2023 AGM and Elections Held

Meet our executive team for the next year! Left to right: Kim Mayes, Director; Robbin Whachell, Director; Tyler Storgaard, Vice President; Matthew Watts, Director; Sandra Uno, Treasurer; and Kyle Uno, President. (Missing: Anne Woosnam, Secretary)

The Hoy-Scott Watershed Society held an annual general meeting on Sept. 27, 2023, at the Coquitlam library and voted in the following new directors who were re-appointed to the executive:

Director - Kim Mayes

Director - Matthew Watts

Director - Robbin Whachell

The three join the existing executive:

President - Kyle Uno

Vice President - Tyler Storgaard

Treasurer - Sandra Uno

Secretary - Anne Woosnam

The Society would like to thank Rodney Lee who stepped down after years of supporting the executive in a variety of positions. He will remain an active member.

Through stewardship, community outreach, education and advocacy, we are dedicated to protecting the Hoy/Scott Watershed.

Hoy-Scott Watershed Society, (HSWS) is a not-for-profit, volunteer-run environmental stewardship group, that conducts a year-round salmon enhancement program in partnership with the City of Coquitlam, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

President Kyle Uno (left) gives an annual report, as treasurer Sandra Uno (center) takes minutes in the absence of Anne Woosnam. Director Kim Mayes looks on.


Donation Received by Montrose Properties

On left: Ken Low, President & CEO of Montrose Properties; center: Tyler Storgaard, HSWS VP and Hatchery Mnger; right: Christian Dietrich, Vice President of Recycling and Waste Services, Ecowaste Industries Ltd.

September 26 marked a milestone in pursuit of our long-term goals for the Society and our commitment to the community.

Montrose Properties and Ecowaste Industries Ltd. presented a $2,500 donation to the Hoy/Scott Watershed Society.

Stemming from an industry connection with a Society volunteer, Montrose and Ecowaste stepped forward to offer a donation to support our objectives as they have a devotion to sustainability through development practices and waste management. We're grateful for the support we receive from our donors and volunteers alike!

Sewage Spilled into Hoy Creek

Photo taken the morning after the spill.

On the evening of Sept. 13, the Society was notified by a resident that sewage had been spilled into Hoy Creek. She had been walking the trail and smelled and saw it at the Walton Culvert inflow, a common spot where we’ve noticed spills. It feeds from storm drains up the mountain.

It was already dark, but an email was sent to the City to investigate. A Society director went to assess the next morning and a City worker was already on site assessing the situation.

The City environmental protection officer later updated the Society that:

The engineering customer service team had received the report on the evening (Sept. 14), and the next morning their Public Works and Environment crews went to investigate. Staff confirmed (by sight and smell) that there was the presence of fecal matter in the area but they were not able to confirm the source.

The existing boom at the Walton culvert was replaced with a new one, and any residual in the creek outfall was cleaned out. Environment staff had also been doing spot checks in the area that week but had not yet been able to identify the source.

Hoy/Scott Watershed Society would like to thank the resident who called this in.

If you see something or smell something in the streams, say something. Find out who to call by visiting our Contact Page, and it’s very helpful to capture a photo and record the location and time of day.

Photo taken on Sept. 14, the morning after.

The Society would like to remind Coquitlam residents that storm drains lead directly to our waterways, and everyone should exercise caution when disposing of pollutants, which include chemicals used for cleaning hot tubs and pools, etc. Nothing but rainwater should go down storm drains.

If you have information related to this spill, click here.

CLICK HERE TO READ HOME TIPS FOR HEALTHY STREAMS

Trash Removed from Scott and Hoy Creeks

HSWS president, Kyle and the haul from only two-hours work off Runnel Drive by Scott Creek.

In-stream work during the year is avoided except for the months of July and August.

Each year in late summer we walk along the creeks to collect garbage in-stream. We are often amazed at how much has accumulated over a year, and more recently, how much trash accumulates in heavy-traffic areas within a month or two!

