Each year our Annual General Meeting is a chance to sit back and take in how much we have accomplished in a year. We know we always feel busy, but it is truly amazing each year to see how far our organization has come in just seven years!
To provide a visual snap shot, we have Program Mind Map that summarizes all of our areas of activity. From a citizen science perspective, our data gathering is where the action is. With five years of data on our initial streams, we approached scientific experts for a review of our work. We also had environmental analysts conduct a preliminary analysis of stream water quality on the streams with five years of biweekly data. So far, we are on track with our research questions and the methods we’re using. We have found a trend of decreasing dissolved oxygen in Mud Bay, Wilfred and Cowie Creeks. And, across our earliest seven creeks with upper and lower sampling sites, we found significant quality differences between the upper and lower sites. These findings all warrant further investigation for confirmation and explanation. All very exciting!
Our Surface Water monitoring expanded with the addition of 6 streams in the new Bowser Pod. Many thanks to Sharon Waugh and Manfred Winter for all the work of organizing volunteers for a new sampling pod—that is no small accomplishment! Mike Mesford expanded his flow monitoring program; we now obtain flow data from 12 in-creek staff gauges and 4 gauging stations. We thank BC Conservation Foundation for the loan of survey gear for establish and maintain the gauging stations.
BC Conservation Foundation is the lead organization on a Tire Wear Toxins study. Before, during and after peak rainfall events we collect samples from five creeks as part of BCCF’s study on Vancouver Island.
Our Ground Water Programs include well height monitoring and aquifer geophysical mapping. We obtain continuous water level data from 8 private wells and 2 community wells. We now have two well sensors that record conductivity. There is no sign of saline intrusion from the ocean. Obtaining these benchmark data is really important. Our sensor data entry is in the process of being automated with the help of Strathcona Business and Technology Services.
In collaboration with the University of Victoria, Mark Lake organized another set of summer resistivity soundings at 10 geophysical sites between Cook Creek and Royston. Danny Irwin was this year’s summer student. We hope that the 2025 results will once again be published in the Canadian Water Resources Journal.
Access to multiple sources of hydrogeological data is a key element in mapping the hydrogeological features of aquifers on the eastern slopes of the Beaufort Range. Mark was able to access all the historical coal exploration geological data in the Comox Valley. This will be a huge asset to the mapping project. We also had a Vancouver Island University student, Brenda Kerwin, work on the GIS programming.
In January Dave Weaver published his report on the Tsable River Cumulative Effects (CE) GIS Assessment Project. This study followed the 2020 BC Government protocol to assess the risk to habitat and water posed by industrial activity in watersheds. The assessment found that four of six core indicators had values indicating a high potential to negatively impact the natural state of hydrological processes. The findings were presented to the CVRD Board, three community groups and the Nanaimo ‘Power of Forests’ symposium.
BWS believes in full access, open-source sharing of data. Toward that end we share our stream quality data with the national organization DataStream. Researchers, planners and the public can view data for our streams on the DataStream website. It is linked to ArcGIS maps so you can see data associated with a particular stream location.
We maintain ongoing advocacy work related to watershed cumulative effects and old growth forest around Waterloo Creek. New efforts in 2024 focused on the Biodiversity Ecosystem Health Framework, groundwater extraction, and the proposed expansion of a gravel pit adjacent to a creek.
We benefit from many ongoing partnerships and collaborations. New this year is an initiative with Astraea Consulting to conduct Sensitive Habitat Inventory and Mapping (SHIM) along the lower Trent River in 2025.
We also worked with the Boundary Forest Watershed Stewards Society from Grand Forks BC to co-sponsor the ‘Power of Forests’ symposium in Nanaimo. And lastly, BWS joined an aggregate grass-roots movement called the “Vancouver Island Private Managed Forest Action Alliance (VIPMFAA)”, whose main goal is to actively advocate for the reform of the Private Managed Forest Land Act of BC.
Our summers tend to be busy with outreach events. This year we hosted a booth at four environmental events, two community fairs, and two school events. We also had a student from the Comox Valley Art Gallery’s Youth Media Project develop a video for us titled: “A Watershed Moment”
Each year we do training for stream sampling and for Health and Safety. Alpine First Aid runs a level one first aid course specifically for our volunteers.
And how do we do all this??? Wonderful volunteers and lots of fund raising! In 2024 we tracked 4099 volunteer hours. We are always looking for people who can help out, particularly stream sampling in the Royston area and around Bowser. You would be surprised at the variety of talents we are able to put to work! Our funding comes from three sources: grant writing, refundable sorting and donations. We received two important grants from the Comox Valley Regional District and the Comox Valley Community Foundation. Lise Laguë runs an amazing refundables program, largely supplied by refundables that Brian Boyes collects at Lighthouse Feed and Garden. The Fanny Bay Inn generously designates us as a recipient following their twoonie draw. And Lise’s fall calendar and donation blitz gains momentum each year.