The Cowichan Watershed Society (CWS), aims to enhance the health of the Cowichan watershed through a collaborative, holistic approach. This project aligns with CWS’s organizational targets, focusing on fish health, water flows, riparian health, water quality, and estuarine health. By addressing these interconnected goals, the project will foster sustainable water use, improve ecosystem health, and ensure that local communities in the Cowichan Valley can benefit from a vibrant, resilient watershed.
State / Province: British Columbia
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Rebuilding Freshwater Habitat Mayook Marsh
The 60-acre Mayook Marsh is located on British Columbia provincial Crown land in the Kootenay River floodplain in southeastern BC, 13 miles east of the City of Cranbrook. With the loss of more than 85% of historic wetlands in the southern, heavily populated parts of the province, upgrading water control structures that maintain water levels in DUC’s engineered wetland projects, such as Mayook Marsh, is critical. Mayook Marsh provides habitat for waterfowl, endangered western painted turtles, and a diverse suite of other wildlife species. Located within provincial range land, Mayook Marsh also provides stock watering for five ranchers who share rotating Crown grazing tenures. In addition, the marsh falls within the traditional territory of the Ktunaxa Nation.
A water control structure installed in 1976 by Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) maintains water levels in this 60-acre marsh, this project will upgrade the water control structure to maintain water levels and provide an increase in freshwater storage capacity. The project includes replacing the control structure, upgrading the dam, and improving the access road. DUC has reached out to the Ktunaxa to explore opportunities to collaborate on continued stewardship of the land’s natural values. -
Resilient Waters Taylor Road and North Nicomen Slough
In partnership with MakeWay Charitable Society, Resilient Waters and the Leq’a:mel First Nation, the project in North Nicomen Slough will complete a soft restoration of the area that will improve the habitat quality and fish access between two lakes, Joe’s Lake and Back Lake. A newly constructed, fish-friendly floodgate enhances fish access, closing only during periods of heightened flood risk. The project will include additional work to automate the floodgate, and replace a culvert to provide reliable flood protection for Leq’amel First Nation and the local community.
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Columbia Valley Wetlands Project II
The Upper Columbia River and adjacent Columbia Wetlands are one of the largest wetland complexes in British Columbia and one of the largest floodplain systems in North America. The wetlands encompass 26,000 hectares and are one of the few remaining intact portions of the Pacific Flyway for migrating birds. The natural levees make the Columbia Wetlands incredibly unique, separating several hundred sub-basins with differing amounts of marsh, open water, riparian shrubs and floodplain forest. It is a large landscape with overlapping values of high biodiversity, ecosystem services, and climate change adaptation and mitigation.
In partnership with Living Lakes Canada, a member of the Columbia Wetlands Stewardship Partners (CWSP). The project seeks to increase open water habitat in Columbia Valley wetlands through the installation of a series of beaver dam analogs (BDAs), to conduct water quality and ecosystem biodiversity monitoring, with hopes to conserve the exceptional ecological and cultural values of the Columbia Wetlands system.