BCWF Watershed Team

What comes to mind when you think of salmonberries? Do you think about how their flowers nurture pollinators, and their berries feed creatures of every size? Perhaps you pondered how fallen fruit attracts insects to nestle into the soil and among the fallen leaves. Indeed, salmonberry is a potent force for diversity and abundance. 

A recent paper published in Ecosphere vividly illustrates these diverse functions. Citing Haíɫzaqv (Heiltsuk) knowledge holders, it examined how the nutrient subsidies brought by salmon species into riparian systems impact the productivity of plants, focusing on salmonberries. The authors found that increased salmon density in one season leads to an increased density of salmonberries per bush in the next season. In return, enhanced native vegetation along streams provides quality habitat for fish. It is through these relationships one can begin to understand Robin Wall Kimmerer’s premise in Braiding Sweetgrass, that “all flourishing is mutual.” 

Native plants of all kinds play vital roles in riparian ecosystems, the transitional zone between aquatic and terrestrial habitats. Root systems defend against erosion, while foliage and woody debris supply habitat and a steady stream of organic nutrients that are often lacking in flood-prone areas due to the constant flushing of the land. Vegetation even has a profound impact on temperature, evaporation, and transpiration regimes. 

Despite our acknowledgement of these interdependent, reciprocal relationships, one variable is frequently missing in our considerations: Human intervention. The notion that nature finds balance all on its own has permeated deep into the Western psyche, but Indigenous stewards have tended to the land for thousands of years, thriving through the multilayered relationships between human and non-human life. 

Learning from these interactions, the Fish Habitat Restoration and Education Program (FHREP) at BCWF seeks to restore riparian ecosystems through mutual care. The program facilitates no-fee workshops on riparian stewardship to provide technical skills to community members and improve stream ecology. BCWF recently held planting workshops in Delta, Maple Ridge, and Langley, in partnership with the Cougar Creek Streamkeepers, Alouette River Management Society, and Nicomekl Enhancement Society. Participants gained hands-on experience planting native species and removing invasive species. They also learned the importance of a healthy riparian zone for native fish and wildlife prosperity. 

Given the strong correlation between the condition of riparian and aquatic habitats for fish species, we know that planting supports intact, vegetated, riparian zones, which regulate the physical, chemical, and biological conditions critical for resident and migrating fish. This is critical in a time of increasing environmental degradation. Indeed, planting provides vital love and care to these sensitive areas, catalyzing connections for a healthy, functioning ecosystem. Caring is not just a feeling or a sentiment, it is an action. It is the discipline of showing up for the collective good. It is planting the seeds for long-term change. 

This story, by Rachel Teichman (Fish Habitat Restoration and Education Program Assistant), first appeared in the JAN/FEB 2023 issue of BC Outdoors Magazine in our member exclusive insert. Become a BCWF member today to get our news delivered directly to your mail box at bcwf.bc.ca/membership.