December 16, 2020 Nitinaht Region, British Columbia
The pandemic reminded Canadians of the benefits nature has on our health and well-being, and the importance of protecting the forests, lakes and wildlife that we cherish.
Today, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, and Elected Chief Brian Tate of Ditidaht First Nation, announced the successful restoration of three important sockeye salmon streams in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.
During the summer 2020, workers from the Ditidaht community joined Parks Canada and contractors to remove more than 3,000 cubic metres of debris from three salmon streams in the Cheewaht Lake watershed within Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. The project was funded by a $1.1 million federal investment through Parks Canada's Conservation and Restoration Program.
Approximately 30 years ago, Ditidaht First Nation began noticing the decline of an important food source that had been harvested for generations from the Cheewaht River. While sockeye spawning and rearing habitat weaves through old growth forest, past upslope logging practices outside of the national park reserve were causing stream banks to erode and habitat to fill in with sediment.
Ditidaht First Nation has been dedicated to bringing attention to this landscape management and food security issue, collaborating with private, public, and non-profit sectors, on solutions. From the work achieved over the summer months, this fall, Parks Canada and Ditidaht First Nation were heartened by the discovery of adult sockeye spawning in restored streams - with as many as 1,300 spotted in one day. These sockeye salmon are completing their life cycle in the Cheewaht Lake Watershed, leaving behind eggs that now have a much improved likelihood of survival.
Parks Canada collaborates with Indigenous communities and organizations in various conservation activities, including species recovery and habitat restoration across the country.
