SECTION 7
Fish Habitat Mapping Programs
Introduction
The Tsolum River watershed covers an area
of 258 km2. Land adjacent to the river and its tributaries is utilized
for forestry, rural and suburban settlement and lowland agriculture.
Many of the most critical areas for fish habitat are small streams that
were not well defined on the 1:50,000 National Topographic Series (NTS)
or the 1:20,000 Terrain Resource Inventory Mapping (TRIM) map series.
Methodology
In 1997, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans
(DFO), and the Ministry of Environment Lands and Parks (MELP), in partnership
with the Pacific Streamkeepers Federation, developed the Sensitive Habitat
Inventory Mapping (SHIM) methodology for land use planning in coastal urban
watersheds (Mason et al 1998). The purpose of this program was to
provide updated information for the Regional District of Comox-Strathcona
Environmentally Sensitive Areas Atlas, to identify opportunities for habitat
restoration projects, and to establish fish presence in areas of unknown
fish habitat. This information will be used to assist planners, landowners
and fisheries personnel in protecting fish habitat (Appendix A).
The Tsolum River Task Force employed the
SHIM methodology in modified and unmodified versions, on four mapping projects
undertaken between 1997 and 1999. High water mapping surveys were conducted
in the tributaries during the winter and spring seasons. Summer low water
surveys were conducted in the mainstem to identify obstructions to adult
migration.
Materials and Equipment
Orthophoto maps (1:5,000 to 1:36,000 scale)
were provided to the TRTF by DFO’s Habitat Enhancement Branch. Field
equipment was purchased by the TRTF and the Community Fisheries Development
Centre (CFDC), or borrowed from other watershed groups.
DFO also provided computer software and
technical support for processing the mapping data. Data collected
by the crews was entered into Access and Excel spreadsheets, then submitted
to Project Watershed’s Watershed Inventory Program. Watershed Inventory
technicians from this program used the data to produce maps in GIS ArcView
Format. This information was forwarded to DFO and was subsequently
included in the second edition (June 1998) of the of Comox-Strathcona Habitat
Atlas
(DFO, RDCS 1998).
Mapping Programs
Four field programs were completed in the
Tsolum River watershed during 1998 and 1999.
Program 1. Tributary mapping, lower
Tsolum R. watershed
The CFDC partnered with DFO and the TRTF
to employ a crew of 3 full time mapping technicians, and one part time
crew supervisor in February, 1998. They were trained in the SHIM
methodology, developed landowner contacts and completed the mapping of
11.71 km of fish habitat.
Program 2. Additional tributary
mapping, lower Tsolum R. watershed
A second mapping program was funded and
a crew of 2 mapping technicians and a part time supervisor were redeployed
during March and April, 1998. The crew mapped an additional 5.01
km and catalogued data into the Streamkeeper’s database and Excel spreadsheets.
During the first and second field programs,
mapping was restricted to the tributaries because water flow in the river
was too high for the crew to work safely in the Tsolum River mainstem.
A program of fish trapping using Gee traps baited with sardines or salmon
roe was also undertaken. Trapping revealed coho and steelhead utilizing
previously unidentified winter rearing habitat.
Program 3. Identification
of barriers to salmon migration
The TRTF worked with other fisheries and
environmental groups in the Community Partners Program to complete low
water mapping in the Tsolum River mainstem and in Headquarters Creek.
Funding for the program was provided by B.C. Hydro Opportunities for Youth.
The crew traversed the Tsolum River mainstem
from the confluence with the Puntledge River to the confluence with Headquarters
Creek. GPS data was collected for major stream features such as the
location of large woody debris, holding pools, intake pipes, areas of significant
erosion or riverbank modification and gravel beds, which may be obstructions
to salmon migration at low water. Data was also collected on migration
barriers and stream features in Headquarters Creek, and on tributaries
which were dry during August 1998 (Appendix B).
The crew also conducted mapping surveys
in tributaries to Dove Creek that were within the area to be impacted by
the construction of the Vancouver Island Inland Highway.
This data was used to develop maps for
TRTF project planning.
