LITTLE CAMPBELL WATERSHED SOCIETY

DID YOU KNOW?

The Little Campbell River and its tributaries flow through five jurisdictions, is over 30 km long and drains 74km2 into Semiahmoo Bay and the Boundary Bay system.

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Crucial habitats include:  Salmon spawning areas, important wetlands, old field habitat, coastal Douglas-fir woodlands, floodplain, estuary, and saltmarsh.

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In the SENĆOŦEN language of the Semiahmoo First Nation the name of  the river is TAT-A-LU .

NATURE LIVES HERE

The diversity of the Little Campbell River watershed makes it ideal habitat for hundreds of species of plants and animals.

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• Species at Risk:  Green and Great blue heron, Pacific water shrew, Oregon spotted and Red legged frogs, Salish sucker and Anise swallowtail. 
   

• Wild salmonid species:  Coho, Chinook, Chum, and Steelhead salmon, and Cutthroat trout. 
   

• Other wildlife:  beaver, mink, coyote, raccoon, deer,  salamanders, river otter, Townsends chipmunk, garter snakes and numerous bird species. 
   

• Rare plant species:  Northern rice root, False pimpernel, and Henderson’s checkermallow and more.

KEY CONCERNS

The diverse flora and fauna of the Little Campbell River, including its wild salmon species, depend on healthy habitat to survive.  This includes a good supply of clean water.  The current impacts of licensed water extraction on water volumes, combined with population pressures and forecast effects of climate change, create serious threats to the health of the river.  Water quality in the Little Campbell and marine waters of Semiahmoo Bay face challenges from the cumulative impact of both point (focused) and non-point (diffuse) sources of pollution.  Key examples include storm water run-off from settled areas, insensitive agricultural practices and failing septic systems.  Urbanization and increasing pressure from development results in alteration or loss of habitat.  If the changes are too extreme, ecosystem healthy will disappear.