Brooklyn Creek Watershed Society

Pacific Salmon Foundation

Brooklyn Creek Watershed Society (BCWS) was fortunate to receive funding from the Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF) for an education outreach initiative.  The PSF funds were used to design an information leaflet describing good stewardship practices to protect watersheds in general and specific information about Brooklyn Creek.

The leaflet was designed by Caila Holbrook of Comox Valley Project Watershed in partnership with three other watershed societies – Millard-Piercy, Glen Urquart, and Morrison.  The one side of the leaflet is the same for all four societies with the reverse side containing information specific to each watershed.  By combining efforts and funding we were able to produce a high-quality document.  Images of the BCWS leaflet are posted on the website under Brochure and Maps.

In September 2018, volunteers distributed over 1,000 leaflets to households directly adjacent to the creek.  Response to the canvassing activity was overwhelmingly positive.  Many homeowners had no idea of the importance of the stream for supporting fish populations and other wildlife, or that storm-water drains in their neighbourhood drained directly into the stream.

We are most appreciative of the support from PSF and our volunteers for a very successful educational awareness campaign.  We plan to distribute more leaflets in the Spring.  Anyone interested in participating in this activity is encouraged to contact BCWS here.

Our new map of the Brooklyn Creek Watershed was produced in a cooperative effort involving Project Watershed and funding from the Pacific Salmon Foundation. BCWS has printed the map in a brochure that will be used to promote community education and best practices in urban watersheds.

2018 Map

Click to view the 2018 Brooklyn Creek Watershed Map Brochure (PDF).

Urban watersheds face special challenges with ever increasing development. Check out this guide for tips on healthy watersheds and information on watershed challenges.

Watershed Challenges

Click to view the Watershed Challenges Brochure.

Final Phase of Channel Enhancement Project at old Brooklyn Creek Elementary School Site Completed.

Brooklyn Creek Volunteers November 2017. Photo by R. Wong

The final phase of a three-year project was completed on November 12, 2017 with sixteen hardy volunteers planting over 200 trees and shrubs along the banks of the expanded off-channel pond.

BCWS has worked with Town of Comox and Current Environmental over the past three years on the Brooklyn Creek Channel Enhancement Project. The opportunity came about when the Comox Valley School District sold the Brooklyn Elementary School property to the Phil and Jennie Gaglardi Academy in 2013. The Town of Comox acquired a corridor along the border of this property with the intent to turn the space into a restored municipal greenway and to improve fish habitat in the creek. The mainstem of Brooklyn Creek flows through the western section of this property. This reach was straightened in the 1960s to gain more land for school development and a wetland area to the south of the property was drained to create playing fields. In 2015, a first phase of restoration reestablished a meandering channel pattern with pool / riffle sequences and large woody debris structures.

The next phase of restoration involved constructing a 60-meter long off-channel pond along the southern border of the school property and connecting it to the Brooklyn Creek mainstem via a 75-metre channel. The pond was constructed in 2016 in the location of a wetland which was historically drained for a school playing field. The connection channel and off-channel pond added over 600 square meters of off-channel juvenile salmonid rearing habitat.

The third and final phase of the project was carried out in 2017 with the installation of a connection to a ground water spring located in the Northeast corner of the school property and extension of the off-channel pond. The goal of this final phase is to augment water flow into Brooklyn Creek and increase rearing habitat for cutthroat trout and coho fry. The plantings help stabilize the banks and provide shade in the summer months. Current Environmental Ltd. coordinated all activities associated with this project. The Town of Comox provided compost and mulch, as well as extra shovels and wheelbarrows.

Water “fence” directs fish into the counting box.

The Brooklyn Creek Watershed Society (BCWS) 2017 Coho smolt count was completed June 3 with the help of 49 local volunteers.  Each day between April 12 and June 3 two or three volunteers counted and released the fish near the mouth of the creek.

Though the primary goal is to monitor Coho salmon smolts, data is also collected for Coho fry, Chum fry, Cutthroat trout, Stickleback, Sculpin and Crayfish. The Coho salmon smolts (about 9-15 cm long) have spent slightly over a year in the creek and are now going to the ocean.  At this stage they are called smolts and have changed colour to silver to enhance their survival in the ocean. Click to download the PDF report: 2017 Smolt Fence Data Final

Volunteers are the ones that get the job done!

Over the past 10 years BCWS has initiated a number of habitat improvement projects along with the help of the town of Comox, Pacific Salmon Foundation and several other grantors and the labour of local volunteers.

In the past three years the numbers counted increased substantially (3457, 3137, 3346) over previous years. This year volunteers counted 2434 Coho smolts. The reduced numbers may have been influenced by the later start this year (April 12) compared to 2016 (April 3) or rainfall patterns which determine flow levels in the creek. It is expected that numbers will fluctuate due to many factors including survival rates of eggs and fry and the impact of urban residents in the watershed.

A great job done by the many volunteers, rain or shine!

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The members of BCWS welcome interested friends of Brooklyn Creek to attend our monthly meetings to hear about activities and new initiatives. The meetings are usually scheduled for the first Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. Please contact us to confirm time and location.