Program 4. Mapping in the
Dove Creek and Headquarters Creek watersheds
Project four received support from government
agencies, companies, educational institutions and community groups.
In January 1999, Fisheries Renewal B.C. provided funding for a SHIM mapping
program to be conducted in Dove Creek and Headquarters Creek. Both
watersheds were undergoing significant changes in their drainages due to
logging activity and highway construction.
Field work involved the TRTF mapping crew
assisted by Excel Career College GPS/GIS mapping technology students.
The college also provided GPS equipment and computer software for differentially
correcting GPS data. Students and TRTF map technicians cooperated
in producing a data dictionary for the Trimble Geoexplorer GPS unit and
assisted in the production of files used for GIS ArcView maps.
Additional GPS units were loaned to the
project by the Little River Enhancement Society and DFO. DFO and
ESRI Canada provided software support. TimberWest Ltd. provided maps
and permission to access their property. Approximately 30 km
of mapping was completed in project four.
The map crew was invited to attend a two
day Resource Inventory Committee (RIC) training program on the use of the
Pathfinder GPS units. This program was sponsored by the CFAC and
Project Watershed.
This crew also collected information on
sources of erosion that were contributing to silt loading in both watersheds.
This information was used to develop a water sampling program for the Community
Based Siltwatch Program that was also funded by Fisheries Renewal B.C.
Gee trapping studies were conducted with
the information being provided to DFO for inclusion with habitat referral
files.
Recommendations
1. There is a need for more SHIM mapping
to be completed in the Tsolum River watershed. A strategic plan covering
unmapped areas should be produced. Priority should be given to areas
that will be impacted by highway construction, logging or development.
2. A study of wetlands should be completed
in the upper watershed, as this area is threatened by development, and
is very important to maintaining water quality in the Tsolum River.
3. Watershed mapping should also be completed
in the middle and lower areas of the watershed. Many wetlands are
located on private property and are threatened by development.
Landowner awareness of the importance of wetland habitat should be promoted
as part of future wetland mapping projects.
4. It is essential that a good relationship
be maintained with landowners to assure that access to unmapped areas is
not restricted. Landowners should be made aware of information collected
in mapping surveys and encouraged to provide information on fish habitat
on or near their properties.
5. Version 3 of the SHIM methodology recommended
that a Garmin 12Xl hand-held GPS unit with differential antennae be employed
by map crews. This equipment was used in programs 1 – 3, but not
on program 4. Tests conducted by DFO during January 1999 showed that
the accuracy of these units was not sufficient for urban watershed mapping.
Future projects should employ more accurate GPS equipment.
6. The Trimble Pathfinder is now being
recommended for SHIM mapping programs. This equipment requires specialized
training. The cost of the units are beyond the budget of most
community projects and should be acquired as a shared purchase between
projects or rented and operated by certified operators.
7. Cooperation with other groups facilitated
the success of Project 4. It is recommended that community resources
be pooled whenever possible and that participation of educational institutions
be encouraged in TRTF projects.
8. Maps produced by the summer mapping
survey would have benefited from the inclusion of a cadastral layer in
the map. The TRTF should approach the Regional District of Comox-Strathcona
for permission to use a “read only” copy of the cadastral information for
the watershed.
9. The map crew spent considerable time
and energy at the beginning of the program attempting to wire the Trimble
Geoexplorer 2 GPS unit with a differential antenna. This was not
possible, and it is recommended that other crews not attempt this.
10. This information should be used
in the production of a watershed management plan for the Tsolum River
watershed.
References
-
Mason, Brad. 1998. Stream Mapping Procedures
for Land-Use Planning in Coastal Urban Watersheds. Habitat and Enhancement
Branch, Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Vancouver, BC.
-
Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and Regional
District of Comox-Strathcona 1998.
-
Comox-Strathcona Sensitive Habitat Atlas.
DFO, Vancouver,BC.
SECTION 7. APPENDIX A
Tsolum River Watershed--Areas Mapped by 1999
SECTION 7. APPENDIX B
Tsolum Watershed Dry Creeks
August 1998
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