People walking the trails near the Campbell River estuary may notice some activity in the water at the Mill Pond.
Through February and March, the We Wai Kum First Nation’s Guardian Watchmen, Greenways Land Trust and A’Tlegay Fisheries Society are starting to transplant eelgrass into the subtidal areas of the Mill Pond. The groups are working on a multi-year project to restore the pond, located within the Baikie Island Nature Reserve, to pre-industrial state. According to a release from Greenways, “this eelgrass will add much-needed vegetation to newly created habitat that was constructed in the summer of 2023 in the Campbell River estuary.”
A shore crew will be preparing the transplant plugs, which will be planted by a team of divers at the bottom of the pond.
Announced in December, this multi-million dollar project will include construction of intertidal channels, tree and shrub planting, the creation of islands in the Mill Pond, and future planting of intertidal salt marsh habitats. Over three years, the goal of the project is to return the Mill Pond closer to pre-industry conditions, re-creating ideal habitat for juvenile salmon in an area dredged for log-boom storage.
Camille Andrews, Habitat Management Coordinator at Greenways Land Trust, said there is a broader significance to the project.
“Planting eelgrass isn’t just about restoring habitat, it’s about coming together with our community partners and making a real difference,” she said. “We’re not just rehabilitating sensitive areas, we’re building relationships and showing how much we care about our environment and our community.”
Funding was provided by the British Columbia Salmon Habitat and Innovation Fund, with support from the Campbell River Salmon Foundation and Brown’s Bay Resort. The project builds off a design funded by Environment Canada’s Environmental Damages Fund.
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