The Streamkeepers Handbook
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A Practical Guide to Stream and Wetland Care
This guide is designed for use by volunteers (individuals, groups and schools) committed to protect, restore and moniter Stream corriders in the Province of British Columbia.
British Columbia’s streams, lakes and wetlands are valuable natural resources. Stream corridors are particularly important. They support more species of plants and animals than any other habitats and provide important refuges and migration routes for birds and wildlife. Streams also are essential for maintaining British Columbia’s renowned salmon and trout runs.
Streams respond rapidly to the pressures of residential and industrial activity in surrounding drainage areas or watersheds. Streams are good indicators of watershed health.
In British Columbia we all live within a watershed, be it coastal rain forest or interior dry land. We all share the responsibility of maintaining the quality of natural resources within them.
This guide aims to:
- Introduce volunteers to the Streamkeepers program and provide information on how to get involved
- Provide a summary of available projects
- Provide basic information on watersheds, the water cycle and stream ecology
- Introduce the agencies responsible for managing various watershed resources
- Provide references, resources, glossaries and useful tips for keeping streams clean
- Inform through a series of training modules aimed at encouraging ‘hands on’ environmental activities which outline various aspects of Stream corridor stewardship