Join us in safeguarding Átl'ḵa7tsem / Howe Sound's fish-bearing streams by supporting our matching fund's campaign today to our Gambier Island Streamkeepers Fund. Together, let's create change from the creek beds up.

Cha7élkwnech / Gambier Island is one of the region’s special places that remains relatively remote and wild. At around seventy square kilometres, the island boasts an impressive ten watersheds that are critical fish and wildlife habitats. Many of the streams are known to support spawning Pacific salmon, significant populations of resident Cutthroat trout, and species at risk such as the Coastal Tailed Frog. However, largely due to its remoteness, there has been little monitoring of streams on Cha7élkwnech for the past 20 years. This leaves these streams vulnerable to human activities such as resource extraction and development.

What Are We Doing and Why Now?

This project follows our 2023 report that identified gaps in stewardship and knowledge concerning fish-bearing streams within the Átl’ḵa7tsem/Howe Sound UNESCO Biosphere Region. Now, beginning on Gambier, we are aiming to fill those gaps that may prevent authorities and communities from making effective decisions around sustainable development, resource extraction or conservation needs.

We are collaborating the Gambier Island Conservancy and Fisheries and Oceans Canada monitoring fish bearing creeks on Cha7élkwnech / Gambier Island. 

Funding supports the ongoing work to:

• Streamkeeper training
• Initiate and expand baseline monitoring of fish-bearing streams on Cha7élkwnech / Gambier Island.
• Foster collaborations with local stewardship groups and governments.
• Increase community involvement in stream monitoring and stewardship activities.

The project team will install temperature loggers, conduct species inventories in creeks lacking formal fish records, assess habitat quality, and involve community members in the above. These efforts will contribute to the understanding of fish-bearing streams in the region and support local stewardship initiatives.

Your financial support will enable us to build capacity for stream stewardship on Cha7élkwnech / Gambier Island and ultimately contribute to the knowledge of species and ecosystems in Átl'ḵa7tsem / Howe Sound. Together, we can empower communities and decision-makers with the data they need to protect these invaluable ecosystems.