The Pacific Streamkeepers Federation (PSkF) and member groups are non-profit societies committed to supporting community groups involved in Streamkeepers activities throughout BC and the Yukon.

A Streamkeeper is someone who has taken an active interest in preserving and enhancing their local waterways. Streamkeepers are people from all walks of life: professionals, retirees, students, anyone who has an interest in the environment.

The Development of the Streamkeepers Program began in October 1993 as an initiative of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. With funds provided by the Fraser River Action Plan, FOC created the Streamkeepers Handbook and Modules.

The objectives of the program is:
• • Provide volunteers with the training and support required to protect and restore local aquatic habitat;
• • Educate the public about the importance of watershed resources;
• • Encourage communication and cooperation in watershed management

The objectives of the PSKF and its member societies are as follows:
• • Provide an information exchange for streamkeepers and enhancement groups;
• • Help co-ordinate streamkeepers and enhancement efforts,
• • Lend a larger voice to streamkeepers and enhancement issues,
• • Facilitate training for streamkeepers and enhancement groups;
• • Help like-minded groups get started,
• • Provide support for existing streamkeepers and enhancement groups;
• • Foster co-operation amongst watershed stakeholders,
• • Promote local management of aquatic resources

The Pacific Streamkeepers Federation (PSKF) and its member societies have been clients of Westland Insurance (or Underwriters Insurance) 10+ years.

Streamkeepers Programs train and support volunteers in activities focused on protecting and restoring aquatic habitats and to educate the public about the importance of watershed resources and watershed management;

This includes:
• - Use of benthic invertebrate samplers, water quality test kits, and surveying supply kits to collect Data and Information;
• - Detection of habitat problems;
• - Designing and undertake restoration projects in local streams and wetlands;
• - Streamkeepers Training and Support Services
• - Stream Habitat Survey:
  Collecting available watershed information and survey stream; Collect maps, historical information, and current data, then; Survey streams to identify and map conditions; Documenting habitat problems, such as erosion, insufficient stream bank vegetation, pollution sources, or stream barriers, to help seek appropriate restoration projects.
• - Advanced Stream Habitat Survey:
  Establishing a permanent reference site and conducting a detailed habitat assessment; Benchmark and cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys, and measure water discharge of stream; Examine or measure the individual parts of the stream channel and bank habitat; Examine streambed material, embeddedness of the substrate, instream cover, percent pool habitat, off-channel habitat, bank stability, stream bank vegetation, overhead canopy, and riparian zone; Combine observations into an assessment that ranks the habitat at that location as good, acceptable, marginal, or poor.
• - Water Quality Survey:
  Sample water quality to detect watershed problems; Use equipment to measure turbidity, dissolved oxygen, pH, and temperature;
• - Stream Invertebrate Survey:Sampling, counting, and identifying benthic invertebrates to detect stream degradation
• - Storm Drain Marking Storm drain marking and education:
  Painting yellow fish symbol beside roadside storm drains to remind public that water entering these drains flows into a nearby creek; Distribute Brochures.
• - Stream Cleanup:
  Cleaning up a stream is a typical first step in a stream restoration project.
• - Streamside Planting:
  Streamside restoration vegetation propagation, planting, and maintenance of suitable species along stream to stabilizes banks, regulates stream flow and water temperatures, and trap sediment and contaminants from upland sources and to provide nesting sites for birds and travel corridors for wildlife Removal of invasives species of plants.
• - Streamside Fencing Vegetation:
  Fencing streams in agricultural areas to help minimize damage from grazing domestic animals to help prevent bank wear, erosion and sedimentation, fencing in urban areas limits activities in the streamside areas;
• - Observe Record Reporting:
  Use of a Observe Record Report system (ORR) to assess and gather information on habitat destruction or other environmental issues
  .
• - Community Awareness:
  Approaches to heightening community awareness of the value of streams; Installing road signs at stream crossings; Developing and distributing information brochures or newsletters; Organizing community meetings and public displays;
• - Juvenile Fish Trapping and Identification:
  Selecting sampling locations and trapping juvenile fish in stream, using Gee (live) traps; Collect information about fish species native to the stream and their abundance; Documenting fish species present to identify quality of streams and watersheds and to determine if need exists for restoration projects;
• - Salmonid Spawner Survey:
  Count spawning salmonids on a stream to estimate spawning populations; Collect information about the status of breeding populations;
• - Creel Survey:
  Method of sampling the angling effort on a stream; Count the number of anglers, fish caught, and hours fished at each fishing spot on a stream; Data can be used to provide information about the impact of angling on a particular fish population.
• - Instream Habitat Restoration Projects:
  These projects would only be attempted with professional guidance; Use of techniques to restore spawning and rearing habitat and migration access; Techniques include bank stabilization, fish passage improvement, and placement of boulder clusters, weirs, large woody debris, and spawning gravel. HAND WORK ONLY!
• - Hatchery Salmon Enhancement Projects- (Hatchery Operations):
  Care, maintenance, monitoring and management of salmon and/or trout eggs; Hatchery Management – maintain and ensure water supply; Fry – daily feeding, ponding of fry and eventual release to streams. Measure, check health, clean ponds. Smolts – release to stream or ocean, operate smolt traps to assess numbers of smolts leaving the stream. Adults – capture adult salmon from stream or traps, transfer to hatchery or spawn onsite. Maintenance - Hatchery buildings and equipment when required; Group Tours – Education.

Hatchery Facilities - Some are owned by member organizations, others are City/Municipality owned and member organizations run hatcheries for these entities.

• Contractors may, in isolated situations be engaged to perform services requiring specialized skill or equipment which is not able to be done by volunteers or employees.
  In the case of any construction projects to build buildings or structures, arrangements would be made for a specific project-based construction insurance program following standard CCDC or other industry-based standards.
  In any such cases, the practice would be for contractors to provide evidence of CGL listing the contracting member organization as an “additional insured”.

Some details as follows:
• • Non-profit association promoting, providing education, and assisting with stream and wetland care and restoration.
• • groups throughout BC and the Yukon maybe leave the number blank as this is not the right one and we add / subtract
• • Activities differ between each group but can include the following:
• o Data collection
• o Mapping
• o Clean up
• o Planting
• o Streamside fencing
• o Community awareness including meetings and public displays
• o Juvenile fish trapping
• o Instream habitat restoration- hand work only
• o Hatchery projects and facilities
• o Incidental use of watercraft such as kayaks and dinghy’s by volunteers – not used to carry passengers or guests
• • The Federation’s activities also include the following:
• o Provides oversight of program for Fisheries and Oceans Canada
• o Assist Streamkeepers groups with resource, people, and group connections including vendors and equipment
• o Administer, manage, and provide support for policies, procedures, programs, social media, advertising, workshops, and events
• o Volunteer training
• o Working with Department of Fisheries and Oceans to update Streamkeepers manuals and handbook