Stream Sampling-Lower Sites, Fanny Bay
Monthly second site sampling for lower sections of selected streams: Cowie, Apple Cherry, Wilfred, Waterloo, Mud Bay.
Tag: stewardship
Flow Monitoring–Transect Table River
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 stream. These velocity measurements, …
Benthic Invertebrate Surveying Launched
There’s something that’s been bugging us. We know quite a bit about our streams. We regularly measure their temperature, turbidity, specific conductance, pH, and oxygen content. When we’re sampling, we take note of frogs or salamanders that cross our path and birds that depend on the creeks for food (a …
Groundwater Connections
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 …
“You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone”*
Rubber boots, a signature yellow vest, two cases of gadgets and a common desire to understand the dynamics of our local freshwater resources links these six volunteers of the Bowser Pod, members of the Beaufort Watershed Stewards (BWS). Doesn’t everyone love a celebration? As of April, this team marked their …
Aquifer Mapping Update
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 …
Learning to Monitor Benthic Invertebrates
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, …
Join Us on April 26 for our Earth Day Celebration at Thames Creek!
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 …
Creek Temperature & Summer Refuge for Salmon
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, …
First Aid Recertification
It was First Aid recertification time for BWS volunteers. As part of our safety protocol we arrange first aid courses for those volunteers who go out in the bush for stream side monitoring. Many thanks to Alpine First Aid for an excellent course!