Restoration project gets water flowing in Pitt River watershed

The Katzie First Nation is one of the key players meeting at Pitt Lake on Nov. 19 to celebrate one of the largest salmon restoration projects in Western Canada.

The taps have been turned on at Red Slough thanks to the efforts of the Katzie, BC Parks Foundation, Age of Union, and other conservation and community partners.

“This is a very special moment,” said Rick Bailey, an elected councillor for Katzie First Nation, who is well known to conservationists locally and across the province.

“My highest priority as a councillor is fish and wildlife. Because here at Katzie First Nation, we refer to the salmon as family. They’re part of our family.”

For over 100 years, part of the Upper Pitt River had been severed from its natural course in reaching Pitt Lake – the largest freshwater tidal lake in the world. The result meant stagnant water channels, dying salmon, and depleted wildlife in hundreds of hectares of prime salmon spawning habitat near Vancouver.

“The Red Slough is naturally rich in iron, and without freshwater flushes, the returning spawning fish often face low-oxygen conditions that significantly increase the risk of death,” said Dr. Tse-Lynn Loh, manager of land stewardship for BC Parks Foundation.

The Katzie has been leading salmon habitat restoration in their territory for decades, more recently with support from the Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and the World Wildlife Fund.

Those efforts got a major boost in 2021 when BC Parks Foundation purchased and protected 733 acres in the Upper Pitt River Watershed, including Red Slough.

“The area was choked off, gasping for life, but you could just feel the potential for it to be an absolute salmon factory if we could get water back into it,” said Andy Day, CEO of the BC Parks Foundation.

The Foundation had acquired the land with a major donation from Lightspeed founder Dax Dasilva and his charity Age of Union.

Along with the Katzie they asked if he would also fund this critical part of their efforts to restore the land to its original glory. Originally from B.C., Dasilva was enthusiastic.

“Conservation is really about putting efforts together,” said Dasilva. “We know it’s impossible to make a difference if you work alone. It has to be a collaborative effort. The Katzie Nation has such incredible leadership, as does BC Parks Foundation. We are thankful to work with them, along with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance, WWF Canada, and other local partners. We’re proud to support and witness this historical moment.”

The restoration project at Red Slough is just one example of a movement across BC, spurred on by the BC Parks Foundation, where First Nations, local communities, businesses, conservation partners, governments and funders are coming together to turn things around. The Foundation has protected nearly 60 places in the past five years alone, many through partnerships and crowdfunding.

“This is just the best story I can imagine, driven by amazing people,” said Day. “Opening the valve is the turning point in restoring the balance.

“Clean water and salmon are life- givers, and together they will create a healthier forest, more wildlife, more food, and a healthier, happier community. This is proof of what can happen when people work together with each other and with nature. If we protect and restore it now, we can enjoy its abundance forever.”