1995-1999: The Forest Renewal Days

In 1995, the Squamish River Watershed Committee, with funding from Forest Renewal BC's Watershed Restoration Program, carried out a Year One Conditional Assessment of the Squamish River under leadership from the Ministry of Environment, Land and Parks and the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District. An overall assessment was performed on all the watercourses draining into the Squamish River watershed and a short-list of 7 watercourses were selected as prime candidates for restoration work.

During the second year (1996/1997), Level II assessments and recommendations for Year Three prescriptions were continued with ongoing funding from the FRBC WRP program.  Further funding from FRBC allowed for in-stream work to be undertaken on several of the priority drainages.  Year Three work, undertaken in the 1997/1998 field season, involved mostly slope stabilization by way of riparian planting in the Chance Creek drainages and some in-stream complexing along the Mamquam River drainages.

In 1998/1999, the Squamish River Watershed Society was formed to act as lead proponent for Year Four (final year) of the WRP. This year involved a number of restoration, assessment and monitoring projects on the Mamquam River, Cheekye River, Mashiter Creek, Chance Creek, Crawford Creek, Brohm Creek and the Squamish River Estuary.

1999-2002: The Fisheries Renewal Days

Since the formation of the Squamish River Watershed Society in 1998, the focus of the group has shifted somewhat to lead proponent and administrative body for a variety of funding agencies and projects in both the Squamish and Lillooet River Watersheds. 1999/2000 was the first year the Society took on the role of lead applicant for the newly formed Squamish/Lillooet Rivers Watershed Partnership Group under Fisheries Renewal BC's Salmonid Renewal Program. The Society is now in its third year as lead applicant with the Partnership Group and has helped administer and participate in over 50 Salmonid Renewal projects throughout the Squamish / Lillooet region.

 
Over the past three years, the Society has also provided the role of lead applicant for the restoration work undertaken by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans through their HRSEP program. In 2001/2002, the Society will also participate in a joint BC Hydro and Fisheries and Oceans Canada 'Bridge Coastal Restoration Program' project in the Squamish Estuary. As well, the Society is entering into Year Three administering the two part-time Stewardship Coordinator positions for the Squamish and Lillooet regions through the Department of Fisheries and Ocean's HCSP program.

Although both the Squamish River Watershed Committee and Society have undergone some restructuring over the years, the emphasis has remained in undertaking a holistic ecosystem approach to watershed management. While the Society provides the structure to fund watershed related projects, it is the Committee that continues to provide an opportunity for citizens, policy makers, resource users, First Nations, organizations and interested parties to exchange technical information on issues concerning the watershed. Both the Committee and Society are furthermore committed to develop long-term strategies towards an ecosystem approach of resolving social, economical and environmental constraints.

2003 to the present

The Watershed Society is continuing on with restoration based projects, land use decisions and facilitating change while we strive for watershed management that will lead to responsible and healthy decisions towards the use of our water, air, and resources.

Some projects we are currently involved with include:

• Salmon Recovery Plan for the Squamish River (working with the Pacific Salmon Foundation and Golder Associates)

• Continued restoration of disturbed lands within the Squamish Estuary including the complete removal of all the dredge spoils at the end of the Training Dyke (above the windsurfer spit) and reclamation of the site to estuarine habitat (with funding from BC Hydro's Bridge Coastal Restoration Program and working with Fisheries and Oceans Canada)

• Further construction of channels by the WestBarr Log sort that will allow water flow to improve fish and wildlife habitat

• Sea to Sky Sensitive Habitat Mapping (www.cmnbc.ca)

• Eelgrass mapping and monitoring program in conjunction with the Seagrass Conservation Group of Georgia Basin (with funding from Canadian Wildlife Service) Eelgrass Update