Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - There was a celebration at Linnaea Farm on Friday, March 31. While they will continue to monitor the site until at least 2026, Cortes Island’s first wetland restoration project is largely finished. The surrounding community was invited to tour the project, enjoy a potluck supper and watch Beatrix Baxter’s documentary film ‘Replenish: Bringing Back the Dillon Creek Wetland.’
“We're just at the end of a three year grant. The Environment and Climate Change Canada 'Eco Action Community Funding Program' ends today. We have a little bit of funding for this next year of monitoring and maintenance and we'll be pursuing additional funding for future years of monitoring and maintenance,” explained Project Manager Miranda Cross.
“This project was initiated in response to the algal blooms that were witnessed, starting in 2014, in Hague and Gunflint Lakes. At the time, the Friends of Cortes Island Society (FOCI) and a group of concerned citizens got together and initiated a lake monitoring program, with support of the Ministry of Environment and the BC Lake Stewardship. They collected monthly data over a number of years and are still collecting data.”
“When that data was analyzed by Limnologist, Dr. Maggie Squires, in about 2018, her analysis revealed that it is likely phosphorous loading that's creating the algal bloom in the lakes, and that our best strategy for mitigating nutrient inputs would be to restore wetlands on land adjacent to the lakes.”
“At that time, FOCI approached Linnaea Farm, the biggest farm in the watershed. Because of their dedication to ecological stewardship, organic land care, organic farming, education and environmental stewardship, it was a really great fit and a really great partnership.”
“Friends of Cortes Island got in touch with BC Wildlife Federation, who put us in touch with Tom Biebighauser, a wetland restoration specialist from Kentucky who does a lot of work here in the province. We were able to bring him to Cortes to look at the potential for wetland restoration at Linnaea and also at another farm on Gunflint Lake.”
“Once we had the design report from Tom, we went ahead and pursued funding and eventually were successful in pursuing funding through the Eco-Action Community Funding Program.”
“Then we needed matching funds. At that point we approached the community. We approached local individuals for support in terms of cash donations, and we also got in touch and made connections with so many of the local organizations who've been part of the project in terms of partnerships and educational programs or volunteer events. Through cash and in-kind donations, we're able to raise the matching funds to go ahead with the project.”
Prior to being drained to make way for pasture, wetlands had filtered out the flow of nutrients into Gunflint Lake. Restoring the Dillon Creek wetlands was a three year project. Heavy machinery was brought in to rip apart the pasture, an inlet from the creek was dug out and native plants were reintroduced,
MC: “The primary objective of the project was to be mitigating nutrient inputs, and then the co-benefit objectives were for wildlife habitat.”
