Researchers spent Tuesday waist-deep in streams close to Okanagan Falls, looking for one of many smallest indicators of river well being — mussels.
Zoe Eyjolfson, Fluvial Geomorphologist, explains {that a} excessive mussel rely is a constructive indicator of water high quality as a result of mussels filter particles from the water.
Cohan Sassaman
“Mussels are an indicator of water high quality, so we wish to put in additional habitat that the mussels like,” mentioned geomorphologist Zoe Eyjolfson.
As drought continues to pressure the area, scientists are surveying mussels, fish habitat and river circumstances to gather knowledge that can assist information future restoration initiatives geared toward making a extra strong watershed and growing biodiversity in areas which have misplaced a number of species.
Mussel species are simply certainly one of many being studied to find out which habitats are thriving and which can have to be improved earlier than some species can return.
Cohan Sassaman
The work is a part of a broader effort by the Collaborative Management Desk (CLT), a partnership of First Nations and native governments creating a 250-year imaginative and prescient for managing water throughout the Okanagan.
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“Final 12 months, the drought began within the valley and climbed up the mountains. This 12 months, the drought appears to be throughout, suddenly,” mentioned Chani Welch, a hydroscientist working with the initiative.
Chani Welch, Hydroscientist, explains that decrease water ranges trigger rivers to heat extra shortly, making it tough for some fish species to outlive the warmth and stopping some salmon species from reaching their pure spawning grounds.
Cohan Sassaman
The data collected may assist establish areas the place rivers may be restored with extra pure banks and habitat, bettering biodiversity and creating more healthy circumstances for fish and different aquatic species.
Researchers say they’ve already discovered a stark distinction between the man-made channels close to Okanagan Falls and sections of the river farther downstream, the place pure embankments stay intact and assist better biodiversity.
“While you don’t have that pure biodiversity inside a river and that pure river vitality, you’ve a really homogeneous, lifeless river, and it’s just about only a scorching bathtub for these species. A whole lot of them die” Eyjolfson mentioned.
The analysis will assist inform future selections by municipalities, First Nations and the Collaborative Management Desk as they work towards restoring waterways whereas balancing the wants of agriculture, ecosystems and communities.
“We have to get higher at speaking that these selections are being made with knowledge. And it’s not simply Western knowledge, it’s additionally our Syilx neighborhood members who’re telling us that we’re in a extreme drought,” Welch mentioned.
For the researchers within the water, each measurement collected immediately is one other piece of proof that might assist form a more healthy Okanagan watershed for generations to return.
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