Bilston Watershed Habitat Protection Association — Funding Request

Bilston Watershed Habitat Protection Association — Funding Request

Date

January 10, 2024

To

Mayor Goodmanson, Council, and Community Advisory Committee members

2nd floor, 877 Goldstream Avenue
Langford, BC V9B 2X8

Re:

Funding request

Dear Mayor Goodmanson, Council, and Committee Members:

Bilston Watershed Habitat Protection Association (BWHPA) would like to submit a request for $1,000 in funding through the 2024 funding request program. The funds will be used for the purchase of equipment to extend the scope of our water sampling and monitoring activities in the waterways within the Bilston Watershed, a large part of which lies in Langford.

Bilston Watershed is one of the most extensive watersheds in the CRD, with a total area of approximately 3129 hectares. Waterways in the Bilston Watershed provide habitat for species-at-risk including Coastal Cutthroat Trout, Northern Red-Legged Frogs, and the rare and elusive Vancouver Island Water Shrew.

Water sampling and monitoring are effective methods to determine the health of aquatic ecosystems, and our volunteers have been actively monitoring the network of waterways that make up Bilston Watershed since 1991. The specific equipment for which we are requesting funding was recommended by an aquatic biologist, who advised that this set of equipment will enable us to carry out extensive water monitoring activities more efficiently.

If we receive the funding, we will be able to purchase a handheld Dissolved Oxygen Meter, a High Range pH/Conductivity/Total Dissolved Solids Tester, three different pH Buffer Solutions, and a 120 cm Turbidity Tube. The total cost will be slightly over $1000 but BWHPA is able to cover the difference.

After a period of relative inactivity, BWHPA was reinvigorated in 2023 by many new members and directors with ambitious plans for stream assessments, riparian and in-stream restoration, and educational events throughout the watershed. We remain a volunteer-based organization with a very low annual membership fee ($6 per individual/$10 per family) in order to encourage membership and promote community engagement in protecting our watershed. As funding allows, we contract with biologists to carry out professional stream and fish habitat assessments, design restoration projects and provide guidance to volunteers.

In 2023 we:

• collaborated with provincial biologists to carry out fish surveys in various locations in Bilston Watershed where they were previously abundant, and to obtain DNA samples. There is a high likelihood that the Bilston Watershed population of Coastal Cutthroat Trout is a genetically unique subspecies. The DNA testing results should be available soon.
• contracted with biologists to carry out fish habitat assessments of Hewitt Creek and Firehall Creek (funded by a private donor);
• collaborated with UVic Geography students on the first phase of a community mapping project of Bilston Watershed;
• began the process to sort and index over 30 years of records;
• worked in coordination with the City of Langford to remove invasive species at Willing Park on Earth Day;
• participated in a CRD pilot project removing invasive gorse along Firehall Creek in Langford;
• organized a native plant propagation workshop last fall at the Luxton Fairgrounds in which volunteers prepared over 1000 pots of seedlings and cuttings to be used in restoration projects this year.
• organized a Streamkeepers course in Langford for new volunteers and community members learning stream assessment and water monitoring techniques. The course was taught by an instructor from Peninsula Streams Society, and we plan to offer another Streamkeepers course at locations in Langford and Metchosin in April/May this year.

BWHPA was successful in obtaining a modest grant from the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation Board for a project focussed on riparian restoration and installation of informational signage along Firehall Creek. We plan to begin work this year in coordination with the City of Langford and the CRD, once we receive the habitat assessment and restoration proposal from the biologist.

We have additional funds earmarked for matters such as stream assessments and restoration projects elsewhere in the watershed. We currently don't have any outside funding for operating expenses or for one-time expenses like purchasing equipment/supplies to make our water monitoring activities more efficient.

We are committed to our mission to preserve and enhance Bilston Watershed for the benefit of all species who make it their home. Our funding request to Langford, if successful, will enable us to broaden the scope of our work and carry out our activities more efficiently. We appreciate your consideration of our funding request.

Sincerely,

Alison LeDuc
President, Bilston Watershed Habitat Protection Association
https://www.bilstonwatershed.org/