Tuesday October 15, 2024 | LANGFORD, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Last Thursday some new plants got into the mix of efforts around watershed protection in Langford.
Last year a member of the Bilston Watershed Habitat Protection Association (BWHPA) noticed in the summer of 2023 that large amounts of sediment had collected in Pritchard Creek due to construction impacts.
As a result, the fish living in a segment of the creek were unable to reach clearer and deeper water.
And so some action was planned and now Pritchard Creek has a new lease on life.
The City responded with a restoration plan developed with the guidance of Craig Barlow, a registered professional biologist, and the work commenced this summer led by the City of Langford and its contractor, Excel Contracting.
About the creek:
Pritchard Creek is within one of the largest watersheds in the capital region. It spans 7,732 acres across Metchosin, Langford and the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area.
The source for the creek systems is springs and a series of ponds and wetlands on the south side of Highway 14 that spread “like a tree,” spilling into the ocean at Sitting Lady Falls in Witty’s Lagoon Regional Park in Metchosin, said Hill.
Pritchard Creek at the corner of Klahanie Drive and Latoria Road was temporarily closed off in the summer of 2023 to build a signalized intersection near an upcoming new SD62 South Langford elementary school in the fast-growing residential area of Langford.
As a result of that construction work and other developments along Latoria a 110-metre section of the creek had collected sediment and other debris.
Several cutthroat trout as well as stickleback fish had to be removed and relocated after the Bilston Watershed Habitat Protection Association reached out to Langford for help restoring the creek. Cutthroat trout are the same genus as Pacific salmon, though the cutthroat have different spawning habits and lifecycles.
Activity on October 10:
A small event and celebration was held on October 10 at Pritchard Creek, at the intersection of Klahanie Drive and Latoria Road.
Some native plants that were potted last fall in a propagation workshop were augmented by plants provided by the City of Langford. Fall rye and white clover were among the plants that were installed.
After Kym Hill from BWHPA and Craig Barlow removed the remaining fish, the contractors did an amazing job in removing the mud, lowering the water channel, and constructing a refuge pond for use during drought periods.
The last part of the remediation includes the removal of invasives and the planting of native species along the stream side. Due to the vulnerability of the creek and the limited space, only be a small group of volunteers did that work on Thursday afternoon.
Collaboration with the city:
Collaboration between the City of Langford and the Bilston Watershed Habitat Protection Association made possible the remediation along Pritchard Creek, using native plants.
“We’re very grateful that they were quick to respond to the concerns raised and did an excellent job in developing a remediation plan,” said BWHPA volunteer Laurie last week.
“Excel Contracting did a fantastic job in executing the plan, and our group was happy to come in and provide some of the plants and our labour to finish off the project,” she said.
Looking to next year:
“We can see that there are still spots we could fill in with native plants,” says the BWHPA rep.
“So we’ll schedule a propagation workshop for early next spring to provide us with a stock to use in the fall of 2025,” says Laurie.
“But we are working on arranging meetings with stakeholders to organize another event or two this fall where more volunteers would be welcome.”
Thanks to volunteers:
“Our thanks to BWHPA members Charles, Kym, Alison, Laurie and Steve, and community members Lisa and Mark for offering their time and energy for the replanting.”
The group was restricted in the number of volunteers they could use for this project due to the limited space along the slope and their concern about trampling the existing plants.
About Bilston Watershed Habitat Protection Association:
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NEWS SECTIONS: ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY | LANGFORD | SD62 SCHOOL DISTRICT