Invasive Pumpkinseed fish in Wildwood Marsh
In June 2022 volunteers discovered Lepomis gibosis (Pumpkinseed) fish in Wildwood Marsh as well as lower down in Smit Creek which is a tributary to the lower Tsolum River. This is a non native aquarium/pond fish that either escaped or was liberated by a pet owner.
Why are these fish a problem?
Any non native fish species in an ecosystem has the potential to eat other native fish or native fishes food, displace fish out of their habitat and out-compete the fish that are normally in the area. There is also nothing preventing them from migrating down into the Tsolum and then into other rivers in the Comox Valley.
These fish may also impact amphibian populations which are already vulnerable.
Please do not release any of your pets into the wild!
In May 2023 we constructed an in-stream fence in Smit Creek below Wildwood Marsh to intercept any pumpkinseed fish leaving the marsh. The trap captured 3590 Pumpkinseed fish between May and early June. The majority of the fish caught were yearlings, but unfortunately older fish have already been found downstream in the lower Tsolum River. Further steps are being taken in order to properly address this issue. TRRS has teamed up with the CVRD to work on a solution.
Residents wishing to get involved, please contact us at tsolumriver@shaw.ca
Thanks to Pacific Salmon Foundation for providing funding to help with the pumpkinseed removal project.
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Why are these fish a problem?
Any non native fish species in an ecosystem has the potential to eat other native fish or native fishes food, displace fish out of their habitat and out-compete the fish that are normally in the area. There is also nothing preventing them from migrating down into the Tsolum and then into other rivers in the Comox Valley.
These fish may also impact amphibian populations which are already vulnerable.
Please do not release any of your pets into the wild!
In May 2023 we constructed an in-stream fence in Smit Creek below Wildwood Marsh to intercept any pumpkinseed fish leaving the marsh. The trap captured 3590 Pumpkinseed fish between May and early June. The majority of the fish caught were yearlings, but unfortunately older fish have already been found downstream in the lower Tsolum River. Further steps are being taken in order to properly address this issue. TRRS has teamed up with the CVRD to work on a solution.
Residents wishing to get involved, please contact us at tsolumriver@shaw.ca
Thanks to Pacific Salmon Foundation for providing funding to help with the pumpkinseed removal project.
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Bullfrog Eradication Project By: Stewart McIntosh
Thanks to Stewie M’s initiative Spearheading an Attrition Mission on the invasive American Bullfrogs, the Bullfrogging Crew has now had good successes for going on 3 years in taking out adult breeding Bullfrogs, Juvenile's waiting their turn to breed, and catching developing Bullfrog tadpoles.
Innovative thinking and experimentation with how to attract the target tadpoles into the “Hamper traps” has yielded great results over time, and the Bullfrog Buster Crew’s work goes on with the numbers of Bullfrogs in the areas covered going down consistently year after year.
The Crews consistent weekly, biweekly, and monthly effort in the different seasons of the year has been what it takes, to keep preventative breeding pressure on the invasive Bullfrogs, and put them in check and control in the areas covered. Now there is a noticeable change, and indigenous frogs are returning, as well as waterfowl populations doing better.
The Attrition Mission is working well, and the same strategies and methods can be applied elsewhere. The consistent effort at least once a week is the important thing not to give up on, as our yearly totals, and grand totals tell us success stories are possible when we apply ourselves, and “hop to” the action part, of an action plan.
This year, the Crew includes Hamish M. , Katie G., and Cain T.
Tsolum Wetland Interest Group (TWIG)
Formed in 2021, this branch of TRRS focuses on gathering information about the vast network of wetlands in lower Merville (west of the old Island Highway). Piloted in 2021 the group is involving local neighbours to monitor wetland health, perimeters, fish use, and western toad and other amphibian populations. In 2021 the western toadlet migrations were monitored and mapped, and mitigation measures were installed to try and reduce mortalities at important road crossings. We hope to raise awareness in the Merville neighbourhood and beyond about the tremendous value and ecological services that Tsolum watershed wetlands provide. Read the wetland monitoring report here. Thanks to Sally Gellard and Cherie Lamb for helping to get this program off the ground.
Thanks to Stewie M’s initiative Spearheading an Attrition Mission on the invasive American Bullfrogs, the Bullfrogging Crew has now had good successes for going on 3 years in taking out adult breeding Bullfrogs, Juvenile's waiting their turn to breed, and catching developing Bullfrog tadpoles.
