Stoney Creek Brings Life to the Community
our activities
Watch & Report
Who to contact if you see a problem on the creek.
In the fall we engage in:
- Spawner counts
- Bird walks
- Invertebrate sampling
- Stream cleanups
- Native re-plantings
For an up-to-date listing see the calendar.
Spawner counts
We count returning fish on alternating Saturdays and Sundays. Please see the calendar for current schedules.
Stoney Creek Environment Committee (SCEC) is a dedicated group of volunteers committed to protecting, preserving, and enhancing Burnaby’s urban forest and salmon bearing stream through various stream-keeping activities.
Over 130 years ago, the Brunette River basin consisted of forests, swamp and streams. the area supported a diversity of wildlife including bear and cougars, and abundant salmon and trout populations.
Changing land uses has resulted in the loss of many creeks and a reduction in wildlife populations. Despite the increasing pressure of urbanization, Stoney Creek which exists within the Brunette basin is one of the major fish-bearing creeks in Burnaby and an important oasis for wildlife.
The Stoney Creek Environment Committee (SCEC) was co-founded by Jennifer Atchison in 1994. At that time, Stoney Creek had undergone various modifications, driven largely by the development of the neighbourhood. On realizing that there were many different parties who had rights of way or other interests in the watershed, and noting a lack of discussion between them about the issues facing Stoney Creek, Jennifer called a meeting, and the SCEC was born.
For salmon to continue to live in Stoney Creek, they need clean water. Please report immediately if you see toxic spills, dirty water or small dead or dying fish. Heavy siltation from runoff in the fall and winter may cover and smother eggs.
Contacts
Provincial Emergency Program: 1.800.663.3456
(Emergency Call 24 hours)
Burnaby Environmental Services: 604.294.7200
Coquitlam Environmental Services: 604.927.3500
Deptartment of Fisheries and Oceans Observe, Record, Report Line : 1.866.845.6776
Let them know What you observed Where, and When. Use the numbers on the map to locate the incident.
What might you see in Stoney Creek?
In Fall and Winter:
- Large salmon swimming upstream from mid-October through January. They come to lay eggs in the gravel and then die.
- Carcasses of the dead fish or cut fish that volunteers have placed along the banks. Decaying carcasses release minerals and nutrients and promote invertebrate growth that will serve as a food source for the young fish.
- You probably won`t see the gravel nests, called `redds`, because they are camouflaged. Dogs and people going in the stream will crush the hidden eggs.
In Spring and Summer
- Small fish - there are 5 salmon species in Stoney Creek: Coho, Chum, Cutthroat trout, Pink and the occasional Chinook. There are also endangered Nooksack Dace close to the Brunette River.
- Other wildlife - crayfish, lampreys, and myriad insects.
How can you help?
Fish needs safe passage through the stream and in their spawning beds.
- Keep yourself and dogs from walking in the stream.
- Keep soaps, cleaners, oils, antifreeze, and paints out of your storm drains.
- Wash your car with phosphate-free, biodegradable soaps or use a commercial car wash.
- Attend an information walk or join the Stoney Creek Environment Committee - email info(at)scec.ca for information.
Life cycle of Coho
Spawn: mid-October to December
Hatch: January to March and live in the creek for a year
Smolts: (1 1/2 year-olds) leave the creek in May to live in the ocean
Return to spawn: 18 months later.
Summer water measurements available
Water monitoring John Templeton has been diligently taking conductivity measurements in Stoney Creek over the summer. You can see that the high conductivity values show the contribution of contaminated groundwater during the spell of dry weather. Summer 2017 to...
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Bugs, Bugs, Bugs!
Invertebrate Surveys On a sunny Saturday, seven Stoney Creek volunteers collected stream invertebrates from two locations: Tributary 3A behind the tennis courts and Tributary 3B north of Gaglardi along the Pipeline Trail. The sampling took about half an hour as we...
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Invasive Weed Patrol
M.O.: Slithers up tree trunks and drapes itself over branches. Think deadly, heavy snake of the forest. the weight . . .
read moreCONTACT
Jennifer Atchison ENVIRONMENT CENTER
Twitter: @StoneyCreekSCEC
Facebook: facebook.com/myscec
Mailing address
PO Box 56522
Lougheed Mall PO
Burnaby BC, V3J 7W2
Membership
Sign up and join the Stoney Creek team.
info@scec.ca
birds@scec.ca
plants@scec.ca
Education and Advocacy Representative
Alan James: alan_james[@]handshake.ca
OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTICIPATE
Contact the Stoney Creek Environment Committee
Attend a Meeting
Meetings are held on the first Thursday of the month
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Jennifer Atchison Environmental Centre, 2730 Beaverbrook Crescent, on the north end of the Stoney Creek Community School grounds.
Members are welcome to attend. If you would like to discuss something, please send an email to info@scec.ca.
SCEC depends on its members' and volunteers' availability and commitment. Stoney Creek provides an opportunity for everyone to take part on stream stewardship, such as:
- stream habitat survey,
- water quality survey and monitoring,
- stream invertebrate survey,
- storm drain marking,
- stream clean-up,
- streamside planting,
- juvenile fish trapping and identification,
- salmonid spawner survey,
- riparian area enhancement,
- bird watching,
- observe, record, and report unlawful activities that affect fish, wildlife, and aquatic habitat, and
- education and awareness.
It is important to recognize that volunteers augment the work of SCEC. If volunteers weren’t here, the work wouldn’t be done. Or at least the work wouldn’t be done to the level or amount with volunteers.
If you are interested in volunteering with us, check out the calendar of activities.
To comply with Canada's anti-spam legislation (CASL), we need your consent to continue sending you email about upcoming events and things of interest to those living near Stoney Creek.