Cultus Lake Planning Strategy

Year 2010
Leader Fraser Basin Council
Project type Engagement
Project type Governance
Project type Engage First Nations
FSWP funding source DFO Fraser Basin Initiative
Grant amount $39,876.00
Total project cost $127,076.00
ID number FSWP10-D73-P

Location: Fraser Valley, Cultus Lake

Project Summary

SUMMARY

The Cultus Lake ecosystem is both valuable and stressed due to human activity. Now measuring 3 million visitors a year, this system now hosts a population of endangered sockeye salmon.  This project will convene 10 stakeholder sessions, collaborate with other agencies and highlight the issues that affect lake water quality and the social interactions impeding lake recovery. Information will be gathered that includes 50 one-on-one interviews with lake users. Building upon the 2008 CLASS Issues and Topics workshop, the Cultus Lake Planning Strategy will be the comprehensive approach towards lake stewardship for Cultus Lake. 

OVERVIEW

The Cultus Lake watershed is of high value, recreationally, culturally, and ecologically.  It is critical habitat to the endangered Cultus Lake sockeye and other sensitive species. This mesotrophic lake is increasingly impacted by humans. Even though some science is being done to investigate human impacts on the lake, we are measuring more than 3 million visitors per year! That’s like putting the PNE in a very small water body with no sewerage, and no management of human activities. Marine underwriters won’t even insure boats on the lake anymore. Boat densities exceed standards, and exhaust fumes leave a blue haze over the water. Beyond the legislative or technical responses, Cultus solutions requires human understandings and motivations. The proposed initiative will focus on the mind-set of the Lake’s users. Cultus Lake is rapidly deteriorating, and lacks an objective champion and educator that will gain public momentum to benefit lake water quality. The Fraser Basin Council proposes to convene diverse sectors in collaborative processes and develop common visions of sustainable governance in both salmon and watershed management. Specifically, FBC will hold 10 stakeholder sessions, 6 government meetings, 50 lake user interviews and a longhouse gathering to share information. The vision is to have more people engaged, knowledgeable and taking steps to care for Cultus Lake.

Together the Cultus Lake Aquatic Stewardship Strategy stakeholders and FBC propose to bring people together and create the Cultus Lake Planning Strategy. It will result in action from both local governance and community stewardship perspectives.

Considerable work has already been undertaken leading up to this initiative and CLASS has established commitments from CLASS participants.

Since October 2008, the following has been completed, with FBC staff support:
1. The Establishment of a stakeholder stewardship group, with over 30 diverse agencies and individuals, called Cultus Lake Aquatic Stewardship Strategy (CLASS).
2. Several workshops have been held to discuss key issues and topics re Cultus water quality.
3. A ratified Terms of Reference for the group has been endorsed.
4. A completed literature review of 70 documents regarding lake water quality and aquatic stressors
5. An Oral History project has been undertaken to establish an historical baseline (Traditional ecological knowledge model)
6. Regular engagement with media, the Cultus View, stakeholder agencies, FNs and FBC.
7. A schools outreach program has been initiated with 2 local schools.

The CLASS group has made great progress and this proposed critical planning strategy will be the catalyst to move forward on the more difficult topics within the watershed that cover multiple jurisdictions. The work in this proposal is highly strategic and will be completed in 2010-11. It will be a strategic planning process documenting where action can and will take place.

OBJECTIVES

Objective #1 To improve lake water quality through the development of a Cultus Lake Planning Strategy. By stimulating good communications, engaging the diverse stakeholder interests, and developing new governance approaches, an approach to improving Cultus Lake water quality and fish habitat will be developed.

