The Kawesas Watershed Assessment

VIII: Conclusions & Key Findings

Page 11: Chapter VIII: Conclusions & Key Findings

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Peter K. Schoonmaker

The physical terrain of the Kawesas is strongly modified by climate, recent glaciation and a thin veneer of soil on very steep sideslopes, supporting an old growth forest of spruce, hemlock, cedar, amabilis fir and occasional Douglas-fir. The terrain is geomorphologically active; avalanche-prone areas, slope class 4 and 5 areas, and sites with potentially thin soils occupy 66, 70, and 45 percent of the productive forest, respectively. Sediment pulses from slope failures and snow avalanches have modified an actively aggrading river channel that is highly dynamic. This active mainstem and its side channels appear to have consumed much of the floodplain forest during the past several hundred years, and have entrained large woody debris (LWD) that increases the stability of this highly dynamic system. This LWD helps to create much of the off-channel habitat that is highest in biodiversity value, and is most productive for salmonid production. Most of the coniferous forest within the Kawesas floodplain may be needed to supply observed levels of LWD to the river over the course of the next 250 years. Overall, sites with LWD averaged approximately 12 times as many fish and approximately 11 times more biomass than sites without LWD.

The most productive forest occurs at elevations below 300 metres; and most stands contain a substantial amount of LWD as snags or downed logs. Dead wood made up over one third of the standing basal area and stems in floodplain coniferous forests. Small to medium-sized wind events appear to be the major disturbance factors. Wind-throw mounds and logs are important rooting surfaces on floodplain and terrace slopes, and may be essential for maintaining the regenerative capacity of low elevation forests. Most of the commercially valuable timber is found within a few hundred metres of the Kawesas mainstem. Much of the wood in these stands is defective, with the mature amabilis fir being the most sound and commercially valuable.

This report documented the significance of many wildlife species in the Kawesas. Benthic invertebrate fauna provide a useful measure of ecosystem integrity, and can lend themselves to a cost-effective long-term monitoring system; a baseline for such a system was established in the Kawesas. The central valley floor with its wetlands probably has more amphibian residents than any other drainage on the coast of Central British Columbia. Grizzly bears are present and black bears are common in the Kawesas, with a potential in the Kawesas gene pool for the recessive Kermode gene for white colour phase, due to the close proximity of the Princess Royal Island population. A total of four vertebrates in the Kawesas are on the provincial "Red List" of endangered or threatened species, and eleven are "Blue Listed."

These species deserve more study before significant development is planned, but information about anadromous fish in the Kawesas needs even more attention. Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) salmonid enumerations have been cursory and discontinuous, owing to the remoteness of the Kawesas and limited resources. Ours is the first study to document juvenile populations, and there has been no effort that we know of to enumerate potential steelhead or cutthroat populations. Likewise no studies of oolichan have been undertaken until recently (Kelson 1996). Only two of 15 significant oolichan runs in British Columbia — the Kawesas and the Kitlope — have escaped moderate to extensive hydrological and/or industrial disturbance. Since runs in the five oolichan-bearing rivers in the Gardner Canal/Kitlope region appear to be sequential, the Kawesas should be managed as one part of a larger system on which the Haisla depend.

Dates from culturally modified trees clearly demonstrate the extensive use of the valley in early historic and prehistoric times back to 395 years ago. Evidence from nearby sites documents occupation for millennia. Although traditional use of the Kawesas watershed declined in the early part of this century, it continues to be an important part of traditional Haisla life, and constitutes a key part of the territory that the Haisla refer to as Huchsduwachsdu.

Key findings of the Kawesas Watershed Assessment are summarized in Table 4. Environmentally sensitive areas include geomorphically active sites, locations with thin soils, floodplain forests and hydroriparian areas, off-channel salmonid habitat, ungulate wintering grounds, and forest cover types where culturally modified trees have been found (Map 8). In addition, the lower Kawesas below Cole Creek, especially the estuary, has high biodiversity values, and deserves special attention should human activities increase in the watershed.

