Craigflower Creek Coalition
Monitor, Restore, Engage
The Craigflower Creek Coalition is working to protect and restore a remarkable urban watershed that supports populations of coho salmon and coastal cutthroat trout. Our mission is to improve stewardship of the Craigflower watershed for fish, ecosystems, and people through a combination of science-based monitoring, hands-on restoration, and meaningful engagement with the community.
We conduct ongoing assessments of coho salmon and coastal cutthroat trout populations, habitat conditions, and water quality and flow across key sites, working towards a better understanding of the state of the Creek to better guide long-term management.
We remove invasive species, enhance riparian vegetation to increase shade and food inputs, and improve instream habitat. With decades of hands-on experience on the Creek, our stream keepers operate a fish fence in the fall and a smolt trap in the spring. We monitor the creek for fish passage, assess and remove blockage, assess flow, and manage beaver dams to maintain water flow.
Recognizing the importance of collaboration, we are looking to expand our collaborative to support more coordinated and sustainable stewardship of the watershed. Through outreach at the Gorge Waterway Nature House and public resources, we are fostering a shared connection to the Creek while preparing for climate change impacts on water flow, temperature, and habitat.
WHAT WE DO
MONITORING
Our monitoring program tracks the health of Craigflower Creek through data collection. We measure water quality and flow at key sites, capturing trends in temperature, oxygen, and flow. Coho salmon and coastal cutthroat trout populations are assessed at the fish fence in the fall, and with a smolt trap in the spring, and by using methods such as seining, minnow trapping, and electo-fishing to better understand abundance, distribution, and survival. Our stream keepers monitor the creek for fish passage, blockage assessment and removal, flow assessment, and managing beaver dams to maintain flow. We also conduct habitat assessments and mapping, including the role of beaver dams in the watershed on flow. These datasets inform restoration priorities and strengthen science-based stewardship across the watershed in a changing climate.
RESTORATION
Our restoration work focuses on riparian and in-stream restoration work. Our main focus is riparian restoration, rebuilding healthy streamside habitats along priority lower reaches of Craigflower Creek. We remove invasive plant species, such as ground and arboreal ivy, Himalayan blackberry and bittersweet nightshade, and replant with diverse native vegetation to stabilize banks, increase shade, and improve inputs of insects that support fish. These efforts help regulate water temperature, reduce erosion, and enhance overall habitat complexity. Restoration is guided by ongoing assessments and mapping and a multi-year plan. Monitoring of fish and aquatic insects will be used to evaluate success and adapt approaches. Working alongside partners and volunteers, we are naturalizing the creek’s corridor to support resilient ecosystems in an urban setting.
OUTREACH
The Craigflower Creek Coalition engages the community through hands-on stewardship, education, and outreach. Much of the work of our collaborative is by dedicated volunteers, the stream keepers and the anglers supporting the work at the fish fence and the smolt trap, and the restoration volunteers removing invasive species. At the Gorge Waterway Nature House, we showcase the creek restoration and fish monitoring projects with on-site interpretive displays. Summer students and volunteers receive training in habitat restoration and scientific monitoring, fostering environmental skills and stewardship values. By involving local residents, anglers, and stream keepers in our work, we build connection to the Creek, to the land, and to each other. Our outreach builds awareness, inspires participation, and moves us closer to the robust multi-stakeholder coalition that will be needed for long-term protection of this ecosystem.
DOCUMENTS
CRAIGFLOWER CREEK IN THE NEWS
TEAM MEMBERS
BRUCE BEVAN
ESQUIMALT ANGLERS
STEPHANIE GURNEY
GORGE WATERWAY ACTION SOCIETY
ANNIE MACLEOD
GORGE WATERWAY ACTION SOCIETY
IAN CAMERON
GOLDEN RODS & REELS
ANDREA KWOK
GORGE WATERWAY ACTION SOCIETY
BRAD PROCTER
GORGE WATERWAY ACTION SOCIETY
YOGI CAROLSFELD
WORLD FISHERIES TRUST
BRAEDEN LIEVRE
GORGE WATERWAY ACTION SOCIETY
SUE SCOTT
CONSULTANT
MICK COLLINS
GOLDEN RODS & REELS
CHLOE MACGREGOR
WESTWIND SEALAB SUPPLIES
SARA STALLARD
SOUTH ISLANDS AQUATIC STEWARDSHIP SOCIETY
SPONSORS & PARTNERS
Fish Kissing Weasels Environmental
