BOULDER CREEK CATTLE FENCING FOR KOKANEE HABITAT ENHANCEMENT 2010

Transcription

1 BOULDER CREEK CATTLE FENCING FOR KOKANEE HABITAT ENHANCEMENT 2010 Prepared for the: FISH & WILDLIFE COMPENSATION PROGRAM, NELSON, B.C. Prepared by: Marc André Beaucher CRESTON VALLEY WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA NOVEMBER 2010

2 Executive Summary In May of 2010, we erected a fence along a 150 meter section of Boulder Creek, on the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area, to prevent cattle access to the riparian area. Years of cattle grazing and unrestricted access to the creek has degraded fish habitat and been conflicting with recent efforts to enhance habitat and restore a kokanee run into Boulder Creek. To support previous fish habitat enhancement efforts on Boulder Creek, the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program Columbia Basin, the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area, and the Creston Valley Rod & Gun Club partnered and erected 325 meters of fencing to keep cattle out of an easily accessible section of the stream to reduce bank erosion and silt loads into the creek. With cash and in kind support from the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program and the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area, members from the Creston Valley Rod & Gun Club provided 52 hours of volunteer time and donated 21 hours of equipment time toward the successful completion of the project. After only a few months, we noticed that the vegetation within the fenced area was in better shape than the vegetation outside of it. We also noted vegetation growing on the shoreline in locations that were previously heavily trampled by the cattle and stripped of vegetation. Acknowledgements This project was successfully completed with funds provided by the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program Columbia Basin, with cash and in kind support from the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area, and volunteer support from the Creston Valley Rod & Gun Club. Special thanks to Steve Arndt (FWCP) for providing fish expertise, Gerry Thompson for helping to secure the funding, and all volunteers from the Creston Valley Rod & Gun Club who helped building the fence, especially Mel Prowse, Mike Seaton, Greg Leduc, Gerry Bond, and Jason Wall. The Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program is a joint initiative between BC Hydro, the Ministry of Environment and Fisheries & Oceans Canada to conserve and enhance fish and wildlife populations affected by the construction of BC Hydro dams in Canada's portion of the Columbia Basin. CRESTON VALLEY WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA i

3 Table of Contents Executive Summary... i Acknowledgements... i Table of Contents...ii Table of Figures...ii 1. Introduction Project Location and Description Issue: habitat and fish enhancement conflicts with cattle grazing Project Goal and Objective Goal Objective Fencing Procedures Time of year Volunteers Safety Equipment and Materials Results Recommendations Budget References Appendix...7 Table of Figures Figure 1 Boulder Creek, located approximately 25.5km north of Creston along Highway 3A...7 Figure 2 Project area, approximately 120m west of the bridge on Highway 3A...7 Figure 3 Cattle damage caused by trampling, along Boulder Creek....8 Figure 4 Project area Boulder Creek....8 Figure 5 Mike Seaton, Greg Leduc, and Mel Prowse, volunteers from the Creston Valley Rod & Gun Club...9 Figure 6 Hole drilling May 11 th, CRESTON VALLEY WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA ii

4 Figure 7 Cattle crossing put in place on July 12 th, Figure 8 Photo of Boulder Creek on February 23 rd and September 3 rd, CRESTON VALLEY WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA iii

