Salmon River Enhancement Society
Langley, BC
October 25, 2018
The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, MP
Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
House of Commons
Parliament Buildings, Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0A6
Re: Herrling, Carey, and Strawberry Islands land use changes
Dear Minister,
It has come to the attention of the Salmon River Enhancement Society that a number of large floodplain islands in the Fraser River at Mission to Laidlaw are now under ecosystem threat for development for intensive agriculture. These include Herrling, Carey and Strawberry islands, former TFL43 cottonwood plantations for pulp production. These un-diked floodplain areas constitute exceptional fish rearing habitat during the freshet period including interior and coastal juvenile Chinook salmon, the latter of which is utilized by Southern Resident Killer Whales. Harrison Rapids sockeye are also known to rear on top of the islands during freshet flooding. In addition, the perimeters include some of the most productive salmon (chum and pink) and white sturgeon spawning habitats in western North America.
Many people refer to this area as the Heart of the Fraser due to its extraordinary ecosystem value to British Columbia.
The Salmon River Enhancement Society has long been a steward of salmon and trout habitats in the Township of Langley but also has taken a broader British Columbia approach as evidenced from our actions as intervenors on the Trans Mountain Expansion Project.
We view this damage to the Fraser River on these islands as concerning and egregiously damaging. In this context we support the recent letter submitted by the BC Wildlife Federation and signed by a number of conservation coalition luminaries from British Columbia including Rick Hansen, Mark Angelo, Brian Riddell, Robert Alcock and Tony Allard.
SRES agrees with BC Wildlife Federation that it is vitally important for you to protect these critical habitats through acquisition and long-term management.
Yours sincerely,
Doug McFee
Doug McFee
President Salmon River Enhancement Society
CC:
Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change ec.ministre-minister.ec@canada.ca
Mr. Terry Beech, MP, Parliamentary Sect to Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and Canadian Coast Guard Terry.Beech@parl.gc.ca
Mr. Fin Donnelly, MP Port Moody-Coquitlam fin.donnelly@parl.gc.ca
Mr. Rick Glumac, MLA for Port Moody rick.glumac.MLA@leg.bc.ca
Messrs. Angelo, Rosenau, Riddell, Heart of the Fraser markangelo@shaw.ca; briddell@PSF.ca; Marvin_Rosenau@bcit.ca
Mr. Jim Hudson, Chairman, Pacific Salmon Foundation jhudson@psf.ca
Mr. Rick Hansen, Rick Hansen Foundation info@rickhansen.com
Mr. Karl English, Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society kenglish@lgl.com
Mr. Harvey Andrusak, President, BC Wildlife Federation handrusak@shaw.ca
Al Martin, BCWF Alan Martin alan.martin1710@gmail.com
Mr. Colin Hansen, Fraser Basin Council slitke@fraserbasin.bc.ca
Dr. Jasper Lament, The Nature Trust of British Columbia jlament@naturetrust.bc.ca
Dr. Michael Church, UBC Geography mchurch@geog.ubc.ca
Karen Wristen, Living Oceans Society kwristen@livingoceans.org
Mr. Mike Goold, Sto:lo Nation mgoold@peopleoftheriver.com
Tribal Chief Doug Kelly, President, Sto:lo Tribal Council info@stolotribalcouncil.ca
Honourable George Heyman BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy: ENV.Minister@gov.bc.ca
Honourable Doug Donaldson BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations & Rural Development: doug.donaldson.mla@leg.bc.ca ; FLNR.Minister@gov.bc.ca
Honourable Lana Popham BC Minister of Agriculture: lana.popham.MLA@leg.bc.ca
Alan Johnsrude, Executive Director, FLNRORD alan.johnsrude@gov.bc.ca
Sandra Jensen, Authorizations Specialist, Water Authorization, FLNRORD Sandra.jensen@gov.bc.ca
Ms. Catherine McKenna, Environment Canada Catherine.McKenna@parl.gc.ca
Cheryl Webb, RDG Habitat, DFO cheryl.webb@df0-mpo.gc.ca
Mr. Cornelius Visser/Bev Ramey, BC Nature, Federation of BC Naturalist Bev Ramey bevramey@telus.net
Mr. Stephen Cornish, CEO David Suzuki Foundation jwerring@davidsuzukifoundation.org
Ms. Lina Azeez, Watershed Watch Salmon Society Lina Azeez lina@watershedwatch.ca
Steve Litke, Fraser Basin Council slitke@fraserbasin.bc.ca
Brent Baron, Indiginous and Northern Affairs Canada Brent.Baron@aandc-aadnc.gc.ca
Ross Dixon, RainCoast Ross@raincoast.org
Deborah Carlson, West Coast Environmental Law dcarlson@wcel.org
Diane Ramage, Pacific Salmon Foundation dramage@psf.ca
Ian Stephen, WaterWealth Project ian@waterwealthproject.com
Janson Wong, Lower Fraser Fishing Authority janson.wong@lffa.ca
Brad Mason, biologist masonb12@telus.net
Michael Church, UBC Geography mchurch@geog.ubc.ca
James Casey, Bird Studies Canada jcasey@bsc-eoc.org
Cher King-Scobie, Fraser Basin Council ckingscobie@fraserbasin.bc.ca
Karen Brady, Sto:lo Nation Karen.Brady@stolonation.bc.ca
Dionne Bunsha, Lower Fraser Fishing Authority dionne.bunsha@lffa.ca
Bryan Robinson BC Water Stewardship Division Bryan.Robinson@gov.bc.ca
Jeanne Hughes, Lower Fraser Fishing Authority Jeanne.Hughes@lffa.ca
Mike Goold, People of the River mgoold@peopleoftheriver.com