Salmo Watershed Streamkeepers Society

06/16/2026

Please spread the word and complete our online survey if you are fishing on the Salmo River this season!
https://salmostreamkeepers.limesurvey.net/993413?lang=en&newtest=Y

06/15/2026

Attention Anglers!
With fishing season set to open on the Salmo River tomorrow, The Salmo Watershed Streamkeepers Society are asking for your help. We are conducting a voluntary, anonymous angler survey to better understand fishing pressure, angler preferences, and the overall health of the Salmo River fishery.

The information collected will help us:
- Better understand catch rates and angler success.
- Track changes in Angling pressure, from local anglers and visitors.
- Assess whether the Salmo River is attracting increasing numbers of anglers from outside the West Kootenay and how this may influence fishing pressure.
- Evaluate whether habitat restoration projects are benefiting fish populations.
- Understand how changing river conditions may be affecting the fishery.
- Provide valuable local information to support future fisheries management and conservation efforts.

We intend to incorporate this data with our extensive Rainbow Trout and Bull Trout population monitoring data, as well as temperature and discharge records, to better understand the relationship between angling pressure, fish populations, and environmental conditions within the Salmo River watershed. We currently have over 20 years of this data, but are lacking angling information!

Please help us spread the word by sharing this post with other anglers who fish the Salmo River.

Survey link : https://salmostreamkeepers.limesurvey.net/993413?

Whether you caught lots of fish, a few fish, or no fish at all, your experience is valuable and we encourage you to participate.

We request that you follow all fishing regulations and practice proper fish handling techniques. Thank you for helping us better understand and protect this important fishery.

06/10/2026

With angling season set to open in the Salmo River Watershed on June 15th we wish to stress the importance of "Clean, Drain, Dry" for all gear in order to protect our waters from the threats of invasive species.

Attention Anglers!
This Event is for you.

You are invited to Family Fishing Weekend hosted by BC Parks at Champion Lakes Provincial Park on June 21 from 10 AM – 2 PM for a fun day of fishing and outdoor learning! Hosted by BC Parks

Stop by the CKISS outreach tent to learn how to “Clean, Drain, Dry” your gear and watercraft to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species. Test your skills with our Aquatic Hitchhikers activity challenge and learn what you can do to help stop the spread of Whirling Disease, recently detected in Kootenay Lake. Together, we can help protect local waters and the fish populations anglers rely on.

CKISS gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the for its contribution to the Whirling Disease Prevention. CKISS recognizes support from and the Government of British Columbia to our Education Programs.

06/09/2026

We are following up on our previous post with respect to turtles at Erie Lake. One of the requirements to install permanent signage is documenting road mortalities and crossing for 1-5 years. We request that you report any observed road kills [email protected], ideally with a photo and GPS coordinates (or an approximate location, ie. near rest area/ westbound side). The SWSS and Okanagan Nation Alliance have 2 years of data collected to date. Our team was out today and unfortunately 5 mortalities were observed. Thank you!

06/06/2026

🐢 Turtle Crossing Season is Underway at Erie Lake! 🐢
The Salmo Watershed Streamkeepers Society is aware of concerns regarding Western Painted Turtles crossing Highway 3 and adjacent roads around Erie Lake.
Each spring and early summer, female turtles leave the water to find suitable nesting sites. Unfortunately, this natural behaviour often brings them into conflict with vehicle and human interactions, making road mortality one of the greatest threats facing turtle populations.
During our 2025 monitoring program, SWSS documented 147 turtle nests around Erie Lake and the West Erie Wetland, highlighting the importance of this area for Western Painted Turtle reproduction. Many nesting locations occur along roadsides, trail edges, and disturbed gravel areas where turtles are vulnerable to vehicle traffic.
In 2025,the SWSS and Okanagan Nation Alliance installed basking structures, monitored nesting activity, and assessed road mortality risks to better understand how turtles are using the landscape and where conservation actions can have the greatest benefit
As a result of this study, we are exploring (in conjunction with the MOTT) the installation of silt fencing or other measures to reduce turtle crossings, as well as the installation of signage.
How you can help:
- Slow down when driving near Erie Lake and the West Erie Wetland, especially during warm mornings and evenings.
- Watch for turtles on road shoulders and crossing the highway.
- Never relocate turtles to another waterbody.
We also ask that if you see a turtle mortality or one crossing the road to take a photo, record the coordinates (if possible) or general location and send the info to [email protected] so we can further document the threats to western painted turtles
In 2025,the SWSS and Okanagan Nation Alliance installed basking structures, monitored nesting activity, and assessed road mortality risks to better understand how turtles are using the landscape and where conservation actions can have the greatest benefit.
Thank you to everyone who has reported sightings and shown concern for these remarkable animals. Together, we can help ensure Western Painted Turtles remain part of the Erie Lake ecosystem for generations to come.

