Environment
Ralph organized the Steelhead Futures Caucus; participated in streamside protection regulations setting minimum setback requirements; advocated investment in North Shore bikeways; and helped halt the shooting of young bear cubs.
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Note from Ralph: Steelhead Futures Caucus
Al Lill, friend and former Department of Fisheries and Oceans bigwig, approached me when I was first elected, expressing concern over the declining steelhead population. Steelhead are very large ocean-going trout who like the fast clean waters of our coastal streams and rivers.
The last time I had actually seen a steelhead trout was when, as a young lad, I clambered down a rope into the Coquihalla Canyon to go fishing with a friend. Somebody later told me those small trout were probably young steelhead.
Al Lill’s request piqued my curiousity, because of that childhood experience, and I promised to organize a dinner party in Victoria where he could tell his tale. And then promptly forgot about the promise.
Fast forward a couple of years. Dan Jarvis brings a straggle of fishermen into my office, and I invited Al Lill again to tell us whether, in his expert opinion, Seymour steelhead stocks were on the brink. The issue was hatchery vs non-hatchery fish.
I renew my pledge to Al Lill. I ask around to see whether other MLA’s are interested in forming a “Steelhead Futures Caucus.” Maybe collectively we can do for steelhead what we did for the mining industry? Some are totally uninterested; others very interested. We agree to meet for dinner with a group of experts, and do.
It took very little research to realize that there was a lot of concern about the steelhead trout among knowledgeable individuals and government biologists. But their reports, recommendations and advocacy didn’t seem to produce much action. Maybe this is where caucus could help. But what action? Ah, that’s the rub.
It was time for interested parties to sit down and break bread. We were surprised by enthusiasm engendered. What was initially planned as a meeting of four or five quickly swelled to 15. Final attendance included MLAs: Dan Jarvis, Dennis MacKay, Rod Visser, and Katherine Whittred, as well as the Honourable Bill Barrisoff and Honourable Joyce Murray. From the steelhead community we had Dave Steele (Editor with Outdoors BC), Don Peterson (President, Freshwater Fisheries Society), Hugh Hamilton (President, West Vancouver Streamkeepers Society), Al Lill (former DFO Director and author of the Greater Georgia Basin Steelhead Recovery Plan), and John Woodward (Director, Pacific Salmon Foundation), as well as three biologists from the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection; Bob Hooton, Craig Wightman, and Alan Martin.
The MLA’s paid for their own dinner and wine, and that of his or her paired guest. No fancy expense accounts in Victoria!
Based on the feedback received, our guests felt this was a productive initial session. Some of the guests who had dedicated a significant portion of their lives to steelhead, said it was their first opportunity to sit with legislative members who had ultimate say over laws and regulations.
Here are some of the things we learned:
• Currently 48% of BC steelhead stocks are healthy, 23% are a conservation risk, and 29% are of extreme conservation concern (meaning that there is a probability the stock could be extirpated).
• Risks to the Steelhead come from various sources including: loss or alteration of habitat, altered flow and stream blockage, and by-catch from commercial fisheries.
• Declines in the southern steelhead are a result of environmental change more than over-fishing.
• Aside from the fact that the steelhead has played an integral part of BC’s culture, heritage, aboriginal history, and economy, it also plays an important role in delivering essential marine-derived nutrients to our coastal forests and stream ecosystems.
• There is need for a Steelhead strategy to educate the public at large and coordinate efforts to recover the specie.
With material from the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection – State of Environment Reporting, 2002
Other factoids stick in my mind:
• Ocean survival rates are going down, so if we are to maintain survival, that means river and stream survival rates must go up.
• There seems to be an almost linear correlation between ocean survival rates and latitude, from California (very low) to Alaska (very high), suggestive of climatic influences.
• Sports fishing of steelhead, per hour, is as productive as it has ever been. Which means humans are getting better and better at catching steelhead, even as their numbers dwindle. Man is super-efficient at getting into the outback and catching steelhead wherever they may be.
• Catch and release is becoming the norm.
• Our remaining stocks of steelhead, while still abundant in some areas, are concentrated in a few major northern river systems. This concentration makes them vulnerable.
• We could argue all night about hatchery vs. non-hatchery steelhead, but the general consensus is that children raised under coddled circumstances are not as tough as those who have to fend for themselves from an early age.
We have put further work of the Steelhead Futures Caucus on hold until after the election.
