NOW IS THE TIME FOR AN ENVIRONMENTAL INVENTORY FOR SALMON ARM
WA:TER applauds Salmon Arm City Council's decision to allocate $40,000 (2011/12) for work toward Sensitive Habitat Inventory Mapping (SHIM), and $10,000 (2012) to a Sensitive Ecosystems Inventory (SEI), and most importantly, its plan to begin the first phase of implementation in 2012.You can't protect what you don't know you have, and this is an important step forward in understanding, respecting and protecting our environment.In November 2010, many citizens of Salmon Arm urged the city to develop an environmental inventory to better plan land use, and pledged more than $14,000 toward this goal. The time has come to put our pledges to work. Donations received by the city for SHIM/SEI before February 20 will be put to use in 2012, with those received after this date going to the next phase. Donations may be earmarked for both or either projects. The current allocation of funds emphasizes the SHIM, but with additional funds, the SEI component could be implemented on a larger and more cost effective scale than suggested in the following Observer article. Charitable receipts will be issued for all contributions.
MAIL: City of Salmon Arm, Box 40, Salmon Arm, BC V1E 4N2 (cheques to the City of Salmon Arm)
IN PERSON: Cash, cheques and debit cards can be processed directly at City Hall.
PLEASE NOTE: Signed donation confirmation forms must accompany all donations.
[ City of Salmon Arm - SHIM donation confirmation form ]
[ City of Salmon Arm - SEI donation confirmation form ]
What exactly are SHIM and SEI?
Sensitive Habitat Inventory Mapping or SHIM is an ecosystem-based mapping technique that focuses on the collection and mapping of reliable, high quality, current, and spatially accurate information about local freshwater habitats, watercourses, and associated riparian communities.
Sensitive Ecosystems Inventory or SEI are inventories of terrestrial landscapes within our area that are identified as ecologically fragile and (or) are recognized as rare. The purpose of an SEI project is to identify these ecosystems and to encourage land-use decisions that will ensure their continued integrity.
Salmon Arm Observer article - January 11, 2012
"Throughout the process that led to the approval of the SmartCentres shopping centre development, calls were made for sensitive ecosystems mapping of the city so developers would know outright which areas are off limits.
At its Friday budget meeting, council agreed to add $20,000 to an existing $20,000 reserve for the $80,000 Sensitive Habitat Inventory and Mapping (SHIM) of local watercourses. Council also allocated $10,000 towards the $45,000 Sensitive Ecosystem Inventory (SEI) mapping.
Corey Paiement, the city's director of development services, said both mapping projects would be phased in, with the $10,000 likely paying for SEI mapping this year of Area B, the rural residential area along Foothill Road and the lower slopes of Mt. Ida that has been identified for several years as another area for urban residential development. The SHIM project, mapping watercourses, would also begin in 2012. It's possible that a request for proposals could include the first phase of both mapping projects."
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Rivers Day CelebrationBarb Brower [Salmon Arm Observer - September 29, 2011]It was a beautiful day by the Salmon River as some 300 people attended a traditional Secwepemc Gathering to celebrate World River's Day. Not only did the event raise some $1,400 for projects late elder Dr. Mary Thomas held dear, it brought together natives and non-natives in a hospitable and fun environment - with some visiting from as far away as Europe. "I think the best part was just having everyone there," said Mary's daughter Bonnie. "There was information-trading, laughing - it's very humbling. We really got the messages out that my mother wanted." A member of the Switzmalph Society, Bonnie was thrilled with the number of groups with whom the band is partnering in restoring and protecting the delta: Shuswap Tourism/CSRD, BC Environmental Farm Plan, Shuswap Trail Alliance, Shuswap Naturalists and WA:TER. BC Redi funding obtained through Community Futures will also help move delta projects ahead. |
A welcome by Neskonlith Chief Judy Wilson's was followed by Shuswap Nation Tribal Council spokesperson Wayne Christian, who called for co-operation. He took issue with governments he says spend billions of dollars fighting First Nations to the detriment of people and the environment.
"We've got to put people in public office that will work with First Nations," he said. "There are four sacred nations - red, brown, black and white."
Following other brief presentations, drumming, dancing and hilarious storytelling by Ken Thomas entertained a rapt audience. Others headed out on trail walks to learn more about the value of the river set to the rhythm of mother nature and native drumming.
NESKONLITH PETITIONS FOR JUDICIAL REVIEW
On July 28, 2011, the Neskonlith Indian Band petitioned the Supreme Court of BC for a Judicial Review of the City of Salmon Arm's approval of an Environmentally Hazardous Area Development Permit Application by Salmon Arm Shopping Centre Inc. (SmartCentres). The petition asks the Court, see pages 4 and 5, to quash the approval or to stop all activities, "... pending adequate consultation with, and if necessary, accommodation of the Neskonlith Indian Band."[ Complete article reporting NIB's intention to file.]
