The beautiful Birkdale Farm on Guthrie Road is a landmark, well recognized by Comox and Valley residents. Led by Guy Sim, Birkdale Farm was established in 1920 and has a three-generation long proud tradition of producing milk from grass-fed Ayrshire dairy cows. The farm has supplied local businesses including a well-known and respected yogurt manufacturer.
But did you know that the Birkdale Farm also produces coho salmon? Brooklyn Creek is a 7-km long stream that flows through the Farm. Adult coho come to spawn and the resulting tiny fry remain in the creek for one or two years. When the young salmon (smolts) are ready to enter the ocean, a downstream migration occurs, with annual runs of up to several thousand young salmon known as smolts moving through the urban stream. You may have seen the counting fence maintained by the Brooklyn Creek Watershed Society in Baybrook Park, where it obtains counts of migrating young salmon each spring. In this way, this small stream makes its contribution to the iconic BC salmon populations.
While much of Brooklyn Creek (particularly the lower sections within Mack Laing and Baybrook Parks) contains good habitat for spawning and rearing, the Brooklyn Creek Watershed Society (BCWS) was aware that some of the upper sections needed improvement. Fortunately, the Pacific Salmon Foundation, and other willing local partners stepped up to restore those sections.
Over the years, stream banks at Birkdale farm had become unstable, with high winter flows causing erosion and loss of spawning habitat from siltation and infilling. Contractors significantly improved the stream (about 800 m over four years) with creation of deep pools, bank stabilization and shallow gravel areas for spawning. The photo below shows Mr. Sim with a section of the restored stream in the background. Volunteers worked hard to help clear stream banks of invasive plants like blackberry and replanted them with native plants.
Representatives of lead contractors Current Environmental Ltd. Origins Environmental Services Ltd. joined with volunteers and the Brooklyn Creek Watershed Society to thank Mr. Sim October 15th during restoration planting. The photo below shows BCWS President John Neilson presenting Mr. Sim with a commemorative photo thanking Mr. Sim for his continued generous support during the four years of the restoration work. The plaque on the photo reads: “In Recognition of Mr. Guy Sim’s Support of Coho Salmon in the Comox Valley. With Gratitude, Brooklyn Creek Watershed Society.”
More info on BCWS, and its many community partners may be found here (https://brooklyncreek.ca/donations/)