North Quadra

[Editor's note:  whereas Rithet's Bog is not within the boundaries of the North Quadra neighbourhood association, it is enjoyed by many of our residents, and many are curious about its past and future. This page started with an  article, first published in the April, 2001 issue of the Broadmead Area Resident’s Association Newsletter a.k.a. the BARA Bugle, which is still located below, but updates have been added above it.]

	Summer/Fall 2002 update
	Spring 2002 report
	Where has all the water gone - BARA article 2001

Map Air Photo

1. Partnership finalised and work begins
   An agreement has been reached partnering Saanich, the Rithet's Bog Conservation Society, the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund, Fisheries & Oceans Canada, and Ducks Unlimited Canada to manage the Bog for the enjoyment of wildlife and residents.  Please see the Ducks Unlimited website.
2. Clearing
   During the summer a huge area was cleared of willows and alder, intended to open up the area and allow for the return of the lost water (see article below).  Bull rushes and other semi-aquatics were left.
3. Culvert dam / weir
   A weir was constructed where the bog drains into a long culvert that carries Rithet's Creek under Chatterton, Quadra and eventually the highway.  This has captured the fall rains and partially re-established the temporary lake to the north along Chatterton.  Swans, ducks and other waterfowl have returned! 

1. Lobbying
   U Vic PhD candidate Karen Golinski's hydrology study of Rithet's Bog, commissioned by Saanich, was presented to the Saanich Environmental Advisory Committee late last year. The report, "An Overview Assessment of Hydrology and Water Chemistry at Rithet's Bog"*, details the problems with water level fluctuation and water quality at the Bog, and makes recommendations for correcting them.
   A follow-up presentation by Rithet's Bog Conservation Society (RBCS) advised that Ducks Unlimited is willing to design a rehabilitation plan for the Bog in partnership with Saanich Parks, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and RBCS. Both presentations were well received, and the Committee will make a positive recommendation to Council.
2. Developing a Work Plan
   Ducks Unlimited, DFO, Saanich Parks and RBCS have met to identify information gaps, outline best possible outcomes, and plot the following course of action:

   DU hydrology engineers and Saanich staff will complete detailed survey work at the Bog; A water license application will be made to the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection; DU engineers will develop a draft work plan for review and fine-tuning by the entire group; Parks will then take the plan to Council; If Council approves, work will take place during late August and early September of 2002 - a year ahead of the original schedule!

3. Fish Fry Survey in preparation for a Water License application
   A 'fry trapping' survey was carried out in early December to satisfy DFO that no salmon or trout are present in the Bog. Mesh catch-and-release traps baited with salmon roe were set at 8 sites around the perimeter of the Bog, including inlet and outlet points.
   No salmon or trout were caught, but what we did catch was very heartening. The 60 stickleback, 2 rough-skinned newts (Taricha granulosa), and 4 predacious water beetles indicate fairly 'clean', uncontaminated water. The results also provide baseline information for continued monitoring after rehabilitation work has been completed.

4. Water Levels Are Up, Willows Are Down
   Thanks to recent heavy rains, water levels in the Bog are much higher than in recent years. There is an impressive stretch of open water near the Dalewood end of Chatterton Way, where Parks maintenance staff painstakingly removed a 100-metre strip of willows last August.
   We'll have to wait till spring to know if the willow roots will die as hoped, after being under water for several months during the winter. In the meantime, wildlife is already taking advantage of the area. A Great Blue Heron can frequently be seen, hunting for sticklebacks and frogs, and ducks are arriving in preparation for the breeding season.
5. Regular Volunteer Work Continues
   Volunteers continue to cut broom, remove blackberry and poison hemlock and pick up litter. If you are interested in helping out or have questions about activities around the Bog, please contact Sharon Hartwell at 479-0491 or via email at rithetsbog@hotmail.com

Thanks for your ongoing support!
Sharon Hartwell, President
Rithet's Bog Conservation Society

* a copy of Karen Golinski's report can be borrowed from the Saanich Parks Office at 1040 McKenzie Ave. (Phone 744-5341).

The changing appearance of Rithet's Bog is a source of concern and frustration for many Saanich residents. Extensive areas of open water used to lie along Chatterton Way, providing habitat for abundant waterfowl and a place where skating was often possible in winter months. Now, that open water is almost gone, the area overgrown with shrubs and willows. Yet the Bog has been protected as a Nature Sanctuary since the Guinness Family donated it to Saanich in 1994. Shouldn't it be looking better, not drying up?