Ecosystem management options

Timber Stands in Relation to All Factors Sensitive to Disturbance Kawesas high volume stands

The Kawesas has a long history of low-impact, sustainable human use by the Haisla people. In addition to traditional uses of plants and wildlife, the Kawesas has also seen a small amount of selective timber harvest. The Haisla, who claim long-standing title to the Kawesas, desire to continue their traditional uses, which they maintain are compatible with many other uses — but not with industrial timber harvest. The current condition of the timber, wildlife, and fisheries of the watershed is testament to the inherent sustainability of previous resource use. So a primary management option is to allow continuation of traditional subsistence use.

Examples of compatible activities include tourism, with an emphasis on wilderness recreation and wildlife viewing. This report has documented an abundant and easily observed suite of wildlife species, including bear, goats, aquatic and marine life, and numerous bird species. In addition, the old-growth forests of the Kawesas have high scenic value and offer numerous routes to reach upper elevation forests and alpine tundra. The opportunities for a small recreational fishery are probably limited, but information on the presence of a steelhead run (and salmonids in general) in the Kawesas is inadequate to rule out such a fishery. Recent ecotourism activities in the Kitlope watershed indicate that the neighboring Kawesas would see numerous entry or exit trips as part of more extensive wilderness ecotours. The lower Kawesas is navigable to the confluence of Cole Creek, and can be run by canoe, raft, or kayak from river kilometre 26 with a helicopter drop, offering an unparalleled wilderness experience. Numerous overnight camp sites can be found along the banks of the river, as well as in the estuary itself. The Haisla Nation is exploring the feasibility of different kinds of ecotourism opportunities in Huchsduwachsdu.

Education activities are compatible with traditional uses and ecotourism. The recent success of the Haisla Nation Rediscovery program in Huchsduwachsdu clearly indicates that cultural and ecological education in this wild corner of British Columbia has a bright future. This program has helped address many issues faced by young people — Haisla, other Native, and non-Native — including alcohol and drug abuse, low self-esteem, and lack of cultural knowledge. Since 1993 the Haisla Rediscovery program has served more than 100 youths, ages 9–19, including 42 in the 1995 season and 24 in 1996. The program fosters self-esteem and cultural awareness by bringing elders and youth (Native and non-Native) together in a wilderness setting to engage in such traditional activities as council fires, solo wilderness experiences, salmon and plant gathering and preparation, and Haisla language, song, and dance instruction.

The Kawesas also lends itself to scientific research. This report marks a beginning in our effort to understand the dynamics of the Kawesas ecosystem. Each section of this study makes clear that more study of the Kawesas would uncover valuable information for managing the system, and for understanding the workings of medium sized coastal watersheds in general. The Kawesas is one of 88 watersheds falling between 20,000–100,000 hectares in coastal British Columbia, and one of only eleven that remain pristine (Moore 1991). So it is representative of a size-class of watershed that is common in coastal B.C., in a condition that is relatively uncommon, and that is tractable for ecosystem research.

Indeed the Kawesas is one of a series of watersheds throughout the province that should be set aside as reference study areas to be used to collect baseline information on population, community, and ecosystem dynamics. Fish populations, hydrological regimes, forest stands, benthic organisms, wildlife, and aboriginal use are a few of the broad components of this and other watersheds, all deserving of long-term monitoring and study.

All the activities mentioned above are not only compatible, they are synergistic. Yet only one activity, forest harvesting, has been seriously considered by government and industry, and no assessment of the impacts of this activity has been made public. Approximately 1,400 hectares of the Kawesas' 6,317 hectares of productive forest are considered "operable," most of it within a few hundred metres of the Kawesas mainstem. The Kawesas watershed presents serious challenges to commercial timber harvesting. Most problematic would be access to operable timber stands. Stands below Cole Creek are more accessible, but this is the area highest in biodiversity values. The terrain becomes less accessible as one travels past Cole Creek.

