Lower Shuswap Stewardship Society AGM

May 5, Ashton Creek –

The Lower Shuswap Stewardship Society (LSSS) has issued an invitation to everyone to attend their AGM on Wednesday, May 5, 2010, at 7pm at the Riverside Community Hall in Ashton Creek.

In July of 2009, there were growing concerns about the increased usage of the Lower Shuswap River and the resulting environmental damage that was occurring. In response, a group of concerned residents of Enderby and the surrounding communities that bordered both the river and Mabel Lake (not including Mara Lake), came together to preserve the world’s, and our own, most precious resource – clean water.

First, they formed a non-profit society which they registered with the province of British Columbia, calling it the Lower Shuswap Stewardship Society, which, today, has 10 directors and a membership of more than 180 people. Their mission is “to encourage community-based stewardship of the Lower Shuswap River and Mabel Lake watersheds and advocate for change that promotes the protection and preservation of the watershed”.

The group has been working tirelessly over the last year. They joined the BC Rivers Day celebrations in Enderby and were invited to send a representative to the Streamkeeper’s training program in Vernon in September. They now have the capacity to adopt a stream or streams in the area and train volunteers. They were invited to become a partner with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the Regional District, the City of Enderby, the Ministry of Environment and First Nations, to map Mabel Lake and the Lower Shuswap River. As of right now, the second phase of the project is nearly complete.

The AGM will hear committee and financial reports and elect officers for the coming year, following which, there will be three guest speakers. Bob Harding from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans will talk about the Shuswap River Mapping Project, while Jamie Felhauer and biologist Mike Wallis from the Salmon River Watershed Society will speak about what their organization has been doing to preserve the Salmon River.

People will be able to renew their memberships at the meeting, and if you wish to become a member of the LSSS, you may purchase a membership at that time.

Two different field trips have been planned and you will also have the opportunity to sign up for them at the meeting. One will be a biodiversity tour of the middle Shuswap River (Silver Hills Ranch in the Cherryville area) on May 14th and 15th, and one will be a field trip of the restoration work that has been done on the Salmon River.

For more information about LSSS, please visit lowershuswap.org.

The business of the meeting will include election of directors, financial and committee reports and new business.

Guest speakers Jaime Feldhauer and Mike Wallace from the Salmon River Watershed Society will give a presentation on the restoration work on the Salmon River. The many projects on the river have involved land owners, agencies, industry and First Nations. You will have an opportunity to sign up for the upcoming field trip/tour of some of the restored areas along the Salmon River.

Bob Harding, Stewardship Coordinator from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans will also speak at the meeting and will update us on the results to date of the Shuswap River and Mabel Lake Mapping Project. Step One, the mapping of the river and Mabel Lake has been completed and Step Two, the Aquatic Habitat Index has been completed for Mabel Lake.  It will be interesting to see these results.

You will also have an opportunity to sign up for a bio-diversity tour at Silver Hills Ranch in the Cherryville area May 14th and 15th.