This restoration work takes place within the hahuułi of ƛaʔuukʷiʔatḥ ḥawiiḥ (traditional territory of Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation’s hereditary chiefs). 

“It is our hereditary chiefs who are the rightful caretakers of the land and territories.”

— Deb Masso, Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation Language Digital Archivist

Background

The Conference Creek Watershed is a sub-basin of the larger Kennedy Flats, located approximately 18 kilometres northeast of Ucluelet. It contains a series of creeks that have been negatively impacted by historic logging and road construction practices. 

The watershed once supported healthy coho and blue-listed cutthroat trout populations.

Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation Lands and Resources Manager Saya Masso said each river system was stewarded with traditional laws that supported a system of abundance.  River guardians were assigned to each river and would dictate when fisheries opened and closed. 

Haa'uukmin (Kennedy Lake) is the birthplace of Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation’s original village site, which was nestled in the top of Clayoquot Arm, said Masso. Its name translates to “feast bowl,” speaking to the richness the watershed once held. 

“The mountain ranges appeared to us as a feast bowl,” Masso said. “A place of sustenance that provided a life of abundance.”

Culturally modified trees, canoe carving areas, fish weirs, traditional campsites, as well as hunting, gathering and salmon processing areas, have all been located within the Clayoquot Arm Provincial Park.

Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation gradually migrated out towards the ocean, but Haa'uukmin continues to be an important place for Tla-o-qui-aht families and individuals.

When settlers entered the area in the 1900s, they quickly transformed the watershed by pulling out its resources.

Operated by the Canadian Department of Marine and Fisheries, a fish cannery and hatchery were established in the Clayoquot Arm during the 1920s and 30s.

“They were benefiting from the laws of management Tla-o-qui-aht had in place since time immemorial,” Masso said.

A few decades later, around 90 per cent of the Conference Creek Watershed was logged between 1950 and 1980 – a time when logging practices were not designed to protect wildlife or fish habitat. 

Riparian and aquatic fish habitats were further impacted by the construction of Highway 4 and East Main, an old logging road. These roads bisected creek channels that once had productive aquatic ecosystems, which fish can no longer access due to hung or collapsed culverts.

As a result, creeks have been rerouted and replaced with ditches. In some cases, channels have become overwhelmed by increased water flow. This has led to an network of streams that diverge and rejoin (known as braided channels), which has impacted the historic depth and cover of the creeks.

Summary

Redd Fish and the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation have been working with the Ministry of Transportation to reconnect fish habitat fragmented by highway construction since 2013.

A watershed level assessment was completed in 2014 to evaluate the instream and riparian conditions and make recommendations for habitat restoration. 

The treatments prescribed were intended to accelerate the recovery of old-growth forest features, including large diameter trees, multi-layered canopies and diverse understory vegetation. Without this structural complexity, the diversity of species depending on these attributes cannot be sustained.

To improve habitat connectivity, Redd Fish and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure replaced two culverts in 2015, which were selected based on upstream fish habitat values and cost effectiveness.

That same year, three large refuge pools were constructed on Secret Beach Creek to increase pool frequency and improve winter habitat for juvenile fish. Large woody debris were added to the pools to further increase hiding areas for juveniles.

Meanwhile, a total of 125 trees and 105 shrubs were planted along the stream backs of Secret Beach Creek and 240 metres of logging road was deactivated along East Main. 

Two new channels were created upstream and downstream of Highway 4 to maintain an acceptable grade for fish passage through the addition of fish weirs. Clean spawning gravel, large, woody debris, shrubs, herbs and trees were added to help the development of a complex ecosystem. 

As a first step, crews began by rebuilding a step-pool sequence (similar to a staircase in the bed a stream) below a slightly hung culvert to allow fish access.

In 2015, two hung and crushed culverts were replaced with large concrete culverts. This allowed fish to pass under the road and access habitat that had been blocked off since the road was constructed in 1959. 

A 20-metre long off-channel was subsequently built in 2015 to enhance rearing opportunities. Meanwhile, a riparian thinning and planting program was initiated to help speed up the recovery of the riparian forest surrounding these creeks.

Work continued in 2015 as crews restored a total of 1.2 hectares of riparian areas in high priority sites in the watershed. This included the planting of 535 conifers, as well as 600 native shrubs and herbaceous plants. 

Research & Monitoring

• Water temperature and dissolved oxygen concentrations were monitored and recorded throughout the duration of the stream restoration project to ensure work didn’t occur when water temperature exceeded 20 degrees Celsius, which causes fish stress. 

• Ongoing assessments and monitoring are needed to evaluate culvert effectiveness and to ensure re-vegetation is successful.

• Stream complexity improvement, riparian restoration and in-stream efforts are still needed within the watershed.