In 2023, we were out in July and then August. We returned to the busy streets: Runnel Drive and Aberdeen Ave.

Trash included a lighting panel with bulbs, a car seat, umbrellas, plants, a purse, clothes and shoes, books, paint cans and other aerosols, a computer monitor, a fire extinguisher, tires, furniture, shopping cart and basket, and the usual fast food and cigarette litter.

Trash collection is coordinated with the City of Coquitlam. Thank you.

Trash in Scott Creek. During a July visit at this same location (at Runnel) furniture was pulled from the stream.

Trash collection on the bank of Scott Creek, south of Guildford and west of Lansdowne.

Trash removal at Aberdeen Ave in July, above Scott Creek.

Robbin and Matt with bags of trash and clothing by Scott Creek south of Guildford and west of Lansdowne.

Anne with a haul in July on Runnel Drive. The furniture seen here was in the stream.

Matt gives a thumbs up at the end of another two-hour session. All the trash was moved to one central location for the City of Coquitlam to pickup.

Spirit of Coquitlam Grant Appreciated

The Hoy/Scott Watershed Society is a proud and grateful recipient of the 2022 Spirit of Coquitlam Grant.

"The Spirit of Coquitlam grant supports not-for-profit, community-based organizations that are based in and serving Coquitlam residents. The intent of the grant is to build community spirit by providing funds for public art, sport activities and programs, festivals and events, sport hosting, capital projects, and new initiatives that align with the City’s strategic goals."

The Spirit of Coquitlam grant was used to purchase data loggers to allow continuous monitoring of the Hoy hatchery rearing pond and Hoy Creek and support the health of our fish and their habitat.  It was also used for the purchase of an iPad to collate data from the data loggers and as a check-in for hatchery staff working alone to ensure their safety.

We would like to formally thank the City of Coquitlam for supporting the safety of hatchery habitats and our staff.

Surplus Coho Fry Released

Matt nets some Coho fry to release into the creek.

On June 29, Hoy Creek Hatchery held approximately 8,405 coho fry.

Hoy-Scott Watershed Society's annual aquaculture license with federal fisheries allows us to incubate up to 25,000 eggs but only release 5,000 1-year-old Coho smolts from that brood year in May.

Any excess are released to other creek areas. From those locations, the Coho fry can make use of the habitat, grow and eventually make their way out to the ocean to complete their lifecycle.

Transport bin.

Matt releasing fish into the stream.

HSWS volunteers Tyler Storgaard and Matthew Watts weighed and counted out our surplus fry (5,265), loaded up the truck for transport and released them at 8 different locations along Hoy and Scott creeks. The fry weighed approximately 3.5 grams and are about 5 months old.

The remaining hatchery fry will be transferred to the rearing pond at Hoy Creek and will remain there until they will be released at our Salmon Leave Home event in May 2024.

Coho Fry Fin Clip Held at Hoy Creek Hatchery

Anne points to the adipose fin.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada supported Hoy Creek Hatchery in Coquitlam for our annual fin clip on June 23. The Coho salmon are approximately 3 months old.

The adipose fin is removed and is a soft, fleshy fin found on the top of the salmon, on the back behind the dorsal fin and just forward of the caudal fin. This marking of our coho supports:

Stock assessment for when salmon return to spawn, the clipped fins allow hatcheries and stream keepers to monitor their return. Selective fisheries - in certain regions and sub-areas, a marked fishery is permitted for the retention of the coho. The procedure also allows for a manual fish count, whereas previously only weight sample counts took place.

HSWS president, Kyle counts the fish he’s marked with a clicker, as Anne carefully clips the adipose fin.

The operation was overseen by DFO fisheries community advisor, Isaac Nelson and Hoy Creek Hatchery manager, Tyler Storgaard. Assisting Isaac from the DFO was Eric Kukulowicz. Volunteers of the Hoy/Scott Watershed Society assisted. Approximately 8,200 fish were marked.

