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VICTORIA – A First Nation in a remote area southwest of Williams Lake will use a $51,000 provincial government grant to ensure that fish can pass through culverts where streams are crossed by roads, Environment Minister Barry Penner announced today.
The funds will allow the Xeni Gwet’in First Nation to conduct a study of culverts in the Xeni Gwet’in Caretaker Area to identify where remediation work is required to make the passage of fish easier.
“Two studies by Ministry of Environment personnel and the Xeni Gwet’in have determined there’s a need to monitor the status of stream crossings to determine which ones fail to allow fish to pass and establish priorities for repairs to those culverts,” said Penner. “This is considered an important information gap by the Ministry of Environment and the Xeni Gwet’in First Nation.”
The logging of areas infested by the mountain pine beetle has necessitated the creation of road networks, and the aim is to ensure that fish can traverse the culverts where streams are crossed by roads. The study will also look at the amount of shading that is left near streams where trees have been removed and identify sites for restoration This project will enable Xeni Gwet’in members to gain practical field experience conducting ecological restoration work.
The funding comes from the Environment Ministry’s Mountain Pine Beetle Ecosystem Restoration program, which has a goal of mitigating impacts from the mountain pine beetle. The partnership allows the ministry to engage First Nations in the process.
“This important community capacity-building project brought cultural and technical knowledge together and mapped out what is here and what needs to be done,” said Chief Roger William of the Xeni Gwet’in First Nations Government. “It’s a good beginning, a good start on managing and improving our fishery and waters. There’s still lots of work to be done yet.”
For more information on the mountain pine beetle and the plans for dealing with it, visit www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/mountain_pine_beetle/ online.
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