The Regional District of Nanaimo says a Pacific Salmon Foundation grant will go towards protecting and enhancing the environment in French Creek Community Park.
The RDN says the $25,798 grant will help them work with the Friends of French Creek Conservation Society to protect the park from potential damage by protecting the mature tree canopy and creek banks from potential damage caused by pedestrian use.
According to a media release, Coho salmon, sea-run cutthroat trout and steelhead populations have been severely declining, and preservation of French Creek needs to be preserved to keep water at temperatures needed for fish survival. They add maintaining the canopy will help regulate those temperatures, and having a tree root system will provide stability in the bank reducing erosion.
Along with the above efforts, the district and the Pacific Salmon Foundation say they also plan to plant native shrubs, install a 320-metre split rail fence and put signs up to educate park visitors about the importance the creek has on fish species.
Friends of French Creek Conservation Society director Sandy Robinson says the partnership is a significant step towards the conservation of critical habitat.
“The collaboration with the RDN and funding from the Pacific Salmon Foundation will result in a robust, and sustainable riparian area for the protection of the creek bank and fish habitat,” Robinson says. “Visitors to the park will learn about the fish species, and habitat, and how to protect them.”
The project is expected to start this summer starting.
For more information visit the RDN’s website.
