Give nature half a chance and sometimes the payback is quick to follow, such as in Maggy Creek, the tributary that flows into Kanaka Creek at 240th Street.
Kanaka Education and Environmental Protection Society last week found coho and chinook salmon, cutthroat and stickleback in the creek.
“It’s very unusual. It’s the first time I’ve seen chinook in that tributary,” said Ross Davies, with KEEPS.
The chinook fingerlings may have actually spawned in Kanaka Creek last year, but more likely came from Harrison or Chilliwack rivers and are resting in Maple Ridge before continuing on to the ocean.
Maggy Creek’s conditions recently have been improved thanks to a better culvert connecting it with Kanaka. Habitat was also improved.
A valve also allows the level of a pond in the area to be regulated, enhancing habitat. Davies said with home construction nearing completion in the area, the amount of silt in the creek has been reduced.
“So the food production has rebounded and so has the fish presence.”
Davies noted that the one-year-old coho are uniform in size, which shows there’s enough food for the fish.