SEP Community Stewardship Workshop 2019 May 31-June 2, 2019

Scroll down for :

• Highlights
• Ticket Pricing
• Workshop Sessions
• Shuttle Bus (to and from ferry)
• On-site Accommodation (map)
• VIU map and conference location

After reading through the information below click the green ticket button and reserve your workshop seat and field trip (optional). At checkout choose your workshop sessions, Saturday dinner ad-on (at the bottom of check-out page), and order your 2019 Workshop T-Shirt by May 3 to guarantee availability. Information and printable registration package is also available on the SEP community workshop website.

Workshop hosted by Nanaimo River Stewardship Society with support from Pacific Streamkeepers Foundation, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Salmon Foundation and Snuneymuxw First Nation

Highlights

Friday, May 31st

• 5:30 pm Registration Opens / Poster Display Opens
• 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm Complimentary Refreshments
• ~No Host Bar, Entertainment ~ Jazz Band
• 7:00-8:00 pm Community Welcome

Saturday, June 1st

• 8:00 am Registration Opens / Poster Display Opens
• 8:00 am Refreshments Available
• 8:30 am Welcome and Instructions
• 9-12 noon Building Resilience in the Salmosphere Plenary
• ~ Complimentary Lunch ~
• 1:00-2:15 pm Workshop Sessions
• ~Health Break~
• 2:45-4:00 pm Workshop Sessions
• 4:00-6:00pm Tour / Demos
• 6:00 pm No Host Bar
• 6:30 pm Dinner
• 7:00 pm Welcome
• ~Evening Entertainment~

Sunday June 2nd

• 8:00 am Refreshments available
• 9-10:45 Workshop Sessions
• Health Break
• 10:45-Noon Workshop Sessions
• ~ Complimentary Lunch “to go”~
• 1:00 pm Optional Saysutshun~Newcastle Island Adventure

Ticket Pricing:

• Early Bird $35 weekend registration (before May 1st)
• Early Bird $35 Junior Steward weekend registration (before May 1)
• $50 full weekend registration (after May 1st)
• $50 Junior Steward weekend registration (after May 1)
• Optional Sunday field trip $30 (ferry and cultural experience incl)
• Tradeshow/stewardship display table (free)
• Add-ons at checkout:
• ~Saturday Night Dinner $5
• ~Organic Cotton 2019 Workshop T-shirts $25

Minimizing our footprint; onsite accommodation, group transportation. Although we are trying to go paperless for registration, we are still offering the traditional registration option. (Paper forms)

Go Green; Help keep our workshop's ecological footprint small- please bring your own carry bag, water bottle, notebook and writing materials.

For additional information, or help registering please contact: Melissa Nottingham (250) 746-5137 / melissa.nottingham@dfo-mpo.gc.ca .

Printable session information is available on the workshop website

WORKSHOP SESSIONS (sign up when you click the green ticket button)

Saturday June 1

Plenary Session: 9:30 am -noon

Building Resilience in the Salmosphere - 2019 is the focal year of the International Year of the Salmon initiative. In contribution to the initiative, the Salmonid Enhancement Program is hosting an interactive plenary session to explore what communities can do to ensure salmon and their habitats are conserved and restored. As the International Year of the Salmon initiative aspires toward the vision that salmon and people are resilient in a changing world, this plenary will introduce you to resilience, describe the state of the Salmosphere and explore, with YOU, ideas for building resilience in the Salmosphere. This is a rare opportunity to bring experts, individuals and groups from across the region together for a shared discussion.

Session 1: Early Afternoon 1:00 - 2:15 pm

Archaeology from Stream to Sea Archaeologists study the ways people lived in the past. On the BC coast they work closely with First Nation communities to understand some of the ways the First Nations' ancestors have shaped, managed, cared for and lived on the land and sea for millennia. In this presentation, archaeologist Nicole Smith, will talk about some of the things she sees, including traditional fishery, transportation, forestry and mariculture technologies, on a walk from stream to sea.

CANCELLED Lab: Fish Prints / Fish Art 101

Just do it! Easy Rain Gardens to hone your skills & gain street cred The task of restoring watershed function / groundwater recharge can feel daunting, but the cumulative impact of many very simple efforts can be significant. Go through a checklist of important considerations and review some case studies with Deborah Jones.

