring Creek, Lean-To Creek, and Deep Creek. These surveys will identify priority areas for future restoration work and provide a baseline for future monitoring of stream characteristics. This project supports four jobs. (Photo: Picture BC / Flickr)

Comox Valley Project Watershed Society, in partnership with K'omoks First Nation and the City of Courtenay, is dismantling and restoring Kus-kus-sum, a former sawmill site on the Courtenay River, to its native estuary saltmarsh and riverside forest. Restoration of this site will benefit at least nine fish species, 145 bird species, and 281 plant species. The first phase of this project will support at least 40 jobs. (Photo: Rick Ward)

West Kootenay Community EcoSociety is working with First Nations and communities in Central Kootenay to assess natural assets and develop nature-based plans for two key watersheds. WKCES will prepare a plain language risk and opportunity analysis, and will develop an interactive map describing the current condition of the watersheds for residents who rely on them for drinking water. This project will support up to 21 jobs. (Photo: Nick Davies / REFBC)

A Rocha Canada is partnering with Semiahmoo First Nation on work towards a long-term goal of restoring water quality in Boundary Bay so the Nation can resume the harvest of shellfish. Activities include identifying contamination sources through water monitoring, convening a roundtable, and developing a water quality action plan. This project supports six jobs. (Photo: A Rocha)

ARDCorp is expanding its water monitoring program to agricultural areas along Bertrand Creek to support the development of a Group Environmental Farm Plan. Environmental Farm Plans help farmers increase efficiency and profitability by implementing more sustainable farming practices. This project will support four jobs. (Photo: Picture BC / Flickr)

Upper Fraser Fisheries Conservation Alliance, in partnership with Carrier Sekani First Nations, will develop, implement, and manage a First Nations-staffed water monitoring and data management system. Once operational, the system will be used to centralize, analyze, and share up-to-date water monitoring data collected on the Endako River to support informed decision-making. This project supports 18 jobs.

Squamish River Watershed Society is conducting water flow monitoring to ensure that communities, fisheries, First Nations, and other regional decision makers have access to data on appropriate minimum flow for an upcoming water use plan in the Squamish/Cheakamus watershed. This project will support three jobs. (Photo: Adarshana Thapa / REFBC)

The Upper Fraser Fisheries Conservation Alliance and Carrier Sekani First Nations will work with governments and communities to build a weir on the Endako River. After constructing the weir, their team will monitor water flows and mitigate de-watering during low flows to protect the spawning habitat of important Chinook and Kokanee salmon populations. (Photo: Picture BC / Flickr)

Tŝilhqot’in National Government is increasing First Nations' water management and analysis capacity by implementing a new data management portal to centralize, analyze, and share up-to-date water quality and quantity data. Hydrometric stations will be repaired and new ones installed to expand monitoring data collection. This project, which supports 17 jobs, aims to equip First Nations decision-makers with the information needed to prioritize projects related to ecological and forestry recovery, climate change resilience, and flood and drought mitigation. (Photo: Tŝilhqot’in National Government)

Brochure: Tŝilhqot'in National Government: Water Quality & Quantity Monitoring Program

Kwakiutl First Nation, in partnership with the Nature Trust of BC and all levels of government, is restoring coastal estuarine connectivity and habitat in the Gwa'dzi River Estuary. Through activities such as creating intertidal march benches, breaching a legacy forestry road, installing a footbridge, and conducting archaeological and water monitoring, this work aims to recover over two hectares of tidal marsh and mudflat habitat. This project supports 18 jobs. (Photo: Kwakiutl First Nation)

The Town of Gibsons is evaluating the conditions and potential risks to natural assets within the Gibsons Aquifer Watershed. By ensuring that natural assets are understood, measured, and managed, this project will support asset management strategies and climate change responses. This project will support nine jobs. (Photo: Unsplash)

Elk River Alliance is implementing stormwater treatment practices to preserve wetland and riparian areas in the Elk Valley. This project, which uses a combination of stewardship activities and public education, will support up to three jobs. (Photo: Andy Fitzsimon / Unsplash)

Alberni Clayoquot Regional District is replacing the pedestrian bridge and repairing the abutments on Log Train Trail at Platzer Creek. This project, which supports nine jobs, is addressing erosion and safety and will improve water flow in a critical salmon-bearing stream.

