Steven Hill
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Members of the Squamish Streamkeepers want to see an alternative to a proposed road over the sensitive Meighan Creek system.Jack Cooley, of the Streamkeepers, said the group has asked to be included on a District of Squamish Council meeting agenda in June to address the issue.
"We want to have the DOS stop the present Meighan route and their southern access could be accomplished by using a more environmentally benign road," he said.
Cooley said the proposed road to the Thunderbird Creek development would damage sensitive riparian areas.
"The current road is going to cross the channel of west Meighan Creek and also the east Meighan Creek spawning pools," he said. "So the bridge is going to knock off the protective riparian zone. The road is also going to gouge into the sidehill and climb upwards above the Meighan Creeks. These creeks are groundwater fed, so that gouge could affect the quality of the groundwater."He said the group hoped the available alternate route would be used instead, saving the sensitive riparian areas and keeping Squamish's tourism industry alive.
"This town has suffered with the loss of one industry, Woodfibre, so it makes no sense to lose another - namely tourism," said Cooley. "Visitors come here for things like eagle watching, and the eagles depend on things like Meighan Creek to supply them with the chum salmon."
Recently, the Streamkeepers set up a trap on Meighan Creek to facilitate a count of chum fry and coho smolts returning to the ocean via the creek system.
On April 1, Cooley also took councillors Mike Jenson, Corinne Lonsdale and Patricia Heintzman on a tour of the creek system."Hopefully, after speaking to the whole council, there won't need to be another step," said Cooley.
Streamkeepers wrap poles to protect Blind Channel herring
The Squamish Steamkeepers have begun their work to try and protect the herring in the Mamquam Blind Channel. Members of the group wrapped a dozen of the pilings under the Squamish Terminal west dock a week ago, to protect future herring from the creosote they believed to be poisonous and deadly to their eggs.
Through recent research the group discovered herring like to spawn on the pilings because they were sheltered, however the eggs would die before they hatched due to a creosote coating found on the wood.
"The main goal for now is to see if silt, barnacles, etc accumulate on the materials over the summer," said Dr. Jonn Matsen, one of the group's coordinators.
Anyone interested in helping with the Streamkeepers is invited to the group's next meeting on Tuesday May 2, at 7 p.m. at the Squamish Public Library or call Jack Cooley at 898-5196.
