Hawkins Creek Watershed Overview Assessment - $18,513

The goal of the Hawkins Creek Overview and Level 1 Fish Habitat Assessment is to provide information on the stream habitat conditions in the Hawkins Creek watershed in order to provide direction for restoration efforts. The Overview and Level 1 assessment is a prerequisite to habitat restoration efforts.

Hawkins Creek has been used for resource extraction since the early 1900’s. Many of the historic resource use activities have not considered aquatic ecosystem values and have therefore influenced the degraded stream and riparian habitat conditions today. Hawkins Creek watershed was an important migration and hunting and gathering area for First Nations. At least one known fish species is now extirpated from the watershed- blue listed Bull trout. Fish stranding and lethal and sub-lethal temperatures occur throughout the watershed as a result of the cumulative impacts. Water quality has also been degraded to a point beyond safe recreational and other limits.

The project will identify impacted areas, identify priority areas for restoration and guide further protection and restoration efforts. The assessment will be conducted by an experienced professional with assistance from members of the Coordinated Resources Management Planning Team and community.

The Overview and Level 1 assessment is an information gathering exercise leading to restoration/protection measures. Data collection will include researching fisheries databases (FISS, FDIS, 1:20,000 Fish Inventory), historical fish use, species composition and distribution, overview habitat information, map and air photo interpretation, land uses and impacts to fish habitat and local fisheries research and study reports and a field investigation component. Once the data is collected and reviewed a report will be produced that will identify areas to concentrate detailed future fish habitat restoration, compensation and protection measures.

Typically the Fish Habitat Assessment Procedure is completed in 4 stages that may or may not be combined:
1. FHAP Overview Assessment
2. FHAP Level 1 Assessment (detailed habitat measurements)
3. FHAP Level 2 (provides detailed design prescriptions for restoration efforts)
4. FHAP Level 3 (implementing recommendations of the Level 2)

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