YOU MET THE MATCH! THANK YOU!
With Spring officially here we wanted to update you, our supporters with some of the projects we have underway even during these unprecedented times. We trust this update finds you safe and well and hope it serves as some good news about how your support is helping to protect the Babine watershed, steelhead, salmon, grizzlies, eagles, old-growth forest and many other species.
We are very excited to announce that our matching donation challenge campaign at the end of 2019 drove an amazing result and we want to thank You for the amazing response we received. Your support and generosity raised USD 91,900!! This was our first campaign and we could not be more grateful and encouraged by the response. This funding is crucial to raise awareness of the Babine's unique value and our ability to work as a community of users and supporters to protect it. Outlined below are some updates on projects your support has enabled us to pursue.
In early February we held a strategy session with a variety of stakeholders, partners and advocates for the watershed to discuss current and emerging threats and solutions to address them over the short and longterm. Our primary purpose remains to lead with a research-based approach to understanding the watershed and its species so that we can apply measurable solutions to the variety of problems posed not only within the watershed but downstream as well. This year, in collaboration with SkeenaWild we will be supporting the following studies:
A salmon/steelhead habitat impact assessment analysis using Wild Salmon Policy habitat indicators like road density, equivalent clearcut area, linear development, stream crossings, riparian vegetation disturbance etc.)
Peak Flow Sensitivity Analysis (standard forestry assessment). This uses geomorphologic and hydrologic information to asses what percentage of a watershed can be logged before it risks losing its ability to moderate flows and provide groundwater inputs to local streams.
In addition to those initiatives, we will be supporting a Youth on Water (YOW) community rafting and outdoor education experience in conjunction with Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition.
We will also be collaborating with BC Parks on a grizzly bear study at Grizzly Drop within the Babine River Corridor Provincial Park once the current events postponement is lifted.
We are excited to be participating in the Provincial Timber Supply Review process for the Kispiox TSA, advocating to ensure there are checks and balances on the Allowable Annual Cut calculations which will be used to determine the annual sustainable harvest volume for the Kispiox TSA over the next decade.
We will continue some of our most important work which is the ongoing monitoring and advocacy for steelhead as ocean conditions change and threats to steelhead as the bi-catch on commercial fishing in the Skeena and SE Alaska
Independently we will be starting a comprehensive awareness campaign that addresses the unique needs of the watershed and its species. We look forward to sharing that work in the latter months of 2020.
We know that this work would not be possible without your generosity, encouragement and support and we are committed to increasing our engagement with you moving forward. Stay safe, well and healthy.
Kind Regards,
The Babine River Foundation