Peter Hope Lake

The small lakes of British Columbia’s Interior are important for fish, wildlife, ranching and recreation. To protect these vital small lakes for fish, wildlife and people, the BC Environment Fisheries Branch, with funding from the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund and the Interior Wetlands Program (Environment Canada and Ducks Unlimited) initiated, in 1991, the Small Lakes Water Conservation Project.

The Peter Hope Lake Project, a demonstration project of Small Lakes Water Conservation, has reduced impacts to fish and wildlife habitat by eliminating the need to draw down Peter Hope Lake for livestock watering and irrigation. This demonstration project promotes a beneficial, innovative, and efficient use of water resources and has resulted in a “win-win” situation for the fish, wildlife, recreation and the ranchers of British Columbia’s Interior.

In the Interior Fraser Basin of British Columbia, a reliable source of clean, quality water is vital to healthy fish and wildlife populations, as well as the ranching and recreation communities. Small lakes and wetlands capture, store and moderate the release of water. These small lakes and associated wetlands maintain an essential resource in an otherwise dry landscape and provide important habitat for a myriad of fish and wildlife species. Small lakes also provide necessary irrigation and livestock watering for ranchers, as well as recreation and tourism opportunities for the larger community.

Many of the small lakes near Kamloops, BC exist because of dams created during the early 1900’s for irrigation purposes. Water is drawn from these lakes during the summer months to irrigate forage crops downstream. At full storage, the lakes and their surrounding riparian areas provide excellent habitat for rainbow trout and other fish and wildlife species. However, as water is released for irrigation in the summer months, the remaining water in many of these small lakes are exposed to high water temperatures, blue green algae blooms, and oxygen depletion. Such conditions upset the lakes’ natural water regimes, disrupting water quality and wildlife habitat. These conditions are lethal to many fish species, causing significant ‘summerkill’ of fish stocks. In the winter, aquatic habitat diminishes and oxygen levels further decrease, and, when thick ice forms over these small lakes, oxygen levels become intolerable to fish resulting in ‘winterkill.’

To reduce summerkill and winterkill of fish stocks in these small lakes, and to prevent the loss of important wetland habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife species, the BC Environment Fisheries Branch, with funding from the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund, initiated the ‘Small Lakes Water Conservation Feasibility’ project using the BC Conservation Foundation as a delivery partner. This project focused on establishing partnerships among ranchers, government, and conservation organizations to develop alternative water use strategies for the small lakes in the Kamloops area. The Peter Hope Lake project is an important demonstration of the improved water management results achieved through this unique partnership approach initiated by the ‘Small Lakes Conservation Project.’

The specific objectives of the Peter Hope Lake Restoration Project were to:

For The Rancher
·Provide a clean and reliable water source for irrigation and livestock watering.

·Enable a more sustainable agriculture practice through the preservation of water resources.

For The Community
·Enhance tourism and recreation activities on the site.

·Preserve and protect the ecosystem and water resources of the site.

·Decrease rainbow trout stocking costs by increasing fish survival rates.

For Fish & Wildlife
·Improve quality and quantity of important habitats for fish.

·Increase long-term survival of wetland dependent plant and animal species.

The objectives and enhancement techniques of the Small Lakes Conservation Project were to:
· Synthesize existing information on watershed drainage areas, water availability, water licenses, storage structures and costs/benefits of reducing irrigation demands.

·Develop watershed working groups to discuss alternative water use strategies that can satisfy local stakeholders.

·Conduct any studies required to eliminate information gaps which will help identify alternative water use strategies (i.e. hydrological assessments, large scale mapping of groundwater sources, digital elevation modeling, assessment of water licenses).

· Coordinate and implement specific field projects (agreed to by local stakeholders) to reduce the potential impacts of lake draw down. Projects included:

a) construction of additional storage facilities and/or diversions into named lakes;

b) development of ground water wells to reduce or eliminate releases of stored water;

c) refinement of existing water release schedules; and

d) improvements to existing water storage structures or delivery systems.

Wildlife use riparian zones around wetlands more than other habitats for breeding, feeding and avoiding detection by predators. Studies demonstrate that range management decisions can significantly impact the breeding success of water birds and other types of wildlife. The challenge facing ranchers in the Interior is to develop grazing systems that promote healthy wetland and riparian habitat, provide adequate forage for livestock, and allow reasonable access by cattle to water. In many cases, once riparian areas are established and in good health, a suitable grazing management system of these sites may prove ecologically sustainable.

With regards to water quality and quantity of small lakes, The Small Lakes Conservation project found that many of the historic water licenses were issued without a detailed water availability assessment. In many cases, the lake storage capacity turned out to be less than the irrigation license quantity, and, in other cases, the water drawn from these small lakes was not “beneficially used” for its intended purpose. Overall, many of the past licenses issued were in fact, unfeasible. The challenge still exists to facilitate better management of water and licensing arrangements. Monitoring programs are expected to be established to evaluate the water licenses in relation to lake-storage capacity, and to ensure the abuse of water rights is not taking place.

Continued partnerships among ranchers/licensees, the Water Management Branch of the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, and conservation organizations – alongside appropriate grazing management plans, and more qualitative methods to assess water availability, water demands, and actual water use – will be key factors in promoting conservation strategies and successful small lake projects, such as Peter Hope Lake, into the future.

The Small Lakes Water Conservation Project began collecting information on surface and ground water hydrology, water licenses, storage facilities and delivery systems to determine the opportunities of alternatives to lake draw down for irrigation purposes. Several opportunities arose from this initial assessment – altering water use practices, quantifying water availability and providing additional storage facilities, and/or refining water release schedules were seen as immediate opportunities to improve the efficiency of the water systems and reduce the amount of water drawn from these small lakes.