Lifestage: Egg to Fry New strategies and techniques for optimum survival. Understand what is happening inside the egg as we handle them from first division of their cells to ponding.

Microplastics in coastal ecosystems and our daily lives (and what you can do about it) This presentation will provide background on microplastic pollution, what it is and the potential impacts on coastal ecosystems. Results from local research on microplastics in shellfish, fish and their habitats will be presented, along with ways that microplastic enters our daily lives and what we can do about it.

Salmon Genomics in Enhancement Genetic markers are being employed to inform conservation and management of salmon stocks. Three practical applications will be discussed from an enhancement perspective.

Tracking Our Salmon, Tools & Techniques For a Better Understanding Join DFO Biologists Jason Mahoney and Kevin Pellett to learn about the variety of tagging, marking and tracking options available to help us gain a better understanding of our salmon. Jason will give an overview of some of these options and Kevin will speak to how he uses these techniques when he is working on the Cowichan River.

Transformational: Salmonid Enhancement Program Past, Present, Future Join Corino Salomi for a look at the evolution of salmonid enhancement in BC and the importance of hatcheries in the present day and in to the future.

Session 2: Late Afternoon 2:00 - 4:00 pm

Aquatic Invasive Species in BC Overview of both freshwater and marine Aquatic Invasive Species (AIV) in BC. Existing and future concerns will be discussed, along with new tougher legislation and avoidance programs.

Chinook Salmon Diet Studies: new insights and a call for participation As part of the Salish Sea Marine Survival Project we have been investigating the diets of juvenile and adult Chinook Salmon. Juvenile diet information, combined with tagging studies, is providing insights into factors which may control juvenile survival. Adult diets are being developed as a tool to monitor changes in the marine food web, and we are seeking the help of community groups and salt water recreational anglers to facilitate sample collection.

Demystifying Engineering Drawing The role of SEP community members has changed significantly since the program began in 1977. Many volunteers now engage with various levels of government and developers when proposals come forward in their communities and are asked to comment on plans. Join Al Jonsson, Senior Restoration Engineer from the Lower Fraser for an introduction to reading and interpreting drawings.

Health & Safety – Do you have a plan? Join in the conversation to understand how health & safety plays a role in your organization and what can be done to lower the potential risk of an accident or incident occurring. Let’s have a plan, before a plan is needed.

Lab: Salmon Anatomy dissection Explore the wonders of salmon anatomy through a real- life demonstration and learn how to give an engaging presentation in a classroom or at a public event.

Lifestage: Juvenile Rearing Participants will learn about recommended fish culture strategies from fry to release and the importance of mimicking natural processes in the hatchery. Strategies and techniques for optimum survival.

State of the Southern Resident Killer Whales Join Dr. Andrew Trites, overseer of the Marine Mammal Research Unit at UBC to learn more about this iconic marine mammal.

Wild Salmon Policy Implementation Plan: Moving from Policy to Action Sharing opportunities for Government and Streamkeepers to work together in support of the implementation of the Wild Salmon Policy.

Sunday June 2

Session 3: Early Morning 9:00 - 10:15

Beavers …. Beavers are known for their natural trait of building dams on rivers and streams - how do we share the same spaces?

Fish Culture: Broodstock collection, handling and best management procedures Overview of the SEP Hatchery Production Planning process, methodology for broodstock capture, handling, transport and holding.

Fisheries Act and ORR Be informed about the changes to the Fisheries Act and understand how Observe, Record, Report triage concerns to Fisheries Protection Program staff for action.

Lifestage: Egg to Fry New strategies and techniques for optimum survival. Understand what is happening inside the egg as we handle them from first division of their cells to ponding. (REPEAT)

Looking Back to Move Forward: A Restoration Perspective Join Matt Foy and Mel Sheng, newly retired DFO Resource Restoration Biologists, for a journey into the salmon habitat restoration arena. They’ll discuss their lessons learned from the past thirty years of working in the restoration field, to help us plan and implement well thought out and functional projects for the future.

Outdoor Classroom: Measuring Water Quantity and Quality Many issues can impact and threaten the supply of cool, clean water to our local streams. Streamkeepers Modules 2 and 3 provide protocols for detecting and diagnosing water quantity and quality problems that may affect stream health and aquatic life. Participants in this fun hands-on workshop will learn how to use the basic equipment needed to assess stream flow and monitor water quality.

