#Moss covered big leaf maple trees are the main tree species growing in & around the trails & #riparian zones at #HeadquartersTownsite Park in #Merville on #VancouverIsland.

This is a view of part of the #TsolumRiver.

In 1964, Mount Washington Copper Mining Co. moved into its watershed & built a copper mine. By 1966, they left the area after extracting 940,000 tonnes of waste rock. Even though mining lasted only 3 years, repercussions of the mining practices can still be seen today. What was once a river that was sprawling with 15,000 coho salmon depleted to only 14 by 1984. In 1997, Tsolum River Task Force was formed by over 200 local residents with the goal of restoring Tsolum River's health & productivity.

The river previously supported large populations of salmon, steelhead & cutthroat trout & contributed significantly to the local economy. The economic benefit to the community, in 2007 dollars, was estimated at $2.7 million annually. Past remediation efforts have contributed to improved water quality in the Tsolum River. However, further improvement is needed in order to allow restoration of the fisheries resource.

A 6-ways partnership was founded in 2001 between the BC Ministry of Environment, Timber West, Tsolum River Restoration Society, Pacific Salmon Foundation, Environment Canada & Fisheries & Oceans Canada.
This partnership led to a successful wetland project, which reduced the copper levels to the point that fish stocks have now returned to the Tsolum River. The wetland has a limited life of 5-10 years, after which copper leachate will again impact the emerging fish populations.

Recommended reading:

https://thenarwhal.ca/three-years-of-mining-40-years-of-taxpayer-clean-up-for-river-downstream-of-vancouver-island-copper-mine/

https://charlesbrandt.ca/state-of-the-tsolum-report/

https://www.tsolumriver.org/reports.html

https://www.tsolumriver.org/recovery-plan.html

Access to this part of the river is on Farnham Rd.

#ComoxValley #PuntledgeBlackCreek #nature #rivers #VanIsle #PacificNorthwest #Cascadia #RiversOfVanIsle #BCRivers #WaterIsLife #watershed #MoodyMonday #ecological #ecosystems #SocialBC #Courtenay #RiverRestoration #NatureRestoration #WaterRestoration #VancouverIslandHistory #BCMiningHistory

#CowichanRiver - there's salmon swimming in it but you can't really see them in vid.
Backroads access.

This is a major part of the #TwinnedWatershedsProject - joining #Koksilah to #Cowichan & #Chemainus #watersheds.

Learn more about the Twinned Watersheds Project:
https://cowichanwatershedboard.ca/twinned-watershed

#BCRivers #RiversOfVancouverIsland #BCWatersheds #WaterIsLife #PacificNorthwest #BritishColumbia #Cascadia #PNW #ProtectWatersheds #Nature #Rivers #VancouverIsland #VanIsle #Streamkeepers

The #KoksilahRiver, Xwulqw'selu Sta'lo', #Watershed is located south of Duncan on #VancouverIsland and lies within the traditional territories of #Cowichan Tribes, #Malahat Nation and other #FirstNations.

The #Koksilah River originates on the slopes of Waterloo Mountain, southwest of #ShawniganLake. It flows eastward for approximately 44 km before discharging into the Cowichan/Koksilah estuary. The watershed area is approximately 302 square kilometres. The main tributaries of the Koksilah River are Fellows Creek in the west, and Kelvin, Patrolas, Howie and Glenora creeks, which enter the Koksilah about 4-6 km upstream of the estuary in Cowichan Bay, which it shares with the Cowichan River.

The Cowichan and Koksilah #Rivers were historically connected through side-channels where Duncan is currently situated. #Shhwuykwselu (which translates loosely to “Busy Place”) was a historical connection and intersection between the two rivers where people gathered before continuing up the Cowichan or Koksilah rivers. Today the place name Sh-hwuykwselu is still carried by a small lower tributary of the Koksilah River, and the name #Xwulqwselu is the name of a Cowichan village nearby.

#BCRivers #RiversOfVancouverIsland #BCWatersheds #WaterIsLife #PacificNorthwest #BritishColumbia #Cascadia #PNW #ProtectWatersheds #Nature