Upper Fraser Fisheries Conservation Alliance is implementing a riparian and floodplain ecosystem restoration project on the Chilako River.

Ahousaht Nation is restoring the Anderson Creek watershed to revitalize spawning habitat for Chum salmon and protect the community's drinking water. Through a combination of restoration work and water monitoring activities, Ahousaht Nation and neighbouring communities will be prepared to make informed water and land use decisions that support a healthy ecosystem. This project supports nine jobs. (Photo: Ahousaht Nation)

Golden District Rod and Gun Club will rehabilitate disturbed areas within the Blaeberry River watershed to promote wildlife habitat recovery. The Club will work with First Nations and conservation organizations to plan the project and undertake restoration work. This project will create at least 13 jobs. (Photo: Golden District Rod and Gun Club)

Living Lakes Canada partnered with the Columbia Wetlands Stewardship Partners to conduct site investigations on select wetlands in the Upper Columbia River and adjacent Columbia Wetlands to identify vulnerable areas in need of restoration work. Activities included analyzing shallow groundwater levels, collecting morphologic and meteorological data, surveying beaver abundance, and wetlands water level and temperature monitoring at over 40 sites. This project supports six jobs. (Photo: Living Lakes Canada)

Comox Valley Project Watershed Society, in partnership with Ducks Unlimited and K'omoks First Nation, is restoring water quality and spawning channels in the Glen Urquhart Creek watershed, a critical wetland and habitat. This project, which supports 12 jobs, involves installing in-stream habitat features, reconnecting catchments to the wetland, and removing invasive species. (Photo: Claire Sauvage-Mar / WatershedsBC)

BC Wildlife Federation is collaborating with First Nations and conservation organizations to restore, stabilize, and monitor BC's wetlands. These activities will improve wetland inventories, management, and decision-making. This project will support over 100 jobs and will provide training for workers in Wetlands Ecosystem Enhancement Protocol and Wetland Inventory. (Photo: Langley Environmental Partners Society)

Yucwmenlúcwu (Caretakers of the Land) LLP is using sensitive habitat inventory mapping to establish baseline conditions of the Salmon River. This data will be used to further the long-term goal of reversing the historical trend pertaining to fish habitat degradation marked by lost riparian vegetation, eroding streambanks, high summer temperatures, low water levels, sediment buildup, declining salmon stocks and other issues in the Salmon River. This project supports eight jobs. (Photo: Picture BC / Flickr)

Discovery Coast Greenways Land Trust is collaborating with the Wei Wai Kum Coastal Guardian Watchmen program, 7 Generations Stewards Society, and AIDS Vancouver Island to restore and protect riparian areas around Campbell River that have been impacted by increased human use during the pandemic. This project supports up to 28 jobs.  (Photo: Discovery Coast Greenways Land Trust)

Okanagan Basin Water Board is collaborating with Indigenous, municipal, and provincial governments to develop and pilot a source water protection toolkit in the Okanagan. They are also working with En’owkin Centre ECOmmunity Department (Penticton Indian Band) to restore a portion of the k’əmcnitk^w floodplain. This project, which supports 14 jobs, is part of a long-term strategy to equip communities with the tools to protect their drinking water by engaging them in restoration work and building awareness of water conservation. (Photo: Adarshana Thapa / REFBC)

BC Investment Agriculture Foundation is working with farmers and First Nations across the province to protect and preserve critical riparian habitats on agricultural land. The Farmland Advantage program helps farmers identify natural values on their land and provides the tools needed to conserve them. This project will support up to 48 jobs. (Photo: Picture BC / Flickr)

School District No. 91 (Nechako Lakes) is expanding its experiential summer conservation employment program between UNBC and Ft. St. James Secondary School to employ and train two students in a range of salmon conservation, restoration, and monitoring initiatives being led by the Upper Fraser Fisheries Conservation Alliance, Nechako Environment and Water Stewardship Society, Mid and Upper-Fraser Salmon Conservation Collaborative, and BC Parks. The students will participate in short-term work at multiple sites in the Nechako Watershed, including Nahounli Creek, and will assist with establishing at least one long-term ecological monitoring project in Mt. Pope Provincial Park. This project supports four jobs. (Photo: Picture BC / Flickr)