Our on-going purpose will be to educate the MLA’s such as myself, who really know little about the nuances of steelhead management. The scientists must tell us what should be done and the MLA’s have to help make it happen. Our steelhead are too important to be forgotten, and I for one, am prepared to fight for this provincial treasure.
I have been asked to go along on an audit, snorkelling in my wet suit down a steelhead river on Vancouver Island . I will try to fit that in this summer and report how many steelhead we can find.
As one initial byproduct of our initial steelhead soiree, Minister Bill Barisoff granted a $50,000 steelhead research grant to UBC.
PS. on April 7, 2005, Minister Bill Barisoff, one of the stalwart members of the Steelhead Futures Caucus, made this announcement:
April 7, 2005
Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection
PROVINCE APPROVES 116 HABITAT CONSERVATION PROJECTS
VICTORIA - Funding of $5.7 million is being provided through the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund (HCTF) for 116 fish and wildlife conservation projects across British Columbia, including $500,000 for steelhead recovery on Vancouver Island and the Georgia Basin, Water, Land and Air Protection Minister Bill Barisoff announced today.
"Our government is committed to protecting and enhancing fish and wildlife habitat across British Columbia," said Barisoff. "This funding supports a wide variety of projects from restoring rivers and streams in every region of the province to studying wildlife populations to ensure that we have the best science available to make informed management decisions."
Major commitments by the HCTF this year include $250,000 to support the ongoing Vancouver Island steelhead recovery plan, and an additioinal $250,000 to continue funding the Georgia Basin steelhead recovery plan.
The Steelhead Futures Caucus is pleased that its initiatives are already showing success! That's half a million dollars which the steelhead recovery initiative did not have 24 hours ago!
Note from Ralph: Black Bears, Grizzly Bears, and Spirit Bears
This summer, bears are on my mind – and on the back porches of my constituents. Here is what my constituents – the two-legged kind – tell me about our black bears:
• “There is a bear which keeps coming into my yard,” complains a citizen in the Upper Capilano area. He wants it removed – permanently. “It goes into my neighbours carport looking for their dirty diapers.” (ugh!)
• “Don’t get excited if a bear comes through,” calmly announces hostess Bill Vaughan. P. Eng., at his large annual BBQ for the professional engineers. “He usually walks through the back yard about this time of the evening.”
• From a bear network advisor: “An elderly lady in North Vancouver discovered a bear on her third floor balcony. I advised her to open the sliding door a crack and yell at it. The bear climbed down to the second floor balcony. I told her to go down there and do the same thing again. She did. The bear left.”
• “I complained about a bear and all I got from the provincial warden was a citation for having a bird feeder and a few blueberries on my compost! I expect my government to protect people more than bears.”
Oh my.
Shooting black bears entering residential areas is certainly one option. Each year about 1,000 B.C. bears, most of them black bears, are deemed to be a nuisance or a threat and are killed by conservation officers.
Some constituents just want the bears dragged away. When a bear is captured or shot with a tranquilizer dart, it is taken away but once out of sight, it is invariably destroyed. Relocation isn’t a practical option. Some citizens don’t have a problem with destroying black bears when they come around, but I would judge those citizens to be in the minority.
The North Shore Black Bear Network
It comes to pass that I am able to give a cheque to Kitty Castle of NSBBN (North Shore Black Bear Network a strictly volunteer outfit.) Through education, it aims to stop the relocation and destruction of bears.
I had previously downloaded the relevant press release from Victoria:
VICTORIA – The provincial government is providing $40,000 in funding for community programs to reduce bear-human conflicts - and save the lives of hundreds of bears, Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection Bill Barisoff announced today.
The funding will help communities participate in the Bear Smart program, a proactive conservation measure that encourages communities, businesses and individuals to work together to address the causes of bear-human conflicts. The aim is to both reduce the potential for human injury and the number of bears destroyed each year.
"Black and grizzly bears usually come into contact with people because we entice them into communities by providing a source of food," Barisoff said. "Unfortunately, in our efforts to protect public safety, a fed bear becomes a dead bear."
With hibernation now over, bears are searching for food to replace weight lost during the winter. Expect bears in valleys, along streams and near river mouths where new vegetation is abundant. The public should be wary of all bears, and, in particular, females with cubs.
