Brunette Basin Watershed Analysis

Introduction
The Brunette Basin Watershed is a 73 square kilometre watershed that stretches into several municipalities in the Lower Mainland, including portions of Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Coquitlam and Port Moody (Greater Vancouver Regional District [GVRD], 2001a; see appendix A). This watershed is centralized within a highly developed urban area, meaning that humans and the natural environment interact on a regular basis. However, the impact of humans on this watershed has degraded animal habitats and the ability for animals to live within the watershed. This project will examine the habitats and the animals that exist within the Brunette Basin Watershed, the importance of these natural habitats for these animals, and the disappearance
The Metro Vancouver Ecological Health Plan (EHAP) is an ongoing coordinated effort between local governments and environmental organizations to restore and maintain the natural environment in Metro Vancouver. One key objective of the EHAP is restore and maintain the ecology of the upper and lower parts of the Brunette River. According to the EHAP, the goals of this plan are to increase the flow of water in the Brunette River in order to enable different salmon species and the Nooksack Dace to navigate the river and reach spawning grounds, to improve spawning habitats within the river, and to educate the public on the significance of the ecology of the river (Metro Vancouver, October 2011).
Alongside the goals of the EHAP, the Sapperton Fish and Game Club (SFGC) has contributed to the restoration of habitat in the Brunette Basin Watershed and the reintroduction of salmon into the Brunette River. The SFGC played an important role in coercing Metro Vancouver to avoid using chloramine (a chemical that is harmful to aquatic animals) to sanitize drinking water in 1992 (Sapperton Fish and Game Club [SFGC], n.d.). The SFGC has also acted as stewards of the Brunette River by operating a salmon hatchery since 1997 that breeds salmon that are eventually
For example, the coordinated efforts of the federal, provincial, and local governments and environmental groups such as the SFGC have lead to the revitalization of the formerly unhabitable Brunette River (SFGC, n.d.). This revitalization was seen in 2016 when cameras and fish counters used to measure the amount of fish that passed through the Cariboo Dam recorded 2050 fish (Metro Vancouver, 2017). When the number of fish that reached the Brunette River from Stoney Creek is considered, this number increases to 4584 fish in 2016—the highest amount recorded since record keeping began 25 years prior (Metro Vancouver,