Fraser Basin Council is collaborating with farmers and ranchers to restore critical salmon and trout habitat along Horsefly River. Project activities include installing riparian and livestock fencing, stabilizing banks, constructing channels, and planting native species in riparian zones. This project supports 13 jobs. (Photo: Adarshana Thapa / REFBC)

Fraser Basin Council is restoring fish habitat in the Nicola River by stabilizing sediment wedges impacted by flooding and building beaver dam analogues to moderate water flows and temperature. This project, which supports 11 jobs, complements the work underway by the Scw’exmx Tribal Council and Nicola Watershed Governance Project. (Photo: Stephanie Butler / REFBC)

Ducks Unlimited is completing planning and evaluation to restore marsh habitat in Alaksen National Wildlife Area, part of the Fraser River Delta. Planning includes stakeholder engagement on draft project concept, archaeological impact assessment, salmon monitoring, and invasive plant management. This project will support four jobs. (Photo: Ducks Unlimited)

Rivershed Society of BC is piloting the development of a foodland corridor that restores sustainable food systems throughout the Fraser watershed. This project is being implemented in partnership with local First Nations, farmers, and ranchers. (Photo: Nerv Productions)

BC Wildlife Federation is restoring amphibian habitat in wetlands and riparian areas that have been impacted by cattle grazing. This project will support up to 11 jobs. (Photo: Picture BC / Flickr)

Wet'suwet'en Treaty Office Society is expanding its water monitoring program to capture data on the distribution, life history, and genetic diversity of salmon spawning in the Upper Bulkley and Morice watersheds. This project, which will support up to eight jobs, addresses high-priority information gaps identified in the Morice Sockeye Rebuilding Plan. (Photo: Picture BC / Flickr)

Okanagan Nation Alliance is partnering with the Okanagan Collaborative Conservation Program and the South Okanagan Conservation Program to develop an Okanagan Lake Responsibility Strategy using the nʕawqnwixʷ methodology, a consensus-based decision-making process that prioritizes the participation of Syilx Traditional Ecological and Cultural Knowledge keepers. This project, which supports one job, will engage local stakeholders to identify key issues affecting the security of the watershed and outline direct actions and solutions needed for its protection. (Photo: Okanagan Nation Alliance)

Cowichan Tribes is performing extensive work to rehabilitate the Cowichan and Koksilah Rivers by focusing on sediment management and habitat rehabilitation. Work involves removing ~90,000 m3 of sediment across six sites, repairing the Hatchery and old Southside Dikes, excavating and reactivating side channels, and monitoring of sites for flood and drought management. This project supports 41 jobs and is an integral part of Cowichan Tribes’ 5-Year River Management Plan. (Photo: Cowichan Tribes)

Squamish River Watershed Society, in partnership with Squamish Nation and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, is continuing efforts to restore anadromous passage to spawning grounds in the upper Elaho River. This work involves removing any additional obstructions at previously cleared sites and implementing innovative monitoring techniques to assess impact. This phase of the project supports five jobs. (Photo: Adarshana Thapa / REFBC)

Slocan River Streamkeepers will work with local partners to restore riparian areas within the Slocan Valley. (Photo: Picture BC / Flickr)

Upper Fraser Fisheries Conservation Alliance, in partnership with Carrier Sekani First Nations, will apply Yinka Dene Water Law (YDWL) to assess and implement ecosystem restoration and protection projects in the Nechako watershed. YDWL is the policy that governs water use and stewardship obligations in Nadleh Whut’en and Stellat’en territories. This project supports up to 12 jobs.

The Kwakiutl First Nation is addressing large-scale active erosion in the Cluxewe River by designing and implementing fish habitat restoration measures. These measures will help to stabilize the channel and restore salmon spawning rearing areas in the lower river and estuary. This project will create at least eight jobs and provide on-the-job training. (Photo: Kwakiutl First Nation)

Kwikwetlem First Nation is hiring and training four full-time Resource Guardians, who will enforce conservation regulations, restore environmentally compromised sites, and monitor development activities to protect archaeological, environmental, and cultural assets. This project supports 10 jobs. (Photo: Andy Fitzsimon / Unsplash)

