A section of an urban creek in Langford that was smothered in silt from nearby construction projects has a new lease on life for what is considered a unique species of cutthroat trout, as well as freshwater shrimp and smaller fish, birds and other animals.
Pritchard Creek at the corner of Klahanie Drive and Latoria Road was temporarily closed off in the summer of 2023 to build a signalized intersection. As a result of that construction work and other developments along Latoria — including a new elementary school — a 110-metre section of the creek collected sediment and other debris.
Several cutthroat trout as well as stickleback fish had to be removed and relocated after the Bilston Watershed Habitat Protection Association reached out to Langford for help restoring the creek.
On Thursday, a handful of members were out putting the finishing touches on the repaired section of Pritchard Creek, planting fall rye and white clover to stabilize the banks and shoring the edges with 30 native species of plants, including dogwoods and salmonberries to provide shade for fish.
“The bonus about all of this isn’t just fixing up this part of the creek for the trout and other fish, but it’s at a new school and creates a natural classroom,” said Kym Hill, a director at the Bilston Watershed Habitat Protection Association.
The restored creek is across the street from Scianew Stelitket Elementary School, which is scheduled to open next fall. Translated from Sc’ianew First Nation, the name means Salmon Children and is pronounced Schee-ay-nuh Ska-leetk-luth.
Cutthroat trout are the same genus as Pacific salmon, though the cutthroat have different spawning habits and lifecycles.
Pritchard Creek is part of one of the largest watersheds in the capital region, spanning 7,732 acres across Metchosin, Langford and the Juan de Fuca Electoral Area in creeks like the Bilston, Metchosin, Hewitt and Pritchard.
The source for the creek systems is springs and a series of ponds and wetlands on the south side of Highway 14 that spread “like a tree,” spilling into the ocean at Sitting Lady Falls in Witty’s Lagoon Regional Park in Metchosin, said Hill.
It’s those falls that Hill said block access to the ocean and likely makes the cutthroat trout unique. She said DNA sampling has been done to see if the fish are only found in the Bilston watershed. An avid fly fisher, Hill said it’s not uncommon to find trout up to three pounds in the creek systems.
Larger mammals such as black bears and cougars also use the creek systems as natural wildlife trails.
She said fixing one section of one creek, as was done at Pritchard, is healthy for the entire watershed.
The Bilston Watershed Habitat Protection Society said a restoration plan was developed with Langford and Craig Barlow, a professional biologist, to remediate “this important element of Bilston Watershed.”
The remediation work by Langford’s engineering department and its contractor, Excel Contracting, included removing the mud that had collected in the creek segment, digging out a lower channel and building a refuge pool for fish to use during drought periods.
Much of the new vegetation for the creek edges was potted at a propagation workshop held by Bilston Watershed members last fall and nurtured over the winter and spring. Langford provided the larger native plants and trees.
In May 2022, the B.C. Parks Foundation and Metchosin Foundation acquired a 32-acre parcel of land in the Bilston Creek Watershed in Metchosin as a buffer to the creeping development in Langford. The Metchosin Foundation said it contained coastal Douglas fir stands and wetlands that acted as a key wildlife corridor.
About two thirds of the Bilston Watershed lies within Metchosin’s boundaries.
