You’re invited: Meadow Creek Spawning Channel open house on Saturday, September 7, 2019
Saturday, September 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m at the spawning channel
Talk to biologists, learn more about Kokanee, the Kootenay Lake Nutrient Restoration Program, and how to co-exist with Grizzly Bears.
The Meadow Creek spawning channel is 4 kms west of Meadow Creek at the north end of Kootenay Lake. Follow Highway 31 from Kaslo to Meadow Creek, then look for the signs.
This free, family event is hosted by the FWCP in partnership with the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development. For more information about the open house, please call 250-352-1300 or email fwcp@bchydro.com.
The spawning channel is open daily during spawning season from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. If there are too many bears in the area, the channel may be closed to the public.
10-years of historical data about spawning channels and the nutrient restoration programs for both Kootenay Lake and Arrow Lakes Reservoir are online at https://fwcp.ca/supporting-kokanee/
F20 Meadow Creek spawning channel
This project supports ongoing operations, maintenance, and monitoring at the Meadow Creek spawning channel. The channel provides spawning habitat for a large proportion of Kootenay Lake Kokanee, which are the primary prey species for both Bull Trout and Gerrard Rainbow Trout. BC Hydro built the spawning channel in 1967, to compensate for lost natural Kokanee habitat, due to the construction of Duncan Dam.
Final report: executive summary
The Meadow Creek Spawning channel was managed and delivered through Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, Nelson with financial support from the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program.
BC Hydro built the Meadow Creek spawning channel in 1967 to compensate for lost natural Kokanee habitat due to the construction of Duncan Dam. The facility provides spawning for a large proportion of Kootenay Lake Kokanee, which are the primary prey species for both Bull Trout and Gerrard Rainbow Trout.
All required operations were completed for Meadow Creek spawning channel in the 2019-20 fiscal including Kokanee fry counts in the spring, settling pond and gravel cleaning in the summer, and adult Kokanee counts and sampling in the fall. Water monitoring and control to reduce sediment and optimize incubation conditions continued throughout the year. A fish salvage was completed prior to drying the channel in August.
Click the provincial database link below to read the full final report for this project.