This report provides an overview of the characteristics of the Kawesas that should be weighed as a whole, before any plan to harvest timber is considered. These characteristics point to environmentally sensitive areas that merit site-specific study by anyone contemplating increased human activity in the Kawesas. In some cases the accumulation of sensitive characteristics may influence development plans, in other cases one factor lone may determine what kind of activity is appropriate.

The implications of resource management planning in the Kawesas will be felt throughout northwestern British Columbia and beyond. Currently management activities in the Kawesas are being planned with very little ecological and socioeconomic information. This report represents the most detailed public information available for the Kawesas. What little information the provincial government and private industry possess is not available to the public in any meaningful form. Considering that forest resource planning for TFL 41 encompasses hundreds of thousands of hectares rather than just the 40,000 hectares of the Kawesas, it is evident that current planning practices are insufficient for democratic and sustainable resource management. We contend that this watershed assessment — a rapid, integrative, and cost-effective (total budget less than $150,000 Canadian) methodology — represents an especially promising approach towards addressing these resource management challenges.

The provincial government, the various regional forest products companies, First Nations peoples, other landowners, and various stakeholders have begun to acknowledge that they must work cooperatively to take stock of the full suite of resource values, and subsequently conceive resource management plans more holistic and balanced than are currently the norm for coastal British Columbia. This report provides the basis for developing such a plan in one watershed, in the hope that a new kind of planning can take place in the Kawesas and elsewhere as well.

Table 4: Summary of Key Findings

The Kawesas is geomorphically active. Steep slopes and thin soils, combined with high precipitation, result in large pulses of sediment that eventually reach and reshape the river and its habitat.
Windthrow mounds and logs are common, and provide important rooting surfaces on floodplain and terrace slopes. Large woody debris (LWD) is important not only as a source of large wood for riparian systems, but also for maintaining the regenerative capacity of low-elevation forests themselves.
Stream sites with LWD support an order of magnitude more fish and fish biomass than sites without LWD. Retention of most of the coniferous forest within the floodplain may be necessary to maintain the observed supply of LWD.
The benthic invertebrate fauna in the Kawesas is intolerant of disturbances that result in elevated water temperatures, reduced dissolved oxygen, increased fine sediment, or "fouling" by filamentous algae. Benthic invertebrates provide a useful means of monitoring ecosystem integrity; a baseline benthic invertebrate monitoring system was established in the Kawesas.
The central valley floor with its wetlands probably contains more amphibian residents than any other drainage on the coast of central British Columbia.
Approximately 30 or more breeding pairs of Marbled Murrelets (a Red-Listed species in British Columbia) use nesting habitat in the Kawesas.
The Kawesas, with an oolichan run of moderate size, is one of only two of British Columbia's 15 significant oolichan-bearing rivers that have escaped moderate to extensive hydrological and/or industrial disturbance.
The runs in the oolichan-bearing rivers in this region are sequential; for this reason/it is important to consider five rivers (the Kildala, Kitimat, Kemano, Kawesas, and Kitlope) as parts of a whole system on which the Haisia depend.
Dates from culturally modified trees clearly demonstrate the extensive use of the valley in early historic and prehistoric times back to at least 395 years ago. Evidence from nearby areas suggests the Kawesas has been occupied for millennia.
Because it is in the same size class and shares characteristics with many other central and north coast watersheds, the Kawesas is an excellent candidate for baseline monitoring to help us better understand ecosystem dynamics in the region.
Attributes of the Kawesas including its active geomorphology, fish habitat, benthic invertebrate fauna, wildlife habitat, and cultural resources are potentially sensitive to the impact of industrial forest practices. Any one of these attributes may preclude industrial logging.
The Kawesas is a system highly susceptible to perturbation. Conventional logging will most probably cause increases in sedimentation and aggradation, leading to instability and loss of fish habitat.
Current management activities in the Kawesas are being planned with very little ecological and socioeconomic information. What information exists is not available to all stakeholders.