#Moss covered big leaf maple trees are the main tree species growing in & around the trails & #riparian zones at #HeadquartersTownsite Park in #Merville on #VancouverIsland.
This is a view of part of the #TsolumRiver.
In 1964, Mount Washington Copper Mining Co. moved into its watershed & built a copper mine. By 1966, they left the area after extracting 940,000 tonnes of waste rock. Even though mining lasted only 3 years, repercussions of the mining practices can still be seen today. What was once a river that was sprawling with 15,000 coho salmon depleted to only 14 by 1984. In 1997, Tsolum River Task Force was formed by over 200 local residents with the goal of restoring Tsolum River's health & productivity.
The river previously supported large populations of salmon, steelhead & cutthroat trout & contributed significantly to the local economy. The economic benefit to the community, in 2007 dollars, was estimated at $2.7 million annually. Past remediation efforts have contributed to improved water quality in the Tsolum River. However, further improvement is needed in order to allow restoration of the fisheries resource.
A 6-ways partnership was founded in 2001 between the BC Ministry of Environment, Timber West, Tsolum River Restoration Society, Pacific Salmon Foundation, Environment Canada & Fisheries & Oceans Canada.
This partnership led to a successful wetland project, which reduced the copper levels to the point that fish stocks have now returned to the Tsolum River. The wetland has a limited life of 5-10 years, after which copper leachate will again impact the emerging fish populations.
Recommended reading:
https://thenarwhal.ca/three-years-of-mining-40-years-of-taxpayer-clean-up-for-river-downstream-of-vancouver-island-copper-mine/
https://charlesbrandt.ca/state-of-the-tsolum-report/
https://www.tsolumriver.org/reports.html
https://www.tsolumriver.org/recovery-plan.html
Access to this part of the river is on Farnham Rd.
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Greg Cocks 