Innovative thinking and experimentation with how to attract the target tadpoles into the “Hamper traps” has yielded great results over time, and the Bullfrog Buster Crew’s work goes on with the numbers of Bullfrogs in the areas covered going down consistently year after year.
The Crews consistent weekly, biweekly, and monthly effort in the different seasons of the year has been what it takes, to keep preventative breeding pressure on the invasive Bullfrogs, and put them in check and control in the areas covered. Now there is a noticeable change, and indigenous frogs are returning, as well as waterfowl populations doing better.
The Attrition Mission is working well, and the same strategies and methods can be applied elsewhere. The consistent effort at least once a week is the important thing not to give up on, as our yearly totals, and grand totals tell us success stories are possible when we apply ourselves, and “hop to” the action part, of an action plan.
This year, the Crew includes Hamish M. , Katie G., and Cain T.
Tsolum Wetland Interest Group (TWIG)
Formed in 2021, this branch of TRRS focuses on gathering information about the vast network of wetlands in lower Merville (west of the old Island Highway). Piloted in 2021 the group is involving local neighbours to monitor wetland health, perimeters, fish use, and western toad and other amphibian populations. In 2021 the western toadlet migrations were monitored and mapped, and mitigation measures were installed to try and reduce mortalities at important road crossings. We hope to raise awareness in the Merville neighbourhood and beyond about the tremendous value and ecological services that Tsolum watershed wetlands provide. Read the wetland monitoring report here. Thanks to Sally Gellard and Cherie Lamb for helping to get this program off the ground.
Other Projects- Lower Tsolum
We assisted the K’omoks First Nation (KFN) in securing funding and environmental permitting for a lower Tsolum gravel bar removal project that was completed in summer of 2022. A large gravel bar was excavated in order to make more room for the river during flood periods. The gravel was used to build a road that will act as a set back dyke to stop flood waters from eroding valuable reserve land including archeological remains. The project focused on the protection of KFN land (IR #2 at the Puntledge Campground) and was funded by Emergency and Disaster Relief funding from the provincial government.
We assisted the K’omoks First Nation (KFN) in securing funding and environmental permitting for a lower Tsolum gravel bar removal project that was completed in summer of 2022. A large gravel bar was excavated in order to make more room for the river during flood periods. The gravel was used to build a road that will act as a set back dyke to stop flood waters from eroding valuable reserve land including archeological remains. The project focused on the protection of KFN land (IR #2 at the Puntledge Campground) and was funded by Emergency and Disaster Relief funding from the provincial government.
Temperature Monitoring Study
In the summer of 2019 we partnered with BCIT/SFU to conduct a temperature monitoring study in the mid watershed. The focus of the study was to identify potential groundwater sources, to measure correlations between riparian status and instream temperature, and to compare current water temperatures to historical temperatures. An SFU Masters student candidate, Kate O'Neill, was the lead on this applied research project that was part of her Masters thesis in Ecological Restoration. Data has been gathered and report is available here. We installed 16 temperature stations in the Tsolum in the summer of 2020 based on Kate's recommendations, and also installed them in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Find more temperature reports here. This work continues, and each summer, TRRS installs temperature monitoring stations to better understand the temperature trends in the river. We are especially interested in the temperature of water leaving Wolf Lake in the summer which is used to augment, or add to, the flows in Headquarters Creek which feeds the Tsolum.
In the summer of 2019 we partnered with BCIT/SFU to conduct a temperature monitoring study in the mid watershed. The focus of the study was to identify potential groundwater sources, to measure correlations between riparian status and instream temperature, and to compare current water temperatures to historical temperatures. An SFU Masters student candidate, Kate O'Neill, was the lead on this applied research project that was part of her Masters thesis in Ecological Restoration. Data has been gathered and report is available here. We installed 16 temperature stations in the Tsolum in the summer of 2020 based on Kate's recommendations, and also installed them in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Find more temperature reports here. This work continues, and each summer, TRRS installs temperature monitoring stations to better understand the temperature trends in the river. We are especially interested in the temperature of water leaving Wolf Lake in the summer which is used to augment, or add to, the flows in Headquarters Creek which feeds the Tsolum.