In an average year, 950 black bears and 50 grizzlies are destroyed due to conflicts with humans. Most incidents occur because people leave attractants - like garbage and unpicked fruit trees - readily available. "These magnificent animals abandon their natural feeding habits for that quick and easy meal. More often than not, it is also their final meal," Barisoff said.
Prior to NSBBN, 36 North Shore bears were destroyed in 1999. A year after the formation of NSBBN no bears were killed on the North Shore.
This organization operates the Bear Information Line: 604-990-BEAR (2327), and hands out an information brochure with tips for ‘North Shore Bear Encounters’ and ‘Bear-Proofing’ homes.
North Shore is Bear Country
Let’s face it. The North Shore is prime black bear territory (it seems the grizzlies were killed off years ago.) In late summer and fall, bears fatten up in preparation for hibernation. Garbage, compost, rotting fruit, bird feeders and other human foods attract black bears into residential areas.
How do you bear-proof your home? Here is what the experts say:
• Garbage inside until a.m. of pick-up
• No bird or animal feeders until first frost
• All pets fed inside the house
• No fish in outside ponds
• Don’t feed the raccoons -- or skunks!
• Pick fruit off trees and bushes when ripe
• Lime the compost. No fish, unrinsed egg shells, oil, etc.
• Clean the BBQ every time
• No food in outside refrigerator
If you see a black bear in a residential area, here is what the experts say:
• Remain Calm.
• If the bear sees you, back away slowly, facing the bear.
• Talk in a soft voice, so the bear identifies you as human.
• If the bear approaches, wave arms and talk louder to assert your dominance and continue to leave the area.
• ; Some say banging pots and pans will assert your dominance.
• Give the bear lots of space.
• Take children and pets and go indoors.
• Give the bear a chance to leave.
If bear appears to be aggressive call 911. Huffing and puffing, popping of jaws, standing on hind legs, and bluff charging are considered to be defensive behaviours. The black bear's message is 'stay back, give me space'.
For more information consult the following links:
Grizzly Bear Report
Nobody claims the black bear is threatened, and as indicated above some of my constituents think there are far too many of them. Continued co-existence of humankind and the grizzly bear is quite another matter.
Are grizzlies threatened with extinction in British Columbia? Some time ago, the government commissioned an independent scientific panel which concluded that B.C. is managing its grizzly bears population reasonably well.
The official report indicates there are at least 13,800 grizzly bears living in British Columbia -- a substantially greater number than suggested by advocacy groups. Again, population estimates vary – and observers with a cause can be very passionate on this topic. It isn’t clear to me they have actually gone out and counted all the grizzlies.
Hunting is still allowed – in certain areas. The present government replaced the previous government’s blanket moratorium with regional moratoriums, and watches the grizzly population closely.
But let us be frank: humans and grizzlies don’t mix very well, and as our human population grows and extends into all areas of the province, grizzlies invariably have to move on. That is why it is important to set aside huge conservation areas for them – and we have!
Meanwhile, Stuart McLaughlin’s Grouse Mountain refuge for grizzly cubs Grinder and Coola provides another option – for a few. These two grizzlies, now about two years old and entering adolescence, were orphaned when their mothers were shot, one in the Invermere area and the other in the Bella Coola area. Absent the Grouse Mountain option, the cubs too would have been destroyed.
Today, Grinder and Coola roam around in a very large penned area, along with grey wolves, giving visitors such as Princess Takamado of Japan an opportunity to view this spectacular animal.
Meanwhile … Protecting B.C.’s Spirit Bear
To complete our “bears, bears, bears” constituency report, we must also report that B.C. has created a new sanctuary for the province's world-famous “spirit bear,” also known as the Kermode bear, on the mid-coast. Folks up Terrace way want the Kermode to be adopted as the official mascot of our 2010 Olympic Games.
The Kermode sanctuary comes as a result of the North Coast and Central Coast land-use planning processes. (The government committed to completing the land use planning process put into place by the previous government and it seems we are getting there.)
In the Central Coast, 21 per cent of land has been set aside for park and conservation, including existing parks; 12 per cent will be set aside for areas of enhanced conservation management that permit tourism and mining use; the remaining two-thirds of land is set aside for all resource uses.
In the North Coast area there will be 24 per cent in protected areas (up from three per cent); 12 per cent in enhanced conservation-tourism and mining areas and 64 per cent for all uses.
I believe that no other political jurisdiction in North America has set aside such a large proportion of its land base for parks and conservation areas. This should provide more than enough space for the Spirit Bear to thrive.