05/26/2026

The Salmo Watershed Streamkeepers Society would like to clarify a few points regarding the Sheep Creek in-stream fertilization’ Food for Fish’ project:

This project was not initiated by the Salmo Watershed Streamkeepers Society (SWSS) as a “money grab through a grant.” It was established as compensation program for ongoing impacts associated with the installation of the fourth turbine at the Seven Mile Dam on the Pend d’Oreille River by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and BC Hydro, First Nations and others. SWSS, as trusted aquatic Stewarts here were asked to assist in implementation and monitoring of the project on their behalf.

The project is now being managed by the Flatbow Cultural Society. ‘Flatbow’ is a Yaqan Nukiy First Nation organization from Creston and part of the larger Ktunaxa Nation. The SWSS has been asked to provide input, technical assistance, general support and monitoring oversite to ensure precise and safe operations.

There is extensive scientific literature supporting the benefits of nutrient restoration projects in nutrient-limited streams. The Sheep Creek project itself was designed as a rigorous before-after-control-impact (BACI) scientific study, comparing Sheep Creek to the South Salmo River over multiple years. Monitoring demonstrated increases in periphyton production, aquatic invertebrates, and fish growth and abundance, including Bull Trout. These projects are described as providing ‘bottom-up’ benefits – nutrients beget periphyton (moss), begets food for grazing invertebrates (aquatic bugs), begets ‘food for fish’. Indeed, Sheep Creek, likely because of fertilization has maintained a steady Bull Trout (BT) population compared to other Salmo Watershed areas known for BT that are in decline. It is possible we could lose this species without fertilization benefit.

The fertilizers used are not simply dumped into the creek. Agricultural-grade liquid nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers are carefully metered, in ug/L, parts per billion, into the stream using precision injection systems calibrated every 3 days to the amount of water in the stream and known target nutrient concentrations for healthy aquatic ecosystems. These nutrient additions are intended to mimic natural nutrient inputs historically provided by the decay of returning Salmon, a natural process that has been eliminated with the installation of several dams. The products used are approved and extensively monitored under regulatory oversight to ensure concentrations remain environmentally safe. The Project carries out plant and animal monitoring and in every case species size and numbers have increased. Multiple sessions of upstream/downstream water quality monitoring using independent lab analysis has always shown improved drinking water quality downstream of the ‘Food for Fish’ site likely due to the ability of phosphorus fertilizer to help neutralize metals concentrations occurring naturally from the geology in Sheep Creek or possibly from phosphorus ability to relieve impacts from mine tailings in the area.

Constructive discussion is important, but it is equally important that public statements are accurate and reflect the actual science, history, and purpose of the Project.

05/14/2026

Prior to the construction of a series of dams along the Columbia River and its tributaries, salmon once made their way up the Columbia River system and returned to tributaries like the Salmo River—an incredible migration that connected watersheds, ecosystems, and communities.
In both Sinixt and Syilx oral history, there is the story of Coyote bringing the salmon up the Columbia River, a reminder of the deep cultural and ecological significance of these fish long before dams changed the landscape. These stories reflect the relationship between people, salmon, and the watershed that has sustained communities for generations.
To honour that history, the Salmo Watershed Streamkeepers Society commissioned a wooden sculpture titled Coyote Bringing Us Salmon, created by artists Dmitri Klimenko and Chad Thompson. The carving features Coyote alongside the salmon species that once migrated up the Columbia to the Salmo River and represents both remembrance and reflection—recognizing what was lost, while continuing conversations about watershed health, restoration, and the importance of salmon to this region and its First Nation’s people.
The Salmo Watershed Streamkeepers have graciously donated this sculpture to Selkirk College, where it is now on display in the Commons for students, staff, and visitors to admire.
This piece stands as a reminder of the river’s history, the cultural significance of salmon to Indigenous communities throughout the Columbia Basin, and the importance of protecting and restoring the watersheds we live in.
https://imaginesalmon.com/
https://selkirk.ca/events/welcome-ceremony-coyote-bringing-us-salmon-carving

12/03/2025

Just a friendly reminder of our AGM at the Salmo Valley Youth and Community Center this evening at 6:00 pm. We are also actively seeking new board members. If this is something that interests you, please attend!

11/20/2025

Please join us for our AGM on December 3, 2025 at the Salmo Valley Youth and Community Centre!