JULY 2018 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC


Riparian restorations benefit from


farm funding Langley farm tour focuses on Bertrand Creek work


by RONDA PAYNE


LANGLEY – With more than 1,100 farms and six major watersheds in Langley, there is a watercourse of some sort on nearly every farm in the community. Farm practices don’t always align with the best environmental outcomes, however, so in 2016 the Langley Sustainable Agriculture Foundation (LSAF) and a number of farms signed on for a three-year pilot of the Ecological Services Initiative (ESI). ESI provincial co-ordinator Dave Zehnder notes intense farming activity and species at risk aligned to Bertrand Creek made it obvious for Langley’s program. The Township of Langley has committed $40,000 a year for the three years to help 11 participating farms protect and enhance creek riparian areas. “Over the last three years, we’ve focused on what is most important ecologically,” says Dave Melnychuk, chair of LSAF, which leads the program on behalf of Langley Township. “Streambank erosion and invasive weeds – that’s what we’re focused on.” Melnychuk says Bertrand Creek is seeing higher


flows in winter and lower flows in summer than in previous years. Salmon and the endangered Nooksack Dace and Salish Sucker have experienced declines as a result. This is significant for the latter two fish species because they exist only in Washington state and the Fraser Valley.


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Nancy Knott points to places where Bertrand Creek is eroding her property, creating hazards. RONDA PAYNE PHOTO


Knott Farm signed on with ESI in January because of erosion concerns along Bertrand Creek. The creek is eroding and undercutting the bank, causing stability issues and adding sedimentation in fish spawning areas. The 10-acre property is home to beef cattle, horses and a small nursery. The loss of land will eventually impact pasture and also have a direct impact on owners Nancy and Peter Knott. “As it’s eroding, it’s getting closer and closer to


our well,” she says. Knott Farm needs a watershed strategy,


according to Melnychuk, and will likely need co-operative involvement with Fisheries and


Oceans Canada. The other problem with bank erosion at Knott


Farm is that access to the house and other parts of the property is via a bridge over the creek. The bridge will need to be rebuilt. “A high priority for the farm is the bridge


crossing,” Melnychuck says. “Whether for people, machinery or cattle, they need access.” Knott notes that while Fisheries and Oceans


Canada might engage with water flow and erosion issues, they haven’t been helpful with the bridge repair.


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