#CowichanRiver - there's salmon swimming in it but you can't really see them in vid.
Backroads access.

This is a major part of the #TwinnedWatershedsProject - joining #Koksilah to #Cowichan & #Chemainus #watersheds.

Learn more about the Twinned Watersheds Project:
https://cowichanwatershedboard.ca/twinned-watershed

#BCRivers #RiversOfVancouverIsland #BCWatersheds #WaterIsLife #PacificNorthwest #BritishColumbia #Cascadia #PNW #ProtectWatersheds #Nature #Rivers #VancouverIsland #VanIsle #Streamkeepers

Mini cascading #waterfalls along #FellowsCreek - one of several tributaries that feed into the #KoksilahRiver. It's part of the Xwulqw’selu #Koksilah #Watershed on Southern #VancouverIsland.
Backroads access view. In Summer, it dries up in multiple areas.

Fellows Creek is part of the #TwinnedWatershedsProject, which is co-led by #CowichanWatershed Board, #CowichanTribes & #Halalt #FirstNation. It launched in 2021 to document the state of the watersheds & identify possibilities for improving their #ecological health. #Salmon are specifically being studied as part of this 5 year project because they are a #KeystoneSpecies that helps signal the health of a watershed.

The Xwulqw’selu & Chemainus watersheds are both located in the highly privatized, highly degraded landscape of southeast Vancouver Island & face similar issues. The #rivers and their #tributaries have been deeply impacted by land use & #ClimateChange. Unlike the neighbouring Quw’utsun (Cowichan) watershed, the Xwulqw’selu & Chemainus rivers have no lake to store water, which leaves them more vulnerable to drought & dangerously low flows.

Learn more about the Twinned Watersheds Project:
https://cowichanwatershedboard.ca/twinned-watershed

#BCWatersheds #WaterIsLife #PacificNorthwest #BritishColumbia #Cascadia #PNW #ecosystems #ProtectWatersheds #Nature #Streamkeepers #WaterMonitoring #WaterHealth #Environmental #WaterfallWednesday #Ecology #hydrology

The #KoksilahRiver, Xwulqw'selu Sta'lo', #Watershed is located south of Duncan on #VancouverIsland and lies within the traditional territories of #Cowichan Tribes, #Malahat Nation and other #FirstNations.

The #Koksilah River originates on the slopes of Waterloo Mountain, southwest of #ShawniganLake. It flows eastward for approximately 44 km before discharging into the Cowichan/Koksilah estuary. The watershed area is approximately 302 square kilometres. The main tributaries of the Koksilah River are Fellows Creek in the west, and Kelvin, Patrolas, Howie and Glenora creeks, which enter the Koksilah about 4-6 km upstream of the estuary in Cowichan Bay, which it shares with the Cowichan River.

The Cowichan and Koksilah #Rivers were historically connected through side-channels where Duncan is currently situated. #Shhwuykwselu (which translates loosely to “Busy Place”) was a historical connection and intersection between the two rivers where people gathered before continuing up the Cowichan or Koksilah rivers. Today the place name Sh-hwuykwselu is still carried by a small lower tributary of the Koksilah River, and the name #Xwulqwselu is the name of a Cowichan village nearby.

#BCRivers #RiversOfVancouverIsland #BCWatersheds #WaterIsLife #PacificNorthwest #BritishColumbia #Cascadia #PNW #ProtectWatersheds #Nature

#Vancouver folks! Please let your family & friends know about Salmon Day in October! Volunteers are still needed too!

#WatershedWatch is co-hosting the second annual #SalmonDay on Saturday, October 5 along with #ResilientWaters, #Kwikwetlem #FirstNation, and #UBC's Zachary Sherker from the #PacificSalmonLab. The event will be held next to the community garden at ƛ̓éxətəm #ColonyFarm Regional Park.

We need #volunteers to help with setup and tear down, manning info booths, supporting exhibitors, and supporting attendees. No prior experience is necessary, we will get you up to speed at the event!

The event runs from 11 am - 3 pm. Snacks and drinks will be provided for volunteers.

#Carpooling from Coquitlam Central Station can be arranged. Pickup from the skytrain will be at 9 am. Email [email protected] to coordinate.

Questions? Email [email protected]

Note: Volunteer RSVP window closes on Thursday, October 3 but if there is still space and you want to attend, please send Meghan an email!

#YVR #Environmental #ecological #nature #WildSalmonAlliance #WildFirst #BCWatersheds #SaveWildSalmon #ProtectHabitats #ProtectNature #SaveEcosystems #Conservation #WaterIsLife #WaterProtectors #NatureGuardians #NatureStewardship #ProtectRivers #ProtectWatersheds #KeystoneSpecies #ClimateChange #BritishColumbia #WildSalmon #BCSalmon #PacificNorthwest #Cascadia #VancouverBC #VolunteerVancouver #VolunteersWanted