Where the open water went - the changing nature of the wetland

Unfortunately, much of what people admired about the 'old' Rithet's Bog was not natural. The flooded areas formerly seen along Chatterton Road were artificial, the result of shrubs having been cleared so that crops could be planted. Each fall, when crops were removed, the open area flooded with the winter rains, until it was pumped out the following spring. It was a situation very similar to what still occurs at Panama Flats on Interurban Road.

When the Nature Sanctuary was established in 1994, all agricultural activity in the fields ceased. But Nature is not static. Willows immediately began to reclaim the abandoned fields, consuming large amounts of water as they did so. After seven years of this natural succession, a shrub wetland has developed and very little open water remains.

Should we concentrate on restoring the open water?

The Bog and its surrounding catchment area have been drastically altered by agricultural practices and urban development, and much more than open water and waterfowl habitat are at stake. A series of scientific studies have indicated that the rare sphagnum community lying in the heart of the Bog is threatened by a combination of low water levels, excessive fluctuation in the water table, and the poor quality of incoming water. Extensive agricultural ditches still transect the Bog, serving as conduits for weeds and withholding large volumes of water. The perimeter ditch, which intercepts contaminated run-off water from surrounding developed areas, also isolates the Bog from the Colquitz watershed and prevents it from functioning as a natural cleansing agent and buffer area for downstream waters. All of these issues must be addressed if the overall health of the Bog is to be restored.

Striking a balance

The only way to recreate extensive areas of open water would be to clear the old fields and re-introduce farming. This would be inconsistent with the status of the Bog as a Nature Sanctuary, and it would do little to address other problems that have been identified. Likewise, concentrating exclusively on protecting the rare sphagnum community in the centre of the Bog would not address the issue of diminished open water on the outskirts of the Bog. The ideal solution would be to strike a balance, which satisfied both the ecological necessity to restore and protect the Bog, and the public's desire to see more open water.

The Plan - Enlisting the help of Ducks Unlimited

In an attempt to find this solution, the Rithet's Bog Conservation Society and Saanich Parks have enlisted the help of Ducks Unlimited Canada, a private, non-profit charitable organization dedicated to the conservation of wetlands for the benefit of North America's waterfowl, wildlife and people.

Using information gathered in previous studies, and new data generated by their own work, the scientists at Ducks Unlimited will relate water levels in the Bog to vegetation and water control features (culverts, ditch depth, outlets etc). They will then develop a plan for maintaining the optimum water level, quality and range of fluctuation in the Bog to restore the central sphagnum community, while creating areas of open water to improve waterfowl habitat and provide greater opportunities for wildlife viewing by the public.

The most exciting aspect of this project is that Ducks Unlimited will be taking a landscape or watershed approach, addressing the entire Colquitz watershed. The ultimate goal will be to re-integrate the Bog into the watershed as a functioning wetland, to the mutual benefit of the Bog and the watershed.

Because the Colquitz is a salmon-bearing stream, there is hope that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans will become involved in this project, along with Saanich and Ducks Unlimited, as funding partners in a multi-disciplinary team. It will also be crucial for the many conservation groups already involved with the Colquitz watershed to work together in a coordinated restoration of the entire watershed.

When will this happen?

This project is still very much in the initial planning stages. Ducks Unlimited must assess the level of input and funding required, and confirm partnerships with both Saanich and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans before a final commitment to the project can be made. If all goes well, volunteer work on minor restoration projects at the Bog can commence in the fall of 2001, the overall plan will be finalized in 2002, and major work by the funding partners will be undertaken in 2003.

Opportunity for public input

Public support will be crucial for the success of this project. A series of meetings is therefore planned for 2002 to enable members of the public to voice their concerns, and provide feedback on the draft action plan developed by Ducks Unlimited.

In the meantime . . .

It is imperative that restoration work at Rithet's Bog be carried out in a scientific and coordinated manner, with appropriate monitoring and controls. Unfortunately, this means that areas of open water at the Bog will continue to decrease over the coming year. But the long-term outlook for the Bog is very exciting. We can look forward not only to the reappearance of areas of open water, but a healthy, dynamic Bog, returned to its role as a functioning wetland in a restored watershed.