Nechako / Upper Fraser Aquatic Habitat
Monitoring Program
Recognizing growing pressures on lake and stream fish habitat, our partner communities in the Nechako watershed asked the UFFCA to deepen our focus on water issues to support healthy fish habitat and overall watershed health.
The UFFCA launched the Aquatic Habitat Monitoring program in 2015 in partnership with the Lheidli T’enneh, Nadleh Whut’en, Nak’azdli Whut’en, Saik’uz, Stellat’en, Tl’azt’en, Ts’il Kaz Koh, and Yekooche First Nations, and the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council (CSTC). The program provides critical information about water conditions in high priority salmon habitat areas that supports proactive planning and decision making — a critical step for responding to climate change and other impacts on fish, habitat, and watershed health. In partnership with Nechako First Nations, the UFFCA has collected several years of high-quality data, which is now being directly applied in planning and implementation for critical projects including emergency conservation enhancement and habitat restoration projects.
The program has provided years of high quality data, which is directly applied in emergency conservation enhancement, assessing industry impacts on water quality, and better understanding low flow trends and impacts on salmon. It is now one of the largest Indigenous-led water monitoring programs in BC.
The Early Days: Establishing the Project
Current WQQ project lead Ashley Raphael, UFFCA Environmental Project Lead Michelle Tung, and the highly skilled CSTC crew out in the field.
Christina Ciesielski from CSTC and Darren Haskell from the Tl’azt’en First Nation measuring water quality.
Darren from Tl’azt’en and Dean Joseph from the Yekooche First Nation.
Michelle from UFFCA, Christina from CSTC, and Darren from Tl’azt’en
Scenes From the Field
Project leads Rebecca Broadbent and Ashley Raphael out on the boat.
Saik’uz monitors Erik Johnny-Martin and James Thomas setting up the acoustic doppler current profiler (ADCP) to take high flow measurements at Wansa Creek.
Ashley and Aaron Raphael winterizing a water level logger at Finger Lake.
Ashley and Rebecca working on the real-time station at Endako; we upgraded to this new technology for 5 stations in 2021.
Ashley and James using the auger to drill through the ice to measure water quality at Nithi.
Building Expertise and Leadership
Project leads Rebecca Broadbent and Ashley Raphael training Leonard English and Winston Bambrick from the Tŝilhqot’in National Government (TNG) water monitoring program.
Winston, Ashley, Rebecca, and Leonard building expertise in Aquarius data management software to store and manage data in-house.
Ashley and Rebecca building expertise in electronics to maintain and service monitoring stations.
Ashley and James using the auger to drill through the ice to measure water quality at Nithi.