5 1. Introduction Boulder Creek is a third order stream approximately 10 kilometers in length, located in the Purcell Mountain range, just southeast of Kootenay Lake. Approximately 500 meters of the stream meanders through the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area (CVWMA), immediately west of Highway 3A, before it empties out into the east branch of the Kootenay River. Boulder Creek provides year round habitat for Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), Westslope Cutthroat Trout (O. clarki lewisi), and historically provided spawning habitat for Kokanee (O. nerka). While activities to maintain these species have been conducted since the late 1930 s (FISS Report, 16 Nov 2010), there has not been any significant kokanee run in several years. With growing interest from the B.C. Environment Ministry (MoE), the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program (FWCP), and the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area, to bring back kokanee into Boulder Creek, a combination of activities such as egg implants, gravel placement, and fencing to limit cattle access to the creek, have been undertaken in recent years to restore the kokanee run in Boulder Creek. Close to 2 million kokanee eggs were implanted between 2006 and 2010, and spawning habitat enhancement through gravel placement was conducted in 2008, 2009, and 2010 (Fish Wizard, 2010; Zimmer, 2010). This report describes a fence erected in the spring of 2010 to exclude cattle from a section of the creek to supplement the egg implants and habitat enhancement efforts. 2. Project Location and Description Boulder Creek flows east to west under Highway 3A, approximately 25.5km north of Creston, British Columbia (Figure 1). The project area is located roughly 120 meters downstream from highway 3A and extends west another 150 meters, on both sides of the creek (Figure 2). 3. Issue: habitat and fish enhancement conflicts with cattle grazing For several years, cattle have been allowed to graze in the Boulder Creek area, under an annual permit from the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area. Over time, unrestricted access to the riparian area has resulted in significant reduction in woody vegetation along the creek, bank erosion, and trampling of the streambed (Figure 3). These activities contribute to silt load increase in the creek, which is known to be detrimental to fish habitat. CRESTON VALLEY WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA 1

6 As it appeared counterproductive to continue implanting kokanee eggs and enhancing spawning habitat without addressing the cattle grazing issue, the CVWMA, the FWCP, and the Creston Valley Rod & Gun Club partnered to erect a fence to exclude cattle from an easily accessible section of the riparian area to mitigate the damages. 4. Project Goal and Objective 4.1. Goal Reduce or eliminate silt inputs resulting from bank erosion and streambed trampling caused by cattle along a 150 meter section of Boulder Creek Objective Erect approximately 350 meters of fencing (post and wire) on both sides of the creek (125m on south side, 225m on north side) to exclude cattle from the riparian area (Figure 4). 5. Fencing Procedures 5.1. Time of year The fence was built on two separate days May 11 th and 25 th, Holes were drilled and fence posts were pounded into the ground on May 11 th, 2010, and the fencing wire was put up on May 25 th, Two additional hours were required to finish pounding the posts into the ground on May 13 th, CRESTON VALLEY WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA 2

7 5.2. Volunteers The fence was erected with the help of three volunteers from the Creston Valley Rod & Gun Club (CVRGC) and one CVWMA staff Figure 5). The same three volunteers and CVWMA staff helped on both workdays. Two additional volunteers from the CVRGC helped finish pounding the posts into the ground on May 13 th, Approximately 44 hours of volunteer time were required to complete the fencing project. One volunteer spent an additional 4 hours on site visits and planning before the work began Safety On site safety meetings were held with the volunteers before the work began on both days. Hard hats, safety glasses, and gloves were provided by the CVWMA and a first aid kit was carried into the field and kept in close proximity of the working crew Equipment and Materials Holes were drilled, 60 75cm (2 2.5 ft) deep, using a portable gas auger on wheels, with a 100mm (4 in) drill bit (Figure 6). Seven feet long fence posts, 10 13cm (4 5 in) in diameter, were pounded into the ground with a 15cm (6in) manual post pounder, approximately 4.9m (16ft) apart. Three strands of barbed fence wire (12.5 gauge) were nailed to the posts using fence staples. A fence tensioner was used to stretch the wire. Finally, 7 feet long metal T rail fence posts were used along a short section of a wooded area where wooden posts could not be driven into the ground. The barbed wire was attached to the posts using metal wire. CRESTON VALLEY WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA 3

