BWS has sensors installed in several local creeks to record the water level over time. However, water level alone doesn’t tell us much. Several times a year we perform a transect in each of these creeks. A transect involves measuring the velocity of water at twenty different points in the …
This is a publication by the Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) reporting on the state of local aquifers. The aquifers in the southern portion of the Beaufort Range fall withing the RDN jurisdiction. This 12-page document provides an excellent overview of groundwater processes, and threats due to climate change and …
At our April meeting we had the treat of listening to Mark Lake’s enthusiastic update on the BWS aquifer mapping project. Since 2021 Mark has been working with faculty and students from the University of Victoria and local BWS volunteers to start mapping aquifers along the eastern Beaufort Watersheds. The …
Beaufort Watershed Steward (BWS) co-hosted a recent course with Michelle Jones of the Pacific Streamkeepers Federation, with the goal of establishing a benthic invertebrate monitoring program in our watersheds. Yes, we’re adding a 7th monitoring program! Like me, your first question might be “What are benthic invertebrates?” They are organisms, …
We are delighted to announce that we will be hosting our Earth Day Forest Walk again this year. Verna Mumby, local Consulting Arborist, will be guiding attendees through the wonderful forest paths along Thames Creek in Bowser. Verna’s knowledge of the forest ecosystem is fascinating to listen to, and makes …
This winter I’ve gotten into the morbid habit of checking the outside temperature every morning. I seem to have lost my tolerance for cold. Even the difference between zero and two degrees feels significant. I look forward to the double digits of spring and the balmy days of summer. Salmon, …
There are few things as magical as drilling holes in solid rock. The bit spins and the drill pounds and a pile of fine grey powder grows around the hole. Don’t inhale! When the hole is deep enough, after only a minute or so, you can install a fender washer …
The River Never Sleeps just keeps getting better every year! The number of organizations participating was up this year. The event provides a wonderful chance to meet with other environmental stewardship groups and learn about the exciting work that various volunteer groups are taking on. We thoroughly enjoy conversations with …
Summer is approaching and in our ‘new normal’ that brings worries about drought and wildfire risk. The role of trees in climate change mitigation and fire risk can seem at odds. In 2018 the Fanny Bay Community Association, Baynes Sound Garden Club and Beaufort Watershed Stewards sponsored a town hall …
We are expanding! BWS is launching a new stream sampling team, or ‘pod’ as we like to call them, in the Lighthouse area. This will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the health of streams on the eastern slopes of the Beaufort Range. We sample for turbidity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, …