SMARTCENTRES GETS CITY APPROVAL
By Lachlan Labere - Salmon Arm Observer July 13, 2011
An outpouring from academia failed to keep Salmon Arm council from approving a development permit relating to flood risk on the proposed SmartCentres property. Council's decision came Monday evening following two back-to-back public hearings that lasted four-and-a-half hours. The first hearing related to a development permit application that determines the form and character of the shopping centre development at the west end of town. The second hearing was for a Hazardous Areas Development Permit, which determines whether the site can safely be used for the intended purpose. Council unanimously approved the first permit. The second, however, saw Couns. Ivan Idzan and Ken Jamieson opposed, and Couns. Alan Harrison, Kevin Flynn and Debbie Cannon, and Mayor Marty Bootsma, in favour. [ complete article ] SMARTCENTRES FIGHTS INFORMATION RELEASE
By Martha Wickett - Salmon Arm Observer Published: June 28, 2011
Salmon Arm Shopping Centres Ltd. has taken to the courts to prevent information in the possession of Fisheries and Oceans Canada from being made public. ... In August 2010, Warren Bell, president of the Wa:ter (Wetland Alliance: The Ecological Response) group, submitted an Access to Information request for information ... Bell told the Observer that fill had been placed on what was once an oxbow of the Salmon River, and so he and his group were curious what discussions took place with Fisheries and Oceans Canada prior to and following the fill placement. ... It could be early next year before the case goes to trial. [ complete article ] 
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FLOOD HAZARD AND RISKWhat is a snow pillow gauge? LiDAR? What is flood hazard and risk? Missed the March 15th public meeting on flooding and the Salmon River delta? And just where is the Magic School Bus these days?Visit our Delta Page for solutions to these questions and more. To better understand the Salmon River, floodplain and Shuswap Lake, WA:TER has gathered information from several sources, posted newspaper and video presentations by water experts and First Nations representatives, and linked to the Magic School Bus' Walkerville field trip. 
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SALMON RIVER AND DELTA: INFORMATION REVIEW
WA:TER recently commissioned a preliminary information review by BGC Engineering to identify data and analysis gaps that would allow an assessment of flood and associated risks, which can be accomplished within the framework of a quantitative flood risk assessment (QFRA). The principal objective of a QFRA is to gain a thorough understanding of the consequences of various flood scenarios. This provides the tools for decision makers tasked with managing urban and industrial development and associated infrastructure to weigh the various risks with the benefits gained through future developments. In absence of this understanding, development decisions cannot be footed on sound science, and may therefore not be in the best interest of society at large. [May 30, 2011]CITY EXPECTING RESPONSE FROM SMARTCENTRES
By Martha Wickett - Salmon Arm Observer Published: June 28, 2011 6:00 PM
Calls for a flood risk assessment of the Salmon River delta before development occurs on the site is expected to prompt a response from SmartCentres. The Neskonlith Indian Band wrote to the City of Salmon Arm on June 3, reiterating its concerns about flooding and explaining that its legal counsel had retained an expert, Prof. Michael Church, to determine if flood risk was being properly assessed for the proposed shopping centre. ... Mayor Marty Bootsma told the Observer Friday that Corey Paiement, the city's director of development and planning services, is going over the Church report and he thinks he has asked SmartCentres to prepare a response. "It's a wait and see," said Bootsma. "We'll see their response." [ complete article ]
Community Information Meeting -
March 15, 2011 @ 7 pmSalmon Arm First United Church Matthias Jakob, PhD. P.Geo., BGC Engineering Alan Bates, P. Eng. Hydrologist, Streamworks Unlimited Paul Doyle, P. Eng. Hydrologist, Doyle Engineering Bonnie Thomas, Switzmalph Cultural Society How has the Salmon River shaped the rich and dynamic river delta? What have engineers and geoscientists learned about building on river deltas around the world? On Tuesday March 15 at 7 p.m. at First United Church (corner of Okanagan Ave & 4th St. SE) Salmon Arm's science based citizens group, WA:TER, and the Switzmalph Cultural Society, hosted three expert earth scientists to share their knowledge. PAINT PARADISESAGA recently hosted a spectacular multi-media juried members' exhibition of Views of the Salmon River Delta. Whether this exhibition was dedicated to the future or to the past, it was about right now and taking the time to appreciate where the river meets the lake in Salmon Arm Bay. (Linda Franklin's painting is featured on the poster opposite.) |
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DR. MARY THOMAS HERITAGE SANCTUARYDr. Mary Thomas had a vision; collaboration amongst people who would value and preserve the gifts of nature. Mary Thomas, a respected Neskonlith Elder, dedicated her life to sharing the knowledge of the earth's bounty she had learned from her Grandmothers. The Mary Thomas Heritage Sanctuary, once created, will be dedicated to carrying on the legacy of Dr. Mary to advance the cultural values and knowledge of her people through collaboration and exchange, provide work for youth and others interested in learning and sharing cultural and environmental knowledge through the development of a variety of complementary social enterprises, protect a valuable environmentally and culturally sensitive wetlands area in the Salmon River estuary, and provide a world class environmental and cultural centre in the Shuswap.The Dr. Mary Thomas Heritage Sanctuary dream is a big step closer to becoming reality, having received a $260,000 REDI-BC grant!
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RALLY FOR THE RIVERWe were honoured to present esteemed Dr. Nancy Turner as the Rally for the River's keynote speaker September 29 at the Salmar Classic."Nancy is considered by her peers as the foremost ethnobotanist in Canada who has devoted her career to understanding the cultural context of plant uses," says Dr. John Schofield, Dean of Social Sciences. "Her research with First Nations cultures has set the standard for collaborative research with indigenous people and demonstrates how important their knowledge of native plants and ecological interactions are for understanding the environment in those areas."
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 Photo credit: Deddeda Stemler |