Plankton and Salmon: the secret to the marine food web. Join Ian Perry on an exploration of the marine food web of BC, from algal blooms to zooplankton, salmon, and whales, and how this ecosystem has been changing. The session will include an opportunity to look at zooplankton using a microscope.

CANCELLED:Recent Environmental Conditions and Links to Salmon Productivity

NEW: Professor Kaganovskiy: On February 15, 2019, 21 scientists from five countries (Canada, US, Russia, Japan and Korea) set sail on the Russian research vessel ‘Professor Kaganovskiy’ to conduct the first broad based trawl survey of Pacific salmon in the Gulf of Alaska during the winter. Chrys Neville, one of the six Canadian participants, will provide an overview of the expedition and some of the key results to date.

Session 4: Late Morning 10:45 - 12:00 Noon

BC Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund (BCSRIF) Let’s talk – participate in an interactive discussion on BCSRIF and potential project ideas.

Lifestage: Juvenile Rearing Participants will learn about recommended fish culture strategies from fry to release and the importance of mimicking natural processes in the hatchery. Strategies and techniques for optimum survival. (REPEAT)

Outdoor Classroom: Aquatic Invertebrates Invertebrates play an important role in the aquatic food chain and are indicators of water quality. You will identify and count stream bugs to learn how much natural food is available in-stream for your fry after release. Streamkeepers Module 4.

Outdoor Classroom: Beach Seine Complete a beach seine in Departure Bay and gather ocean life to explore habitat needs of our juvenile salmon as they transition to the ocean.

Roundtables The large circular table where King Arthur and his knights sit… or an opportunity to meet with stakeholders, local community and various levels of government to develop plans and solutions to support healthy watersheds and communities. Learn why and how roundtables can work and what those effective qualities look like.

Stress & Health: Roadblocks & Superhighways to Disease Stress and health are intricately connected. Using a common bacterial pathogen as an example, find out how a fish's experiences can affect the outcome of interactions with the microscopic organisms they naturally coexist with.

Supporting Citizen Science – RDN’s Community Watershed Monitoring Network The CWMN offers many insights for how to collaborate across community, local government, industry and provincial agencies, to better track and understand the health of our streams. Regional District of Nanaimo staff will share their experience working with this initiative and describe the successes, challenges and opportunities that citizen science can offer.

BC Salmon Restoration and Innovation Fund (BCSRIF) Let’s talk – participate in an interactive discussion on BCSRIF and potential project ideas.

Session 3 & 4 9:00 am – Noon (NOTE: this is both Sunday morning sessions combined)

Outdoor Classroom: Honouring our Snuneymuxw History: Salmon Petroglyphs and Salmon Stewardship Join Gary Manson, Snuneymuxw Elder, to visit a sacred salmon petroglyph site and learn more about Snuneymuxw connections to salmon – from salmon ceremony to fisheries management. Participants must be prepared to hike approximately 20 minutes each way on a rough trail, including stairs.

Outdoor Classroom: Forage Fish Join the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute (MABRRI) to learn how to sample for forage fish embryos! This workshop will include an explanation of their ongoing citizen science program, as well as a hands-on opportunity to conduct the sampling yourself.

SHUTTLE BUS

For those travelling from the Mainland – please consider walking on the 3:30 ferry and let us pick you up at the Departure Bay ferry terminal and transport you to Vancouver Island University on Friday, May 31st. We will return you on Sunday, June 2nd to catch the 1:15 or 5:45 ferry on your return trip.

Reserve your seat at ticket checkout

SAYSUTSHUN ~ NEWCASTLE ISLAND MARINE PROVINCIAL PARK ADVENTURE

Catch a ferry, learn about the history of Newcastle/Saysutshun Island, explore the nature trails and enjoy the cultural experience on the afternoon of Sunday, June 2nd. Expect a few surprises… visit Saysutshun.

ACCOMMODATION

We’ve reserved some space at the Vancouver Island University Student Residences – please call VIU Student Residence front desk at 250-740-6640 to book a room under the group reservation “Community Stewardship Workshop”.

Alternatively, you may find other accommodation options here: https://www.tourismnanaimo.com/where-to-stay

VIU Accommodation @ $55/night + 15% tax flat rate includes:

• Choose single or double room as specified with shared bathroom • Linens & towels • Complimentary shampoos • Complimentary coffee, tea & continental breakfast • Free parking