Gitksan Watershed Authorities is continuing work on this multi-year project to restore access, connectivity, and quality of critical salmon habitat in McCully Creek. The focus of this phase is to create berms using native species to stabilize banks and encourage single channel water flow, and monitor changes on wildlife and fish. This project, which supports 18 jobs, will engage and train Gitksan members on restoration and monitoring activities. (Photo: Gitksan Watershed Authority)

Cowichan Tribes is working with community partners to gather data and scope options for a water sustainability plan for Xwulqw’selu Sto’lo (the Koksilah River) watershed. In recent years, summer flow rates have been exceptionally low at times when demand for water (from domestic, agricultural, and industrial users) is greatest. This project includes technical work and analysis to support sustainable, long-term land and water management, in order to restore water flows for fish and water users. This project supports 12 jobs. (Photo: Taylor Roades / Narwhal)

Islands Trust will work with First Nations and community groups to develop and implement a Freshwater Sustainability Strategy to guide resource allocation for freshwater projects. This project, which will support up to 31 jobs, also includes restoration work in protected areas on Salt Spring Island and programming for Indigenous youth. (Photo: Picture BC / Flickr)

The Elk River Alliance's Community-Based Water Monitoring program will gather data to monitor Elk River tributaries that are critical habitat for wildlife. By collecting data and identifying trends in ecosystem health, the Elk River Alliance will be able to create an early warning system to identify the effects of climate change and land use decisions. This project will support the training and certification of up to 15 people. (Photo: Picture BC / Flickr)

World Wildlife Fund Canada is supporting Katzie First Nation in the next phase of restoration work on four critical salmon habitats in the Upper Pitt watershed. This work includes installing intakes, creating new channels for smolt habitat, reconnecting historical hydrological systems, and constructing bio-berms to protect spawning habitat. This project supports 28 jobs. (Photo: Claire Sauvage-Mar / WatershedsBC)

Central Westcoast Forestry Society is supporting Hesquiaht, Ahousaht, and Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations’ initiative to restore critical salmon populations in the Clayoquot Sound by reconstructing rearing habitat. The work involves implementing bioengineering approaches (woody debris structures, riparian planting) to stabilize banks, reduce erosion, and create habitats supportive of migrating salmon. This project will support at least 25 jobs and provide technical training and certification to workers. (Photo: Lora Tyron)

Northwest Research and Monitoring Ltd. is partnering with the Morice Watershed Monitoring Trust and the Office of the Wet'suwet'en to complete the first phase of a multi-year riparian restoration project in the Upper Bulkley and Upper Morice basins. This phase of the project supports 28 jobs, and focuses on project planning, technical training, and streamside planting. (Photo: Northwest Research & Monitoring)

Ducks Unlimited is collaborating with ranch owners and First Nations to rebuild interconnected wetland habitats at 148 Mile Marshes. This project will update aging water control infrastructure and will support 13 jobs. (Photo: Picture BC / Flickr)

Scw'exmx Tribal Council is conducting water monitoring to track agricultural effluent along the Nicola and Coldwater Rivers. Communities and decision makers will use this data to understand how water quality may be impacted by agricultural activity during the spring freshet. This project will support two jobs. (Photo: Noémi Pomerleau / REFBC)

Nechako Environment and Water Stewardship Society is restoring habitats, riparian areas, and water quality to support healthy populations of salmonids. Activities include replacing culverts with fish-friendly flow infrastructure, stabilizing stream banks, and minimizing livestock access to streambanks. This project will focus on six sites across critical tributaries of the Nechako Watershed and will support up to 20 jobs. (Photo: Picture BC / Flickr)

The Skeena Knowledge Trust is expanding access to the Skeena Salmon Data Centre so that watershed conservation organizations within the Skeena can address distinct land management issues within those watersheds. (Photo: Skeena Knowledge Trust)

District of Kent is replacing a culvert on the Lower Agassiz slough to open the waterway for fish passage. A new fish-friendly flood gate will make valuable habitat accessible to overwintering juvenile salmon and other fish species. This project will support at least 14 jobs. (Photo: Picture BC / Flickr)

SkeenaWild Conservation Trust is restoring spawning and rearing habitat for salmon and other fish species. By breaching beaver dams that are inhibiting fish passage and water flow, this work will restore ecological integrity and hydrological function to the stream. This project supports nine jobs. (Photo: SkeenaWild Conservation Trust)