To address these preliminary results from feasibility study of the Small Lakes Conservation Project, the development of watershed working groups – partnerships among ranchers, government, and conservation organizations – were initiated to facilitate better management of water and licensing arrangements.

With further assistance from the Interior Wetland Program, a Federal project of the Fraser River Action Plan, further initiatives and support for individual projects such as Peter Hope Lake were carried out. Collectively, over 100 partners, throughout the Interior of BC and beyond, have provided time, research and expertise for these small lake projects. Ranchers and other landowners have contributed approximately 9000 ha of land for project sites.

In 1994, the MELP Fisheries Program with funding from the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund, developed a cooperative plan with John Lauder, range lease holder; Jim LaBounty, Peter Hope Lake Resort; the late Laurie Guichon, Gerard Guichon Ranch; Ducks Unlimited Canada; and Environment Canada (through the Interior Wetlands Program) for an alternative, more efficient water source for the Guichon Ranch, and improved lake and wetland habitat for fish and wildlife at Peter Hope Lake.

‘Restoring a balance’ at Peter Hope Lake began with approval and assistance from range permit holder John Lauder, Jim LaBounty of Peter Hope Lake Resort, and the late Laurie Guichon of Gerard Guichon Ranch. New fences and cattle guards were constructed to exclude livestock from grazing in the riparian areas (and the important marsh to the north) of Peter Hope Lake. John Lauder, recognizing the importance of this wetland, provided a portion of his licensed summer range to be fenced off from cattle grazing. Jim Labounty provides maintenance and upkeep of these fences.

Soon after construction of the fences, the BC Environment Fisheries Branch worked with Guichon Ranch to construct a new well, pump house and watering facility to provide a year round, efficient watering system for livestock. Guichon Ranch provided the labour for construction, Ducks Unlimited Canada and Environment Canada, through the Interior Wetlands Program, provided funds to bring the needed hydropower to the site to generate the well pump.

The Peter Hope Lake Restoration Project is a commendable Small Lakes Conservation Project and Interior Wetland Program demonstration area of solutions to balancing fish, wildlife, ranching, and community issues. For the first time in thirty years, the lake level in Peter Hope reached spillway height in the spring of 1997, and was maintained at this level throughout the summer and fall months. The Pete Hope Lake project effectively eliminated 100% of the irrigation draw down from the lake, and improved irrigation efficiency, while preserving fish stocks, habitat value, and recreation opportunities.

Ultimately, restoring and balancing the lake’s water levels helps to maintain and enhance many wetland dependent plants, which provide ecological habitat for insects, crustaceans, molluscs, as well as the young fry and adult rainbow trout. The protection of this important aquatic habitat benefits, in turn, a diversity of waterfowl and wildlife species.

The local community has reacted favourably to this Small Lakes Conservation Project and Interior Wetland Program’s alternative water use strategies. And certainly, the consultation and cooperation – such as time, valuable assistance, and insight – members of the community have provided, has been instrumental in ensuring long-term progress towards water conservation efforts in BC’s Interior.

“Everyone associated with this project has benefited, but the entire ecosystem is the ultimate winner.”
– Jim LaBounty, Peter Hope Lake Resort from “Peter Hope Lake – Restoring a Balance.”

To instill the awareness of economic and ecological balance, and to promote land and water stewardship, these small lake projects, such as Peter Hope Lake, will continue to focus on:

· Promoting stewardship of small lakes, wetlands and riparian areas as part of a healthy landscape throughout the Interior.

· Employing alternative land use practices that are economically, ecologically, and socially effective and acceptable.

· Facilitating extension activities of one-on-one consultation with landowners, government agencies, and conservation organizations.

Many individuals and organizations have cooperated to make the Peter Hope Lake a successful Small Lakes Conservation Project, and a model case study. Certainly, the consultation and cooperation – such as time, valuable assistance, and insight – members of the community have provided, has been instrumental in ensuring long-term progress towards water conservation efforts in BC’s Interior.

Of great contribution to the success of Peter Hope Lake was the unique partnership with the late Laurie Guichon of Gerard Guichon Ranch. Mr. Guichon was a key figure in the ranching community and instrumental in agriculture and wildlife conservation.

The valuable time, insight and commitment Laurie Guichon contributed to the Peter Hope project is greatly appreciated. His insight into land ethics and stewardship, his contribution and commitment to not only Peter Hope Lake, but also the region as a whole, will serve as a model for community and government partnership far into the future.

Other key players in this in the Peter Hope Lake Project include John Lauder, range permit holder who donated the portion of his rangeland for habitat protection, as well as Jim LaBounty of Peter Hope Lake Resort. We would like to recognize the other agency partners involved including: Habitat Conservation Trust Fund; BC Conservation Foundation; Interior Wetlands Program (Ducks Unlimited Canada; Environment Canada); BC Ministry of Forests, Range Division.

The Peter Hope Lake Restoration Project Case Study is based on: “The Habitat Conservation Trust Fund Progress Report” -Small Lakes Water Conservation (1997); “Peter Hope Lake: Restoring a Balance” – a brochure prepared for the Interior Wetlands Program; and, “An Evaluation of the Interior Wetlands Program- Accomplishments and Impacts to Date” – prepared for Ducks Unlimited Canada by Dovetail Consulting Inc.(1996).

Habitat Conservation Trust Fund
http://www.elp.gov.bc.ca/hctf/
PO Box 9354

Stn. Prov. Government
Victoria, BC Canada
V8W 9M1
Fax: (250) 952 6684
Ducks Unlimited Canada / Kamloops, BC
http://www.ducks.ca
954A Laval Crescent
Kamloops, BC CAN
V2C 5P5
Phone: (250) 374-8307
Fax: (250) 374-6287
Email: webfoot@ducks.ca