Volunteer Dick Dobler and his crew have been rescuing Coho Salmon fry stranded in tiny pools (like the one in the left-hand photo) in Shelly Creek and French Creek. Stewardship groups, including MVIHES, have been rescuing stranded fry for years but now Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has asked us to report on these activities.

DFO also requires that we measure the water temperature and dissolved oxygen levels in the pools to make sure the fry actually need to be rescued. We also measure those parameters at the release site (like the one in the right hand photo) to make sure the release site will support the fry. Good idea! And yes, we release the fry in the same creek they were rescued in.

So far, we have rescued approximately 3500 fry. Dick's crew includes Terry Baum, Rick and Randy Walz, Maggie Estok, Carl Rathburn, Chris Smith and Barb Riordan.

Did you know two of our volunteers are artists with exhibits at the McMillan Art Centre?
Xpey' is a gorgeous art exhibit at the MAC in Parksville celebrating our Wetlands. Several artists have created beautiful works showcasing wetlands using steel, wood, glass, pastels, photography and videography. MVIHES volunteer and professional glass crafter, Chris Smith, created lily pads with coho salmon fry taking cover beneath in a glass medium (bottom left-hand photo). Volunteer and professional photographer, Deb Freeman, created window screens from one of her photos of Hamilton Marsh (bottom right-hand photo). Aren't they beautiful!? The exhibit runs until September 1.

Running concurrently with the exhibit in another room is ETHOS, a collection of interactive displays and activities by community groups and NGO's which highlight our Oceanside wetlands and the programs to conserve them. MVIHES is hosting a "Pond Critters Tank" that showcase some typical insects and other invertebrates found in local marshes, ponds and wetlands. There was lots of drama in that tank including predation, mating, and cannibalism.

Sue Wilson of Friends of Shelly Creek Park (and volunteer with MVIHES and Arrowsmith Naturalists) is in the photo below overseeing curious visitors to the tank. In the foreground are activities for kids provided by Arrowsmith Naturalists and MVIHES. While the pond critter tank ended on August 9, the ETHOS displays run until August 25.

Many thanks to Sue and our other volunteers at the Pond Critters Tank: Terry Bajenko, Sally Soanes and Jeannie Diewold of Arrowsmith Naturalists; Janet McManus, Catherine Watson, Larysa Bilous, Chris Smith, Jane Murray-Smith, Shelley Goertzen, Pete Law, Barb Riordan and Ross Peterson of MVIHES.

And many thanks to our Team Leader, Maggie Estok, who set up the display with her son, Ralegh, and kept it filled with lively insects with the help of Meghan MacIsaac of North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre; Jeannie Diewold of Arrowsmith Naturalists; Carl Rathburn, Pete Law, Craig Wightman and Denis Cote of MVIHES.

Beach Day in Qualicum Beach
We also had a Pond Critters Tank at Beach Day on July 21 where folks learned about the importance of aquatic insects. Thanks to volunteers Kathy Miller, seen in right-hand photo, Liz Campbell and Barb Riordan.

No microplastics here!

On July 16 we conducted our quarterly marine debris survey at Rathtrevor Beach where we surveyed a 100 m span of beach for macroplastics (plastic debris over 20 mm in size) and microplastics (<20 mm in size). Once again, we found only a handful of macroplastics and no microplastics. Yipee!

 Many thanks to Jacob Frankel of Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute who trains us and enters our data into the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) database. Thanks also to our volunteers Yana Maltais, Martin Yeo, Liz Campbell, Bob Williams, and Barb Riordan. To learn more about this global initiative, click here.