On July 23, 2023, Times Colonist reported that the Peninsula Streams Society and City of Victoria staff finished a two-year, $170,000 project that brought new life to the city’s harbour.
This project is the Songhees Walkway Pocket Beach Green Shores Demonstration Project. It is part of the Resilient Coasts for Salmon Program, a partnership between the Pacific Salmon Foundation and the Stewardship Centre for BC, funded through the BC Climate Action and Awareness Fund by Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Newly completed, the project has already delivered benefits. Kyle Armstrong, executive director of the Peninsula Streams Society, said that pacific surf smelt, a native forage fish, had already returned to spawn in the new gravel near the shore. He said, “if you make room for nature, it will come back.”
Throughout the project, Peninsula Streams Society applied Green Shores nature-based and hybrid techniques to protect against climate-associated risks, like flooding and erosion, while restoring natural shoreline ecosystems, improving water quality, enhancing habitat and biodiversity, and providing economic, recreational, and cultural value.
Since the project’s inception, debris, concrete, and contaminated sediment have been removed and replaced with fish-friendly sand and gravel. The backshore was excavated to expand the beach with clean sand and sediment provided. A hybrid backshore defence was created using rocks and planted with native species such as yarrow, beach pea, and dune wildrye.
This harbour was recently considered one of the most polluted waterways in the country. However, restoration efforts, including this Green Shores Demonstration Project, have yielded promising results. Orcas have returned to the area, along with elephant seals, red abalone, and forage fish, like surf smelt and herring.
Supporting habitat for forage fish is essential to any marine conservation effort. Surf smelt, Pacific herring and sand lance are important prey for salmon, which, in turn, provide food for other predators, like orcas, harbour seals, bald eagles, and black bears, and nourishment for coastal forests.
Ongoing monitoring will provide data on the efficacy of Green Shores nature-based approaches to shoreline management in improving resilience and biodiversity. Stay tuned for future updates!
The Resilient Coasts for Salmon Songhees Walkway Pocket Beach restoration project relied upon many partners and contributors, including the Peninsula Streams Society, the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations, the City of Victoria, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Pacific Salmon Foundation, and Stewardship Centre for BC. Contributions were also received from Ralmax and Destination Greater Victoria.
