Stoney Creek Rehabilitation

What mysterious creature has survived the dinosaurs, volcanic eruptions and ice ages? The Nechako White Sturgeon, Canada’s largest freshwater endangered species, who calls the Nechako River near Vanderhoof, B.C. home.

The Stoney Creek Fisheries Enhancement Project is supporting the rehabilitation of streams that flow through the Nechako agricultural belt – the only known spawning bed of the Nechako White Sturgeon. With help from the local sawmill and area businesses, the Nechako Environment & Water Stewardship Society (NEWSS), and a $10,000 contribution from TransCanada’s Coastal GasLink, Stoney Creek is slowly being restored. It is hoped this project and others along the Nechako River watershed will help a threatened local species re-populate its dwindling numbers. The project includes replanting the area alongside streams, known as the riparian zone, removing old car bodies from the mouth of the stream, and creating habitat for fish.

NEWSS acts in an advisory capacity for both landowners and government and serves as a vehicle for the delivery of incentives and investments. Wayne Salewski, NEWSS director, says, “This funding from Coastal GasLink will help us start the important planning and prescription part of the recovery of Stoney Creek. We are very grateful for the help and look forward to developing a community-based strategy and a healthier stream for future generations.”