Month: January 2023

Hello friends of False Creek Friends,

Zaida here, with an update below on our activities and initiatives for Spring, 2023. Each of these three projects are still in the development stage. If you are interested in participating, please let us know by either leaving a comment below, or filling out this .

1. Healthy Waters: this is our collaboration with Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Sea Village, and  the False Creek Watershed Society    We hope to get community members out in the field this Spring to trace pollutants that enter into Vancouver’s storm sewers from rainfall and from overflows from domestic sewers, looking out for known marine hazards (such as microfibers originating from ordinary home laundry rooms, and really bad stuff coming from automotive tires) and ending up in what pollution scientists call “receiving waters” –  in our case, False Creek.  This project will need support from municipal authorities.  Read more here!

2. Filter Feeders:  We’re proposing a pilot project to install artificial reefs to promote the growth of bivalves such as oysters and mussels. These “filter feeders”  suck in sea water and get nourishment from microorganisms. (It is estimated that one adult mussel filters about 10 liters of sea water every day! and in the process, takes harmful toxins out of the water column and generally makes the seawater fresher and more nourishing. ) We are working on a collaboration with  Nature Vancouver, our city’s oldest conservation organization (104 years old this year!) More here.

3. False Creek “glassless aquarium” – building an artificial reef (or moving an existing one) and equipping it with underwater cameras and feeding the video signal into an app for distribution to anybody with a smart phone.  Have a look at this amazing video we collected this summer under the Granville  bridge!  This project has strong STEM/STEAM energy and there are many people eager to get this one going. More…

4. Light Trap Project 2023 Edition

We’re in the process of getting ready for our second year as a community partner with Hakai Institute – as part of their Sentinels of Change investigation, looking at how well Dungeness Crab larvae are thriving throughout the Salish Sea. We are part of a network that extends from Puget Sound to the northern end of Georgia Strait. Read more here.