8 The bottom strand was set approximately 40 cm above the ground and the remaining two strands were nailed 35 cm apart. 6. Results While it was hard physical work, building the fence was relatively straightforward. Soils in the project area were loose and made hole drilling and post pounding reasonably easy. The fence was very effective at keeping the cattle out of the creek. In fact, it was so effective that the cattle did not seem to want to cross the creek at the intended crossing, located at the western extremity of the fence. The cattle owner raised concerns and a compromise was reached to move the crossing approximately 25m upstream where, a 6m wide corridor was fenced to accommodate the cattle (Figure 7). The fence modification required an additional 15 hours of CVWMA staff time, including two site visits with the cattle owner, and the FWCP fish biologist. The modifications were completed on July 15 th, The fence modifications worked relatively well, however, cow tracks were observed within the fenced area, in the fall of 2010, indicating that some cows found their way under the wire. This was probably due to the fact that metal posts were used for the corridor and the wire could not be tensed. Furthermore, only two strands were erected along the corridor. Differences in vegetation were noticeable between the grazed area and the fenced area at the end of the grazing season; the vegetation was markedly taller within the fenced area. Similarly, the vegetation along the stream banks and shore came back naturally and there were no trampled areas as observed in the fall of 2009 (Figure 8). Overall, 325 meters of fence was erected, 225m on the north side and 100 on the south side of the creek. 7. Recommendations Maintain and fix the existing fence to ensure there is no cattle access to the creek other than at the designated crossing; Replace the metal T rail fence posts along the cattle crossing with wooden posts, add one strand of wire, and tension the strands to prevent cattle from walking under the wire and entering the fenced area; Assess the impact of cattle in the areas upstream and downstream from the existing fenced area, and determine if any more fencing is necessary to further improve fish habitat in Boulder Creek; Determine if shrubs should be planted along the stream banks to slow down erosion and increase shade over the creek; CRESTON VALLEY WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA 4

9 8. Budget Expenditures Materials (list) 1 Fence posts round 7ft x 4 treated Total $5.72+tx $ Barbed wire 12.5 ga 4 $79.95+tx $ Metal T-posts 7 ft $8.68+tx $ Nail clamps 50 lbs $75.76+tx $82.96 Equipment Rental 1 2 Portable Gas Auger & 4 bit Manual Post Pounder 1 $85.00/day+tx $10.00+tx $93.08 $21.90 TOTAL (A) $1, Other (Non FWCP) Cash Contributions Total $'s Organizations / Individuals 1 CVWMA Lunches for volunteers $ CVWMA Miscellaneous tools and safety gear $ CVWMA Materials delivery charges $ CVWMA Equipment rental $82.13 TOTAL (B) $ Applicants and/or Partners Contributions in Kind Hours Rate Total $'s Volunteer Labour 52 $8.00 (min wage) $ CVWMA Wages 45 $35.00 (Prevailing rate) $1, Other (specify) 1 CVWMA Gas and oil $ CVWMA - Wire stretchers - $50.00 $50.00 CRESTON VALLEY WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA 5

10 3 CVWMA Mileage $0.50 $ All-terrain vehicles (volunteer) 21 $50.00 $1, TOTAL IN KIND (C) $3, TOTAL VALUE OF PROJECT (A+B+C) $5, References Fish Wizard. Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC. Accessed 16 Nov FISS Report. Ministry of Environment Fisheries Inventory Data Queries. Accessed 16 Nov Zimmer, M Boulder Creek Kokanee Spawning Habitat Enhancement and Sediment Monitoring Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program, Nelson, B.C. Unpublished Report. 5 pp. CRESTON VALLEY WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA 6

11 10. Appendix Figure 1 Boulder Creek, located approximately 25.5km north of Creston along Highway 3A. Figure 2 Project area, approximately 120m west of the bridge on Highway 3A. CRESTON VALLEY WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA 7

12 Figure 3 Cattle damage caused by trampling, along Boulder Creek. Figure 4 Project area Boulder Creek. CRESTON VALLEY WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA 8

13 Figure 5 Mike Seaton, Greg Leduc, and Mel Prowse, volunteers from the Creston Valley Rod & Gun Club. Figure 6 Hole drilling May 11 th, CRESTON VALLEY WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA 9

14 Figure 7 Cattle crossing put in place on July 12 th, Figure 8 Photo of Boulder Creek on February 23 rd and September 3 rd, CRESTON VALLEY WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA 10