This Objective will be met by:
-strengthening the CLASS stakeholder group (enabling ownership over roles and responsibilities and deepening commitments from a broader range of individuals and groups)
-gathering information (from analysis of gov’t reports and individuals and by surveying lake visitors)
-meeting with governance bodies (DFO, CLPB, BC Parks, DND, FNs, others) and documenting their mandate and interest in relation to Cultus Lake while initiating a process that promotes the underlying science to quantify stressors and developing a research and action plan.
-Communicating to decision makers and the public through the strategy report to influence their understanding and therefore their actions re the Lake.
- A gathering which connects individuals on a deeper spiritual level through the longhouse experience. This aids in building community bridges of watershed care.
Objective #2 Better understanding of user groups (human behaviours) by administering a survey of users. (This adds to the gathering of information above).


METHODS

What will be done:
Formulation of the Cultus Lake Planning Strategy
1. The CL Planning Strategy will be a guiding strategy created through increased community and government engagement (incl. First Nations) with the aim of improving our understanding of the most critical lake issues.  Based on the 2008 “CLASS Cultus Issues & Topics” document, the following subject areas will be explored and documented: Changes to OCP, land-use, nutrient loading, recreational management, human impacts, lake ecosystems, invasive species, traditional uses, and community interest.
2. The continuation and bolstering of an inclusive roundtable process to convene Cultus stakeholders to develop an action plan focusing in on the complex issues and systems that affect Cultus Lake and surrounding area.
3. The production of transferable reports and lessons-learned to key governing bodies and other processes dealing with lake management (i.e. the Shuswap Lake Integrated Planning Process).

We will achieve greater community and governance engagement (incl. First Nations) and attention to critical lake issues with documentation to support this.  This is the first time that an integrated, comprehensive approach is being taken in the Cultus Lake watershed.

How it will be done:
    1. FBC’s expertise in convening all levels of stakeholders with key engagement principles is critical
    to successful outcomes with techniques such as acknowledging that every person at the table has       their own background and culture, and therefore acknowledging them in positive ways allows for all voices to be included and considered in our process.

    2. Bring together existing data: i.e., measured traffic counts, observable bird populations
    (nutrients), historical base-lines, number of septics and outhouses, lake temperatures,  to highlight
    and ground-truth the degraded state of the Cultus Lake ecosystem. Traditional ecological
    knowledge and stories of change will further reinforce the changing nature of the lake from a
    personal perspective.

    3. Through the stakeholder engagement process to strategize lake-care actions or
    recommendations with consideration to transferability: How this work got done. Comparison and
    overview of similar lakes, resort communities and how issues were dealt with.

    4. By piloting and administering boater/visitor outreach surveys to not only capture information
    but also improve public awareness of the ecosystem.
   
    5. Host the watershed information sharing evenings in the Yakweakwioose Longhouse.  Continue
    to create and adapt to an inclusive process that will ultimately lead to all stakeholder
    buy-in, and therefore longevity, momentum and resiliency of the project for future actions.

BENEFITS

As the Cultus watershed is experiencing sharp increases in visitor numbers and development, Cultus sockeye and other aquatic species suffer. The timing for this work is critical before there is little chance of recovery or the cost to address it is too high. This project will specifically invigorate the scientific understanding of the human impacts on declines and the degradations of the watershed (lake) stimulating future actions to remedy the situation.


Engage First Nations, government agencies and community groups/NGOs

Each listed stakeholder group is present at the Cultus Lake Aquatic Stewards table. This process includes their inputs and we have a solid 2-year record of their engagement.


Complement or implement local and / or regional plans (e.g., recovery plans, watershed plans)

The Cultus Lake Parks Board has identified a Lakes Use Plan in their strategy, BC Parks is proposing to extend their jurisdiction and the Fraser Valley Regional Dist. will be reviewing the Official Settlement Plan (OCP). All are connected thru the CLASS roundtable.


Value-added aspects

The FBC adds value in all of the above categories. On this proposal, FBC ensures youth engagement, FNs community and cultural values, bridging adjacent communities to traditional uses and setting the table to increase cross-institutional relationships. The Strategy itself will influence future policy development and action within the Cultus watershed.