First, the fish are anesthetized in small batches. Once in the solution, they become sleepy within minutes. The volunteers stand ready around a table equipped with a trough with flowing water and beds of water for the fish to lay in. Volunteers work quickly and very carefully to clip fins with disinfected surgical scissors before they wake up, which is within about a minute. Fish are put into the outside trough and end up in the bucket at the end of the table. They are returned to the hatchery to recover.

The fish will soon be transferred from the hatchery Capilano trough room and will live in the rearing pond until Salmon Leave Home in May 2024. Fish from this brood could then return in about 1.5–2.5 years.

HSWS director, Matt distributes anesthetized fish into trays, as Thomas and Rodney clip.

Thanks to all our Society members who helped out this year, as well as to the public to stopped in to observe and ask questions!

See more photos in our Facebook photo album.

Data Logger Redeployed in Hoy Creek

Matt Watts helped with the first deployment in 2022 of the temperature data logger, housed within the cinder block you can see in Hoy Creek. This one went missing through the winter/spring.

In August of 2022, volunteers of the Hoy/Scott Watershed Society went to deploy a temperature logger in Hoy Creek north of the hatchery.

The logger which can be held in the palm of one’s hand was fixed within a cinder block to hold it steady in the stream.

Over the winter/spring however, the block must have been moved along with the movement of heavy water flow and other rocks tumbling down the stream, as when we returned in late spring the logger was nowhere to be found, even though we found the cinder block.

The logger that went missing, seen in Nikki’s hand, connects to the HOBO app.

A deployment report being done on June 7, detailing location, date, water depth, etc, as well as to ensure the logger has been connected to the app. Seen here, Anne Woosnam records while Nikki provides the information.

In June of 2023, we returned again with Nikki Kroetcsh, DFO’s PSEC Community Engagement Coordinator to redeploy another logger, this time fixing it within a case to the cement barrier along the stream.

It's important to capture photos as when we return to check the logger and upload data into an app on our phone, the location can change drastically.

We’re pretty sure this one will stay put!

The Society is maintaining two other locations with loggers. One is south of the hatchery and monitors temperature, and the third one is adjacent to the hatchery which monitors temperature and other details, however, this one is not to be confused with the Flowlink monitoring system.

See our Facebook photo album.

Nikki prepared the casing to house the logger, which will be secured to the concrete wall seen in front of her.

The new casing for the logger can been seen fixed to the concrete beneath the water. Let’s hope it remains there! Photos taken by Robbin Whachell.

Society Acknowledged at Coquitlam Environmental Volunteer Celebration

Environmental Volunteer Celebration

Hoy/Scott Watershed Society was acknowledged by the City of Coquitlam at their Environmental Volunteer Celebration held on June 4 at Blue Mountain Park. Thanks to Robbin Whachell and Adela Chen for attending and representing the Society.

Words were provided by the mayor of Coquitlam, Richard Stewart as well as Caresse Selk, Environment Manager.

Along with lunch, attendees enjoyed a tree walk through Blue Mountain Park as well as live music and displays and activities. It was a perfect time to connect with other community environmental leaders.

Our highlights from 2022 were on display!

Rearing Pond Invertebrate Salvage

Mucky business, but good fun making discoveries!

Hoy/Scott Watershed Society conducted the annual rearing pond salvage on May 31.

Coho smolts were released on May 14. The water drained from the pond leaves lots of discoveries for invertebrates and crustaceans like crayfish, stoneflies and lamprey for discovery. We found crayfish, juvenile lamprey, coho fry, and caddis fly. All were released into the stream.

Thanks to our volunteers who helped out. Interesting was the shared relevant knowledge and experiences related to the activity expressed by participants!

Floorboards over the pond were first removed. After the salvage, the City of Coquitlam arranges for the pond mud and sediment to be removed via McCrae's Environmental Services (a vacuum truck), and then the pond will be pressure washed by the Society, floorboards returned, and then the creek water is reintroduced.

A very large crayfish! It was returned to Hoy Creek.

Later this month, the rearing pond will then be ready for the next coho brood to be transferred from the hatchery to live there until May 2024.

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