To the editor:
Re: Response to ‘Hair-brained Idea to Restore Mission Creek’s Meander, May 1 Capital News.
In our opinion [Okanagan Fisheries Foundation], the restoration of Mission Creek’s meanders is to be applauded as a moral, environmental and economic imperative.
The cost of not repairing the damage done to the river by channelization and diking, is continued flooding, potential extirpation of kokanee salmon and trout in the river, and the loss of a valuable natural ecosystem that survived, until very recently, for millions of years.
If one looks at historical aerial photos of the river, its meanders, natural estuary and flood plains and consider the outcomes of man’s hand in altering this delicate natural balance in an attempt for more arable land and flood control, it is obvious that the straightening of the river from 33km to 11km was shortsighted, counterintuitive and a huge mistake that continues to take a toll on local land owners, on fish and wildlife and the community in general.
The benefits to our community of partially recreating the natural flow of the river, repatriating old tributaries and natural flood plains are significant and include natural flood mitigation, restored fish spawning habitat and the long term revitalization of the popular Okanagan Lake fishery, as well as a vastly improved natural ecosystem for all to enjoy, and these benefits will last for generations.
Economically, the benefits are also significant, for the millions of dollars sport fishing brings to BC annually is proof of the value good fisheries offer to local communities and for far too long we have treated Okanagan Lake and its tributaries with a waterpark mentality. If it’s clean, cool and good fun to ski, wakeboard, boat on or sit in, who cares if its true health and ecological value are diminishing year by year? Not to mention the cultural value of the river and fish to our local First Nations, and the historical kokanee runs that are now a mere fraction of their prior abundance when the river ran red with spawning fish. Tourism in general is a $4 billion industry in B.C. and dead rivers and disappearing fish runs are not going to help sustain it, they will serve only to embarrass us as we explain how ‘it used to be a paradise’.
Consider the tourism value of the Adams River sockeye run to the Shuswap and the now renewed Okanagan River Sockeye runs value to Osoyoos, which has been a boon to the local city council. In Penticton, the city council is protecting the remaining oxbows and revitalizing its channelized portion of the Okanagan River and tributaries, as it sees the value of healthy rivers and fisheries to its local tourism and community as a whole.
Kelowna is, thankfully, seeing the same push to protect remaining wetlands and restore creeks and rivers that support the fish and wildlife, and taxpayers should and do revel in having these areas to enjoy, as do tourists who pay far more than us for the privilege while contributing to the economic health and prosperity of our community.
Dog parks, green spaces, sports fields and parks in general are always of great value to taxpayers and communities, but natural beauty and real and lasting value, both recreational and economic, also lies in healthy wetlands, lakes, rivers and forested land that support fish and wildlife within and around our communities. For this natural beauty draws in tourists and residents alike, making Canada one of the most amazing places in the world to live in and visit, and a country to be truly proud of. We should all be proud of local efforts to restore and maintain that kind of lasting natural value here in Kelowna.
Mat Hanson,
Okanagan Fisheries Foundation
