Work continues to remove invasive species and restore habitat along a waterway in Nanaimo.
Nanaimo and Area Land Trust is in the midst of a multi-year project at Cat Stream. Last weekend, Nov. 16, NALT members and volunteers gathered to work at a section off of Pine Street. Much work was accomplished this year, according to Linda Brooymans, NALT stewardship manager.
"We have removed a whole lot of blackberry and it's a war that is ongoing and once we did that, we planted in the area," she said. "And then we had all kinds of other new invasive species, like thistle that were colonizing, there's goutweed, which I haven't seen in other places, we even have giant hogweed, which is a big problem because it's so toxic."
In addition to clearing out invasive species this past spring and summer, volunteers have also planted trees and shrubs, monitored trout numbers and water quality and are taking measures to limit toxins from tires from entering the water.
Brooymans said water is being tested by the B.C. Conservation Foundation for tire particles. There are high levels of the particles in the Wakesiah Avenue area, though fewer particles in the Pine Street area.
"Every time you brake, tiny bits of your tire rub off, and that washes into the stream, and it's particularly toxic to coho salmon juveniles…" she said. "Plants are really effective at filtering those particles and removing the toxins before they get into the stream. So we're trying to strategize … we would add rain gardens to certain areas where the concentrations are high, just to help keep those toxins out of the stream."
The project began in 2021 and is expected to continue for another five years. Planting has concluded for the year, but trout sampling will take place over the winter.
For information about volunteering, e-mail stewardship@nalt.bc.ca.
