Work Begins<\/h2>\n![\"James](\"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/james4.jpg\")
<\/a>James Creek on Cortes Island - courtesy Max Thaysen<\/p><\/div>\n
Last weekend saw the first of many days of work moving gravel from the bridge over James Creek, down the Grandmother grove trail to five different locations in the creek bed.<\/p>\n
The spawning locations receiving gravel were chosen by FOCI Streamkeeper Captains\u00a0Cec<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Christine Robinson<\/a>\u00a0with guidance from\u00a0Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO)<\/a>\u00a0Community Advisor Stacey Larson and Dave Ewert, a retired hatchery manager now living on Cortes.<\/p>\n\n\n![\"James](\"https:\/\/cortescurrents.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/james2-450x600.jpg\")
FOCI volunteers - courtesy Max Thaysen<\/p><\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
The gravel was donated and delivered by\u00a0Mainroad<\/a>, Cortes\u2019 road maintenance contractor.\u00a0 The mix used was a custom recipe ordered by DFO biologist Sean Wong, left over from the\u00a0Basil Creek and Whaletown Creek culvert\u00a0<\/a>fish passage.\u00a0 Cec and Christine wish to thank Johnny Messent and Bruce Brown, the local contacts from Mainroad.<\/p>\nOn Saturday, Sept. 5, teams gathered in roughly equal numbers from East and West of the bridge over James, a water-body that separates Whaletown from Centered Cortes. The two communities have a history of peaceful relations, and the project to improve spawning grounds only strengthened their bonds.<\/p>\n
Buckets were filled by hand, loaded in to wheelbarrows and brought to a loading station approximately 600 metres down the trail.\u00a0 At the loading station, buckets were transferred to make half-full buckets, hoisted on to a tram that ran on a cable down the last 60 metres to the creek bed. There, Cec and Christine directed the spreading of gravel to where the salmon would make their spawning beds, called redds.<\/p>\n
\n\n![\"James](\"https:\/\/cortescurrents.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/james-800x600.jpg\")
All photos courtesy Max Thaysen<\/p><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nMosaic Forestry company<\/a>, which owns the land that James creek runs through, provided a permit for the work to be done.\u00a0 Stacey Larson achieved a permit from DFO for in-stream work \u2013 the permit being limited to the time when salmon are unlikely to be in the stream, Sept.1-15.<\/p>\nAn ideal salmon spawning stream<\/h2>\n
According to Cec and Christine, James creek has all the ideal features of a salmon stream \u2013 clear cold water that flows year-round, shade, large woody debris and bugs.\u00a0 But, as with so many streams, it\u00a0lacks gravel because it was used as a log chute<\/a>\u00a0some time in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n![\"James](\"https:\/\/cortescurrents.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/jamesSalmon-800x600.jpg\")
All photos courtesy Max Thaysen<\/p><\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
<\/a>James Creek on Cortes Island - courtesy Max Thaysen<\/p><\/div>\n
Last weekend saw the first of many days of work moving gravel from the bridge over James Creek, down the Grandmother grove trail to five different locations in the creek bed.<\/p>\n
The spawning locations receiving gravel were chosen by FOCI Streamkeeper Captains\u00a0Cec<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Christine Robinson<\/a>\u00a0with guidance from\u00a0Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO)<\/a>\u00a0Community Advisor Stacey Larson and Dave Ewert, a retired hatchery manager now living on Cortes.<\/p>\n FOCI volunteers - courtesy Max Thaysen<\/p><\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n The gravel was donated and delivered by\u00a0Mainroad<\/a>, Cortes\u2019 road maintenance contractor.\u00a0 The mix used was a custom recipe ordered by DFO biologist Sean Wong, left over from the\u00a0Basil Creek and Whaletown Creek culvert\u00a0<\/a>fish passage.\u00a0 Cec and Christine wish to thank Johnny Messent and Bruce Brown, the local contacts from Mainroad.<\/p>\n On Saturday, Sept. 5, teams gathered in roughly equal numbers from East and West of the bridge over James, a water-body that separates Whaletown from Centered Cortes. The two communities have a history of peaceful relations, and the project to improve spawning grounds only strengthened their bonds.<\/p>\n Buckets were filled by hand, loaded in to wheelbarrows and brought to a loading station approximately 600 metres down the trail.\u00a0 At the loading station, buckets were transferred to make half-full buckets, hoisted on to a tram that ran on a cable down the last 60 metres to the creek bed. There, Cec and Christine directed the spreading of gravel to where the salmon would make their spawning beds, called redds.<\/p>\n All photos courtesy Max Thaysen<\/p><\/div> Mosaic Forestry company<\/a>, which owns the land that James creek runs through, provided a permit for the work to be done.\u00a0 Stacey Larson achieved a permit from DFO for in-stream work \u2013 the permit being limited to the time when salmon are unlikely to be in the stream, Sept.1-15.<\/p>\n According to Cec and Christine, James creek has all the ideal features of a salmon stream \u2013 clear cold water that flows year-round, shade, large woody debris and bugs.\u00a0 But, as with so many streams, it\u00a0lacks gravel because it was used as a log chute<\/a>\u00a0some time in the past.<\/p>\n All photos courtesy Max Thaysen<\/p><\/div>An ideal salmon spawning stream<\/h2>\n